- [Announcer] Coming up on "Backroads of Montana", go for a wild ride in a real family heirloom.

- It's probably the oldest race car in Montana.

- They smell delicious.

- [Announcer] Taste big-time barbecue in small town Montana, where a local team spices it up against tough competition.

- They are professionals.

We're not.

- [Announcer] Learn the story behind a little-known battlefield near the Powder River in southeastern Montana.

And hang on for a skijoring event where two of the riders share an uncommon connection.

Stick around.

We have so many good stories in the queue.

- [Announcer 2] "Backroads 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 lands ♪ ♪ The places I have known ♪ ♪ And I'm bound to ramble ♪ ♪ Yes, I'm bound to roam ♪ ♪ And when I'm in off the road now, boys, ♪ ♪ Montana is my home ♪ - Welcome to "Backroads of Montana", offering stories of the genuine people and places across our state.

I'm John Twiggs, and on this episode, we're off the beaten path again to learn the backstory of Belt.

The small city of Belt gets its interesting name from the nearby Belt Butte, a hill with a strand of dark rocks around it.

During the show, we'll learn more about the town's history and unique architecture, drink in the current business that's growing, and find out about the names and faces that keep things rolling along their main street.

In our first story, we're exploring another stretch of road, this one in Central Montana.

At just 660 feet long, it's a short one, and as people in Lewistown will tell you, it's anything but quiet.

(engines revving and roaring) - I mean, this is where people started racing, where they got the bug, so it's just tremendous to still be around since 1957.

- [John] Even before 1957, this was a busy spot.

Originally part of a taxiway for B-17 crews training during World War II.

But by the mid fifties, young men in Lewistown were piecing together fast, customized cars, hot rods, and they needed somewhere to run them.

They formed a club, The Roadsters, acquired a quarter mile portion of the old airfield, and an army garage as their clubhouse.

Their first sanctioned race was Memorial Day, 1957.

- Okay.

- [John] Marty Storfa, one of the last remaining Roadsters, still prizes his club jacket and the modified 450 Buick he raced in.

- He's got a lot of dirt on.

It'd be a lot of work to get her going, but it would go.

- [John] As membership and responsibility grew, The Roadsters became the quarter Miler's Club.

Drag strips were popping up in towns across Montana, and the Quarter Miler's wanted to set the standard.

It was the golden age of drag racing, fueled by hot rod magazines and Hollywood movies featuring daredevil teens and fast cars.

- A couple of the old timers that come to my mind is Ron Brinkman.

He got his license at 15, started racing here in '58.

Same thing with Syl Scheid Sr.. Without those guys still pushing the bug into people and showing that you can still race in your eighties, and I would love to see them still race in years to come.

(engines roaring) - [John] In 1956, Syl Scheid's Bel Air came equipped with a beefy Corvette V8.

Syl knew he'd eventually race it, but at first, the Chevy had a more specific purpose.

- My '56 Chevy's a very, very special car.

I courted my wife with this car, and it was the car we got married in, and the one we took on our honeymoon, went to Southern California, and took it to Tijuana and back, and had it ever since.

- [John] After the honeymoon, Syl got under the hood and soon, his car was no longer street legal.

His enthusiasm was infectious.

Wife Lori started racing, and when daughter Christie and son Syl Jr.

got older, they, too, caught the bug.

Today, it's not uncommon to see father and son competing on the drag strip, Syl Jr.

in his 1967 Camaro.

But before they strapped on a helmet, Christie and Syl Jr.

were learning the basics of mechanics and maintenance.

- And this is one of the most wonderful things for young people, drag racing is, because you learn how to lose.

It sets you up for life.

You learn something at a young age, and you don't even know you're learning.

- [John] Youth learn just how far and fast an eight horsepower lawnmower engine can take them.

And they learn the fundamentals of drag racing, the subtle skill behind staging, synchronizing with the Christmas tree for a good launch without prematurely crossing the electronic beam and fouling out, and beating your opponent to the finish line without breaking your ET, or elapsed time.

That's your car's dial-in time set during earlier practice runs.

Run in quicker than your established ET, and you break out and lose the race.

