Uncategorized
The original Spanish Peaks SUPers
Published
8 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersBy Anne Marie Mistretta EBS Contributor
Engage the core. Flex the knees. Reach, catch, power through.
First time stand up paddleboarders at Big Sky Resort’s Lake Levinsky marina occasionally struggle for balance on the placid waters. But they need only look to local history to find inspiration from those who pioneered the sport in the Spanish Peaks more than a century ago.
Log drivers, as they prepared for their riotous passage delivering logs down the Gallatin River—and perhaps log driver wannabes—tested their surefootedness in local mountain lakes, such as Jack Creek Lake (now called Ulery’s Lake).
Thousands of years ago, watermen on many continents guided their crafts while standing up to improve fishing, travel and stealthy invasion outcomes. Today’s stand up paddleboarding—also known as SUP—most likely has its roots in the Hawaiian surf culture. Locally though, during the early 1900s these same athletic skills were so valuable that men were imported to this area for their abilities.
So who were those log drivers, and why were they here? Once the Northern Pacific Railroad chugged through Bozeman in 1883, the Gallatin Valley craved wood. The upper Gallatin watershed and its tributaries had plenty of it, and timber harvesting became an important local industry. Backed by Helena money, Walter Cooper formed the Cooper Tie Company in 1904 and set up a tie hacker camp in Eldridge on the Taylor Fork to supply the Northern Pacific with ties for the railroad beds.
But Cooper had a logistical problem: His timber was at the other end of the unimproved and treacherous Gallatin Canyon road, about 50 miles south of its ultimate destination in Salesville—now known as Gallatin Gateway. Once there, the timber would be hauled off to mills in the Gallatin Valley.
Enter the log drivers, recruited from Oregon and Canada to guide the logs downstream. Timber felled in the upper Gallatin forests in fall and winter was retained in dammed streams along the Gallatin River. At peak snowmelt runoff, the log drivers broke the dams, sometimes dynamiting them, and rode the logs downriver, hopping from log to log, prodding them with a pike pole to minimize jams.
“It was a colorful, boisterous operation,” according to Michael Malone, a former Montana State University president and Montana historian.
Log drivers were so nimble they were coveted by ladies as dancing partners. In fact, you can catch 40 seconds of impressive original footage of log driving at youtube.com/watch?v=upsZZ2s3xv8, followed by the recording of a ditty called “The Log Drivers’ Waltz.”
The shapes of today’s stand up paddleboards have greatly improved aerodynamics over logs. The staff of Big Sky’s Geyser Whitewater—which operates the SUP operation at Big Sky Resort—reports that most people who try stand up paddleboarding actually master the balance fairly quickly. Plus, Levinsky is a calm lake without motorboats to cause balance-affecting waves.
Stand up paddleboarding in the Spanish Peaks is a great way to spend a day on water, while you imagine the log drivers of a century ago preparing for their rowdy journey down the Gallatin.
Anne Marie Mistretta is the chair of the Historic Crail Ranch Conservators who operate the Crail Ranch Homestead Museum on Spotted Elk Road in Big Sky.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
Upcoming Events
march, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy
more
Event Details
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
Time
15 (Friday) 7:00 pm - 30 (Saturday) 8:30 pm
Location
Verge Theater
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
Event Details
Thursday of the Lord’s Supper Mass St. Joseph Catholic Mission
Event Details
Thursday of the Lord’s Supper Mass
St. Joseph Catholic Mission
Time
(Thursday) 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm