- [John] Coming up on this episode of "Back Roads of Montana."

A special place to visit surprisingly becomes home.

- I think I just bought a house.

- "Are you crazy?"

- [John] We'll take a hike, and see amazing scenery on the Rocky Mountain front.

- [Rod] It is unique, it's very unique.

- [John] Drive to learn how this person takes a different angle for his artistic vision.

- [Greg] It's not just a car to me, it's genuinely an obsession.

- [John] And we'll cut into this Malta man's unique talent with rocks from out of this world.

- [Marlin] Kinda one of my passions.

I've been cutting for 40, 50 years.

- Get after, folks, let's go.

- Dive in.

We've got a face full of good stuff ahead.

- [John] "Back Roads of Montana" is made possible with production support from the Greater Montana Foundation, encouraging communication on issues, trends, and values of importance to Montanans.

The Big Sky Film Grant, and the University of Montana.

♪ Home is where Montana is ♪ ♪ Montana is my home ♪ ♪ From mountain peaks to Prairie land ♪ ♪ To places I have known ♪ ♪ I'm bound to ramble ♪ ♪ Yes, I'm bound to roll.

♪ ♪ And when I'm in off the road now, boys ♪ ♪ Montana is my home ♪ - [Speaker] Yay, parade.

- Welcome to "Back Roads of Montana," where we love to shine a spotlight on the amazing people and places across our state.

I'm John Twiggs, and on this episode, we're celebrating Montana's most beloved berry.

The delicious huckleberry draws thousands of people to the tiny town of Trout Creek in northwest Montana.

Since 1979, the Huckleberry Festival blends a love for the fruit with local arts.

During the program, we'll experience the color and pageantry, enjoy a variety of artistic expressions, and get a taste of what makes everyone so passionate about the huckleberry.

In our first story, we meet a couple with a passion for a particular place.

They never planned to be residents, but like the thousands of Virginia City settlers before them, an opportunity struck and they couldn't refuse.

(upbeat instrumental music) Many people find the past alluring.

- [Host] You'd never know what's gonna happen on a ghost tour.

- And worth preserving.

- [Interviewee] It's just something you don't want to lose.

You couldn't rebuild it.

- [Interviewee] We're doing the priming right now, and then we'll start to paint.

- [Interviewee] It's history, and you don't wanna get rid of history.

- [John] But few have been pulled into the past quite like Marilyn and Jeff Bomar.

- [Jeff] It's a long time ago.

- [John] The Helena Couple fell in love with visiting Virginia City before a stroke of luck would make them homeowners here.

- I guess we were supposed to have it, so be careful what you write down.

You might get it.

- [John] Jeff cherishes his memories visiting Virginia City as a kid.

His souvenir poster adorns their bedroom wall.

- There was just so much to do, you know?

And then you didn't wanna leave.

I mean, it was a historic, oh, boy, this is old West, man.

This is Old West.

- Wow.

- [John] In 1990, he hoped it would have the same draw for his then girlfriend, Marilyn.

- [John] You don't have that on.

And her two young sons.

- Jacob, moved the vase.

He made it very special to have a first family date.

And the boys just loved it.

- [Speaker] We all know who that is.

It's old salmonella rock gut.

- The kids had a good time, I think they did.

And Marilyn wasn't in awe, of course, you know.

- [John] So two years later, when Jeff and Marilyn decided to tie the knot, no venue felt more fitting than Virginia City.

- She said, "Oh yeah, we'll marry out on the balcony of the courthouse and everything.

- [Marilyn] Now Booth Hill's over there.

- I thought, "Boy, now that's perfect.

Boot Hill in the background."

- It was a beautiful summer day, July 17th.

Nice white clouds, and just a lovely day to be with friends.

- Then a month later, it was a month later we got married, and they stood up for us.

We had a good time.

- I'm ready.

- Whoa.

- Whoo.

(Marilyn and Jeff cheering) - We had fun.

