The Montana Academy of Living History Catalogue of Courses

Download 2009 Catalog

WELCOME to the Montana Academy of Living History located in Historic Deer Lodge, Montana. Our workshops are held at two locations.  These are the Old Prison Museums including the Territorial Prison and the Grant-Kohrs Ranch, a National Historic Site dating from 1859.  These locations provide appropriate settings for living history workshops which teach skills needed for living during the draft horse era.

Our list of courses this year provide fun learning opportunities in skills ranging from sewing, quilting, and cooking, to horse training, driving and wagon repairs, as well as evening lectures.

Your week of learning concludes with the enjoyment of watching draft horses and mules in action during the 13th Annual Big Sky Draft Horse Expo located just across the road from Grant-Kohrs.  Other activities during the Expo include the Antique Quilt, Lap Robe and Carriage Show, Trade show, and the Montana Draft Teamster Hall of Fame BBQ and Reception.

Do not forget to enjoy the 5 Old Prison Museums which are free during the week to those who purchase an Expo Event Button.

There will be plenty of learning opportunities, and time to have fun meeting new people while learning old skills. Indeed, Historic Deer Lodge is Montana's September Place to Be!

How to Apply
Montana Academy of Living History Workshops are fee based.  Enrollment in some courses may be limited so early registration is encouraged.  A registration form is attached at the end of this catalog.

Registration deadline is September 1, 2009.  After September 4, 2009 all fees are non-refundable. 

Download Registration Form Here

Workshops not meeting minimum enrollments by September 1, 2009 may be cancelled and applicants will be notified of cancellation by September 10, 2009. Fees for Academy cancelled workshops will be refunded.

Registration is required of all courses (including those that are free) as workshop space is limited.

Mail completed registration forms to:    

Julia Brewer  
Old Prison Museums
1106 Main Street
Deer Lodge, MT 59722
406-846-3111    Email:  Registration@PCMAF.0rg

Register on line at   www.academyoflivinghistory.com

THE MONTANA ACADEMY OF LIVING HISTORY 2009 WORKSHOP OFFERINGS

MALH -19 HORSEMANSHIP
Presented by: DOUG "DOC" HAMMILL, DVM

This is a two day demonstration clinic using the principles and techniques of natural Horsemanship to safely and quietly start young horses in harness.  The first two hours of the first day will be a lecture on understanding the nature, mind, psychology, and body language of horses, and how to effectively communicate with them in ways they inherently understand and that makes sense to them.  The format will be discussion, demonstration with horses, and question/answer (no hands on work with horses) by the participants.

Workshop Location: Grant-Kohrs Ranch
Class Dates: Thursday, September 17 & Friday, September 18     8 AM-5PM
Fee: Free - Back to class list...

This is a great class for any birding enthusiast! Gary will talk about the history of birding and birding in Montana. He will then talk about the tools that are needed such as binoculars, spotting scopes, field guides, and computer programs on birding. Then Gary will do a pre-test on the birds that are found in Arrowstone park in the autumn and then the group will do a walk through and look at the birds in Arrowstone and then there will be a post-test on all knowledge that has been obtained and any discussion. Gary makes birding fun and interesting for all levels from the beginning birder to the advanced.

Participants should bring a pair of binoculars. 

Workshop Location: Pen Convention Center
Class Dates: Thursday, September 17    9 AM to Noon
Fee: $10 including materials
Back to class list...

Join Matt dressed in his 2nd Calvary Uniform and learn about the uniforms, weapons, equipment and lifestyle of the Indian War/Frontier Soldier.

Workshop Location: Grant-Kohrs Ranch
Class Date: Thursday, September 17,   1-3 PM  
Fee: Free
Back to class list...

This course is a hands on cooking class that will stimulate your mind with the history and art of Chuckwagon Cooking using the Dutch Oven as well as filling your belly with all kinds of creations. This class will end around noon with lunch that you have all helped to prepare.

Workshop Location:       Grant-Kohrs Ranch
Class Date:                    Friday, September 18, 9 AM to Noon
Fee:                              $25 per person  
Back to class list...

Don has a vast knowledge of the Wild West and the many characters that helped to form this history. Join him in reliving some of this romantic history.

Workshop Location: The Pen   (across from the Territorial Prison)
Class Date: Friday, September 18, 1 PM to 2 PM
Fee: FREE
Back to class list...

Drop in any time to watch Lyndel work the mastery of horsehair hitching and learn about the history and art of hitching.

Workshop Location: Grant-Kohrs Ranch
Class Date: Friday, September 18, All day
Fee: FREE
Back to class list...

Learn how to make a weaved finished table rag rug using different fabrics. Learn how to use a loom and all participants will have the chance to purchase a homemade loom which is partially included in the price of the class. All looms are handmade by the instructor's son.

Workshop Location: Grant-Kohrs Ranch
Class Date: Friday, September 18,
One Class 8-12, Second Class 1-5
4 people maximum per class
Fee: $50 for the class
Back to class list...

