https://thomasleephoto.com https://thomasleephoto.com/About/1 https://thomasleephoto.com/Contact/1 https://thomasleephoto.com/Book/1 https://thomasleephoto.com/Book/2https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MT-Real-Cover.jpgMT-Real-Cover https://thomasleephoto.com/Book/3https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Foreword.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee -Foreword https://thomasleephoto.com/Book/4https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/PP_2_3.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee -PP_2_3 https://thomasleephoto.com/Book/5https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/TOC.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee -TOC https://thomasleephoto.com/Book/6https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/PP_8_9.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee -PP_8_9 https://thomasleephoto.com/Book/7https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/PP_22_23.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee -PP_22_23 https://thomasleephoto.com/Book/8https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Character.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee -Character https://thomasleephoto.com/Book/9https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/PP_26_27.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee -PP_26_27 https://thomasleephoto.com/Book/10https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/PP_50_51.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee -PP_50_51 https://thomasleephoto.com/Book/11https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/PP_72_73.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee -PP_72_73 https://thomasleephoto.com/Book/12https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/PP_76_77.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee -PP_76_77 https://thomasleephoto.com/Book/13https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/PP_80_81.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee -PP_80_81 https://thomasleephoto.com/Book/14https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/PP_96_97.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee -PP_96_97 https://thomasleephoto.com/Book/15https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/PP_42_43.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee -PP_42_43 https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/1https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast03-copy3.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - FourCorners Northeast 03NORTHEAST — Train tracks brought European homesteaders to Northeast Montana in the early 1900s. Decades later, they lie neglected, evidence of the boom-and-bust cycle of hardscrabble existence. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/2https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast07-copy3.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - FourCorners Northeast 07Talli Else, with her 6-year-old son, says her family raises cattle, horses and grain on her grandfather's old farm just outside of McElroy, Montana, but that the bulk of the family's income is coming from the trucks her husband and father drive. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/3https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast01-copy3.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - FourCorners Northeast 01NORTHEAST — Weather and memories are what often greet visitors to Froid. Extreme cold forms ice crystals in the air above the Scandanavian and German names in the Froid cemetery, refracting the sunlight into a sun dog, or parhelia. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/4https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast04-copy3.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - FourCorners Northeast 04NORTHEAST — The old Rocky Valley Lutheran Church is all that remains of what used to be Dooley, another town that sprouted when the railroad came through but died a few decades later. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/5https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast06-copy3.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - FourCorners Northeast 06NORTHEAST — Collector, unofficial museum owner, Medicine Lake mayor and pastor to three local churches, Tim Hutslar sells liquor to pay the bills in the old hardware store he owns "I think eastern Montana has always been kind of a hide-out area," he says. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/6https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast05-copy2.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - FourCorners Northeast 05NORTHWEST — Storms both literal and figurative are no stranger to the volatile timber industry of northwest Montana. Once the Christmas tree capital of the world, Eureka is searching for a new identity. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/7https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast01-copy2.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - FourCorners Northeast 01NORTHWEST — Gary Montgomery has made his home in northwest Montana for more than 40 years. "Your work ethic is far more important than your politics around here. We're constantly thrown in together. There's just not enough going for people to choose sides." https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/8https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast07-copy2.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -FourCorners Northeast 07NORTHWEST — Eureka's economic priorities are expected to shift toward tourism and recreation in the future so efforts have been made to fix up Eureka's downtown. Many Eureka residents choose to commute to jobs 65 miles away in Flathead County. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/9https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast09-copy2.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -FourCorners Northeast 09NORTHWEST — A lot of business in Eureka and northwest Montana comes from Canada, just a few miles north. Liquor and cigarettes are especially popular. A dog named Bear has been keeping vigil outside the First and Last Chance for 14 years. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/10https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast03-copy2.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -FourCorners Northeast 03NORTHWEST — "People are very caring," Al Titus says of his neighbors. "They came out of the woodwork to help," when Al's wife, Cheryl went through cancer treatments. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/11https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast03-copy1.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - FourCorners Northeast 03Except for the 10 days or so of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Stoneville Saloon owner Diane Turko runs her bar and restaurant in Alzada all by herself. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/12https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast05-copy1.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -FourCorners Northeast 05SOUTHEAST — Duane McCord gets a ride past his old Ford in downtown Ekalaka. McCord is one of the owners of the Church of Hank Williams, an old garage that is often used as a place for community parties and gatherings. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/13https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast01-copy1.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - FourCorners Northeast 01SOUTHEAST — A strong, enduring, independent spirit characterizes the land and the people of southeast Montana. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/14https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast06-copy1.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - FourCorners Northeast 06SOUTHEAST — Lisa Jourdan goes to work as Ekalaka's town clerk/treasurer. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/15https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast09-copy1.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -FourCorners Northeast 09SOUTHEAST — Ekalaka native Nate Carroll sees a ray of economic hope in the area’s rich fossil deposits. Carroll is acting as curator of the Carter County Museum while he pursues a graduate degree in paleontology. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/16https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast12-copy1.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -FourCorners Northeast 12SOUTHWEST — "... I discovered immence (sic) ranges of high mountains still to the west of us," wrote Meriwether Lewis in August 1805, when he topped Lemhi pass in what is now southwest Montana. Lewis had hoped to find an easy path to the Columbia River and Pacific Ocean. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/17https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast02.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -FourCorners Northeast 02SOUTHWEST — Each of a rancher's calves can represent $1,000 of income or more, so great care is taken in vaccinating, branding and castrating. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/18https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast03.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -FourCorners Northeast 03SOUTHWEST — Ty Rose is a cowboy from Dillon. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/19https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast07-copy4.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -FourCorners Northeast 07SOUTHWEST — Hanson Livestock Company owner Paul Hansen takes the job of castrating young bulls himself. A sharp knife is essential. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/20https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast11-copy3.