Publications and Press News
Montana The Magazine of Western History
Wins Seventh Wrangler Award"'My heart now has become changed to softer feelings': A Northern Cheyenne Woman and Her Family Remember the Long Journey Home" by John J. Monnett has won a 2010 Wrangler award from the National Cowboy Museum and Western Heritage Center. Presented during a gala event in Oklahoma City this spring, the award honors the best nonfiction magazine article on any western history topic. Society director Richard Sims was on hand to receive the award. This is Montana's seventh Wrangler since 1990 - no other journal of western history has won so many. For more information or to order a subscription, call (406) 444–4708.
2009 Dan Flores, "Bringing Home all the Pretty Horses: The Horse Trade and the Early American West, 1775–1825" (Summer 2008)
2006 Jeffrey V. Pearson, "Tragedy at Red Cloud Agency: The Surrender, Confinement, and Death of Crazy Horse" (Summer 2005)
1996 Paul Andrew Hutton, "Showdown at the Hollywood Corral: Wyatt Earp and the Movies" (Summer 1995)
1994 Raphael Cristy, "Charlie's Hidden Agenda: Realism and Nostalgia in C. M. Russell's Stories About Indians" (Summer 1993)
1993 Peter H. Hassrick, "Western Art Museums: A Question of Style or Content" (Summer 1992)
1991 Jerry Keenan, "Yellowstone Kelly: From New York to Paradise" (Summer 1990)
Governor's Award Goes to Glenda Bradshaw
Photo Editor Glenda Bradshaw received the 2009 Governor's Award for Excellence in Performance. She is responsible for researching and obtaining photographs, maps, cover art, and other illustrations for Montana The Magazine of Western History and books published by the Montana Historical Society Press. She also assists on editing all of the materials that the Publications Program produces.Ray Allen Billington Award
Dan Flores and Montana The Magazine of Western History received the Ray Allen Billington Award at this falls Western History Association meetings held in Denver, Colorado. The article recognized was "Bringing Home All The Pretty Horses: The Horse Trade in the Early American West, 1775 - 1825," published in the Summer 2008 issue.In recognition of the late Ray Allen Billington's leadership in the field of Western history, and of his services as the first president of the Western History Association, the Ray Allen Billington Award was established to recognize the best article (essay of 10,000 words or less) on Western history published in any journal other than the Western Historical Quarterly. The award is $400 to the author and $100 to the journal in which the article was published. The purpose of the award is to encourage authors and editors alike to seek excellence in the field of Western history.
Montana Wins in Wyoming!
Michael A. Amundson received an award given by the Wyoming State Historical Society in recognition of accomplishments in the promotion and reservation of Wyoming History in the field of Publications, Magazines, and Newspapers for his article "These Men Play Real Polo: An Elite Sport in the Cowboy Sate, 1890-1930." The article was published in the Spring 2009 issue of Montana The Magazine of Western History.Wild West History Association Awards Tiffany Clay
Montana The Magazine of Western History and historian Tiffany Clay won an award from the Wild West History Association for an article in 2008 titled "A Call to Order: Law, Violence, and the Development of Montana's Early Stockmen's Organizations." The award was announced at the WWHA's meetings held in San Antonio, Texas. The manuscript was a 2006 winner of the Montana Historical Society-Montana The Magazine of Western History Merrill G. Burlingame-K. Ross Toole Competition for undergraduate or graduate students writing on the subjects of Montana or western history. An interview with Clay can be viewed here: http://www.wildwesthistory.org/awards/2009_Clay.aspMontana The Magazine of Western History Wins Sixth Wrangler Award
"Bringing Home all the Pretty Horses: The Horse Trade and the Early American West, 1775 - 1825" by Dan Flores has won a Wrangler award from the National Cowboy Museum and Western Heritage Center. Presented during a gala event in Oklahoma City this spring, the award honors the best nonfiction magazine article on any western history topic. Editor Molly Holz was on hand to receive the award. This is Montana's sixth Wrangler since 1990 - no other journal of western history has won so many. For more information or to order a subscription, call (406) 444-4708.
Friends' Choice Award Winner Announced
Each year the Friends of the Montana Historical Society, the
organization of MHS volunteers, vote for their favorite article in
Montana The Magazine of Western History. Established in 2004, this
award represents the opinion of a diverse group who have a strong interest
in Montana and western history. The following is a list of award
recipients thus far.