Reaction time and ET guarantee that every driver has a fair chance.

Otherwise, the biggest, most expensive engine would always win.

- What do you got for a helmet?

- [John] Fundamentals that ensure everyone is safe and has... - Fun.

- [John] And everyone includes the junior division, men and women drivers, husband and wife teams, and vehicles of every category imaginable.

From exotic top fuel dragsters right down to personal streetcars.

Pretty much anything on four wheels or two.

Syl isn't surprised by the success and longevity of the Lewistown Raceway.

He credits good community support, loyal fans, and solid track management, the folks behind the scenes, and those behind the wheel.

- The fellowship in drag racing is second to none.

If you're in a parking lot and you see a car or someone who's in need with the hood up, you're gonna find that, mostly, if there's a drag racer around, they're gonna go over and help or ask if they can help you.

That's the comradery, that's the fellowship, that's the bond in drag racing.

- [John] A bond formed around speed, thundering engines, the smell of fuel, and burning rubber.

And regardless of the car's modification or the driver's age or gender, one common experience they all share when the tree turns green.

- Whoa!

(engine roaring) What a feeling, huh?

Real sensations!

(chuckles) Little adrenaline in there!

Yeah!

You bet!

(chuckles) Awesome!

- [John] At age 85, Syl has no plans of slowing down.

He promises that he and Lori and the Scheid family will return to the Lewistown raceway as often as possible.

- I don't think it's age.

I don't think age plays a part of that.

I work 12 hours a day every day, and go home, and have a bite to eat, and go work on cars, (laughs) so I'm very deeply into cars.

- [John] Especially if that car happens to be a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air.

- This car will never leave the Scheid family, I'm sure of that, 'cause this car is so special, admired by so many people, and our family, that it'll never leave.

- Folks at the Lewistown Raceway say they promise to always be there for the drag racing community.

In fact, they're already raising money to replace the scoreboards damaged by lightning.

And if all goes well, the new ones should be in place by next summer.

The town of Belt, located just southeast of Great Falls, has a deep mining history.

In the late 1800s, Belt had one of Montana's first coal mines.

You can learn about it at the Belt Museum located in the original town jail built in 1895.

During the coal boom, Belt was called Little Pittsburgh or Black Diamond City.

The museum contains displays about those coal mining roots with artifacts and photographs of a melting pot of miners and settlers who made this small town their home.

For more than two decades, another small town has hosted a big event.

So big, in fact, it shuts down Main Street.

In Absarokee, it's all about the annual Montana barbecue Cook-off.

- [Announcer 2] Barbecue!

- [John] Competitors on the circuit, - Chicken.

- Chicken is good.

- [John] have to be systematic.

- Four boxes.

- I have a spreadsheet.

- Unit inspection is complete.

Good luck to you.

- [John] And a little bit salty.

- You don't show up to this thing, spend the money that it takes to show up, and not have the drive to go and win.

- The competition is stiff.

- It'll be tough.

- [Participant] We have got teams from I think 10 different states, as well as Canada.

- [John] Somehow, all the activity squeezes into small town Absarokee.

- I had somebody tell me that this little event doesn't belong here, and I said, "Well, you know, that's interesting, but how cool is it that we can bring more people in than live here?"

- [Participant 2] Everybody knows this is usually our busy weekend.

- [John] The volunteer fire department parks at the ready for emergencies.

The fastest route through Absarokee will be closed.

- We stage one truck on each side of town, grab and pull.

- [John] But the firefighter's presence here is twofold.

They're also here to compete.

- There are some years where we get a call, and we leave the smokers going, and we're gone.

- [John] The department has cooked in the competition all 22 years, and this weekend, it's up to Fire Chief Cody Keller to carry on the tradition.

- A little further... Perfect.

No one else wanted to cook.

That's pretty much why, this year.

(chuckles) You can look right here.

You can see how fat it is.

- [John] It's also Father's Day weekend, so Cody brought his daughter, Charlotte, as his honest sidekick.

- He's not the best at it.

- And you'll kind of just loop it around here.

- He has a lot of trial and error.

