Brockway, MT

Congratulations Brockway and the surrounding area of McCone County! The local foundation that is a permanent fund and that provides the best possible benefits to donors that want to help leave a legacy for the entire Redwater River drainage area, just reached its first milestone. The funds to be raised had to be a minimum of $25,000 to make the fund permanent and to allow for annual donations to be made from the earnings into the community. The Redwater Community Foundation, with everyones help, is just at $30,000. This is great.
The RCF has a web site at: http://www.circle-montana.com/foundation.html

Brockway Fire truck.
This was found to be the number one local infrastructure need of the community during all of the meetings. Given the extremely dry conditions, recent history of fires in Montana and around the community the need to have a good reliable fire truck was something everyone felt critical. It would help provide improved safety and more sense of security for the community and the volunteer firemen. It would potentially help prevent a disaster from wiping out someone’s livelihood or home. The current fire truck is a 1954 model. The truck is a bit temperamental and only a few know how to operate it which is risky. It is in need of retirement.
To have a better and more reliable truck to help protect life and property in our community will help the current community members feel more secure and might help someone considering a move to our community to view the community more favorably. A fire could devastate a family and/or a business and plunge them immediately into poverty. The fire truck is a preventative measure to avert poverty and disaster.
A committee was organized to find a truck, help build a truck, raise funds for the truck. The total cost of the truck being purchased and equipped is just over $19,000.
Brockway will have a sense of pride and accomplishment by raising the funds in addition to the Horizons funding from NWAF. A 1984 Kenworth truck has been acquired and all the tanks and related equipment has been mounted. The truck is to be painted and newer tires and a low-profile light bar mounted by the end of July, 2008.

For a small community to take on an expensive project and to find a way to get it done has been a great boost to the community. In addition, another great fund raising partnership was developed in working with the McCone County 100 Club who works on emergency service needs for the entire county.

The Circle Chamber has been a big help in the success of the Horizons program in Brockway. They helped introduce Brockway to the program and participated in the process. The Chamber also worked with Brockway in making sure they had assistance and support in posting to the internet a web presence for the new Redwater Community Foundation and the Brockway Diary Day Rodeo.
Redwater Community Foundation: http://www.circle-montana.com/foundation.html

Brockway Dairy Day Rodeo: http://www.circle-montana.com/dairyday.html

Great Norther Development Corporation is a good parner for the Brockway Community. The organization was created to assist residents and businesses in a six county area, to include the Brockway Community, with business technical assistance, grant writing help and access to state and local funding programs for business loans and community development projects.
Currently the GNDC is assisiting the community with a low and moderate income housing rehabilitation project in Circle.

County Commissioner Connie Eissinger (a Brockway community member) is a board of director for the GNDC.

Kids chasing balloons, babies in carrying seats and 47 adults attended Brockway’s vision event November 9 at the Brockway Supper Club. A look at Brockway in the past, present and future was sandwiched between a delicious roast beef dinner prepared by the Brockway Supper Club and the dance by Aces band of Circle. Peggy Iba, Horizons Community Coordinator facilitated the Visioning meeting, by first looking back at Brockway through the decades, with lively stories mostly being filled in by Charlie Moline.

Tod Kasten shared the steering committee’s work and the results of Study Circles last winter with suggested action ideas and a draft of Brockway’s vision statement. They were appreciative of how generous the Northwest Area Foundation had been to Brockway with improvements to the rodeo grounds and the Rodeo being added to Circle’s webpage. $8000 is committed in June to help jumpstart some projects the Brockway group identifies.
People at each table discussed and tweaked the vision statement. Bob Yarger shared he didn’t want our area to be “Californized”. Charlie Moline said “Brockway celebrated the 75th Jubilee in 1985 as a last hurrah for Brockway and here we are almost 25 years later, still going, planning for our 100th.” 14 action ideas for Brockway were brought up by the group from sharing it’s rich pioneer history to preparing for coal development. Everyone got 3 sticky dots to vote for their favorite. Peggy stressed that if your pet project didn’t get the votes, it can still happen if you and others have passion to work on it. She mentioned the fiberglass Paddlefish Art auction which raised $10,000 for the Dawson Co. Art Gallery, was a project that didn’t get selected by the Glendive Horizon group, but it still happened.
The top six projects were listed and people signed up where they were interested in making them happen. Everyone got a reminder card to fill in what they could start on tomorrow to make their community better.
Top Action Plans ( Don’t list votes in paper)
· Sign of rodeo contestants who performed at Brockway Dairy Day and qualified for National Finals through the years (21)
· Maintain Brockway – clean up community (16)
· Replace 1954 fire truck with something newer (16)
· Gas station or Gas Availability (15)
· Coal Development (12)
· Bathrooms & kitchen for community hall (10)
Other suggestions were historical markers where buildings used to be. Historic map of Brockway painted on community hall wall or in brochure. Repaint old Brockway bus and use as a tourist sign at Brockway turnoff or at the park. Salvage the depot. Rest station or information center.