2009 Ellen Baumler, "Montana Deaconess School to Intermountain: A
Centennial of Restoring Hope for Children, 1909-2009" (Spring 2009)
2008 Dan Flores, "Bringing Home All the Pretty Horses: The Horse
Trade and the Early American West, 1775-1825" (Summer 2008)
2007 Fredric Quivik, "The Tragic Montana Career of Dr. D. E.
Salmon" (Spring 2007)
2006 Seena B. Kohl, "Love, Valor, and Endurance: World War II War
Brides Making a Home in Montana" (Autumn 2006)
2005 Ellen Baumler, "The Masonic Apron of Meriwether Lewis and
the Legacy of Masonry in Montana" (Winter 2005)
2004 Aaron Parrett, "Montana's Worst Natural Disaster: The 1964
Flood on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation" (Summer 2004)
Copper Chorus Wins Spur Award
"Copper Chorus: Mining, Politics and the Montana Press, 1889-1959" wins the 2007 Spur Award for best nonfiction-contemporary book. The Spur Awards, given annually for distinguished writing about the American West, are among the oldest and most prestigious in American literature. Written by University of Montana Journalism Professor Dennis Swibold, "Copper Chorus" reads like a front-page story complete with greed, propaganda, corruption, and back rooms filled with cigar smoke and power brokers. Winners and finalists will be honored June 12-16 at the Western Writers of America Convention in Springfield, Missouri.Cheers to 50 Years!
The Montana Historical Society celebrated its fiftieth anniversary of publishing books. K. Ross Toole and J. W. Smurr edited the first book in 1957, Historical Essays on Montana and the Northwest. Then, the Society published under the moniker of the Western Press. Not long after, the name changed to the Montana Historical Society Press . With more than fifty titles in print, the MHS Press has reached a broad audience and earned a reputation as one of the most respected publishers of western history in the high plains and northern Rockies.Baumler received the AASLH Award for Beyond Spirit Tailings
Ellen Baumler has received the American Association for State and Local History Award of Merit for Beyond Spirit Tailings: Montana's Mysteries, Ghosts, and Haunted Places , published by the Montana Historical Society.
Beyond Spirit Tailings, its predecessor Spirit Tailings: Ghost Tales form Virginia City, Butte, and Helena, and the audio book Beyond Spirit Tailings with music by Philip Aaberg, can each be purchased through the Montana Historical Society Museum Store.
Montana Wins Fifth Wrangler Award
Montana The Magazine of Western History won a fifth Wrangler Award from the National Cowboy Museum and Western Heritage Center for Jeffrey Pearson's article "Tragedy at Red Cloud Agency: The Surrender, Confinement, and Death of Crazy Horse" published in the Summer 2005 issue. Presented during a gala event in Oklahoma City this spring, the award honors the best nonfiction magazine article on any western history topic. Business manager Tammy Ryan and photo editor Glenda Bradshaw were on hand to receive the award. Since 1990 Montana has published five Wrangler Award-winning articles. For more information or to order a subscription, call (406) 444-4708.
Paul Hedren Named Spur Award Winner
The Western Writers of America have named Paul Hedren's article "The Contradictory Legacies of Buffalo Bill Cody's First Scalp for Custer" the winner of their annual Spur Award in the short non-fiction category. Hedren's article appeared in the Spring 2005 issue of Montana The Magazine of Western History. The award was presented at the WWA's conference in Cody. Editor Molly Holz accepted the award on behalf of the magazine.
James E. Potter Named Finalist
The Army Historical Foundation has named James E. Potter a finalist in their 2005 Distinguished Writing Awards. Potter's article "Hunting in the Frontier Army: 'The Great Source of Amusement,'" appeared in the Autumn 2005 issue of Montana The Magazine of Western History. In his article, Potter discusses the importance of hunting on the frontier as a form of recreation and sustenance for soldiers. Potter is a senior research historian at the Nebraska State Historical Society.
Ellen Baumler and Philip Aaberg Release Audiobook
In a new and exciting twist, Ellen Baumler's ever-popular historical ghost stories found an enthusiastic reader in world-famous composer Philip Aaberg. Inspired by the stories, he encouraged Ellen to produce and audio version of Beyond Spirit Tailings to which he could add his music. Ellen and Philip's spooky collaboration will evoke those places and images that make our imagination such a wonderful (and sometimes unearthly) destination. For more information about ordering your copy of this five-disc set, visit the MHS Museum Store online, or call 1-800-243-9900.
Tammy Ryan Wins 2005 Governor's Award
Publications program staff member Tammy Ryan was recently awarded the Governor's Award for Excellence in Performance. In a cermony on the campus of Carroll College, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer presented the award to Ryan and other state employees representing a variety of state agencies. Former Montana Governor Sam Stephens established this award in 1990, which recognizes state employees across Montana. Winners are selected based upon a variety of professional, leadership, and service criteria. Since 1988, Tammy Ryan has brought energy, integrity, initiative, talent, and collegiality to the publications program as circulation and advertising manager of Montana The Magazine of Western History. We extend our congratulations to Tammy for her service to our organization.
For more information about the 2005 Governor's Award for Excellence in Performance winners, visit Governor Brian Schweitzer's web page.
Montana in Germany
William E. Farr's two-part article titled "Going to the Buffalo: Indian Hunting Migrations across the Rocky Mountains," originally published in Montana The Magazine of Western History, has been translated into German and published by Verlag Amerikanistik D. Kuegler. The article previously received recognition by winning the 2004 Vivian Paladin Award from the Montana Historical Society.