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -FourCorners Northeast 11SOUTHWEST — A dead badger is draped over the barbed-wire fence lining a road west of Grant. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Four-Corners-of-Montana/21 https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/1https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialBettyPotter46.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Betty Potter 46"When it's all said and done," reads the inscription on Betty Potter's husband's head stone, "we are only caretakers of the land." https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/2https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCentennialRanch05.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Centennial Ranch 05After serving in the Marines in World War II, Henry Armstrong, left, took over the farm his father homesteaded. Now in his mid-80s, most of the day-to-day operations have passed on to Henry's son, Stuart, center. Hope is that Stuart’s son, Alex, 24, will one day take over after he does a stint with the Marines like his grandfather. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/3https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast07-copy3.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - FourCorners Northeast 07Talli Else, with her 6-year-old son, says her family raises cattle, horses and grain on her grandfather's old farm just outside of McElroy, Montana, but that the bulk of the family's income is coming from the trucks her husband and father drive. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/4https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialPortrait55.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - Portrait 55Jacob and Courtney Cowgill. Organic alfalfa, lentils and heritage wheat farmers. Conrad, Montana. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/5https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialBaehr05.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Baehr 05“We won in court,” Nina Baehr says in the kitchen of her home in Amsterdam, “but then we lost in the court of public opinion.” Baehr, now 53, along with Genora Dancel and two other couples, successfully sued the state of Hawaii in 1991 for the right to same-sex marriage, touching off a debate in the nation that continues today. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/6https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialPortrait38.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Portrait 38Buckaroo Sue Stone and her dog, Smokey, who saved Sue from a postpartum insane cow. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/7https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialWinifred06.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas LeeWinifred 06The Wichmans have 10 adopted children living with them. Two biological children and four more adopted children have moved out on their own. And they have been foster parents to about 50 other children. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/8https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialWinifred12.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee Winifred 12Asbjornson's efforts to breathe life into Winifred center on the school. If the school in a small town is vibrant, growing and energized, so is the town. And the Wichmans bring diversity and energy and life. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/9https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotographerTimCahill01.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - Tim Cahill 01Tim Cahill poses along the Yellowstone River near his home in Livingston, Mont. Cahill died and was brought back to life during a rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/10https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotographerTimCahill02.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - Tim Cahill 02Tim Cahill poses along the Yellowstone River near his home in Livingston, Mont. Cahill died and was brought back to life during a rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/11https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialHuntley08.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - Huntley 08Dale Bilyeu has been a rancher and farmer in the Huntley area for more than 40 years. He is currently the part time manager of the Huntley Project Irrigation District. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/12https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialHyaliteIce20.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - Hyalite Ice 20Veterans Expeditions invites former soldiers on yearly adrenalin-seeking treks around the world. One of these treks brought a group of veterans ice climbing in Montana's Hyalite Canyon, a world-renowned ice climbing destination. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/13https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialPortrait05.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Portrait 05Kevin and Kathy Boltz. Loyal customer of Danhof Chevrolet for more than 40 years. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/14https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialPortrait07.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Portrait 07Jennifer Ramsey. Wildlife Veterinarian for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/15https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialPortrait33.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Portrait 33Wylie Gustafson, musician and horseman. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/16https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialPortrait52.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - Portrait 52Rodeo legend Benny Reynolds. Dillon, Montana. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/17https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialPortrait17.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Portrait 17Phillip Aaberg, musician, Chester, Montana. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/18https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialKerryDoney33.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Kerry Doney 33Kerry Doney runs wheel lines and uses flood irrigation on land he owns and leases near Arlee. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/19https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialPortrait53.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - Portrait 53U.S. Senator Jon Tester. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/20https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialPortrait57.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Portrait 57Arnaud "Basco" Elissalde, 81. Originally from the Basque region of France, Basco has been the caretaker at the Fire Hall in Jordan, Montana, since 1968. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/21https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCentennialRanch09.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Centennial Ranch 09Laura Etta Smalley was a 25-year-old school teacher in Canada in 1910, prohibited from owning land because she was a single woman. That summer, she traveled into Montana, hired movers and a couple of wagons to carry a 12-by-16-foot cabin to a half-section of land just 10 miles south of the Canada border. When the movers left, she spent the night alone for the first time in her life. Her nearest neighbor was half a mile away.More than a century later, her grandson Tom Bangs watches over that original half section, plus a few more, while his son Jeff eases into taking over the operation.“It’s a pretty appealing life, really,” Tom says. “To be your own boss, to manage the land.”Tom and Carol Bangs pose with their son Jeff and his wife, Katie. Carol, a native of Havre, is glad Jeff and Katie are there. “I value heritage,” she says. “Continuing on what your family started.” https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/22https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialPortrait54.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Portrait 54Sherry Millim, waitress. Wade's Drive-In, Harlowton, Montana. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/23https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCountyFair01.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - County Fair 01A county fair brings together Montana's historic rural culture and it's newer urban culture. These three siblings each raised a steer for the 4-H program. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/24https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast02-copy2.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -FourCorners Northeast 02Gary Montgomer has lived in and around Eureka for more than 40 years. A log cabin he uses as a guest house was the original homestead on his property, built in 1917. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/25https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFourCornersNortheast03-copy1.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - FourCorners Northeast 03Except for the 10 days or so of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Stoneville Saloon owner Diane Turko runs her bar and restaurant in Alzada all by herself. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/26https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialPortrait47.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - Portrait 47Anne, 60, was a geologist at a well site in the Bakken. "It's not that I'm a woman that makes me unusual in the oil field," she says. "It's that I'm a democrat." https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/27https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialPortrait46.