Evening Programs

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2009

Lee brings to life through his photos, ghost towns around Montana and 10 different western states. Lee will talk about his experience in black and white photography and about his ghost town show of Treasure State Remnants. He will take you through the history of our ghost towns, and how his photos record some of our past.

Location: Pen Convention Center
Fee: FREE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2009

The historic prison—as the shadows creep and a chill settles over its stone walls—is the perfect setting for Ellen Baumler’s storytelling. Weaving history around things that go bump in the Big Sky night, Baumler spins a ghostly web and  explores the subtle presence of the spirited past in modern-day Montana. Haunted mines, cemeteries, hotels, and houses where spirits walk will leave you looking over your shoulder. Richly embroidered with Montana’s historical legacy, stories include uncanny tales about the prison, Grant-Kohrs Ranch, and other heritage places across the state.

Location: Meet at visitors center at Montana Territorial Prison Visitors Center
Start Time: 7 PM
Registration required        
Fee:  FREE
Back to class list...

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2009

This is a family program for kids from 5-95.  Come burn a hot dog and marshmallows over a campfire at Grant-Kohrs and enjoy some fun history with Teddy Roosevelt, our vibrant 26th President.

Location: Grant-Kohrs Visitors Center
Start Time: 6 PM
Fee: FREE
Back to class list...

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2009

14TH ANNUAL BIG SKY DRAFT HORSE EXPO BARBQUE INCLUDING MONTANA DRAFT TEAMSTER HALL OF FAME RECEPTION

Enjoy an outdoor chuck wagon barbeque and visit with teamsters from Draft Horse Expo. 

6pm   Fair Grounds in front of Blue Ribbon Pavilion
$ 9 for adults
$5 for children 12 and under, pay at the barbeque.

Bring chairs and be prepared for cool evening weather.  There is no entertainment

ACADEMY FACULTY

Doug (Doc) Hammill, D.V.M.
Throughout his life Doc has had a passion for horses, and particularly for driving and working horses in harness.

Doc’s lifetime of studying and working with horses, combined with his equine veterinary experience give him a unique perspective on horsemanship.  He is blessed with lessons from thousands of horses and an abundance of great old-time mentors.  His commitment to gentle but effective techniques and principles, coupled with his depth of knowledge and experience make him an extraordinary instructor.  

He now devotes full time to teaching and helping people with their horses and horsemanship through his writing, workshops, clinics, demonstrations, lectures, and horsemanship video series.  Doc lives, works horses and mules, and conducts workshops on his ranch in the Rocky Mountains of Montana.  www.DocHammill.com

DAVID WATKINS
A farm in western North Dakota is where David Watkins started.  He grew up in the transition period where horses were still working, but tractors were becoming accepted.  His farm style education led him to working in auto mechanics, degrees in vocational education and teaching vocational education. Dave lived in Deer Lodge for many years while he was the director of the Montana State Prison vocational education program.

Dave's enjoyment of woodworking and metal fabrication led him into the repair and restoration of horse drawn vehicles.  His hobby has grown into Wagon & Wheel Works, a full time retirement business.  Not content with just accurate historical restorations, Dave has continued to teach.  His wagon wheel building courses are highly recommended.

Dave now conserves and restores horse drawn vehicles and teaches classes in wheel, body and upholstery restoration at Wagon & Wheel Works in Manning, North Dakota.   

GARY SWANT
Gary Swant has a Master Degree in Education, with an emphasis in field Ecology from the University of Montana.
He taught biology at Powell County High School in Deer Lodge for 25 years and retired in 1993.  During his teaching career he taught many college summer courses for both the University of Montana and Montana State University on science related issues.  He has also authored a book, and several science curriculums.  He has coauthored a number of curriculums in the field of outdoor education and ecology.  He has published articles in Montana Outdoors and the National Biology Teacher Magazine.

Since retirement Gary also did school assemblies on making healthy choices and spoke over 1,500 times nationally.
He has also served as a consultant for the Grant-Kohrs National Historic Site authoring 3 field guides and several Environmental Assessments.

Gary is president of GoBirdMontana, a birding guide business.  He frequently speaks on birds and leads numerous bird walks for organizations.  Swant holds the title of seeing the most species of birds in Montana in one year, 328.  He accomplished that goal in 2007.    

BARRY AND VICTORIA STRAIT
In 2005 Barry and Victoria Strait started teaching and cooking with Dutch Oven's. They have cooked on trail drives, branding's, rodeos, fairs and many events around Montana and the west. They learned under the tutelage of Colleen Sloan and have perfected the Chuckwagon cooking style.

DON CAPPA
Don Cappa began his love of history after inheriting his father's gun collection. Over the years, Don has become a Western historian and a collector of Western memorabilia, which he has on display at the Frontier Montana Museum in Deer Lodge. Through his growing collection, Don has developed a love for history and has a strong desire to share the information with others.