- They are professionals.

We're not.

Keep on doing that.

There's not a lot expectations for high scores.

- [Janice] I love it when the locals enter, - You can probably take a bigger chunk on that.

- And I love that the fire chief is parking vehicles, and he's gonna worry about cooking meat tomorrow.

- The locals are what make barbecue contests.

- [John] But the seasoned ones have learned there's a science to barbecue.

- You really have to pay attention to your barometric pressure, which elevation changes that.

- [Debbie] So it can take shorter, it can take longer depending on your elevation and barometric pressure.

- [John] The professionals maximize efficiency.

Many use drum cookers to render the meat hot and fast.

But the volunteer fire department doesn't have one of those, so Cody and Charlotte start their brisket the night before for a low and slow cook on a classic smoker, which they tend to on the hour every hour.

The clock starts for the rest of the competitors around 3:30 AM.

- The one variable that never changes is 12 o'clock, we're gonna turn in chicken.

12:30, we're gonna turn in bread.

At one o'clock, we're gonna turn in pork, and at 1:30, we're gonna turn in brisket, and if you're one second late, you're disqualified.

- It's way too much work for most people, but it's a competition.

I don't cook that way at home.

- Right now, I'm waiting on temperatures for the meat, we'll pull those, and then, about a half hour before the first turn, and we'll start decorating up the plate, and getting everything to look pretty for the competition.

- They smell delicious.

- So they are preparing their chickens, they're preparing their boxes, getting them so it looks like a portrait is basically what I'm gonna say.

- [John] Appearance counts, and it's where the professionals take pride.

- [Janice] And they'll score us on appearance, taste, and tenderness.

- You gotta have the right tenderness for the judges, 'cause they get one bite.

- [John] Behind a curtain of secrecy, the judges sit tightlipped, and the taste does the talking.

But success is subjective.

- Smoking Hot Butts.

(crowd cheers) - [John] Some measure it by the titles.

Others simply know it when they taste it.

- That is a perfect rib.

- [John] Some might say the judges are the real winners at a barbecue competition.

They even get to take home their leftovers.

- And you just said it right there with the number facing up.

- [John] But for this dad and his daughter, success is walking away with something you carry a lifetime.

- Good job.

- My dad always says that, if you wanna learn something, you have to do it first.

- Now onto the next one.

- [John] After all, the meat will get eaten, Main Street will reopen, - This is really fun.

- [John] but memories have a way of really sticking to your ribs.

- [Cody] Now it's clean up time!

- [Charlotte] Ugh, the worst.

- All told, the Absarokee Fire Department finished next to last in the competition, but that hasn't discouraged Cody and Charlotte.

They're spending the off-season improving their brisket recipe for when the festival returns to Absarokee in June.

The small city of Belt was founded in 1877.

As coal mining boomed, it attracted talented Finnish and Slavic carpenters and architects, and their work is evident downtown.

The Belt Performing Arts Center is just one of the many buildings on the national register of historic places.

Most are located on Castner Street, the main street of Belt, named after John Castner and his wife, Mattie.

Coal Mining brought them here, they founded the town, and John was Belt's first mayor.

Later, Mattie donated the land that would become the little park in Castner Square.

- You know, just was a very generous person it seems that tried to make life better here in Montana.

It is a well-used little park, and it's close to what downtown area we have.

- Our next story shares more history from a different part of the state.

It's a tale of two monuments.

We're headed to southeastern Montana, and the Reynolds Battlefield near Broadus.

It's the site of a little-known, yet pivotal battle on the Powder river.

- [Shane] You're immediately struck by how isolated you are.

- Gives you a good idea of Northern Cheyenne country and where our people used to live and travel.

- [John] When the US cavalry, under Colonel Joseph Reynolds, attacked a Northern Cheyenne and Lakota village in March of 1876, the fight set in motion, the campaign that would shape the battles to come.

- Colonel Joseph Reynolds discovered a large Indian village, which he believed to have belonged to Crazy Horse, but it was actually largely a Cheyenne village under the leadership of Old Bear.

- [John] Before dawn, Reynolds's men rode down this valley through fog and cold, catching the village still asleep.