We were pretty, we were having fun.

- [Speaker] Smile, guys.

- [John] And the wedding was just the start of the shenanigans.

The first year they were married, Jeff didn't like Montana's candidates for governor.

- So he wrote us in and I said, "You're really kidding."

And he said, "No, I'm not kidding.

I wrote myself in as governor, and I wrote you in as Lieutenant Governor."

- [John] Nothing became of those results immediately, but perhaps the universe was listening, because something kept calling this couple to this town.

- [Marilyn] Virginia City's like that.

- [John] One year, during their annual anniversary trip, Marilyn learned the Star Bakery in nearby Nevada City had to close up early - And there were still nine weeks left.

And I thought, "Well, I'll just run the Star Bakery."

I know.

I had never run a restaurant in my life.

And Jeff said, "You're gonna what?"

And I said, "Yeah, I'm just gonna run this Star Bakery."

- [John] And she did, fully expecting the end of the summer would end her ghost town residency, but high on the hill above Virginia City, another building was about to blindside her, when its resident, asked her to return the key to the owner, but he lived out of town.

- So I called him and I said, "What do you want me to do with the key?"

And he said, "Well, I want you to hold onto the key 'cause you're gonna buy my house."

And I said, "I'm not buying your house."

And he said, "Well don't you know that's the territorial governor's house?"

And that's when I went.

I said, "Don't be telling me that."

I said, "Don't tell me that because I mean immediately I keyed in on that.

I mean, I was like, "Oh, now I can be governor."

- [John] So instead of returning the key, Marilyn wrote down an offer on a napkin.

- I was supposed to make a ridiculous offer but the man said "Deal."

I think I just bought a house - [John] All this time, Jeff was in Alabama for Army National Guard training.

- So I didn't know until she dropped the bomb on me and was like, "Are you crazy?"

- And he didn't divorce me right away.

And he looked at the house, I said, "Well, what did you think?"

And he said, "Well, we're not giving it back."

- [John] The home was built in 1864, the year before Virginia City took the title of territorial capital from Bannack.

10,000 people had flooded in to stake their claim on Montana's biggest gold strike at Alder Gulch.

President Ulysses S Grant named Ohio Senator Benjamin Potts to serve as governor of Montana territory in 1870, sending him to this home on the hill in Virginia City.

- [Marilyn] He was really appreciative of this house.

And I think to myself now, that's how I feel about this house too.

I feel really appreciative.

- Marilyn has given Governor Potts a prominent place in the living room, but it's the current residents who receive recognition.

- [Host] The building here next door from Red Trim, that is the governor's mansion, that's the governor and his wife there.

- Hi.

- Hi.

- I don't really believe it's my house.

I believe it belongs to the public.

There's a reason I got that key, and there's a reason to share it.

- So 30 years after Marilyn and Jeff said, "I do-" - Has it been that long?

- They've rallied their sons, their friends, and even their wedding party.

- [Speaker] It's always work in progress.

- [John] To help keep the home looking worthy of housing a governor.

- I'm hoping it stays the same and it will continue to look that way from generations to generations.

- Sure we could have a lake house, and a boat, and all that, but we don't need that.

We just gotta come down here and paint.

- [John] And when the work is done, anniversaries are a chance to relive a balcony moment.

After all, our own histories are worth preserving too.

- [Marilyn] He's a good governor, he's a good husband.

He's a good lieutenant Governor.

- Since the Governor's house is not a vacation rental they allow friends to stay for free.

They also offer up stays for charity auctions.

All they ask is that visitors sign the guest book, so there's a chance to relive the adventures.

The annual Huckleberry Festival in Trout Creek started in 1979 when a group of local artists challenged the community to dream the impossible dream of a remote area hosting a festival to celebrate the arts.

Area residents responded.

And in 1981, the state legislature proclaimed Trout Creek the huckleberry capital of Montana.

Today, the parade ushers in the festival that grows this small town from hundreds to thousands.