Maintain Brockway – clean up community Gas availability - Gus
Darby Idland,
Summer Oliver (paint)
Firetruck Replacement
Ty Eissinger 485-2506
Teri Eissinger 485-2770
Conrad Moline 485-2770
Nancy Stempel 485-2278
Community Hall upgrade
Connie Eissinger 485-2274
Nancy Stempel 485-2278
Teri Eissinger 485-2504
Darby Idland 495-2961
The next phase of Horizons, from January to June is capacity building where Horizons funds will pay for training needs identified, such as grant writing or getting an IRS non-profit status in order to apply for grants. For suggestions or more information, contact Tod Kasten, Darby Idland, Heidi Berry, Tara Hubing, Ken Nelson or Peggy Iba at the Dawson County Extension Office..
Brockway – The past
Decades1910 In 1910, the three Brockway brothers filed on adjoining homesteads along the fertile Redwater River near here. A small trading center on brother James’s homestead provided supplies and other services to their neighbors. By 1913, the settlement’s importance to the area had grown enough to justify opening a post office. That same year, the Great Northern Railway announced plans, which did not materialize, to build a line across central Montana and surveyed the current Brockway town site. The Town became a thrivingcommunity with over 20 businesses including a bank and creamery.1915 – First high school built in the area. Team – the Brockway Rangers. ( The Brockway Bulldogs was a town team established later.) Brockway built a courthouse, vying for the county seat.1919- McCone County established, Circle was chosen as county seat.1918 – Brockway Dairy Day established in celebration of a herd of dairy cows arriving in the area. A Dairy cow auction was held. Brockway Dairy Day is one of the 4 oldest rodeos in Montana.
1920s The Northern Pacific Railway’s Redwater branch line reached the town in 1928. Grain elevators started.
1930s Joe Cobb was colorful character from Virginia, mentioned by many oldtimers when stories circulate about Brockway and rodeos. Phil Haglund mentioned Joe Cobb circling his jalopy in the front yard of the Haglund ranch until it stopped (no brakes) and introducing himself to Beachy Haglund. They developed a special friendship, both being from the south.Brockway a major shipping point for livestock reaching number one in the U.S. in 1934. Horses shipped out of Brockway once a week due to it’s location 100 miles from the Missouri and the Yellowstone, both risky to herd livestock across. Winnett was another large shipping point.Stanley Forester landing a B29 near Brockway as he stopped to visit his dad.
1940s During the war years, rodeos were cancelled.WWII say many from area involved: Phil Haglund flew a record 86 bomb missions. Ole Ueland first to step on ____ soil. Merlin Shennum a member of the 101 Airborne, and many more locals involved in fighting for our freedom. 1945 Brockway High School closes.1946 Brockway Rodeo moved to it’s present location.
1950s Brockway boasted a drive-in theater that operated from 1950 to 1962, the smallest town in the USA with a drive-in. Closed when televisions became popular.
1960s Sheep Mountain Hall moved in to become the Community Hall. “We and the Others”, a rock band of Doc Sargent, Kelly Fillenworth, Roger Eissinger and Tom Hoover entertained at the hall. It was required to have an adult on hand when renting the hall. Charlie Moline said he had just turned 21 so he was the appointed adult chaperone.
1970s Lynn Beason started the Iron J Bar and Café, now the Brockway Supper Club.1976 “As It Was Yesterday” Book of Brockway families and history written.1978 – Long remembered as area’s worst blizzard
1980s 1984 -Railroad to Brockway closed1985 – After a year of planning spearheaded by Dale Bond, the 75th Brockway Jubilee was held with special night show before Dairy Day. Charlie Moline said it was supposed to be a last hurrah for Brockway but “here we are almost 25 years later planning the 100th.1989- Montana Centennial Mail Ride recreated for the 100th anniversary of the territory.Brockway elementary school closed.
1990s Highway 200 between Brockway & Circle redone.
2000 2006 – Byway 252 connected Brockway to Terry completely paved.2007 – New Brockway historic sign erected.Redwater Community Foundation Established
2010 Brockway 100 Years Old.