- The US army attacked early in the morning, women and children fled and the warriors in rally to defend the camp.

- [John] By midday, the camp lay in ruins, supplies and winter stores were destroyed, all against General George Crook's direct orders to Reynolds.

- Once the village was abandoned, it was then that Colonel Reynolds ordered the entire village destroyed, and so all the lodges except one were torched, and the content's destroyed.

- [John] Reynolds believed he had crushed Crazy Horse's force, but he was wrong.

What he left behind hardened the will of those who escaped, For the survivors, this battle wasn't the end.

It marked the beginning of a defining chapter in Northern Cheyenne history.

- It was one of the most important because it was one of the first ones that year that led to all the other battles that took place later that year.

The Rosebud Battle where the girl saved their brother, Little Bighorn, you know, everything else that happened that summer.

- [John] The destruction of the Powder River Camp united the Cheyenne, Lakota, and others in resistance.

Those who fled joined Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull.

- Well, when the Northern Cheyennes were taught by Reynold, it caused us to, of course, group up with Crazy Horse's and his Oglalas, and then, in return, with Sitting Bull's.

That's what started it all, was the Reynolds attacking.

- [John] Decades later, two monuments were placed to remember what happened here, the soldiers who fell, and the village that lost everything.

- That Morningstar symbol, it's an ancient symbol used in our ceremonies that represents the Morningstar people.

Other tribes, other people know us when they see that symbol or that those are the Northern Cheyenne people.

- These markers represent their sacrifice, but their bodies are not located here.

Their bodies were never found.

- [John] Today, this quiet valley still carries the memory of that march morning, a turning point that helped unite the tribes.

- I'd like to let people know that the Northern Cheyenne people are still here today.

We were a part of this history, a part of this site, part of the river in the Reynolds Battle.

- For those who want to learn more about this battle, you can visit the Powder River Historical Museum in Broadus.

They have a full display, including artifacts and a replica of the Reynolds Monument.

The museum is open seasonally from June through August.

It's not all history for the town of Belt.

Today, with a population around 500, it might be better known for beer than coal.

Harvest Moon Brewery taps into the area's good water from the Madison aquifer to produce a variety of locally crafted beers.

The beer names reflect some of the area's history.

The company brought jobs and visitors to this small town, but Thursdays remain Locals Night to enjoy each other's company.

It's a Belt success story in a very competitive field.

Our final story takes us over to Western Montana to watch two competitors in a sport that requires teamwork, but as they both found out, their best collaboration turned out to be a lifesaving partnership.

(mellow country rock) - [Participant] It's the fastest 16 seconds in your life.

You really don't know what happens.

- [John] Spectators cheer on teams at Skijoring The Big Rock, an annual competition in Boulder that, today, brings together 80 some teams of skiers, riders, and their horses.

- [Commentator] Into the corner!

- [John] The teammates all share a connection, but one is especially unique.

- It's not a horse race like everybody thinks, and it's not just a skier's race.

All three of you have to find a way to like, sync up.

- [Commentator] Across the flat top, moving into the corner, looking down the home stretch!

- [John] One of today's riders is Cierra, a young woman who is relatively new to the sport.

- I'm an adrenaline junkie and I love horses, so it took zero persuasion.

- [John] Another one of today's riders is Todd, a veteran of Montana skijoring community.

- Generally, my heart's up in my chest, up in my throat.

You just, you're so focused, and it can get pretty excited.

- [John] He's lucky to even be here today.

A few years back, Todd fell gravely ill from kidney failure.

- They figured me, if I survived another six months on dialysis, I would've been lucky.

I felt depressed, I felt like there was no hope.

I said, "Yeah, I want a transplant."

My then kidney doctor nephrologist really wasn't for it, because he said, "At your age, nobody's gonna want to accept you."

- [Announcer] Despite his doctor's misgivings, Todd continued skijoring competitions without a working kidney.

Time was running out, and he decided to ride that winter with a goal of finding a donor, even if it meant taking some unusual steps.

- I heard an announcement over the intercom, and it asked the crowd if anybody had a kidney to donate, and I looked around and I said, "Is this real?"

