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About Centennial Outfitters
At J Bar L Guest Ranch, you can explore nature with some of the most experienced outdoor guides in Montana. Centennial Outfitters is a full-service pack-and-guide business operating in Southwest Montana and in the Beaverhead National Forest and Centennial Mountains primitive areas.
After graduating from Lima High School, Mel Montgomery, founder of ;Centennial Outfitters, left the valley to study architecture at Montana State University-Bozeman. In 1987, after working 15 years as a building contractor, Mel acquired his outfitting permit and returned to his roots in the Centennial Valley.
Growing up around ranchers, cowboys and “old-timers,” Mel learned their ways and how to hunt and fish. He learned about the wildlife, the history of the mountains and how to find his way around them. His love of the area sparked an interest in learning geography and more history and eventually led him to sharing his knowledge with others through educational and inspirational talks on outfitted trips.
Mel has encouraged others to help preserve the area’s history and conceived the idea of writing a book, which led to the establishment of the Centennial Valley Historical Society. The book, Centennial Valley, a Journey Through Time, 1820–1930, will be published in 2006. Plans are underway for a second book covering 1930 to the present.
Field Excursion in the Geology of the Centennial Valley and Southwest Motnana - Sheila and Rob, Geology Guides
share a passion for interpreting the landscapes and geology of the West for geologists and the general public. They have been collaborating for over ten years to lead annual field trips for the Geological Society of America in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Canada. Their federally funded project, “Geologic Interpretive Signs on the Lewis and Clark Trail in Montana” is almost completed. You can see the signs at over 25 sites in Montana or at their web site (http://www.umwestern.edu/shares/lcgeosigns_share/). This summer they are working on a book for the general public entitled, “Geology Underfoot in Montana,” to be published by Mountain Press.
We propose to lead a one-day field trip to look at key aspects of the geology of the Centennial Valley and vicinity. We will lead participants to outcrops that allow them to appreciate the geologic processes that have shaped the landscape and place those rocks and processes into a regional geologic history. This trip can be tailored to fit the background and interests of participants. It could include an evening slideshow on regional geology or the geology of the Lewis and Clark Trail in Southwest Montana.
The Night Sky in Southwest Montana
Tom proposes to bring his 10-inch reflector telescope (and a smaller one, depending on the group) to the ranch or nearby dark place for an evening of viewing. Programs can be tailored to the group, but most are similar to the summer interpretive programs at Bannack and Lewis and Clark State Parks. It includes an introduction to telescopes, use of a planisphere to find constellations and objects in the night sky, cosmology and telescope viewing of whatever is available that night, including the moon, planets, comets, and various deep-sky objects.
Call or email J Bar L today to book your Montana Vacation Adventure
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Guide Bios
Sheila Roberts is a Professor of Geology at the University of Montana –Western in Dillon, Montana. Her education includes an M.S. in Geology from the University of Montana and a Ph.D. in Geochemistry from the University of Calgary. Her general research interests are regional and environmental geology, climate change, landslide hazards mapping and water chemistry. Last year, she published measurements of weathering rates of marble tombstones, as a contribution to the global discussion of the carbon cycle. This work began as a class project. In addition to the collaborative interpretive projects with Rob Thomas described below, Sheila recently appeared as a geologic interpreter on a Canadian television series, “Great Canadian Lakes,” and produced geologic interpretive signs for Kokanee Glacier Park in British Columbia.
Rob Thomas is a Professor of Geology in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Western. He holds an M.S. in Geology from the University of Montana and a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Washington. At UM-Western, Rob is able to teach his courses in the natural lab, that is southwest Montana. He and his students have worked on sedimentary basins along the northern margin of the Yellowstone hot spot for the last ten years. In addition, he and his students have worked on Cambrian mass extinctions, the processes that form mixed carbonate-siliciclastic systems and applied fluvial geomorphology.
Tom Satterly has had a long interest in the night sky. He bought his first telescope in 1984 and helped build the family telescope in 1994. He helped build a community telescope for Kaslo, B.C., and was project leader for the educational project "Have You Seen The Light" in British Columbia. He has conducted stargazing classes for the University of Montana - Western Environmental Sciences Department, the Division of Outreach and the Elderhostel program. He regularly presents star-gazing sessions in the summer programs at Lewis and Clark Caverns and Bannack State Parks. He is the contact for the Southwest Montana Sidewalk Astronomers and can often be found, with his telescope, on the street corner sharing views of the night sky with whoever might pass by.
Tom is on the Montana Committee for the Humanities Speakers Bureau, presenting stories of Butte, Montana. His next presentation, “Fire in the Mine: the Speculator-Granite Mountain Mine Fire of 1917” will be June 17 at Bannack State Park. He has participated in the Montana Storytelling Roundup in Cutbank, Montana. At UM-Western, Tom has presented to "On The Rocks" speaker series and contributed, as a guest lecturer, to classes in Montana History, English, communication, poetry, and political science. Oftener 'n not, Folks have learned to settle in for the long haul when they hear Tom say "Puts me in mind of a story........." |
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