Brockway Vision
Howdy! Brockway is a family-oriented frontier community with a pioneering spirit that is steeped in homestead hospitality, history, hard work and hard play. Keeping in mind its roots, this proud community looks forward to welcoming visitors as well as families and companies that would work in today’s and tomorrow’s value-added ag businesses and energy related industries. Experience the Big Sky country, wildlife, dinosaurs, wide open spaces and don’t miss the world famous Brockway Dairy Days Rodeo the third Saturday in July!
Top Action Plans
· Sign of rodeo contestants who performed at Brockway Dairy Day and qualified for National Finals through the years (21)
· Maintain Brockway – clean up community (16)
· Replace 1954 fire truck with something newer (16)
· Gas station or Gas Availability (15)
· Coal Development (12)
· Bathrooms & kitchen for community hall (10)

Other suggestions were historical markers where buildings used to be. Historic map of Brockway painted on community hall wall or in brochure. Repaint old Brockway bus and use as a tourist sign at Brockway turnoff or at the park. Salvage the depot. Rest station or information center.

Maintain Brockway – clean up community Gas availability - Gus
Darby Idland,
Summer Oliver (paint)

Firetruck Replacement
Ty Eissinger 485-2506
Teri Eissinger 485-2770
Conrad Moline 485-2770
Nancy Stempel 485-2278

Community Hall upgrade
Connie Eissinger 485-2274
Nancy Stempel 485-2278
Teri Eissinger 485-2504
Darby Idland 495-2961

Brockway Historic Highway sign (erected in 2007)
In 1910, the three Brockway brothers filed on adjoining homesteads along the
fertile Redwater River near here. A small trading center on brother James’s
homestead provided supplies and other services to their neighbors. By 1913,
the settlement’s importance to the area had grown enough to justify opening
a post office. That same year, the Great Northern Railway announced plans,
which did not materialize, to build a line across central Montana and
surveyed the current Brockway town site. The Town became a thriving
community with over 20 businesses. Brockway built the first high school, in
1916, and was in the running for the county seat of what is now McCone
County. In celebration of a herd of dairy cows arriving in 1918, one of
eastern Montana’s oldest and best rodeos, the Brockway Dairy Day Rodeo was
established. The Northern Pacific Railway’s Redwater branch line reached the
town in 1928. Brockway’s economy boomed as it became a major livestock
shipping point reaching number one in the U.S. in 1934. The small town even
boasted a drive-in theater that operated from 1950 to 1962. Brockway is now
a peaceful frontier community, proud of its past and optimistic about its
future.

Consider making a donation to the Redwater Community Foundation.

The Redwater Community Foundation is a permanent fund, known as an endowment. From which the principal can never be spent. Earnings from the endowment will be used every year to help meet the needs of our entire community.

By Contributing to the Redwater Community Foundation (RCF), you have ensured that your gift will grow and continue to give every year to the community. It can be looked at as an annual gift that will continue to give forever.

Anything of value can be given to the RCF and there are many tax benefits that a donor can receive.

The Redwater Community Foundation is affiliated with the Montana Community Foundation, which has professional staff to help donors with specific questions. More information on the Montana Community Foundation can be found at the web site: www.mtcf.org or call (406) 443-8313.

For any local questions, input or to donate please feel free to contact one of the volunteer board members, Lindy Wright, Greg Rolandson, Jiggs Wolf, Emily Guldborg, and Tod Kasten.