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - Portrait 46Sheamus Conley, 29, worked in the Bakken oil field for a year, got himself out of debt and came home to Montana. "I wasn't over there to make friends," he says. "I was over there to make money." https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/28https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialPortrait48.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Portrait 48Daniel drove a water tanker to and from oil rigs in the Bakken before he was fired after less than six months. He says he earned $50,000 during that time. "Misfits," he says. "That's what you've got in the oil fields. Basically a prize collection of misfits." https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/29https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialPortrait49.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - Portrait 49Architect Tim Stefan went to the Bakken oil fields to drive a truck, but worked into a business partnership with a trucking company. "I think the opportunities are available," he says. "You gotta go out there and figure out what's going on first." https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/30https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Portrait-Photograph-Joe-Medicine-Crow01.jpgMontana Photojournalist Portrait Photograph Joe Medicine Crow01Joe Medicine Crow, 94, in his Lodge Grass home.WWII veteran, elder in Crow tribe.Founding member American Indian Institute.Eric NoyesAssociate Director, American Indian InstituteP. O. Box 1388Bozeman 59771406.587.6001eric@twocircles.orgLeonard Bends, Medicine Rock Chief https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/31https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Portrait-Photograph-Joe-Medicine-Crow02.jpgMontana Photojournalist Portrait Photograph Joe Medicine Crow02Joe Medicine Crow, 94, poses outside his Lodge Grass, Mont., home. The WWII hero is also an elder in Crow tribe and a founding member American Indian Institute. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/32https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-01-copy14.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph 01Seventy-nine-year-old Richard Kirchhevel pauses after paying his bill for a burger and beans. Kirchhevel says he stopped in for supper on his way home to Roundup after a day of rock hunting. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Real-Women,-Real-Men/33https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-01-copy15.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph 01Seventy-nine-year-old Richard Kirchhevel pauses after paying his bill for a burger and beans. Kirchhevel says he stopped in for supper on his way home to Roundup after a day of rock hunting. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Undiscovered-Country/1 https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Undiscovered-Country/2https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtUndiscoveredCountry01.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee -Undiscovered Country 01 https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Undiscovered-Country/3https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtUndiscoveredCountry02.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee - Undiscovered Country 02 https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Undiscovered-Country/4https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtUndiscoveredCountry03.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee -Undiscovered Country 03 https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Undiscovered-Country/5https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtUndiscoveredCountry05.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee - Undiscovered Country 05 https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Undiscovered-Country/6https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtUndiscoveredCountry06.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee -Undiscovered Country 06 https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Undiscovered-Country/7https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtUndiscoveredCountry07.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee -Undiscovered Country 07 https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Undiscovered-Country/8https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtUndiscoveredCountry08-copy1.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee -Undiscovered Country 08 https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Undiscovered-Country/9https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtUndiscoveredCountry10-copy1.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee - Undiscovered Country 10 https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Undiscovered-Country/10https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtUndiscoveredCountry09-copy1.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee -Undiscovered Country 09 https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Undiscovered-Country/11https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtUndiscoveredCountry13-copy1.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee - Undiscovered Country 13 https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Undiscovered-Country/12https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtUndiscoveredCountry04.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee -Undiscovered Country 04 https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/1https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialLandscape01.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee-Landscape 01Dusk settles over the Big Hole River near Jackson, Montana. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/2https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Scenic-Landscape-Sky-Humor08.jpgMontana Photojournalist Scenic Landscape Sky Humor08Sunset and moonrise east of Lewistown, Montana. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/3https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialLandscape14.jpgMontana Editorial Commercial Landscape 14Sunset north of Great Falls, Mont., Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2010.Evans Ranch, rainbow, tractor, dirt road, wheat field, storm clouds, rain. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/4https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialLandscape13.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee- Landscape 13Storm north of Great Falls. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/5https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialLandscape03.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee -Landscape 03Rapleje, Montana. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/6https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Scenic-Landscape-Sky-Humor02.jpgMontana Photojournalist Scenic Landscape Sky Humor02Manhattan, Montana. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/7https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialLandscape12.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee-Landscape 12Circle, Montana. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/8https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialLandscape11.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee-Landscape 11Horses. Circle, Montana. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/9https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialLandscape07.jpgMontana Photographer Thomas Lee -Landscape 07St. Joseph's (Canton) Church. Townsend, Montana. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/10https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/YellowstoneLandscapeWildlife23.jpgYellowstone Photographer Thomas Lee - Landscape Wildlife 23Steam rises from the Madison River during a fire-tinted sunrise in western Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/11https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialLandscape08.jpgUtah Photographer Thomas Lee -Landscape 08Courthouse Towers rise above a morning mist in Arches National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/12https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialLandscape09.jpgUtah Photographer Thomas Lee - Landscape 09The rising sun illuminates a rock formation in Arches National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/13https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialLandscape06.jpgWyoming Photographer Thomas Lee -Landscape 06Rain drips from the needles of a pine tree in Grand Teton National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/14https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialLandscape04.jpgWyoming Photographer Thomas Lee -Landscape 04Jackson Lake, Grand Teton National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/15https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCommercialLandscape05.jpgWyoming Photographer Thomas Lee -Landscape 05Tree trunks are reflected in the surface of the Snake River at Oxbow Bend in Grand Teton National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/16https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/YellowstoneLandscapeWildlife12.jpgYellowstone Photographer Thomas Lee - Landscape Wildlife 12Hymen Terrace at Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/17https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/YellowstoneLandscapeWildlife05.jpgYellowstone Photographer Thomas Lee -Landscape Wildlife 05The Yellowstone River tumbles over Lower Falls as seen from Artist Point in Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/18https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/YellowstoneLandscapeWildlife31.jpgYellowstone Photographer Thomas