Billings
         City of the Rimrocks

An abundance of sunshine and a dramatic setting add to the allure of Montana’s biggest city.

When the door opens at Rand's Custom Hats in Billings, the customer coming in may be a cowhand from a neighboring county or a well-heeled Western movie fan from the other side of the country. No matter which of hundreds of variations on cowboy-hat styles the customer would like, Ritch Rand or one of his hatters will craft it, using techniques developed in the business's 158 years.

And that hat the fan saw in the Western movie? There's a good chance the folks at Rand's made the actual one the hero was wearing on the screen.

Billings is a destination for more than cowboys, celebrities, and movie fans, however. With its rich western history, its appreciation for the contemporary, and an outdoor paradise in the mountains nearby, Billings appeals to a wide variety of travelers. An abundance of sunshine and a dramatic setting below sheer sandstone cliffs known as rimrocks only add to the allure of Montana's largest city.

The size of the prosperous city surprises many first-time visitors. High-rise buildings cluster downtown, and many aspects of the city are the largest/only/
highest between Minneapolis and Spokane, be it the performing arts theater, the popular zoo, the city's tallest building, or the number of chain stores. In fact, a service area that extends into Wyoming and the Dakotas makes its trade and medical reach one of the largest of any U.S. city. Population of the city itself recently surged past 100,000, reminding residents of Billings' birth in 1882, when its mushrooming growth beside the railroad tracks earned it the nickname "Magic City" within months.

For sure, Billings offers a city-sized array of choices for travelers.

It would be hard to imagine an area with more significant history told in its parks, monuments, and events. In addition, there's one of the nation's most acclaimed historic mansions, an unrivaled scenic drive, and world-class hiking and fishing nearby, with quality dining and lodging when the day is done. An out-of-the-ordinary slate of special events only adds to the draw.

And let's not forget the western flavor of the place. Rodeo, dude ranches, and even a wagon train are still available in the Billings area. How many other cities can claim a boothill cemetery, a final resting place for those who died with their boots on, just around the corner from Applebee's?

Heart of the city

Downtown, with buildings from 1890s gems to the 20-story First Interstate Center, is the place to find fine dining, a bit of shopping, and the city's best cultural offerings. Revitalization efforts launched in 1998 are paying off. Skypoint, a sculpture composed of five sails, has become an emblem of the effort, and a common locale for summer events.

Other events as varied as jazz, opera, and modern dance appear at the Alberta Bair Theater for the Performing Arts. An evening at the Alberta Bair pairs well with downtown’s exceptional dining, perhaps augmented with a shopping excursion for art, antiques, clothes, books, western wear, or chocolates.

A few blocks away, the Yellowstone Art Museum (YAM) has expanded around its original home, the old county jail. YAM emphasizes contemporary art, some with a western flavor and some not. Exhibits include works of noted regional artists, such as Deborah Butterfield’s horse made of found materials, the torso-shaped ceramics of Rudy Autio, and Russell Chatham's landscapes. Patrick Zentz's intriguing Pool translates wind outside the building into ripple and wave patterns on an indoor pool of water. In contrast to these, the paintings and drawings of cowboy Will James are traditional western fare, inspired by his own life. They constitute the largest collection of his works anywhere.

The Western Heritage Center also claims a cowboy artist, J.K. Ralston, whose studio sits beside the center's castle-like building. Telling stories is paramount here, and there are many in the current exhibition, "We're Making History: Billings' First 125 Years." Here visitors can learn about a Billings sharpshooter who used bullet holes to make simple pictures, the discovery of a Calamity Jane outfit, and how namesake Frederick Billings exiled his errant son to the city.

An amazing mansion

Early Billings businessman P.B. Moss and his wife Mattie were a spare-no-expenses kind of couple. When P.B. found success with projects from banking to a meat packing plant, he looked to nationally recognized architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, designer of New York City's original Waldorf–Astoria Hotel, to plan a home for them. The result was a 35-room mansion of red sandstone that was finished in 1903, a time when homesteaders were still swarming to Montana.

Visitors take a guided tour through a series of sharply contrasting rooms, such as the formal French parlor with Ionic columns, the richly carved Moorish entry hall, and the dark, English library.

"The different countries make a statement that you're a citizen of the world," says executive director Joyce Mayer. "If it was hip, if it was cool, it originated from Europe in those days."

Story by Craig & Liz Larcom

Above: Historical research with a studio portrait and survey of museum collections reunited the coat, vest, and pants worn by Martha "Calamity Jane" Cannary Burke. On display at the Western Heritage Center.

Below: The Moorish-style entry at Moss Mansion was fashioned after an entry at the 14th-century palace, Alhambra, in Granada, Spain.

Hardenbergh specified the theme of each room on the blueprints, and Mattie Moss shopped accordingly for furnishings, traveling as far as Chicago and Boston. Mayer says her letters home would usually begin, "Dearest, darling, husband mine" and end with, "Could you put some money in the account?"

