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Geyser Rocks the Prairie

Courtesy of
Rope Burns - January/February 2004

Story by Robyn Anderson

Great Falls, MT - Don't blink as you travel down a little two lane road about 50 miles east of Great Falls, Montana. The tiny

town of Geyser - a school, the grange grain tower, a bar and a store, plus lots of ranches reaching to far off borders, hosts

one of the true cowboy gatherings of original get-togethers.

Young ranch wives Amilee and Kris Hill as put on a community western dinner and show for the last years to raise money for

the community center and educational programs. More than 200 people heeded their call and showed up for a delightful

evening of down-home community spirit and fun.

After a cocktail hour, Editha McKay provided a delicious Rocky Mountain Roast Beef dinner with all the trimmings. People

signed up for raffles and door prizes. Tables were decorated with cowboy boots, scarves, and checkered tablecloths. Everyone

wore their finest Saturday goin' to town attire, with polished boots and dusted hats and enough smiles to last a lifetime.

Local poet Jim McAlister started evening off with some poems, then preceded to MC the rest of the show. Single Saddlebag

 (Alice Hanks and Jim McMillian) started the music off with some great tunes, including the favorite "Strawberry Roan."
Doris Daly of Alberta, Canada, drove down with some of the funniest poetry heard in a long time. Her eyes sparkled as she told

stories and kidded the crowds. Never to pass an opportunity for fun, she teased just about everyone there whether she was on

or off the stage.

TJ Casey, an honest to good working cowboy and one of the original entertainers at the first Elko Gathering, provided lots of

entertainment. He played guitar, sang, told stories, joked, threw in a few poems, and yodeled his way to standing ovations. His

rendition of the "25 cent horse" brought back many a memory of the monthly trip to town for supplies and the ride on the 25-cent

horse right outside the store. TJ trains horses, builds fences, hires out as a day man, creates iron art, signs, writes and even

participates as a cowboy on movies filmed in Montana. When he sings you know he's talking about the cowboy's life as he

experiences it every day.

We stayed at a ranch "just down the road" - about 10 miles out. The hospitality was generous after the initial introduction of

Leroy Hill asking, "Who the heck are you?" His wife Peggy had forgotten to mention that we all were coming. By the time the

 last breakfast - for about 15 - we were all family.

The enthusiastic talents of Amilee and Kris to make a better place for their children, and provide a place for the children to

"hang" rather than the bar, is commendable. Their year-long hard work made for one of the best times I've had all year. It's what

the gatherings are all about. Working ranch families getting together on a Saturday night for wholesome entertainment, visiting,

and dancing. Watching two year olds dance with their dads, grandparents holding hands like they were still newlyweds, teenagers

giggling and flirting with buckaroos ever so polite, to me back to a time when life, while simpler, seemed incredibly warmer, kinder,

and genuinely more fun. It is well worth the drive through the "Big Sky" country. And a reminder of what cowboy gatherings are all about.
 

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