To make a donation, please make the check payable to the: MCF / Redwater Community Foundation Fund and mail to:

Redwater Community Foundation Fund
C/O Montana Community Foundation
PO Box 1145
Helena, Montana 59624

Another GREAT result of the Horizons process and community meetings was the creation of the Redwater Community Foundation (RCF). The RCF formed a partnership with the Montana Community Foundation ( http://www.mtcf.org/ ). This partnership created a local community foundation that will make available to the community (the entire area of McCone County) a permanent method of making available some funding for local needs and projects. It also makes available the opportunity for those that are willing to donate a way to permanently give to the community to help meet its needs.

The Foundation has been active and has as of 4/1/08 raised: $20,000.00

And has Given:
$3,000 - Brockway Fire Truck
$1,000 - Multi-purpose building at the Fair grounds
$750.00 - New ambulance
$250.00 - Playground equipment at Prairie Elk School

The RCF has also receive a grant from Montana Community Foundation in the amount of $15,000
to build the concrete foundation for the new Multi-Purpose building at the Fair Grounds.

The RCF has generated a number of nice short stories in the local Newspaper and has been a wonderful asset right from the beginning.

The local area Chamber of Commerce has worked with the group to develop a web page:
http://www.circle-montana.com/foundation.html

By Amanda Breitbach
Ranger-Review Staff Writer

Small post offices can have a special relationship with the rural
communities they serve.
In Brockway, MT ­ population 140 ­ Postmaster Joey Mothershead serves
customers in ways that go far beyond just delivering the mail. She takes her
responsibilities seriously and tries her best to set hours and design
displays that serve local residents. Located in the middle of town and
sharing a building with the Brockway Mercantile, the post office also serves
as a bus stop. Although she isn’t there when the kids get on the bus in the
mornings, Mothershead makes it a point to be open in the afternoon when
parents are picking students up so they can do their mailing at the same
time. When they are running late, parents know they can call and she will
make sure their kids get off the bus and give them a warm, dry place to
wait. After one busy day when she didn’t notice that a child who was
supposed to wait at the office did not get off the bus, Mothershead made a
special sign to put in the window so drivers would know when to let a
student off.

The lobby of the Brockway Post Office also serves as a place for area
ranchers to visit and for curious visitors to ask questions. Two sturdy
church pews that sit near the door and a soda machine whose profits benefit
the volunteer fire department are the largest furnishings. “I could see
there was a need. They need somewhere to interact,” Mothershead explained. A
glass-doored cabinet contains aerial photos of the town and its annual
rodeo, Brockway Dairy Days, donated by local photographer Del Gackle.
“Joey¹s also kind of our makeshift Chamber of Commerce. People stop here and
ask directions,” said Genny Priest, the carrier who currently runs the
contract route west of town.

While rural communities depend on their post offices for a variety of
services, the post offices also depend on community members to stay open.
“People don’t realize how much their home post office relies on them,” said
Ellie Chupp, postmaster in Bloomfield, which has an actual population of
just seven.
Candace Dempewolf, who has worked for the United States Postal Service for
over 17 years, agrees. Dempewolf has been the postmistress at the Lindsay
Post Office since 2004. As older residents pass away or relocate to bigger
towns and younger generations move away, the population has dwindled, she
said. Because post offices are rated through a system that stresses revenue,
it is difficult for the smaller offices to get high scores, she explained.
Post offices are rated based on the number of post office boxes rented by
area residents and the number of delivery sites along a route as well as
revenue, but the money they bring in weighs heavily. Stamp sales are
generally the largest source of income, but package postage and mailing
materials also contribute.
When a post office is reviewed every three years, it is rated for a certain
level. In Brockway, population numbers support a level 11 office, which
means that the budget provides for a postmaster who works 40 hours Monday
through Friday plus two hours on Saturday. In Bloomfield and Lindsay, the
offices are rated level 55, which supports just 36 hours Monday through
Saturday. According to Mothershead, the amount of work and paper-pushing is
almost exactly the same for both levels, but the smaller offices have to get
it done with less time.

