Sign up for the free Great Falls This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Great Falls city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events.
Good Monday morning. This is Matt, your local reporter in Great Falls. My neighbors held a block party last week during a perfect fall-like evening, and I hope you’re also enjoying the crisp air. As for this week’s newsletter, we’ve got a little preview of what discussions could take place around a future Little Shell resort and casino project. Check it out below.
But first… heads up, Great Falls
Downtown road construction is moving up Central Avenue. The road closure at Second Street has moved up to Third Street, and the 200 block outside of the Club Cigar and D.A. Davidson has closed to road traffic. Sidewalk access to businesses remains open throughout construction.
Museum holds legacy celebration, special auction
A century ago, Charles M. Russell allowed some unusual concessions at the end of his life.
“His health was failing,” Duane Braaten, executive director of the C.M. Russell Museum, told me recently. “His wife, Nancy, got him to pile into the family’s new Lincoln automobile. And everybody knows Charlie doesn’t like automobiles.”
That evening, the Russells hosted friends for dinner. Later, they called the family doctor. The world’s premier western artist died that night, Oct. 24, 1926, from heart failure.
Businesses in Great Falls closed for Russell’s funeral three days later, according to newspaper reports from the time. Service was held at a church on Third Avenue North and Sixth Street, where “the street for blocks about the church was well nigh impassible,” reported The Great Falls Leader. His cortege was led by horses, followed by Russell inside a black hearse.
Most people in Great Falls will recognize how relevant the Russell name is a century after the artist’s death. The C.M. Russell Museum is marking the 100th anniversary with a special exhibition, art auction and a day of events on Oct. 10.
“It’s no fun to celebrate somebody’s passing, but what we’re really proud of and looking forward to celebrating is the folks who continue Charlie Russell’s important legacy today,” Braaten said. “But also the generations of folks since 1926, starting with Nancy Russell and neighborhood friend Josephine Trigg, who effectively started this museum.”
The museum invited a group of artists who have participated in past events to contribute to a special online auction. Braaten said the museum requested smaller works, limited to 16 by 16 inches or smaller. It’s a throwback to a side auction the museum ran years ago that focused on smaller works and was called the “miniature sale.”
“The artists have really stepped up in submitting strong work,” he said. “There’s a little bit of something for everyone.”
The legacy celebration will culminate Oct. 10 with a day of events at the museum. They include special presentations, live music and entertainment, high school art showcases and the closing of the online auction.
While Russell’s art and name are his most indelible legacies, Braaten said that the artist’s character also resonates.
“We talk a lot about the values that he really stands for, things like friendship and humor and inclusion,” he said. “Charlie Russell was such a genuine character that his biography is absolutely relevant today. He was a true, true friend to all.”
Photo Op 📸
Students broke ground on the 49th High School House on Second Avenue Southwest. Similar to previous projects, this year’s house is made possible by donations from a range of community businesses and suppliers, according to speakers at the event Sept. 17. NeighborWorks Great Falls is the major partner with Great Falls Public Schools in the program.
This year’s house will have a feature not found on recent projects: a basement. Sletten Construction donated the footing and foundation work to make that a part of this house.
The event also paid tribute to Bruce Barta, a former High School House instructor who died in July.
That southwest neighborhood will be the site of student construction for two years. The lot next door to this year’s house is the future site of the 50th High School House.
Eye on Local Government 🏛️
At a meeting last week, Great Falls City Commissioner Joe McKenney voiced concerns about a future casino and resort proposed by the Little Shell Tribe. And McKenney had a specific constituency group in mind: Great Falls casino owners.
“How do the mom-and-pop taverns participate and have their voice heard?” McKenney asked after equating taverns to casinos. “What’s our recommendation to them?”
McKenney is a former casino owner and was president of the industry’s lobbying group, the Gaming Industry Association of Montana, from 2017 to 2020. He referred to Montana laws that limit the number and kinds of gambling machines allowed in typical casinos. A tribally owned casino like the one proposed by the Little Shell may not be subject to those state rules.
“The Native American casinos don’t have those limits,” McKenney said. “So it’s not an even playing field.”
Studies have shown that tribal gaming operations help provide economic stability for Indigenous tribes that have faced historical disenfranchisement. One Harvard study found that reinvestment and employment among tribal members help mitigate the perceived negative societal impacts of the gaming industry.
McKenney’s comments came before a vote on a memorandum of understanding between the city and the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. The MOU made official an effort to collaborate on environmental reviews for what could be a major development. While the Little Shell proposal would be outside the city limits, it could have significant impacts on city infrastructure and utilities.
McKenney referenced the potential for public safety funding to drop. That could have been a reference to entitlement funding, a pot of money that includes revenue from vehicle fees, gaming revenue, alcohol tax and other sources that’s pooled and redistributed to local governments. For Great Falls, entitlement brings in about $10 million. That’s a little less than a quarter of the city’s general fund revenue, which funds public safety departments.
But the casino project is in its very early stages. The Little Shell is still seeking fee-to-trust status for the land it owns atop Mount Royal near Great Falls. That change of land status is key to allowing the kinds of gaming the tribe envisions. Last week, other commissioners pulled McKenney back, saying that the vote Tuesday is an early step to ensure the city participates.
“Your concerns are valid,” Commissioner Rick Tryon said. “But it seems to me that it’s really, really early to be getting into those details.”
The commission approved the MOU with a unanimous vote. The agreement requires the city to maintain the confidentiality of documents or deliberations until the BIA approves the release of information.
The tribe has a website for updates on the environmental reviews for the proposed casino and resort.
Great Falls in Brief ⏱️
Reggie Watts, a comedian who grew up in Great Falls, will not perform at The Newberry for a previously scheduled Oct. 9 event. A lengthy August story in Rolling Stone detailed allegedly dangerous drug use and coercion leading to the suicide of Watts’ ex-girlfriend. The venue’s general manager told MTFP that the show was postponed due to low ticket sales, “as well as making sure we are listening to our guests in regard to the article.” Watts’ shows have been canceled around the country since the story was published.
Calumet announced donations of $11,000 to the High School House program in Great Falls and $50,000 to the Black Eagle Volunteer Fire Department Foundation. The refinery company announced the donations last week at a Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce event.
The Cascade County Sheriff’s Office is seeking to reduce its jail population, including the transfer of immigration detainees, due to a “critical staffing shortage,” according to a press release. Four employee resignations led Sheriff Jesse Slaughter to reduce the population to a level that “can be safely managed with available staff.” The jail reported a population of 420 late last week.
Dept of Corrections 😬
The Sept. 14 edition of Great Falls This Week mistakenly said that author John Maclean was the son of John Maclean. He is, in fact, the son of acclaimed author Norman Maclean. The passage concerned an upcoming Great Falls appearance by the younger, living Maclean.
