montana | The Filson Journal

The History of the Gallatin Valley

Long before Lewis and Clark first set foot into Gallatin Valley in 1805, the area was revered by the indigenous native tribes that roamed its broad-shouldered mountain ranges. Over the years, this sacred land became highly sought after by settlers, and logging soon left its mark.

5 Min

Profiles

Zech Bennett: The Undersea Tradesman

When you meet Zech Bennett, he seems like a pretty ordinary guy. Not too tall or too short, he seems somewhat in shape but is not a chiseled gym rat. The brown hair sticking out from underneath his baseball cap is slightly askew, and his face breaks into an easy smile. He is the type of person you could share a few beers with at the bar while swapping stories about ferrying kids to events or catching up on the latest scores. It’s only when you hear what the 32-year-old Homer, Alaska, resident does for a living that you realize there is more to him than you see at first glance.

4 Min

a brunette woman with a long braid down her left shoulder wearing a grey scarf, red jacket and black cowboy hat against a wood barn

Field Notes

The History of the Cowboy Hat

If there is one piece of Western wear that has become the ultimate symbol of the American Cowboy, it’s the cowboy hat. Like all Western wear, hats were made to be as tough as the trail and started off as accessories purchased based purely on function rather than fashion. A hat provided shade, protection from the elements, and warmth for the wearer, but could also be used to fan a fire, as a vessel for drinking water, or waved from horseback to catch the attention of a fellow rider in the distance. There were as many styles of cowboy hats as there were people wearing cowboy hats.

5 Min

snowy white covered landscape with a dozen snowy bison walking towards you

Field Notes

Rebisoning America’s West

As we bounce across the prairie, small groups of bison close to the dirt track watch us roll by, while two bands of elk stare at us from a distance. Meandering along in search of the two bison cows, Austin talks of seeing the landscape restored to its pre-nineteenth-century vigor.

6 Min

Profiles

The O’Hair Ranch

Before there were O’Hairs, there were Armstrongs. And like most homesteaders, the Armstrongs arrived at Paradise Valley, Montana, by way of misfortune looking for fortune. In 1878, Owen T. Armstrong (“O.T.”), aged 27 years old, and Mrs. O.T., aged 26 years old, decided it was time to up and leave Missouri, where they had hewn out a meager existence.

7 Min

wolf stands in snowy field in front of pine trees

Profiles

In the Company of Wolves

Look across the valley and you’ll see old fence posts that mark the corners of properties, they collect the bleached skulls of field mice left by hawks who see fence posts not as boundary markers but as windows into a world free from want. You see, mice fuel hawks so that the observant rancher might

wintery homestead and barn stands at the foot of two tall snow-covered mountains

Profiles

A Yellowstone Coexistence

Four generations have lived here. The old schoolhouse stands where it has for nearly a century, a totem of those who came, laid roots, and grew families deep in the heart of the Greater Yellowstone basin. This place, in many ways, has retained a pulse of wildness that once poured across North America. This is

casey-anderson car with open tailgate parked in wintery tundra

Profiles

In Pursuit of Mama Mo: Tracking Montana’s Wild Mountain Lion with Filmmaker Casey Anderson

In this Filson Journal post, we joined wildlife filmmakers Casey Anderson and Brad Orsted of VisionHawk Films in the snowy high desert of western Montana as they track a wild Mountain Lion named Mama Mo.

Filson Life - Upland Hunt Hannah Dewey log cabin and pine trees with milky way and sky full of stars in background

Field Notes

Live Connected: Hunting the Judith Basin in Montana with Hannah Dewey

A story about an all women’s upland bird hunting trip and a common desire to live a life connected told by Hannah Dewey. Hannah was raised as a nomad with the woods and mountains as her playground, in doing so her language became intrinsically tied to the rhythms and cycles of life. She feels the

Man with tensed fly fishing rod standing in lake

Field Notes

Fly Fishing the American West with Tyler Sharp

Tyler Sharp is a documentary photographer, writer, and filmmaker based out of Dallas, Texas. Today, Tyler explores the American West in Montana with a fly rod and his family.

man in brown stetson and coat looks out at glacial pond with ice floats and sheer rock faces with snow

Profiles

Filson Field Guide: Exploring Glacier National Park

Eric Bowley & Ben Schuyler are explorers of the Pacific Northwest. Eric currently devotes most of his time indoors to handcrafting silver spoon rings. Ben manages a coffee shop in Edmonds, WA. Both share a love for the outdoors and exploring the wild landscapes where they live. Ben recounts, “As a young boy, I was

Tyson Edwards; Standing on a reflective body of shallow water with rocky mountains

Profiles

Frozen Rockies and The Treasure State with Tyson Edwards

Tyson Edwards is a photographer based in the Northwest that loves capturing nature and beautiful landscapes. Through his photography, he tells the story of life’s great adventure. January isn’t particularly the most popular time to visit the Canadian Rockies. Reason being, it is the coldest time of year. I mean very cold, subzero temperatures.

A snowy landscape along a treeline where a herd of bison are huddled together

Profiles

Of Mountains and Mist: Surveying the Big Sky Winter with Brian Merriam, Part 2

Brian Merriam’s photographs offer an earnest and eager appreciation for the outdoors. Each image acting as both an inviting adventure and a dramatic call to action, providing the necessary inspiration to phone in that vacation time and get lost in the beauty of the vast American landscape. Follow along on the second half of Brian’s

bison among red and yellow foliage in rolling hills

Profiles

Of Mountains and Mist: Surveying the Big Sky Winter with Brian Merriam

Brian Merriam’s photographs offer an earnest and eager appreciation for the outdoors. Each image acting as both an inviting adventure and a dramatic call to action, providing the necessary inspiration to phone in that vacation time and get lost in the beauty of the vast American landscape. Follow Brian through the frozen plains and forests

The History of the Gallatin Valley

Zech Bennett: The Undersea Tradesman

The History of the Cowboy Hat

Rebisoning America’s West

The O’Hair Ranch

In the Company of Wolves

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A Yellowstone Coexistence

In Pursuit of Mama Mo: Tracking Montana’s Wild Mountain Lion with Filmmaker Casey Anderson

Live Connected: Hunting the Judith Basin in Montana with Hannah Dewey

Fly Fishing the American West with Tyler Sharp

Filson Field Guide: Exploring Glacier National Park

Frozen Rockies and The Treasure State with Tyson Edwards

Of Mountains and Mist: Surveying the Big Sky Winter with Brian Merriam, Part 2

Of Mountains and Mist: Surveying the Big Sky Winter with Brian Merriam