Trout Creek is tucked into the Cabinet Mountain wilderness next to the Noxon Rapids Reservoir.

It's the perfect out of the way spot to celebrate the arts and the huckleberry.

We love to show you those out of the way places, whether it's a festival or a hike.

For our next story, we're off to the Rocky Mountain front for a short hike with some unexpected scenery up the trail.

(soft instrumental music) - So this is the Muddy Creek Falls hike.

The hike is roughly round trip five and a half miles.

This one has very little elevation gain.

It's hard to get lost.

You just basically follow the stream.

In places there's a trail and some places there isn't.

Hey, bear.

I think hiking is very therapeutic.

Physically, it's good for us, and and mentally, it's very good for us as well.

I think that part's underrated.

So this is all Madison limestone, roughly 330 to 360 million years ago.

All right, you guys ready to be amazed?

Once we get around this corner, we should be able to see it.

(soft instrumental music continues) - [Hiker] Oh wow.

- There it is.

(soft instrumental music continues) This is probably the coolest dead end you're ever gonna find.

(soft instrumental music) Basically, the water carved this canyon that we're sitting in right now, it seems almost impossible, but it did.

- [Hiker] It'd be cool to see it from above.

(soft instrumental music continues) - [Rod] Muddy Creek falls is actually not muddy here.

That, I think happens when it gets out on the prairie a little bit more.

Oh, it's always fun to, to share these places with friends and, and just see their enjoyment.

- So pretty.

- I've not seen a canyon like this any place else on the Rocky Mountain front.

You know, there's some pretty great canyons in Montana, but this one is right up there with the best of 'em I think - The Muddy Creek Falls hike is accessible from May 15th to December 1st.

The directions from Bynum to the trailhead can be a little tricky, so check online to make sure you don't miss a turn.

The Annual Huckleberry Festival in Trout Creek has always been a celebration of the arts.

More than 100 local vendors are here offering handmade arts and crafts, woodwork, metalwork, pottery, and painting.

Many of them sharing a purple flare.

It all supports a vibrant local arts scene.

- It's amazingly important.

We have a lot of very talented artists here, but then we also have artists from all over the northwest that come to our area to do this festival.

We keep on trying to grow it more and and bring more variety for everyone to come see.

I mean, if it's purple and huckleberry, we're all about it, so, so yeah, it's a lot of fun.

- Our next story features a different artistic vision.

One that combines a passion for cars with a nod to a prehistoric monument.

We traveled to South Central Montana to see one of the most unusual art installations in the state.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- [Greg] When people go to sleep at night they usually don't dream about cars, I do.

When people want to look at photo albums of family.

I don't have family pictures, I have car pictures.

- [John] This might not look like his art studio, but there's more to Greg Nelson than meets the eye.

- I've always kinda grown up with the idea that you should be well-rounded and have a lot of different things that you can can choose from.

And the art has served me very well.

- [John] Greg combined the artistic and the automotive, and his bathroom sink was just the beginning.

- I always wanted to do something spectacular.

I really wanted to do something big.

(upbeat instrumental music) This is Fordhenge, because we have every car from 1950 to 1960, and they're all Ford products.

So it is Fordhenge.

50 Mercury.

This is a 1960 Ford 59 Ford, 57 Ford, 59 Ford Ranch Arrow.

I'm running outta space, unfortunately, so I can't put too many more cars in here.

- [John] The road here started in nearby Joliet.

Greg's dad owned a body shop, and his parents loved the classic Fords.

- [Host] That's why when you see this symbol on a 1956 Ford- - [Greg] I've always had a fascination with cars from the '50s.

(kid whistling) - [John] The '50s car obsession continued, and by the time he graduated high school in 1980, the Joliet seniors gathered for their class photo by the custom truck Greg built.

- [Greg] It just seemed like it was appropriate.

The tailgate on that said, "Keep on truckin'," and that's pretty much what we've been doing ever since we graduated.