Lee - Landscape Wildlife 31Ice forming over creek bed. Soda Butte Creek, Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/19https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/YellowstoneLandscapeWildlife29.jpgYellowstone Photographer Thomas Lee -Landscape Wildlife 29The Yellowstone River rushes toward Upper Falls and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/20https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/YellowstoneLandscapeWildlife21.jpgYellowstone Photographer Thomas Lee - Landscape Wildlife 21A pair of bison graze through a foggy sunrise in the Hayden Valley of Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/21https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/YellowstoneLandscapeWildlife17.jpgYellowstone Photographer Thomas Lee -Landscape Wildlife 17Fighting bison in Hayden Valley, Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/22https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/YellowstoneLandscapeWildlife24.jpgYellowstone Photographer Thomas Lee -Landscape Wildlife 24A golden eagle alights on an elk carcass near Soda Butte in northeastern Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/23https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/YellowstoneLandscapeWildlife25.jpgYellowstone Photographer Thomas Lee -Landscape Wildlife 25A pair of coyotes gnaw on an elk carcass on the frozen Lamar River in northern Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/24https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/YellowstoneLandscapeWildlife27.jpgYellowstone Photographer Thomas Lee - Landscape Wildlife 27Coyote mother and pups on Blacktail Deer Plateau. Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/25https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/YellowstoneLandscapeWildlife15.jpgYellowstone Photographer Thomas Lee -Landscape Wildlife 15A young boy enjoys the Boiling River area of the Gardner River in northern Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/26https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/YellowstoneLandscapeWildlife07.jpgYellowstone Photographer Thomas Lee -Landscape Wildlife 07Cow elk spar in a meadow near Madison Junction, Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/27https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/YellowstoneLandscapeWildlife01.jpgYellowstone Photographer Thomas Lee -Landscape Wildlife 01One-antlered bull elk. Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/28https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/YellowstoneLandscapeWildlife28.jpgYellowstone Photographer Thomas Lee -Landscape Wildlife 28Elk in velvet near Yellowstone Lake. Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/29https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/YellowstoneLandscapeWildlife04.jpgYellowstone Photographer Thomas Lee - Landscape Wildlife 04Bison rumble through the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/30https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/YellowstoneLandscapeWildlife02.jpgYellowstone Photographer Thomas Lee -Landscape Wildlife 02Coyote at Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/31https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistPhotographHolisticRanching01.jpgMontana Photojournalist Photograph Holistic Ranching 01Lush grasses and cottonwood trunks line the banks of American Fork Creek near the Twodot Land and Livestock Company south of Harlowton. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/32https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistPhotographHolisticRanching17.jpgMontana Photojournalist Photograph Holistic Ranching 17Geese take off from Lower Red Rock Lake in Montana’s Centennial Valley. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/33https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistPhotographHolisticRanching19.jpgMontana Photojournalist Photograph Holistic Ranching 19A shore bird skims the surface of Lower Red Rock Lake in Montana’s Centennial Valley. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/34https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/YellowstoneLandscapeWildlife06.jpgYellowstone Landscape Wildlife 06The Red Mountains rise over Yellowstone Lake in southern Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/35https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/YellowstoneLandscapeWildlife18.jpgYellowstone Landscape Wildlife 18Coralroot blooms near Lower Geyser Basin in western Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/36https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Fine-Art-Photograph-09.jpgMontana Photojournalist Fine Art Photograph 09A bull elk is sillhouetted against a rising sun in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/37https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Fine-Art-Photograph-05.jpgMontana Photojournalist Fine Art Photograph 05Yellowstone National Park. Elk on ridge. Beaver Ponds Loop. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/38https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Fine-Art-Photograph-75.jpgMontana Photojournalist Fine Art Photograph 75Yellowstone National Park. Moonrise through clouds from Tower Falls. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Real-Land/39https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Fine-Art-Photograph-38.jpgFoggy Trees, Madison JunctionTrees emerge from early-morning mists near Madison Junction in western Yellowstone National Park. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Introvert's-Refuge/1https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtBlackandWhiteLandscape05.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee -Black and White Landscape 05Silver Lining. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Introvert's-Refuge/2https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtBlackandWhiteLandscape02.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee -Black and White Landscape 02Hard and Soft Water. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Introvert's-Refuge/3https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtBlackandWhiteLandscape03.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee -Black and White Landscape 03Renewal. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Introvert's-Refuge/4https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtBlackandWhiteLandscape04.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee -Black and White Landscape 04Aspen Cleaver. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Introvert's-Refuge/5https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtBlackandWhiteLandscape09.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee -Black and White Landscape 09Be Careful What You Wish For. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Introvert's-Refuge/6https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtBlackandWhiteLandscape06.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee -Black and White Landscape 06Beach In Progress. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Introvert's-Refuge/7https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtBlackandWhiteLandscape07.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee -Black and White Landscape 07Granite Will Lose. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Introvert's-Refuge/8https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtBlackandWhiteLandscape08.jpgMontana Fine Art Photographer Thomas Lee -Black and White Landscape 08Stripes. https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Introvert's-Refuge/9https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtUndiscoveredCountry15.jpgMontanaFineArtUndiscoveredCountry15Inevitable https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/Introvert's-Refuge/10https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaFineArtUndiscoveredCountry16.jpgMontanaFineArtUndiscoveredCountry16Horse https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Black-Footed-Ferrets/1https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFerrets02.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Ferrets 02Matchett heads back to his searchlight-equipped truck after logging the appearance of a ferret. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Black-Footed-Ferrets/2https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFerrets04.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee- Ferrets 04Along a remote stretch of the Missouri River in central Montana known as the UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge, Randy Matchett leads a team of searchlight-mounted pickups, crisscrossing through a 1,000-acre prairie dog town looking for the rare black-footed ferret. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Black-Footed-Ferrets/3https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFerrets01.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Ferrets 01Ferret No. 484, a female, emerges through a chip-reading ring and confronts Matchett, who suspects she is nursing kits. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Black-Footed-Ferrets/4https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFerrets10.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - Ferrets 10Matchett found two kits that night, vaccinating, examining and identifying them in a small camper converted to a lab. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Black-Footed-Ferrets/5https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFerrets07.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Ferrets 07One of the young ferrets' teeth show signs of nearing maturity, but the baby teeth are still visible. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Black-Footed-Ferrets/6https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFerrets11.