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Tell me, Tallie: Why is there no mail delivery in Big Sky?
Published
7 years agoon
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Outlaw PartnersWe all remember our first time. Nervous and unsure, we sought to establish a foothold in our new hometown. Then, we all encountered one of two unforgettable mailroom characters. If you started as a Big Sky Resort employee, you met the legendary Charlie Davie. Jean “The Queen” Palmer oriented all other newcomers. Either way, they reassured us by giving us an address in Big Sky.
But then after we settled in, we found ourselves wondering, “Wait, why isn’t there mail delivery here? Why doesn’t UPS or FedEx recognize my physical address?” Until I began researching this column, I pondered the same questions. The answers are found in the stories of Palmer and Davie.
Davie has run the Big Sky Resort mailroom for 31 years and to describe the man as an institution is understatement. He now works alongside his wife Nyla and their son Jordan, and after only a few minutes in their mailroom, they make you feel like family, despite distributing mail and packages to approximately 1000 people. This includes international seasonal workers, convention attendees and Boyne staff. Their warm smiles greet parcels from Amazon.com and Argentinian mothers. If you’re having a bad day, visit the Davie family near the loading dock in the Huntley Lodge.
Queen Jean, as most locals know Palmer, developed her moniker via two converging routes. In 1999, our unassuming mail lady dominated the local ski-and-party scene, earning her crown in Big Sky’s “Dirt Bag” royalty. Ever since, she has been the queen bee in our local hive of mail activity. When I asked her if the reason we don’t have mail delivery is that she doesn’t want to do it, she giggled.
“No, I’d love to drive a mail truck!” Palmer said. Instead, her staff buzzes around 1661 post office boxes and roughly 800 “General Delivery” recipients. Jean knows basically everyone who lives in or has ever lived in Big Sky.
Predating Palmer and Davie, we have to go way back in time to find the logistical answer to the absence of local home mail delivery. The Gallatin Gateway post office originally serviced the few hardy souls whose addresses were on the precious ground we now call Big Sky.
In the mid-1970s, John McCulley with the Big Sky Owners Association recognized a need for a local postal distribution center. He cleverly struck an agreement with the U.S. Postal Service to pay BSOA to service its burgeoning community in exchange for providing mail collection and distribution. Thus, Big Sky’s “contract” post office was born.
Since then, all of the neighborhoods off of Lone Mountain Trail have been serviced by iterations of that contract. Neighborhoods in Gallatin Canyon continue to get their mail delivered by dedicated Gallatin Gateway postal workers—some routes surpass 100 miles round-trip, snowstorm or shine. Talk about hardy!
My friends back East snicker when I tell them that I love my daily visit to the Big Sky post office. Of course, there are bills, junk catalogues, and political mumbo-jumbo. But there are also care packages, handwritten letters, and invitations to weddings and retirement parties. Best of all, Queen Jean and the Davie family make the pilgrimage a memorable one. They’ve created a post office culture that’s part and parcel of our town’s identity.
Your first mail experience in Big Sky won’t make you “go postal.” It’ll make you nostalgic, fondly clinging to a time and place that hasn’t yet slipped through your fingers. You have, in your grasp, the best address in America.
Tell me, Tallie, are you wondering why something is particularly unique to our community? You want to know and I’m eager to learn. This column commits to answering your burning questions about why Big Sky exists the way it does. Ask me at tallie@reallybigsky.com.
Tallie Lancey is a broker with Big Sky Sotheby’s International Realty and spends her free time serving Big Sky on the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center board of directors and in other various ways.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
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February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy that tells the story of Toby and Melinda, two lonely people whose lives are forever changed the night they encounter a starving coyote at their apartment building. Over time they grow to expect him, leaving ritual offerings to entice the coyote every night. Toby and Melinda forge a connection over this visitor and share curiosity and concern about his presence in the city. The coyote expands their world–until, one night, their world is shattered. Their lives are pushed suddenly into uncharted territory, sending them on a surreal odyssey that changes their city–and the world–forever.
Directed by LX Miller. Starring Max Schneider and Denise Hergett
Verge Theater is continuing their mission to provide accessible theater to our community. Tickets for My Barking Dog are Pay What You Wish with a suggested price of $35. Audience members are offered the opportunity to select the price point that is comfortable for them when purchasing tickets.
My Barking Dog runs March 15-17, 22-24, 28-30
Performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays begin at 7:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees offered at 3:00 p.m.
Suitable for ages 16 . No animals are harmed in the staging of this production.
Tickets are available online at www.vergetheater.com
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15 (Friday) 7:00 pm - 30 (Saturday) 8:30 pm
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Area parents are encouraged to bring their young children to Symphony Storytime with a Bassoon which will be presented at the Bozeman Public Library’s Community Room during
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Area parents are encouraged to bring their young children to Symphony Storytime with a Bassoon which will be presented at the Bozeman Public Library’s Community Room during their regular Toddler and Preschool Storytime on Wednesday, March 20, at 10:15 a.m. The free program, presented by the Bozeman Symphony is especially for children ages 3 to 5. Children will be able to listen to Montana Shakespeare in the Parks actor Emma Rather, who will be joined by Bozeman Symphony Bassoonist Sam Macken. The goal of the program is to encourage a love of music, literacy, and discovery. Additional programs are scheduled at the Library on April 10 and June 12. For more information, visit www.bozemansymphony.org or call 406-585-9774.
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(Wednesday) 10:15 am - 10:45 am
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Bozeman Public Library
626 E. Main St, Bozeman, MT