Distinctly Montana Stories

I Didn't Die in Montana: Hank Williams Jr. on Ajax MT

On August 8, 1975, Hank Williams Jr. set out to hunt mountain goats on Ajax Peak, on the Montana-Idaho border near Wisdom. He was 26, the son of a country music legend, and the heaviest of the three hikers crossing a late-summer snowfield near the summit. He stepped into his guide's footprint. Something under his right foot moved. What followed was a fall so catastrophic that the men who reached his body couldn't believe he was still alive.

Conquering the Divide

In the early days of aviation, Montana's Continental Divide was the prize every flyboy wanted — and the mountain range that kept breaking their planes. A barnstormer crashed in a gulch. A racing legend couldn't catch a break in Butte. Then a nineteen-year-old kid who'd built his first flying machine at fourteen arrived in Helena with something to prove. He had one month left to live. Distinctly Montana Stories brings literary journalism from the pages of Distinctly Montana magazine to life in audio. Sound effects and music sourced from Epidemic Sound.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Montana Dreams

In 1909, Frank Lloyd Wright was exhausted, trapped in a failing marriage, and desperate to run away with another man's wife. That same year, Chicago financiers hired him to design a utopian orchard town in the Bitterroot Valley—an ambitious vision that would never be built. What Wright left behind in Montana, and what was taken from it a century later, is a story of ambition, loss, and the strange persistence of dreams. Written by Joseph Shelton. Music licensed through Epidemic Sound. Subscribe to the magazine at www.distinctlymontana.com/subscribe

Who the Hell Was Montana Frank?

In this episode of Distinctly Montana Stories, join me, Joseph Shelton, as I delve into the enigmatic life of Montana Frank McCray, a figure who straddled the line between myth and reality in the American West. Known as the last of Buffalo Bill's scouts, Montana Frank claimed a storied past filled with adventure, including performances in Wild West shows and connections with iconic figures. However, as we explore archived articles and personal accounts, a more complex picture emerges. Was he a legendary frontiersman or a vaudeville performer spinning tales to captivate his audience? Tune in to uncover the truth behind Montana Frank and the allure of Western folklore.

The Last Ride of Long George Francis

Long George Francis was many things: rodeo champion, poet, outlaw, and the self-proclaimed Robin Hood of the Hi-Line. He'd survived hotel fires, rodeo injuries, and sixteen months as a fugitive. He'd never killed anyone. And on Christmas Eve, 1920, a judge trusted him enough to grant him a few days of freedom before he reported to prison—just long enough to deliver candy and toys to the woman he loved. He never made it. The Last Ride of Long George Francis was written by Nick Mitchell for Distinctly Montana magazine. Narrated and produced by Joe Shelton. Music licensed from Epidemic Sound. Distinctly Montana Stories brings literary journalism from the pages of Distinctly Montana magazine to life in audio. Subscribe to Distinctly Montana Magazines at www.distinctlymontana.com/subscribe