Garrison Junction, a crossroads in Montana history

GARRISON, Mont. — If you drive Interstate- 90 from Missoula, Butte or other points, you can head east to Helena on Highway 12.

Garrison Junction is a merging point.

It's always been a meeting place.

You could call it a crossroads.

Garrison is located in Powell County, and has views of the mountains from all directions.

The Little Blackfoot River connects to the Clark Fork River.

Traffic moves north and south to merge with travelers heading west or east.

"Garrison's halfway between Yellowstone National Park and Glacier Park," said Sharon Schillo.

NBC Montana met Sharon at Riverfront RV Park, which she owns and operates.

She tells her campers that Garrison is a "stick n' plum."

"You stick your head out the window," she laughed, "and you're plum through it."

Travelers from Missoula who need to meet somebody from Butte can shave travel time and miles by meeting halfway.

"I'll meet you in Garrison," is a common phrase among many western Montanans.

Retired Garrison School teacher Shirley Peters hears that all the time.

Shirley said Garrison was a gathering spot for many Native American tribes who met here to move out to hunt buffalo.

She said it was also a strategic spot for what is now known as the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic site in Deer Lodge.

"They did trading in the valley," she said. "Cattle trading."

Garrison rancher Don Beck, said in the early days they called the area the east end of Hell's gate.

He said it could be dangerous territory.

"This was an easy place to ambush people," said Don, " down here where the river chokes down between the mountains."

"Garrison was founded as a railroad stop," said area resident Tom Gilbert. "They had a roundhouse and water tower. There was a hotel. It was a growing concern probably in the 40's and 50's."

It brought people from all over the world.

"There were Irish," said Shirley. "There were Chinese and Eastern Europeans."

"Ranching and logging are the backbone of any of these areas," said Don. " In addition, here, at one point in time, we had the Cominco Mine and then we had the Milwaukee Railroad which employed quite a few people."

"At one time, there was a phosphate plant that cooked down the phosphate and made a supplement for cattle feed," said Tom. "That was in the 60'S."

Before its forced shutdown, the Rocky Mountain Phosphate plant was a dark chapter in Garrison history.

"Kids had to go to school year-round because of the days they missed from the plume of smoke that came out of that," said Don. "It was a bad deal. Cattle's teeth fell out from the phosphate that was being blown up into the air.

If you drive I-90 and are on a busy schedule, you're not likely to stop or see Cedar Street in Garrison.

It's kind of hidden.

But years ago, it was a thriving residential and business community.

"The interstate went through and chewed a bunch of it up," said Don. "And took most of the buildings," said Tom.

But some of those buildings survived.

One is Gerdts Grocery Store.

"I bought it in the 80's," said Tom," and turned it into a cabinet shop."

He said the grocery store operated until the 1970's.

"The post office (which adjoined it), he said, "moved over to the truck stop."

That was Welch's Truck Stop.

"It had a diner. They did all kinds of business," said Don. "They'd do automotive repair, put tires on cars. There was quite a business going on."

"It was pretty bustling," said Sharon. " I've met lots of people, (who say) Oh, my mom cooked at the truck stop or waitressed there."

The truck stop burned down in the 70.s

There was also a grocery store just off the junction turnoff to Helena.

"You used to buy milk, bread and eggs right down here in the little Garrison store," said Don. "Because it would save you from having to drive 13 miles to Deer Lodge to get it there."

Garrison is still a crossroads and a vibrant community.

Just spend time at Garrison School.

Parents are deeply involved in its operation.

Sharon Schillo, whose own kids attended the school, is on the school board.

Montana history continues to evolve in that little country school on the hill on Schoolhouse Road.

"It is an intersection between all of our different grades coming together," said teacher Jill Mogen. "We're like a family. They all know each other."

With two teachers and a para-professional, Garrison's 15 students get lots of one-on-one time.

Jill teaches kindergarten through third grade.

She prepares four math and reading lesson plans for four grades.

There's a wide range of ages. But there are only seven students in her room.

"The positives are the older ones get to read to the younger ones," she said. " The younger ones can pick up what the next older grade is doing."

Next door, Katie Becker teaches the older students.

"This is fourth, fifth and sixth grade, " she said," and we're doing Montana history."

Katie's class is holding a mock trial for Henry Plummer.

He was the sheriff of Bannack who was hanged by vigilantes in the 1860's.

The kids are learning about events that happened during Montana's gold rush days more than 150-years ago.

"I like Montana history," said 6th- grader Clayton Larson. "One of my favorite things about history is the old west."

In the mock trial, Clayton plays Henry Plummer's deputy.

Fellow 6th-grader, Ole Beck, plays Plummer himself.

Ole shows his teacher what he has done to prepare for the history lesson.

He's drawn a picture of Sheriff Plummer, as well as a bank, general store and saloon.

Ole loves Montana's cowboy culture.

Like "riding a horse and roping," he said, "and wearing a gun."

Ole is a true ranch kid.

"I like the animals and cows," he said, "and I also like the old-fashioned way of doing it."

When NBC Montana visited, the Becks were making plans to brand cattle.

They are ranching pioneers in the valley.

"The joke of it is, they got here a long, long time ago and their wagon broke down," laughed Ole's dad Don, " and none of them were smart enough to fix it."

Beck ancestors raised sheep in the valley way back in the 1880's

"Then my great great-grandpa switched to cows," said Ole," and we've been running cows ever since."

Don said his children's forebear, Andrew Axel Beck, started ranching in Garrison when he was Ole's age.

"He (Andrew) was 12-years-old in the sixth grade," said Don. "He quit school and started buying the ranch that I'm on now."

The family raises commercial black Angus cattle.

Don and Melanie Beck, Ole, and Ole's sister Gizelle, have been busy since February calving out their herd.

They're starting to wrap up the season.

Don said the family doesn't travel much, and during calving season, they hardly travel at all.

It's something Don is used to.

"Going to Deer Lodge when I was a kid was a once-a-month trip," he said, " and going to Missoula was a once-a year trip."

The rancher said times have certainly changed.

But cattle and ranching still keep the family, and other ranchers on the ranch.

That's okay with young Ole.

"There's no big cities around," he said, "and there's no people that crowd you."

Ole, Gizelle, and the students at Garrison School are a new generation making their own history in Garrison.