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Ferrets 11A long night's work has been fruitful: two previously undiscovered kits were identified, examined, vaccinated,, and safely returned to the holes from which they came. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Black-Footed-Ferrets/7https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialFerrets12.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Ferrets 12Sunrise and a well-earned glass of whiskey end Matchett's night of work. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Black-Footed-Ferrets/8 https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Montana-Centennial-Ranches/1 https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Montana-Centennial-Ranches/2https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCentennialRanch05.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Centennial Ranch 05After serving in the Marines in World War II, Henry Armstrong, left, took over the farm his father homesteaded. Now in his mid-80s, most of the day-to-day operations have passed on to Henry's son, Stuart, center. Hope is that Stuart’s son, Alex, 24, will one day take over after he does a stint with the Marines like his grandfather. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Montana-Centennial-Ranches/3https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCentennialRanch02.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Centennial Ranch 02Henry Armstrong walks past a 1929 Ford Model A he says was still in use in the 1980s. "How we got through the 30s," Henry says, "we built it, we fixed it. We didn't buy it.". https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Montana-Centennial-Ranches/4https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCentennialRanch03.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - Centennial Ranch 03Stuart Armstrong takes a hammer with him to fix a small problem with a combine. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Montana-Centennial-Ranches/5https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCentennialRanch01.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Centennial Ranch 01Benjamin W. Armstrong used an old notebook from his engineering studies to keep a journal of 1909 — the year he homesteaded east of Geraldine, Montana. Armstrong was 23 that year, one year short of an engineering degree from Iowa State College. His journal remains for Henry to page through. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Montana-Centennial-Ranches/6https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCentennialRanch04.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Centennial Ranch 04Alan Armstrong is 24 years old and helps out with chores like welding on the farm. But he's just signed on for a stint the Marines, like his grandfather, so his future on the farm is uncertain. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Montana-Centennial-Ranches/7https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCentennialRanch10.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Centennial Ranch 10Near Sidney, John Mercer oversees the farm his grandfather Andrew Mercer homesteaded in 1901 along the Yellowstone River. A businessman, Andrew Mercer had been a prospector and owned and managed properties including a saloon in addition to the cattle, horses and wheat he sold. Andrew Mercer’s son, Russell, spent his life on the ranch and he and his wife, Mary, were active outside the family farm. Russell Mercer served in local government and Mary Mercer was an active advocate for the preservation of local history.John Mercer is the sixth of Mary and Russell Mercer’s seven children. “I was doing construction in Denver,” he says, “and I came back in 1972 to save the place after Dad had a heart attack. I never knew anything about farming or ranching.”He’s now semi-retired, he says, only managing the dry land farming at the place, leaving the irrigated fields to someone else.John and Kathy Mercer pose in front of the house John’s grandfather Andrew Mercer built in 1906. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Montana-Centennial-Ranches/8https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCentennialRanch11.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Centennial Ranch 11Andrew Mercer’s son Russell married the former Mary Alice Hammes in 1940. John Mercer holds her picture and says his mother and father were very active community members in Sidney and Richland County. He says his mother in particular was interested in preserving history, and was instrumental in the formation of the Mondak Historical and Arts Society, and also participated in an effort top restore Fort Union, near the confluence of the Yellowstone and the Missouri rivers. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Montana-Centennial-Ranches/9https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCentennialRanch12.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - Centennial Ranch 12People photograph what’s important to them, and John Mercer’s grandfather liked Belgian draft horses. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Montana-Centennial-Ranches/10https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCentennialRanch09.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Centennial Ranch 09Laura Etta Smalley was a 25-year-old school teacher in Canada in 1910, prohibited from owning land because she was a single woman. That summer, she traveled into Montana, hired movers and a couple of wagons to carry a 12-by-16-foot cabin to a half-section of land just 10 miles south of the Canada border. When the movers left, she spent the night alone for the first time in her life. Her nearest neighbor was half a mile away.More than a century later, her grandson Tom Bangs watches over that original half section, plus a few more, while his son Jeff eases into taking over the operation.“It’s a pretty appealing life, really,” Tom says. “To be your own boss, to manage the land.”Tom and Carol Bangs pose with their son Jeff and his wife, Katie. Carol, a native of Havre, is glad Jeff and Katie are there. “I value heritage,” she says. “Continuing on what your family started.” https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Montana-Centennial-Ranches/11https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCentennialRanch06.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Centennial Ranch 06A neighbor is a neighbor — even if half a mile or more separates the homes. The Bangs Farm is in a neighborhood known as "Minneota," barely five miles south of the Canadian border. “People are close, even though the distances are great,” says Carol Bangs. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Montana-Centennial-Ranches/12https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCentennialRanch07.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - Centennial Ranch 07Jeff Bangs, right, is 29 years old and in the process of taking over from his dad. Newly married, Jeff has land and equipment of his own while he eases into taking over the operation. “I’m one of those young optimistic people,” he says. “I want to keep it a family farm for at least another generation.” https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Montana-Centennial-Ranches/13https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialCentennialRanch08.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Centennial Ranch 08Jeff Bangs loads grain for winter wheat into a seed drill as evening comes on. As he begins his farming career he knows to expect the road to get rough. “You have to maximize the good times,” he says. “do as well as you can when you can and have some resources ready.” https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Montana-Centennial-Ranches/14 https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Betty-Potter/1https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialBettyPotter23.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - Betty Potter 23Betty Potter, 72, arrived at a ranch in Clearwater Junction, Montana, in 1962, planning to stay two weeks. More than 50 years later, she was cleaning hay and horse manure from the irrigation ditch that waters her hay fields — still at that same ranch. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Betty-Potter/2https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialBettyPotter16.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - Betty Potter 16"I'm not much of an inside person," Betty Potter says. "I like to work." https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Betty-Potter/3https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialBettyPotter48.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - Betty Potter 48During the summers, Betty Potter rotates water through her hay fields, keeping ditches free of debris. She cuts the hay too. She logs beetle-kill timber during the winters. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Betty-Potter/4https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialBettyPotter60.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee - Betty Potter 60“I’ve got a bad back, a bad knee, sore shoulder. I take a lot of Ibuprofen,” Betty Potter says. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Betty-Potter/5https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialBettyPotter46.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee -Betty Potter 46"When it's all said and done," reads the inscription on Betty Potter's husband's head stone, "we are only caretakers of the land." https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Betty-Potter/6 https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Bukaroo-Sue/1https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotographerPhotojournalismDogSaves32.jpgMontana Photographer Photojournalism Dog Saves32Buckaroo Sue Stone, 65, on the Crazy Cayuse Ranch near Powell, Wyo.Sue says she was calving heifers on a ranch near Lewistown, Mont., in 2003 when she was attacked by one of the cows. