Yvon Chouinard: From Backyard Forge to Patagonia
Yvon Chouinard went from forging climbing pitons in California to founding Patagonia and, in 2022, giving the company’s ownership to a climate trust.
Newsmakers
Profiles of the people who shaped Montana, drawn from the historical and public record: political leaders, tribal leaders, artists and everyday pioneers.
Will James: the cowboy author who invented himself and ended up in Billings
Will James wrote “Smoky the Cowhorse,” won the Newbery Medal and ran a ranch near Pryor. His western upbringing turned out to be partly a story he made up.
Ted Turner, CNN Founder and Montana Rancher, Dies at 87
Ted Turner, who founded CNN and built the world’s largest private bison herd, died May 6, 2026. A look at his career and his Flying D Ranch near Bozeman.
Dana Carvey: the Missoula-born comic behind the Church Lady and Garth
Dana Carvey was born in Missoula in 1955 before his family moved to California. He went on to become one of the best-known cast members in “Saturday Night Live” history.
Gary Cooper: the judge’s son from Helena who became the quiet man of Hollywood
Frank James Cooper was born in Helena in 1901, learned to ride on his family’s ranch near Craig and went on to win two Academy Awards.
Granville Stuart: gold, cattle and a hard legacy in Montana’s early years
Granville Stuart helped start Montana’s gold rush, became a leading cattleman and later a diplomat. His role in the 1884 vigilante killings complicates the “pioneer” label.
Dennis Washington: The Missoula Businessman Behind Butte’s Copper and Montana Rail Link
Profile of Dennis Washington, the Missoula businessman whose firms reopened Butte’s copper mine, ran Montana Rail Link and built a marine and mining empire.
Ivan Doig: the ranch kid from White Sulphur Springs who wrote Montana
Ivan Doig grew up working sheep and cattle around White Sulphur Springs and Dupuyer, then turned those years into “This House of Sky” and a shelf of Montana novels.
Greg Gianforte: From Bozeman Software Founder to Montana Governor
Greg Gianforte founded RightNow Technologies in Bozeman, sold it to Oracle for $1.5 billion, then served in Congress and became Montana’s 25th governor.
Chet Huntley: the Montana voice of network news
Born in Cardwell and raised on a homestead, Chet Huntley co-anchored NBC’s Huntley-Brinkley Report for 14 years, then came home to build Big Sky.