- [John] Greg's variety of jobs influence this from school teacher, to auto body work, and of course studying art.

But the inspiration for this project came from a trip to Nebraska in Carhenge, where the cars are supposed to look like stones to mimic the prehistoric monument in England.

- Here, it's more about the cars are part of the art themselves.

You've got natural patina and pieces missing and stuff rusted out.

Stonehenge, they still don't know exactly what that was built for, as far as this being laid out to draw on any sun or do anything important.

No it doesn't.

- Building it was no small task.

Friends and family pitched in to help.

After the backhoe didn't work, they went even bigger, with the lofty goal of setting each car perfectly straight - [Greg] In art, one of the things that you'll quickly discover is, if you try to make it look perfect, it'll never work.

That 60 Ford just looks perfect the way it's sitting there.

And originally it was supposed to be standing straight up.

- [John] Greg pulled that 1960 Ford out of the river near Belfry.

But most of these 1950s Fords came from an auto wrecking yard in Billings where Greg used to work.

Then he stripped them all down for the project.

- Every one of these cars has been very environmentally thought about anything that's going to create a situation of oil leaking into the ground I took care of.

- [John] Among all this metal and nostalgia big and small, there's something else, living memories of friends.

- Well, originally as I was putting this together, I got to thinking, you know what better way to honor my car friends than to plant a tree for each one of 'em and have a memorial plaque.

A place where I can come out and kind of reflect and remember my friends.

Anybody that's a car person loves this.

I wanna make it fun.

It's a memorial garden, a sculpture garden but I want people to drive through, and that's kind of what it's all about, is just to put a smile on somebody's face and then keep on on their way.

- You can visit Greg's Fordhenge exhibit in Edgar anytime of the year.

He's always adding something new.

His only request is for visitors to be respectful.

You can look, but don't touch.

The Huckleberry Festival in Trout Creek includes entertainment for all ages.

Area musicians, young and old perform throughout the weekend.

(kids vocalizing) - [John] There's lots to eat, starting with the huckleberry pancake breakfast, put on by the volunteer firefighters.

There's also plenty of food booths, all to benefit local nonprofits.

And of course, the festival wouldn't be complete.

- [Host] 3, 2, 1, get after folks, go.

- [John] Without a pie eating contest.

Now that's an appetite that's outta this world.

Our final story takes us beyond the borders of Montana into outer space.

We head to the highline to see how one man turned his curiosity with the cosmos into a unique business.

- [Marlin] Oh, wire broke.

- [John] As luck would have it, the day we visited Marlin Cilz coincided with a rare mishap.

- It's a fatality, wire broke.

- [John] Marlin says the diamond coated wire almost never snaps.

So it's time to rewire, set the tension, and fire it up to continue slicing cross sections of some special samples that traveled a long way to get here.

- People just have a natural interest in meteors.

- Marlon included.

- There you go.

- [John] But he's taken his interest much further than most people.

- Kind of one of my passions.

- Marlin cuts and polishes meteorites, primarily for dealers and private collectors.

- [Marlin] It's definitely out of this world.

Definitely an unusual business.

- [John] He's been cutting in his garage turned workshop for more than 40 years.

- I don't know anybody that's cut more meteorites than me.

I mean, I have more meteorite dust in my lungs than anybody on the face of the planet.

- [John] The most common samples are chondrites, primitive rocks formed during the beginning of the solar system that make up the asteroid belt.

- [Marlin] It's a piece of an asteroid that lies in the between the planets of Mars and Jupiter.

- [John] More rare are lunar and martian meteorites.

Chunks of debris ejected into space during large impact events.

- [Marlin] And it's basically still floating around out there until eventually it lands somewhere.

- [John] Marlin's passion for space rocks was sparked by a shooting star when he was nine years old.

- [Marlin] And I said, "Ah, that's cool.

I'd like to have that."