- And so, I was following a gal named Tristram on Instagram and just kind of following like, her equine world and all of that.

- My friend, she ended up making a post for him and I happened to share it.

- [John] And Cierra happened to see it.

- She reached out to me and she's like, "I've always wanted to do this."

And I was like, "What do you mean?"

She's like, "I've always wanted to donate."

She's like, "I've always wanted to do like, an organ transplant."

I was like, "You're kidding."

- I finally came up and met Todd and Cheryl.

I talked to them for a little bit over the phone.

- [John] Cierra previously trained as an EMT.

Through that experience, she met terminally ill patients who inspired her to donate life.

- So it was cool to find somebody who's older that's already made all of their life choices and mistakes, and that had a little more drive for why they wanted to stay alive.

- Relaxed like that.

Yeah, that's fine.

- I went ahead and went down to Phoenix for all of like, the pre-op tests to make sure that I was healthy enough.

- And she came home after a week down there, and she called me and she said, "Everything went good."

She said, "Everything looks good."

And then it wasn't a week later, she called me.

She said, "Guess what?

We're a match.

We're a perfect match."

I said, "Really?"

She said, "Yeah."

She said, "Their words were 'We haven't ever seen a match like this before.'"

- But they bumped us up a couple days early, and so it all went pretty fast.

- Got the transplant.

I woke up the next morning, and I know, you know, have several close friends that have had transplants that said, "You're gonna feel like a whole different person the next morning."

It's like, "Yeah, right."

You know?

(chuckles) Wow.

I literally felt like I was reborn.

It was like I woke up.

I said, "Holy cow."

- It was pretty cool, staying down there in Phoenix in an Airbnb with Todd and Cheryl.

- [John] The three became close through the donation experience, and when Cierra came up to the Flathead, she moved into Todd and his wife Cheryl's rental.

- And he's just staring at me like, "You're supposed to be on the back of me, looking at him."

It was pretty great.

- [John] Once Todd was cleared to get back in the saddle, he had something to give Cierra in return: the gift of skijoring.

- He's like, "Hi.

So, if you sit on this horse and somebody puts a rope behind it and you just make them run really fast, it's really kind of cool.

Was game for it.

- [Commentator] Cierra and Kyle Boylander getting set to go!

We're off and running!

The last team of the first performance!

- We have what we call a chute that we'll put the horse in, and the skier will be off to our right.

They have to hook a rope up behind the saddle, the spear has to have a hold of that rope.

- [Commentator] Horse G.W., Quintin McCauley, the rider, QuinLee McCauley.

Oh, we're off and moving.

- [John] Todd's team takes off through the course, headed for victory.

- [Commentator] Moving into the corner.

We're gaining speed on the home stretch!

Holden Packard, Todd Peterson, Riley Dove, Kimmy Dove!

- [John] While Todd and Cierra feel lucky to be here today, the real fortune in skijoring has been finding each other.

- There's over a hundred thousand people on the waiting list for kidneys alone.

Instead of being the end of your life, you're enhancing your life.

Look at Cierra and I. Perfect.

We've developed a relationship.

You know, she's part of our family.

- If I ever need anything, they're always there.

And likewise.

- Skijoring The Big Rock takes place each year in Boulder, typically over the first weekend in February.

You can check out their event page for more information.

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

We'd like to thank the mayor and the fine folks of Belt for welcoming us.

They've got plenty of attractions, whether it's the Christmas stroll in the winter, or the Belt Rodeo during the summer.

Stop by and have a look.

We're always looking for a good story idea from you.

If you've got one, drop us a message on our Facebook page, or you can write to us at Backroads of Montana, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 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 "Backroads of Montana".

- [Announcer] "Backroads 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 ♪ ♪ The places I have known ♪ ♪ And I'm bound to ramble ♪ ♪ Yes, I'm bound to roam ♪ ♪ And when I'm in off the road now, boys ♪ ♪ Montana is my home ♪ ♪ Coming in off the road now, boys ♪ ♪ You know I'm heading home ♪ (gentle piano playing)