Baumler and MHS Press Recognized by Women Writing the West
Ellen Baumler's Girl From the Gulches: The Story of Mary Ronan, published by the Montana Historical Society Press, has been selected as a Finalist Award Winner in the 2004 WILLA Literary Awards in the Memoir/Essay category. Awarded annually for outstanding literature featuring women's stories set in the West, the WILLA Literary Awards are chosen by a distinguished panel of twenty-one professional librarians.
Hope in Hard Times Wins Montana Book Award
The Montana Historical Society Press is pleased to annouce that Hope in Hard Times: New Deal Photographs of Montana, 1936-1942 by Mary Murphy was selected as the first place winner of the Montana Book Award. This annual award recognizes literary and/or artistic excellence in a book published in the previous year.
2005 Vivian Paladin Award Winner Announced
Every magazine likes to win prizes, but we confess our delight in giving them too: each year the editorial board of Montana The Magazine of Western History selects the best article published during the previous year as the winner of the Vivian A. Paladin Award. The Montana Historical Society Board of Trustees created the award in 1978 to honor the career achievements and high editorial standards of legendary editor Vivian A. Paladin who served the magazine for twenty years (1958-1978). We present the award at the annual Montana History Conference. Here is the list of authors who have won this award.
Winners of the Vivian A. Paladin Award
2008 (Two articles tie) Megan Benson, "The Fight for Crow Water,
Part 1" and "The Early Reservation Years Through the Indian New Deal, Part
2" and Dan Flores, "Bringing Home All the Pretty Horse: The Horse Trade
and the Early American West, 1775-1825
2007 Kenneth N. Owens, "Frontiersman for the Tsar: Timofe,
Tarakanov and the Expansion of Russian America"
2006 Melody Graulich, "Monopolizing The Virginian (or, Railroading
Wister)"
2005 Paul Hedren, "The Contradictory Legacies of Buffalo Bill
Cody's First Scalp for Custer"
2004 William E. Farr, "Going to Buffalo: Indian Hunting Migrations
across the Rocky Mountains"
2003 Christine K. Erickson, "'Kluxer Blues': The Klan Confronts
Catholics in Butte, Montana, 1923"
2002 Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith, "World Champions: The 1904
Girls' Basketball Team from Fort Shaw Indian Boarding School"
2001 Brian Dippie, "'Flying Buffaloes': Artists and the Buffalo
Hunt"
2000 Liping Zhu, "No Need to Rush: The Chinese, Placer Mining, and
the Western Environment"
1999 Ellen Baumler, "Devil's Perch: Prostitution from Suite to
Cellar in Butte, Montana"
1998 Michael C. Steiner, "Frontierland as Tomorrowland: Walt Disney
and the Architectural Packing of the Mythic West"
1997 Quintard Taylor, "From Esteban to Rodney King: Five Centuries
of African American History in the West"
1996 Liping Zhu, "'A Chinaman's Chance' on the Rocky Mountain
Mining Frontier"
1995 James P. Ronda, "A Moment in Time: The West-September 1806"
1994 William E. Farr "Troubled Bundles, Troubled Blackfeet: The
Travail of Cultural and Religious Renewal"
1993 John Phillip Reid, "Certainty of Vengeance: The Hudson's Bay
Company and Retaliation in Kind against Indian Offenders in New Caledonia"
1992 Brian W. Dippie, "Photographic Allegories and Indian
Destinies"
1991 Paul A. Hutton, "'Correct in Every Detail': General Custer in
Hollywood"
1990 Albert L. Hurtado, "Public History and the Native American"
Montana Wins Award from Forest History Society for Second Year in a Row
We are delighted to announce that for the second year in a row, the magazine has won the Theodore C. Blegen Award from the Forest History Society. Sara Dant Ewert's "Evolution of an Environmentalist: Senator Frank Church and the Hells Canyon Controversy" (Montana The Magazine of Western History, Spring 2001) won for 2002, and Alice Wondrak's "Wrestling with Horace Albright: Edmund Rogers, Visitors, and Bears in Yellowstone National Park" (Autumn-Winter 2002) won for 2003. The Blegen Award is given annually to the author of the best article in a journal other than Environmental History. The author receives a $500 award and plaque.
For more on The Forest History Society, visit www.foresthistory.org.
Society Historic Guide Wins National Honor
Allan Mathews's A Guide to Historic Missoula, volume 6 in the Montana Mainstreets series, received a Certificate of Commendation, which recognizes excellence, from the American Association for State and Local History.
Order Magazine Slipcases
Preserve, protect, and organize your back issues of Montana The Magazine of Western History. Slipcases are library quality, constructed with heavy bookbinder board, and covered in rich maroon leatherette material. Each measures 11-3/8" tall x 8-5/8" deep x 3" wide and holds approximately eight issues. These new slipcases may be ordered directly from the manufacturer, TNC Enterprises, by calling 215-674-8476 or ordering online at www.tncenterprises.net/mt.html.
Montana Historical Society
P.O. Box 201201
Helena, Montana 59620
Phone: 406-444-4708