- [John] And at age 16, he purchased his first meteorite.

- Every dime I had, I put into meteorites, not knowing that would they would be valuable down the road, or lead me into to this position of cutting meteorites.

I had no clue.

- And at age 26, he started a side job of buying and selling meteorites.

But as the market saturated he decided to specialize in cutting.

- [Marlin] I didn't know anything when I started.

- [John] He learned on the fly and slowly built his reputation, and clientele, not to mention his assortment of equipment.

- And one saw turned into two, then it turned into three then it turned into nine, 10.

Put too many buttons on this machine.

- After learning to use the saws, he learned to build them as well.

- [Marlin] Wire saw is so expensive, I decided to build my own.

- [John] The cutting process depends on a reliable saw.

- [Marlin] So it does all the work.

Just set it, leave it.

- [John] The polishing process is a bit more hands-on.

- [Marlin] That's where the manual labor comes in.

- [John] Next.

It's hours in front of the sander, smoothing out bumps and imperfections.

All four finished product ready for display or sale.

Marlin says that the value of a piece can't always be determined, until it's known what's inside.

- If you got something in there like this here, that's a cheaper meterorite.

The crystals aren't great, so you're probably looking at a dollar gram.

Something like this Here.

The crystals are fantastic.

You see through it.

Good clarity.

You're probably looking at $10, $30 a gram.

This here is probably 100 grams.

You'd be looking at $2,000.

The most valuable meters are well-documented falls.

- [John] Well-documented, like the Peekskill meteorite, which fell in Peekskill New York on October 9th, 1992.

It's one of the world's most famous meteorites, and it's one that Marlon cut right here in Malta.

- [Greg] So when it actually entered the Earth's atmosphere, they were videotaping a football game.

And you could actually see the mediate streak through the sky, 'cause it was on videotape.

It hit the ground.

It hit so hard, they thought the nuclear power plant blew up.

Young girl, Michelle, she went outside her house, and see that her car was destroyed and it had a hole in it.

- [John] Marlin's wife heard the news on the radio, and they tracked down the Knapp family in New York.

- So we basically got three people together.

We flew to New York and bought the piece, and bring it back, cut it up into various pieces.

A lot of it went to universities, museums, some went to collectors and do I have any left?

No.

- [John] The 1980 Chevy Malibu was quickly sold for $25,000, and has been displayed in museums around the world.

And while this whole endeavor has been lucrative the lab has always been Marlin's side project.

Marlin retired two years ago after a long career as a UPS driver.

Now he says he's in the lab every day, unless he's traveling and he has no plan of slowing down anytime soon - [Greg] I'll do it until I get so old I can't do it.

- There's a Montana connection to one of the world's largest meteor impacts.

The Beaverhead impact structure is located roughly 20 miles west of Lima and could provide future material for Marlin's Meteorite Lab.

Well, that's all the time we have for this episode.

We'd like to thank all the great volunteers and organizers of the Huckleberry Festival in Trout Creek.

Make a note.

It's scheduled for the second weekend in August each year.

We love hearing your suggestions for great stories.

If you've got an idea, share a message with us on our Facebook page, or you can write to us at Back Roads of Montana, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, 59812.

We've got more great stories to share, and two lanes to travel.

I'm John Twiggs and we hope to see you out on the back roads of Montana.

- [John] "Back Roads of Montana" is made possible with production support from the Greater Montana Foundation, encouraging communication on issues, trends, and values of importance to Montanans.

The Big Sky Film Grant, and the University of Montana.

♪ Montana is my home ♪ ♪ From mountain peaks to Prairie lands ♪ ♪ To places I have known ♪ ♪ And I'm bound to ramble ♪ ♪ Yes, I'm bound to roll ♪ ♪ And when I'm in off the road now, boys ♪ ♪ Montana is my home ♪ ♪ Comin' in off the road now, boys ♪ ♪ You know I'm headin' home ♪ (soft instrumental music)