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Bukaroo-Sue/2https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotographerPhotojournalismDogSaves24.jpgMontana Photographer Photojournalism Dog Saves24Fifteen hundred pounds of temporary insanity pinned Sue against a fence, broke eight of her ribs, punctured a lung, ruptured her spleen and put hairline fractures in her vertebrae before her dog Smokey raced in from a nearby pasture and attacked the heifer’s face until the cow backed off. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Bukaroo-Sue/3https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotographerPhotojournalismDogSaves02.jpgMontana Photographer Photojournalism Dog Saves02Smokey saved Sue’s life, but Sue still had to get up, get herself to the house and call herself an ambulance.During a snowstorm.And the ambulance’s brakes went out. https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Bukaroo-Sue/4https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotographerPhotojournalismDogSaves34.jpgMontana Photographer Photojournalism Dog Saves34Sue made it to the hospital in Lewistown, spent four days in Intensive Care and was out working a herd of 350 cattle a month later.“Sometimes,” she said, “angels have four feet.” https://thomasleephoto.com/Genuine-People/Bukaroo-Sue/5 https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Winifred/1https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialWinifred04.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee Winifred 04Winifred lies along the Missouri Breaks, in central Montana. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Winifred/2https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialWinifred01.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee Winifred 01Eileen Stulc, 53, manages Winifred Grocery, which offers a deli, bakery, coffee shop, wifi, cell phone booster, public computer, dvd rentals, liquor store. Eileen says she grew up on her parents' ranch nearby. She and her husband, Greg, raised seven children in the house Eileen grew up in. "I just have always liked it here," she says. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Winifred/3https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialWinifred11.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee Winifred 11Mr. Asbjornson built a 6,000-square-foot, 12-bedroom home to attract Gordon and Mary Wichman back to Winifred, where they grew up. Gordon Wichman manages Asbjornson's sign shop. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Winifred/4https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialWinifred05.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee Winifred 05Six-year-old Shantyl is one of the Wichmans' adopted children. She got to pick the paint color for her bedroom. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Winifred/5https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialWinifred06.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas LeeWinifred 06The Wichmans have 10 adopted children living with them. Two biological children and four more adopted children have moved out on their own. And they have been foster parents to about 50 other children. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Winifred/6https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialWinifred12.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee Winifred 12Asbjornson's efforts to breathe life into Winifred center on the school. If the school in a small town is vibrant, growing and energized, so is the town. And the Wichmans bring diversity and energy and life. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Winifred/7https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialWinifred07-copy1.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee Winifred 07Neil Rich, center, is in his fourth term as actual mayor of Winifred. He's having coffee in the Winifred Café after a morning check for calves and before feeding. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Winifred/8https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialWinifred08-copy1.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee Winifred 08Winifred's is an agricultural economy — mostly hay, grain and cattle. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Winifred/9https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialWinifred09-copy1.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee Winifred 09"They just started calling him The Mayor," says Ed Heggem of his Basset hound, Beauregard. "I guess because he was always around. He'll come to about anything. Food especially." https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Winifred/10https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialWinifred10-copy1.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee Winifred 10Frank Carr owns the Winifred Café and runs a construction business that gets a lot of work from Asbjornson's projects. "A lot of other small towns are going backwards. We're going forward," Carr says. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Winifred/11https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaEditorialWinifred13.jpgMontana Photojournalist Thomas Lee Winifred 13What sets Winifred apart is the investment it is attracting. And most of that is coming from native son Norman Asbjornson, who in addition to planting hundreds of trees, paving streets, and building houses for teachers, started a sign shop with state-of-the-art technology. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/The-Jersey-Lilly/1https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistPhotographIngomarVananda11.jpgMontana Photojournalist Photograph Ingomar Vananda11“You want to see what the West used to be like,” says Jersey Lilly owner June Nygren, “this is it.” Nygren says the back bar came upriver from St. Louis as far as Forsyth. When Prohibition ended in 1933, the cherrywood bar came up to Ingomar in the back of a Model T. Nygren says the mirror was scratched by the dust from that journey. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/The-Jersey-Lilly/2https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistPhotographIngomarVananda04.jpgMontana Photojournalist Photograph Ingomar Vananda04A rope doorknob marks the entry to the Jersey Lilly. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/The-Jersey-Lilly/3https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-Jersey-Lilly-01.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph Jersey Lilly 01Seventy-nine-year-old Richard Kirchhevel pauses after paying his bill for a burger and beans. Kirchhevel says he stopped in for supper on his way home to Roundup after a day of rock hunting. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/The-Jersey-Lilly/4https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistPhotographIngomarVananda05.jpgMontana Photojournalist Photograph Ingomar Vananda05His and hers outhouses, perhaps the only ones in use at a restaurant in Montana, are just outside the building. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/The-Jersey-Lilly/5https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistPhotographIngomarVananda09.jpgMontana Photojournalist Photograph Ingomar Vananda09Sheepherder hors d’ouvres are one of the house specialties. Nygren says they got their name because cheese, onions, crackers and oranges were all sheepherders could carry without refrigeration. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/The-Jersey-Lilly/6https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistPhotographIngomarVananda02.jpgMontana Photojournalist Photograph Ingomar Vananda02The Jersey Lilly occupies a building that is one of the last standing reminders of Ingomar’s glory times in the early 20th century. Built in 1914, it was Ingomar’s first brick structure and housed the Wiley, Clark and Greening Bank, serving the hundreds of homesteaders then in the Ingomar area. Less than 10 years later, in 1921, the bank went under, one of its principals accused of misuse of bank funds. The building became the Oasis Bar in 1933 and the Jersey Lilly in 1948. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/The-Jersey-Lilly/7https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistPhotographIngomarVananda08.jpgMontana Photojournalist Photograph Ingomar Vananda08Boots Kope and June Nygren are the current owners of the Jersey Lilly. Nygren says she worked there five years before she and Kope bought the place. That was five years ago. The couple is looking to sell, though not very hard. Their only advertising is a sign in the south window of the bar. “We’re looking for the right buyer,” says Nygren. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/The-Jersey-Lilly/8https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistPhotographIngomarVananda01.jpgMontana Photojournalist Photograph Ingomar Vananda01Two miles outside of Ingomar, an old railroad town in the eastern Montana “Big Empty,” the Jersey Lilly bar and restaurant advertises for visitors. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/The-Jersey-Lilly/9 https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Colstrip/1https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Colstrip-Rural-Life-08.jpgMontana Photojournalist Colstrip Rural Life 08“It’s steam,” residents assure a visitor photographing the vapors emanating from the Colstrip power plant. Many in Colstrip are sensitive to the perception people may be getting from the town’s strip mine and power plant. They’re afraid visitors on a cold day will see plumes of smoke over the power plant and think it is all pollution. They worry that no one talks about all of the landscape restoration e the mine does after it removes coal from a seam. They worry that pictures of dozens of tons of dirt being moved at once will make the mine look too dusty, despite the water trucks in evidence spraying the ground on a January morning. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Colstrip/2https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Colstrip-Rural-Life-02.jpgMontana Photojournalist Colstrip Rural Life 02Ninety tons at a time, Baron Stroop operates one of the drag lines at Colstrip's Rosebud Mine to remove overburden dirt to uncover a coal seam. Coal is the central economic force behind Colstrip and its history. Thriving in the 1920s when it supplied the coal used in Northern Pacific locomotives, the town virtually died when trains began running on diesel. In the 1970s, construction began on the power plant and once again, Colstrip bustles with life. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Colstrip/3https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Colstrip-Rural-Life-03.jpgMontana Photojournalist Colstrip Rural Life 03Ninety tons at a time, Baron Stroop operates one of the drag lines at Colstrip's Rosebud Mine to remove overburden dirt to uncover a coal seam. Coal is the central economic force behind Colstrip and its history. Thriving in the 1920s when it supplied the coal used in Northern Pacific locomotives, the town virtually died when trains began running on diesel. In the 1970s, construction began on the power plant and once again, Colstrip bustles with life. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Colstrip/4https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Colstrip-Rural-Life-01.jpgMontana Photojournalist Colstrip Rural Life 01Rex Rogers manages the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Colstrip. Colstrip is a company town and that company mines coal and then burns it to make electricity. Efforts to curb the use of fossil-fueled electricity are threatening the livelihoods of Rogers and the workers he represents. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Colstrip/5https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Colstrip-Rural-Life-06.jpgMontana Photojournalist Colstrip Rural Life 06Mary Ann and Bob Whitehead are both retired from the Colstrip power plan. They live in the mobile home they’ve had since 1980, where Mary Ann has converted the dining room into a quilting studio for her new hobby. They tout Colstrip’s many parks and the local golf course, recreation center and gun club which cost residents little or nothing to use. All thanks to financial support from the mine and power plant. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Colstrip/6https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Colstrip-Rural-Life-07.jpgMontana Photojournalist Colstrip Rural Life 07“I build drag lines,” states 72-year-old Bill MacFarlane at his Colstrip home. MacFarlane says he worked at the mine 30 years, assembling the giant drag lines that can weigh 6 million pounds or more, but his roots are in Havre, where his grandparents were farmers. “The land meant a lot to us,” he says. A trained engineer, MacFarlane isn’t convinced that burning coal is as bad for the environment as some are saying and he hopes Colstrip can continue to produce electricity for years to come. “When the power plant goes away,” he says, “this becomes a ghost town.” https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Colstrip/7https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Colstrip-Rural-Life-10.jpgMontana Photojournalist Colstrip Rural Life 10In addition to free membership at a local nine-hole golf course and a park for every 100 people in Colstrip, residents can freely use the well-equipped recreation center, where 49-year-old Tammy Robinson teaches a fitness class. Robinson’s husband and oldest son both work at the power plant and she’s worried about the future. “I’m nervous about the whole thing,” she says. “I’m nervous about where Colstrip is headed.” https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Colstrip/8https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Colstrip-Rural-Life-09.jpgMontana Photojournalist Colstrip Rural Life 09The streets of Colstrip are clean, the homes modest, but well-kept. But worries over a severely diminished market for the power produced in Colstrip have hurt property values. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Colstrip/9https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Colstrip-Rural-Life-05.jpgMontana Photojournalist Colstrip Rural Life 05Coal waits to be loaded at the Rosebud mine. Colstrip’s source of economic life, burning coal is a leading cause of global warming, experts say, and for the health of the earth, must stay in the ground. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Colstrip/10https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Colstrip-Rural-Life-04.jpgMontana Photojournalist Colstrip Rural Life 04Coal waits to be loaded at the Rosebud mine. Colstrip’s source of economic life, burning coal is a leading cause of global warming, experts say, and for the health of the earth, must stay in the ground. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Buffalo-People/1https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-Indian13.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph Indian13Sunrise. Fort Peck Tribes Cultural Buffalo Herd Ranch Facility. Bison. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Buffalo-People/2https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-Indian15.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph Indian15Sunrise. Bison. Fort Peck Tribes Cultural Buffalo Herd Ranch Facility. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Buffalo-People/3https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-Indian08.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph Indian08Tepees at sunset. Buffalo People Summit. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Buffalo-People/4https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-Indian09.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph Indian09Fort Peck Tribes Cultural Buffalo Herd Ranch Facility. Buffalo People Summit. Don Woerner's buffalo display. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Buffalo-People/5https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-Indian16.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph Indian16Fort Peck Tribes Cultural Buffalo Herd Ranch Facility. Buffalo People Summit. Bison. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Buffalo-People/6https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-Indian10.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph Indian10Fort Peck Tribes Cultural Buffalo Herd Ranch Facility. Buffalo People Summit. Shinnyball, a traditional game, played by students from Frazer. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Buffalo-People/7https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-Indian11.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph Indian11Ethan Three Stars, 17, is nearly fluent in the native language Dakota. He studies with Del First. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Buffalo-People/8https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-Indian05.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph Indian05Wild turnip picking with Dennis Jorgensen, Sarah Wade, and the Growing Thunder family: Ramey and Darryl, with Wanbdi, 10, gray T, Cetan, 9, sweatshirt, and Inyan, 12, purple T. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Buffalo-People/9https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-Indian02.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph Indian02Wild turnip picking with Dennis Jorgensen, Sarah Wade, and the Growing Thunder family: Ramey and Darryl, with Wanbdi, 10, gray T, Cetan, 9, sweatshirt, and Inyan, 12, purple T. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Buffalo-People/10https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-Indian01.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph Indian01Wild turnip picking with Dennis Jorgensen, Sarah Wade, and the Growing Thunder family: Ramey and Darryl, with Wanbdi, 10, gray T, Cetan, 9, sweatshirt, and Inyan, 12, purple T. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Buffalo-People/11https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-Indian03.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph Indian03Wild turnip picking with Dennis Jorgensen, Sarah Wade, and the Growing Thunder family: Ramey and Darryl, with Wanbdi, 10, gray T, Cetan, 9, sweatshirt, and Inyan, 12, purple T. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Buffalo-People/12https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-Indian06.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph Indian06Wild turnip picking with Dennis Jorgensen, Sarah Wade, and the Growing Thunder family: Ramey and Darryl, with Wanbdi, 10, gray T, Cetan, 9, sweatshirt, and Inyan, 12, purple T. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Buffalo-People/13https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-Indian12.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph Indian12Rich Peterson and his cousin Suzanne Turnbull in Peterson's home in Poplar. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Buffalo-People/14https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-Indian14.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph Indian14Buffalo People Summit, Fort Peck Community College Greet The Dawn room. Honoring the Buffalo People. Roxanne (Helen?) Big Horn. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Buffalo-People/15https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-Indian07.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph Indian07Pte San Win (White Buffalo Calf Pipe Woman) reenactment and community feed. Honoring native speakers, thanking the elders. Ethan Three Stars. