Lewistown proved to be a very good place to take a rest day albeit in quite different ways from our two previous such days in Walla Walla and at Glacier. Between taking care of some practical necessities, I got a chance to explore the town a bit.

Lewistown is the county seat for Fergus County, which was carved out of the surrounding area when the town was experiencing a boomlet following a brief gold rush and the arrival of Homesteaders. It now has something more than 5000 people or a little more than half a percent of the state’s population, so it’s no piker compared to some towns we’ve seen.

For some reason there were a bunch of Croatian stonemasons there in the first decade or so of the 20th century, and they left a respectable architectural heritage that, yet again, subsequent generations were unable to uphold. Though the buildings remain, many are empty or have lost their will to live.

But there are some nice residences including this one:

And the local newspaper is in a fine-looking building:

But the art studio and gallery has gone to the weeds

And the movie theater, while still open, bears an unfortunate addition:

The Western Lounge promises “Smooth Stews (?), Brews and Spirits” and fits right in with similar company along Main Street:

Also on Main Street:

And then there is the Montana Tavern

Where Heather tends bar:

She confirmed the story I had heard that this stream

can be seen through the floor of the bar, which although true is distinctly anticlimactic because it’s a small section covered by a grate and some hazy plexiglas.

However, Heather also claimed that another story was true that before there was the grate and plexiglas some kids floated down the stream in the middle of the night and came up into the bar and made off with some booze and floated downstream in a watery getaway.

Montana’s bars have to be closed between 2 and 8 am and most don’t reopen until later in the day. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to see this, but Heather says the Montana Tavern opens at 8 so a 97-year-old man can come in for coffee. He no longer drives but rides in on a mower that the locals got for him (they had the blade taken off).

Later in the day, and despite the continuing heat, Roger declined the opportunity to go for a 29-mile roundtrip ride to go soak in a natural spring. He took the idea of a rest day more seriously than I did, which is how I ended up here:

After hearing several people in town sing its praises, I decided to make the trip and it was well worth it! Certainly glad it stays light so long as it was getting a little dark by the time I left, but I got “home” without incident.