Writing on the walls

Just outside Billings, prehistoric hunters created pictographs that are now more than 2,100 years old. Follow a winding, paved trail through box elders at Pictograph Cave State Park to three caves so shallow that no flashlight is necessary. Interpretive panels help visitors interpret the fading red, white, and black images.

East of the city 25 miles, a different kind of writing on the wall is highlighted. Pompeys Pillar National Monument may be the only federal lands to honor graffiti, for it was here in 1806 that William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition carved his name and the date. Stairs up the side of the 200-foot sandstone formation take visitors to the inscription, and continue on to the top and its commanding view. A newly added visitor center tells about the expedition's journey.

The West's most famous battle

The yucca-dotted, grass-covered hills about an hour southeast of Billings look peaceful now, but in June, 1876 the scene was anything but. That's when Lakota (Sioux), Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors put an end to Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and five companies of the Seventh Cavalry.

Today the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument preserves the battleground where cultures clashed. Headstones stand where the soldiers fell, and a monument erected in 1881 lists their names. An Indian Memorial added in 2003 honors the American Indian men, women, and children who struggled to defend their way of life.

Whether troubled or fascinated by the battle and its significance, visitors can find out more at the visitor center, as well as at the Custer Battlefield Museum in Garryowen, a town within the battlefield.

Visitors don't have to merely imagine the attack of Custer and troops on the unexpectedly large group of Indians. Those who come in late June can view reenactments of the battle, one near Hardin and one near Crow Agency. Neither is sponsored by the National Monument. In both cases dust flies as mounted horsemen come thundering over the hills, while a narrator tells the story. Some of the actors are descendants of the original participants. The Hardin Chamber of Commerce adds a week of activities, including an 1876 Grand Ball, with optional dance lessons beforehand, and a Custer-related field trip.

Breathtaking peaks

If the spectacular mountain scenery along the Beartooth All-American Road doesn't take a traveler's breath away, the high elevation will. Just south of Billings, the 64-mile route, running from forest to alpine tundra, tops out at 10,947 feet. That includes a section of Highway 212 that switchbacks upwards an impressive 3,800 feet in just 12 miles. This is serious snow country, where the highway stays open only four or five months a year. Memorial Day weekend is the target for opening.

With much of the route above timberline, the views are outstanding. "The most beautiful roadway in America" is what broadcaster Charles Kuralt called it. It's a particular favorite of motorcyclists, too.

The starting point is Red Lodge, a mountain town known for its skiing, historic charm, shopping, and excellent eats. Weekday visitors may stop at the district ranger station here for guidance on walks and food storage rules.

Visitors looking for some loopy fun on the way home may want to finish with a detour to the Bear Creek Saloon & Steakhouse, 7 miles east of Red Lodge. While enjoying the exceptional steaks, watch pigs in racing silks compete in the Bear Creek Downs Pig Races Thursday through Sunday evenings, Memorial Day through mid-September. Proceeds go toward local scholarships.

Getting outside

This same area, the Beartooth Plateau, is ideal for day hikers and backpackers. Travelers on foot soon reach the Absaroka–Beartooth Wilderness, an alpine landscape with a multitude of lakes. Staff at the ranger district in Red Lodge can help with planning your trip, as can The Base Camp in Billings, which rents equipment. Prudent backpackers will beware of altitude sickness, which affects some in this high, thin atmosphere.

In Billings, trails along the rimrocks in Zimmerman Park draw runners and walkers. The reward is a panoramic view of the city, the Yellowstone River Valley, and five mountain ranges in the distance. Mountain bikers and rock climbers also use the rims.

Billings is also a gateway for fishing enthusiasts lured by the Bighorn River to the south, most famously the 13 miles below Afterbay Dam. The excitement is about big, plentiful rainbow and brown trout, found in equal proportions now that drought has reduced the fall-spawning browns. Nate McClenning, Montana fisheries technician, commends Bighorn Reservoir, too. "I take my daughter there because I know that all she will have to do is dangle a worm to catch a (smallmouth) bass," he says.

On the Yellowstone, fishing transitions from coldwater to warmwater species in the Billings vicinity, upping the potential for varied catch. Expect trout near Columbus, and trout, smallmouth bass, sauger, walleye, and catfish near Billings.

Speaking of water, a favorite local float, recommended by Paul Lintern at The Base Camp, is the Yellowstone, from Laurel to Billings.

Campers will note that the campground that started the powerhouse KOA chain, Metro Billings KOA, is here. The camp beside the Yellowstone River is complete with umbrella tables and porch swings. Under its cottonwoods nobody needs a cowboy hat, but it's okay to wear one anyway. This is Billings, after all.

Northwest Travel Magazine May/June 2008