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Buffalo-People/16https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-Indian17.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph Indian17Sunrise. Bison. Fort Peck Tribes Cultural Buffalo Herd Ranch Facility. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Buffalo-People/17 https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Livingston/1https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistEditorialPhotographLivingstonRailroadLegacy09.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistEditorialPhotographLivingstonRailroadLegacy09©2017ThomasLeePhoto.Ccom https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Livingston/2https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistEditorialPhotographLivingstonRailroadLegacy01.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistEditorialPhotographLivingstonRailroadLegacy01Bill Phillips, 77, on his front porch along the Yellowstone River east of Livingston. Phillips was a machinist for the railroad. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Livingston/3https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistEditorialPhotographLivingstonRailroadLegacy02.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistEditorialPhotographLivingstonRailroadLegacy02Looking for a good meal, deer graze near the Superfund cleanup site in Livingston. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Livingston/4https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistEditorialPhotographLivingstonRailroadLegacy03.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistEditorialPhotographLivingstonRailroadLegacy03Doug Thomson (no 'p') retired to a house a short walk from his former job at the railroad yards in Livingston. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Livingston/5https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistEditorialPhotographLivingstonRailroadLegacy04.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistEditorialPhotographLivingstonRailroadLegacy04Dick Murphy lives with his dog, Annie, in a cabin along Mission Creek west of Livingston. Murphy says the cabin was built by Norweigians in 1883. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Livingston/6https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistEditorialPhotographLivingstonRailroadLegacy05.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistEditorialPhotographLivingstonRailroadLegacy05The Yellowstone River is perhaps the only conduit passing through Livingston with more historic importance than the railroad. Not only a major international fishing destination, the Yellowstone gives Livingston a source of hope, recreation and livelihood. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Livingston/7https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistEditorialPhotographLivingstonRailroadLegacy06.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistEditorialPhotographLivingstonRailroadLegacy06Livingston boasts a historic and thriving downtown, catering to tourists with authentic landmarks like the Northern Pacific's Depot, as well as bars, restaurants and art galleries. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Livingston/8https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistEditorialPhotographLivingstonRailroadLegacy07.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistEditorialPhotographLivingstonRailroadLegacy07Livingston boasts a historic and thriving downtown, catering to tourists with authentic landmarks like the Northern Pacific's Depot, as well as bars, restaurants and art galleries. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Livingston/9https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistEditorialPhotographLivingstonRailroadLegacy08.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistEditorialPhotographLivingstonRailroadLegacy08Livingston boasts a historic and thriving downtown, catering to tourists with authentic landmarks like the Northern Pacific's Depot, as well as bars, restaurants and art galleries. https://thomasleephoto.com/Authentic-Places/Livingston/10 https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Snow-Grooming/1https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-03-copy13.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph 03The hours of a snow groomer are long and inconvenient. Much — if not all — of the work is done during the night. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Snow-Grooming/2https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-01-copy17.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph 01Bob Seibert pilots the Bridger Ski Foundation’s new PistenBully grooming machine along the ski trails near Bozeman Deaconess Hospital. The machine’s advanced technology did not come cheaply, Seibert says. The price was well in excess of $100,000. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Snow-Grooming/3https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-07-copy11.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph 07The machines are expensive and demand proper care. Marvinney checks fluids in the PistenBully before each use. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Snow-Grooming/4https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-04-copy13.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph 04Even at night, groomers can encounter skiers on the trails — particularly the ones inside Bozeman’s city limits. That’s bad for grooming, Seibert says, because the snow needs several undisturbed, un-skied hours to set up properly for optimal ski conditions. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Snow-Grooming/5https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-05-copy13.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph 05Kyle Marvinney is taking the reins of ski grooming from Seibert. Responsibilities of the job include grooming the skijoring arena at Gallatin Valley Regional Park, where Marvinney uses a snowmobile for the job. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Snow-Grooming/6https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-08-copy10.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph 08Kyle Marvinney moved to Bozeman from Maine and is taking over responsibility for the grooming of Bridger Ski Foundation trails in and around Bozeman. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Snow-Grooming/7https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-11-copy7.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph 11Bob Seibert remembers the years he has spent grooming cross country ski trails in and around Bozeman. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Snow-Grooming/8https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/Montana-Photojournalist-Editorial-Photograph-02-copy15.jpgMontana Photojournalist Editorial Photograph 02The hours of a snow groomer are long and inconvenient. Much — if not all — of the work is done during the night. https://thomasleephoto.com/True-Stories/Snow-Grooming/9 https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/2017-2021/1https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201701.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201701Trouble https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/2017-2021/2https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201702.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201702Treachery https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/2017-2021/3https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201703.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201703Evidence https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/2017-2021/4https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201704.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201704Lurking https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/2017-2021/5https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201705.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201705Fear https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/2017-2021/6https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201706.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201706Vertigo https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/2017-2021/7https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201707.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201707Uncertainty https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/2017-2021/8https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201708.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201708Dizzy https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/2017-2021/9https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201709.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201709Confusion https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/2017-2021/10https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201710.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201710Careful https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/2017-2021/11https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201711.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201711Trepid https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/2017-2021/12https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201712.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201712Overwhelm https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/2017-2021/13https://thomasleephoto.com/pf-media/MontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201713.jpgMontanaPhotojournalistFineArtBlackandWhitePhotographAbstract201713Out of Darkness, Light https://thomasleephoto.com/Scenery/2017-2021/14