Montana
YouTube star and wagon wheel enthusiast opens western transportation museum in Joliet
JOLIET — A new western transportation themed museum has opened in Downtown Joliet at 110 South Main Street.
Treasures Out West celebrated its grand opening on Friday. The museum features several western transportation displays including a replica of an original wagon wheel.
To honor Montana culture, the museum also has a gift shop featuring local crafters and artists with handmade items, along with Wilcoxson’s Ice Cream.
The museum is open all weekend, and the owners hope to eventually expand the business to be open everyday.
See the video for this story below:
YouTube star and wagon wheel enthusiast opens western transportation museum in Joliet
All of the transportation-themed items in the museum belong to Dave Engel’s personal collection.
Engel, a YouTube star, has been restoring and recreating antique wagons since the 1970s. Engel told MTN on Friday he loves history about the Wild West, and that he hopes to honor Montana with the museum.
“This is a part of the American West. It’s the roots of America, how all the settlers moved from eastern areas, St. Joe, Missouri, to this country, all happened with what I work with. All the pioneers came out here, the whole country was opened up on wagons. And that’s just part of who we are,” said Engel.
Mack Carmack, MTN News
Since last summer, Engel has worked on opening the museum.
“This isn’t near big enough. I’m beginning to realize that fairly quickly. We could easily triple, or quadruple this room here,” he said.
The center of the museum is taken up by an original restored manure spreader from Engel’s personal collection. But, Engel says his favorite item in the entire museum is a large wagon wheel, which he created from scratch based off an original antique.
“This is a project that I got involved with the beginning of 2014, and it is a project that has never been done before. These wagons were built in the early 1880s, and no one has ever rebuilt these since,” he said.
Mack Carmack, MTN News
Just across the street from Engel’s museum is his workshop.
There, Engel restores and builds old wagons. It’s also where he films his YouTube videos.
Since 2015, Engel has been posting videos on his YouTube channel, Engel’s Coach Shop, where he demonstrates his craftsmanship.
Mack Carmack, MTN News
RELATED| Joliet man bringing history back to life with his horse-drawn wagon restorations
“People watch this project and then they can come and actually see it hands on, first hand, of what they watched on their television,” said Engel.
For almost as long as Engel has been working on wagons, his brother-in-law, Rich Bischoff, has been restoring carriage and early automobile lamps, which are also featured in the museum.
Mack Carmack, MTN News
“Just the fact that, well, some of this machinery that I’ve used, it’s really cool to see here that Dave got a special spot for, honoring me by doing that… It’s just real exciting” Bischoff said Friday.
Around 40 years ago, Engel and Bischoff worked together reproducing carriage lamps, before separating into their own interests.
“The only thing that isn’t represented here is hearse lamps. But everything from buggies, to small carriages, to large carriages… to early automobiles (is represented),” said Bischoff.
Because of their former working relationship, Engel devoted a portion of the museum to Bischoff’s lamp collection, which includes lamps from the 1850s to the 1920s.
“I never dreamed that this would be in a display like that for people to come and look at it,” he said.
Mack Carmack, MTN News
The museum is open on Saturday until 6:00 p.m. and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
HELENA — When President Donald Trump announced a plan last week to import more beef from Argentina, it drew quick criticism from ranchers in Montana. Now, Montana’s members of Congress say they’re pushing the administration to change course.
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines told MTN he quickly began hearing from Montanans in the cattle business after reports came out about Trump’s plan.
“The word I would describe is they feel betrayed,” he said.
(Watch the video to hear more reaction from Montana’s congressional delegation.)
Montana’s congressional delegation pushing back on plan to import beef from Argentina
Daines said Montana beef producers have already been under pressure from drought and market forces. He said this step was “an unforced error” by the administration.
All four members of Montana’s congressional delegation are Republicans. They all say the Republican president’s plan was the wrong direction and that they’ve made that case when speaking with administration leaders.
U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, who represents Montana’s western congressional district, says he understands why Trump wanted to tackle high beef prices, but that this wasn’t the right way for him to do it.
“Having a healthy cattle industry, having a healthy poultry industry and having a healthy supply chain for food is really national security,” he told MTN. “So he understands that, and I think we’re going to see some action in making sure or calming a lot of the fears from the cattlemen out there.”
Earlier this year, Daines visited Argentina and met with its conservative president, Javier Milei, during a South American tour advocating for Trump’s trade policies. He said his opinions on the country and its government don’t play any role in his feelings on this proposed deal.
“I don’t care if this is Argentinian beef or beef coming from anywhere else in the world,” he said. “The answer for what’s going on right now in the markets is not to import more beef – bottom line. It doesn’t matter where it comes from; it happens to be Argentina.”
Daines said it would be better for Montana’s cattle industry for the U.S. to focus on opening export markets rather than import markets. In 2017, Daines celebrated an agreement that led to China buying millions of dollars in Montana beef – but he said Thursday that the country has shut the doors to American beef during the ongoing trade dispute with the Trump administration.
“We were shipping over $1 billion a year in beef last year, and now it’s gone to zero,” he said.
In a statement to MTN, Sen. Tim Sheehy said he’s been talking with Trump and his team, looking for a path forward.
“Empowering hardworking ranchers who feed America and lowering prices for American families at the grocery store are not mutually exclusive,” he said. “Both can be accomplished by lowering input costs and providing a reliable, pro-growth environment for producers so ranchers can grow their operation, capture more of the value they create, and feed the nation with affordable, healthy, high-quality beef.”
Zinke and Daines say they also see areas where the federal government can make moves that will benefit both Montana ranchers and Montana consumers. Daines wants Congress to do more to tackle the huge market share four large packing companies have in the beef industry – a situation he calls a “monopoly.”
“Our ranchers don’t set the price; that price is set for them,” he said.
Zinke wants to put additional emphasis on country-of-origin labeling for beef.
“In Montana, we have a brand and that brand has value,” he said. “When it’s made in Montana, you know it’s at the top, the quality is there. And our ranchers sell premium product – that’s important.”
Daines said he supports country-of-origin labeling also, though he wants to make sure any additional steps the U.S. takes doesn’t lead to unintended consequences or retribution from countries like Canada.
WESTERN MONTANA — Here’s a look at Western Montana’s top news stories for Wednesday.
The University of Montana removed Business Professor Anthony Richard Pawlisz from faculty after he was charged with criminal endangerment in Ravalli County court. Pawlisz allegedly pulled a gun on a man and fired a shot into the air after a fight outside of a bar in Florence on Aug. 17, according to court documents. His former class will continue under Professor Udo Fluck. (Read the full story)
Nathaniel Luke Smith pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct on Monday after posing a threat to Mission High School on Oct. 8, which prompted increased police presence while classes continued. Smith is also serving a three-year deferred sentence for intimidation from an incident in November 2024. (Read the full story)
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte said he will not be using state funds to temporarily cover SNAP benefits for nearly 78,000 enrolled Montanans if federal funding runs out on Nov. 1. Amidst a government shutdown, he said it’s a federal responsibility — despite calls from Democrats and food banks to use leftover state money. (Read the full story)
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