MATT SAVILLE
Matt became interested in the Civil War when he was 16 years old. Since then, he has expanded his historical knowledge of Civil War and frontier soldiers, and is a member of the 2nd Cavalry Association.

LEE SILLIMAN
Lee Silliman is a local high school Science and Math teacher and has lived in Deer Lodge for the past 35 years. He has been a black and white photographer since 1979 and began his passions of photographing ghost towns around Montana in 1991. For the past 3 years, he has also been photographing ghost towns in 10 different western states and currently has a ghost town traveling show of 42 different pictures called Treasure State Remnants.  Lee also has an extensive library of approximately 75 different ghost town books.

Dr. Ellen Baumler
Ellen Baumler is the interpretive historian at the Montana Historical Society in Helena. She is the author of many articles on a wide variety of subjects and several books. Her Beyond Spirit Tailings: Montana Ghosts, Mysteries and Haunted Places, earned a 2006 Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History. Dark Spaces, a history of the prison at Deer Lodge, is her newest endeavor.

J.M. COOPER
J.M. Cooper is a photographer for the Montana Historical Society and an accomplished documentary photographer whose work is in many private collections.

ARCH ELLWEIN                                          
Arch Ellwein, independent scholar and actor from Sidney, MT. Meet the vibrant 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, during the 100th anniversary of his administration (1901-1909). Even Roosevelt’s critics admired the man who took on the corporate trusts, charged up San Juan Hill, defied the Party “bosses,” built the Panama Canal, defined conservation and won a Nobel Peace Prize. Hear his views on conservation, agriculture, and democracy, all shaped by his Western experience. Portrayed by Ellwein, President Roosevelt talks of his experiences in Montana as a rancher and sportsman. Following his “press conference,” the actor/historian will come out of character for further discussion.                  

Lyndel Meikle
Montana State Prison is famous for hitched horsehair and that is where Lyndel Meikle first learned the work and its history.  Westerners from artist Charlie Russell to actor Peter Coyote have valued the art.  Drop by any time Friday to learn how hitching is done, how it was involved in a plot to blow up the railroad and why collectors pay thousands of dollars for a horsehair bridle done at "Deer Lodge."

                                                                      OTHER ACTIVITIES

Attend the 14th Big Sky Draft Horse  at the fairgrounds across from Grant-Kohrs, Saturday and Sunday September 19 and 20. Singles to 6 horse hitches will again be showing at the Fairgrounds in Deer Lodge during two performances each day. Working teamster events including the popular feed team races are included. Some new events are included this year, as well as two additional performances.

The 2009 class of inductees to the Montana Draft Teamster Hall of Fame will be presented at the start of the Saturday afternoon performance on September 19th. This honor belongs to those Montana teamsters who have demonstrated a commitment to the preservation, education, and community service using draft animals.  The Hall is sponsored by both the Montana Draft Horse and Mule Association and Big Sky Draft Horse Expo.

Under the grandstand is a trade show of vendors, and the Antique Quilt, Lap Robe and Carriage show.  Lap robes and carriages are displayed to educate folks about these every day items from the Draft Era.

(Individuals may enter items in the Quilt and Carriage show.  Entry forms and more information are available at www.drafthorseexpo.com or by calling 406-846-2854 or 406-586-5113)

EXPO EVENT BUTTON
Purchase of the $15 Event Button Entry provides entry to both days of the 14th Annual Big Sky Draft Horse Expo, the Antique Quilt, Lap Robe and Carriage display, and the Trade Show.  This button also provides 4 days of free admission to the five Old Prisons Museums and discounts at some merchants in downtown Deer Lodge, and entry to prize drawings during the show.  The event button is truly a bargain.  (The daily admission alone to Expo is $8 and it is $8 per day for the Prison Museums admission.)

Montana Auto Museum

 Old Prison Museum
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Old Prison Museum was the working prison for Montana from 1871 to 1979. Old Montana Prison was built by inmate labor under the supervision of Warden Frank Conley. The complex survived riots and fire during its 108 years of operation until it was relocated 5 miles west of town.
 Yesterday’s Playthings
            Generations of toys played with by children of all ages, are on display. Trains, cars, doll, teddy bears, and antique dolls and doll furniture are just a few of the categories housed in this museum. Everyone can take a trip down memory lane while viewing all the playthings inside this museum.

Frontier Montana Museum
Housed in the Old Prisons Mule Barn and fittingly so, artifacts in this museum showcase the old west. Items include saloon memorabilia, cowboy and Indian artifacts, and Libby Custer’s silver tea service. Situated next door is Cottonwood City, a representation of what a frontier town would have been like. This is the perfect place to get lost in your mind about how life was when the west was still wild.

Powell County Museum
Powell County Museum features artifacts pertaining to the history of the Deer Lodge Valley. Current displays feature weapons, mining, period furnishings, and other collectables. Here visitors will find a little bit of everything to entertain their eyes.  

MONTANA HISTORY "LIVE"