The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980

Articles written by Mark Spero & Rick Graetz


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  • Anaconda - A Montana Gem

    Mark Spero and Rick Graetz, University of Montana|Updated Feb 21, 2024

    "In 1880, Nate Leavengood's meadow, where Anaconda now stands, was a lush and quiet place. As far as the eye could see in all directions there was nothing but the valley, the swelling foothills and mountain ramparts...four years later, the meadow was gone...there had been no gradual encroachment of civilization, no creeping in of small farms and little stores. There was no village. First there was nothing, and then all of a sudden there was the world's largest smelter and...

  • Ovando: More Scenery Per Capita

    Mark Spero and Rick Graetz, University of Montana|Updated Nov 14, 2022

    Long on scenery and short on population the middle Blackfoot River Valley is the epitome of rural Montana. Mountains of the fabled Bob Marshall Country form its northern horizon and forested uplifts of the Garnet Range guard the southern perimeter. And a river runs through it. Since Montana earliest years when homesteaders made their way here, the valley has remained a ranching domain. And like many old Montana towns, Ovando, its human enclave has weathered countless storms...