The challenges of managing a small post office are different from those
faced in a larger facility in other ways, too. “When you have a small post
office, you do everything. You shovel the snow, you vacuum, you scrub…
besides your other duties,” Dempewolf pointed out. Still, it is a great job,
she said, that offers good benefits and has somewhat flexible requirements.
Chupp agrees. When she goes to trainings with postmasters from larger
communities, they often complain about their coworkers, but she has little
to complain about. If there are any negative aspects to her job, they are
far outweighed by the positive, she said. The Bloomfield office is actually
contained within the same structure as Chupp’s home. “I walk to work.
Through the kitchen and the bathroom and I’m home,” she said. She also
enjoys the local people. “They’re either friend friends or they’re almost
family,” she added.

“Our community is very fortunate to have our post office. You lose your
identify if you become a route,” Mothershead noted. Undoubtedly, rural
residents would agree. From the extra services rendered to perks like free
coffee and bus stop pickup, small post offices are often the hubs of local
activity. “We’re there to service our people, and I think that’s one of the
biggest things,” she concluded.

Brockway community members have gone through Study Circles, leadership training, visioning and made action plans to make their community better. That was a first time that such a diverse group had gotten together to examine their past and their future and looked at poverty. They so enjoyed the process they had promised to do it every few years. Poverty could best be defined as lack of resources in the small dying town that no longer has a grade school but used to be the largest cattle shipping site in MT because of it’s location half way between the Missouri and the Yellowstone. Now as the population ages, lack of resources means lack of medical care - no dentist, no optometrist or pharmacist and only one physician assistant in the whole county. They are proud to be the first Medical Assistance Facility in the nation offering short term medical care in the clinic attached to the nursing home. They are an independent resilient group used to making do. That includes taking someone elses’s used item (the Wolf Point Stampede chute) and recycling it for the Brockway Dairy Day rodeo. That’s good collaboration between communities and fellow rodeo supporters.

The Brockway Horizons steering committee came together as a group and has worked with the Brockway Commercial Club to work together to help keep the effort started in the Brockway Community moving forward. The partnership with MSU Extension and the Northwest Area Foundation has been a huge help to the community. We will always be grateful to the Northwest Area Foundation and the hand up and help that their efforts have provided to our community.

May 2008

In October of 2007, we filed an application with the FCC to move forward on a construction permit to officially upgrade and start a fully-powered non-commercial radio station in the area. Since that time, after some interesting twists and turns we are waiting on the FCC for approval of our license. After filing, somehow the application was dismissed by the FCC, then reinstated, then accepted for filing, then filed. Once an application is filed, there is a very high chance that it will be accepted. All we have to do now is wait on the FCC to go through the paperwork and approve the license. This is easier said than done because the FCC has thousands of licenses to go through and they are not known for their speed in getting these things done.
In the meantime, we are still plugging along. We have been broadcasting games for the public as well as having students broadcast live various programming every day through a class at the school. We have automated programming that goes out every day as well and the students are learning to run that, too.
As much as we are doing, we still have much to do to get the station ready for our future vision for this area. If our broadcast application is approved, we will boost our power significantly so as to reach more people in the area. We are going to need to buy a lot more equipment. The FCC will require that we have certain net assets and equipment for our radio station after they grant us the license. We will have some time to do this, but it is in our best interest to begin getting all of that ready now so it doesn’t hit us all at once. Here are some of our needs with estimated costs afterwards.
Equipment: Upgraded main transmitter ($3000-$4000), studio equipment ($2000), sports broadcasting equipment ($1500),
Annual costs: Music licensing fees ($750/year), Purchasing of new music ($250), maintenance and repairs ($100), internet live sports feeds ($250)
I’m sure there are other unforeseen costs I didn’t include, but this gives a rough idea of where we are at. My best guess right now based on these figures and unforeseen costs is that we are needing to raise somewhere between $8000-$10,000 dollars for this station. We won’t need it all at once. But there is a need for probably around $2000 within the next year, not including future equipment we will need to purchase.
I am including some pictures of the students running the station to show how what we have so far is being utilized.

Jerrod
This has been a pretty big step started by Horizons in a county with the only media coverage being the Circle Banner, that was featured on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show headlines with their tagline “Today’s News- Next Thursday.”