McGonigal’s Chronicles: Making Montana Connections Podcast

Gene Thayer's  story is one of rags to riches. Born in 1932, at the height of the Great Depression, he grew up in a coal miner’s shack east of Belt, in French Coulee. No running water with the only heat coming from a cookstove, trying to survive Montana winters. He's come a long way and estimates in his life he's helped raise $75 million for worthy Montana causes. See omnystudio.com/lis...

For well over a hundred years, the Great Falls Rotary Club has operated Camp Rotary, nestled in the heart of the Little Belt Mountains between Monarch and Neihart.  And every June for the past 32 years, Camp Rotary has been the home to Camp Francis. It's a children’s bereavement camp that has had a positive impact on thousands of childre...

Hasan Davis describes himself as an author, trainer, performer, youth advocate, lawyer, and hope dealer. Among his most recent projects is appearing in and producing the documentary film “Big Medicine York Outdoors", which helps tell the story of one of the most important figures in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The film has been shown at various spots along the trail of the Corps of Disco...

There have been numerous aspiring music artists who played Montana early in their careers before reaching superstardom. Some names that come to mind include Lainey Wilson, Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift. Avery Anna is hoping to join that group of elite company. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Great Falls native is making her mark in the sales world. Leslie Venetz graduated from C.M. Russell High School and the University of Montana. She now runs the Sales-Led GTM Agency from Chicago. Venetz credits her high school debate experience for teaching her listening and questioning skills. She's just released her first book called "Profit Generating Pipeline." The book focuses on earning tru...

For more than four decades, a day at the office for Mike Hoggan meant spending time in the great outdoors. He spent ten years in a sheep wagon in the remote mountains of Nevada before moving to Montana where, as a government hunter and and trapper for USDA Wildlife Services, he worked along the Rocky Mountain Front dealing with wolves, mountain lions, and grizzlies. He’s now sharing his expe...

Nnamdi Kanaga always hoped his dream of making films would bring him to America. He just didn't know that journey would lead him to Big Sky Country. But even after enduring his share of Bozeman winters, he wouldn't have it any other way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leading a successful city symphony is about more than just showing up and rehearsing and taking the stage on concert nights. It takes dedication and commitment to music, community, education and more. And it's something Grant Harville has done while leading the Great Falls Symphony for the past eight years.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the men and women who have served our country, there are countless service organizations that help them adjust back to civilian life.  But there’s one based in Sanders County that’s different from the rest.  Tom Schueman joined the Marine Corps after the events of September 11, 2001. His service took him to some of the deadliest combat zones of the War in Afghanistan. In...

The name Juliette Angelo might not be as well known as people like Drew Barrymore or Macaulay Culkin, but she can definitely relate to them. Like them, she was a childhood actor, known for prominent roles on shows like NCIS, Shameless, and Malibu Country. And like the aforementioned Barrymore and Culkin, she went through a tumultuous time trying to balance a childhood and life in the entertainment...

Just south of Neihart Montana on US Highway 89, you’ll find Montana’s oldest ski area. Showdown Montana has been a haven for downhill ski enthusiasts for nearly 90 years. And for a majority of that time there’s been a common denominator in keeping the lifts moving and the slopes in shape, George Willet. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carol Bradley first came to Montana in 1994 to cover the US Senate race between Jack Mudd and Senator Conrad Burns. After crisscrossing the state with both candidates, she fell in love with Big Sky Country. Her award winning journalistic skills and a passion for animals has helped pave the way for the writing of books focusing on animal rights. including her latest endeavor, “Twisting in Air: The...

If Montana had a Mount Rushmore dedicated to the broadcasting industry, there’s an excellent chance Dan Snyder would be on it.  He worked as an announcer, program director, and salesman for stations across Montana before eventually building and operating stations.  His daughter, Jacque Snyder Walawander, has complied her father's amazing stories and recollections in a new book entitled, "Stationed...

Dawn Sexton is one of the estimated one million Americans living with multiple sclerosis. But that's not stopping the one of the state of Montana's foremost MS awareness advocates from working full-time and enjoying the many outdoor amenities the Treasure State has to offer. Dawn currently serves as the clinical education director at Touro College of Osteopathic medicine.  It was nearly a decade a...

Cole Hauser is repsonsible for helping create on of television’s most iconic characters. As the no-nonsense ranch foreman and enforcer Rip Wheeler on the fictional Dutton ranch in Montana, Hauser has helped propel "Yellowstone" to ratings success few ever dreamed of when the show debuted in 2018. Hauser has been displaying his on screen talents for much longer than that. His film credits include G...

No matter where you travel in the Treasure State, it’s hard to miss the influence of Charles M. Russell. That Russell influence made an impact on Cary Morin. The Native American musician was born in Billings and spent much of his time growing up in Great Falls. Now, he’s honoring Russell with his latest album, entitled “Innocent Allies.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A 2023 graduate of CM Russell High School in Great Falls originally hoped for acareer in acting, but music took over, now “The CJ”, as they are called, is embarking on what looks to be a successful career in the music industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we talk with three prominent Blackfeet artists. Lily Gladstone stars opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro in "Killers of the Flower Moon." John Isaiah Pepion and Louis Still Smoking are collaborating on an installation titles "Within" at the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art in Great Falls. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Better late than never might be the best way to describe Dorothy Wilson’s journey as a writer. The Great Falls native, who later traveled the country as a military wife, always enjoyed writing.. from poetry in grade School to short stories later in life. She says she never dreamed of writing a murder mystery book, but once she started penning the pages of “The Green Tunnel,” about a Native America...

Ken Burns is one of the most prominent and influential documentary filmmakers of our time. His projects like "The Civil War", "Lewis and Clark", "Baseball", "The National Parks" and more help tell the story of America. And by his side, collaborating on many of these stories, is author Dayton Duncan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just about everyone has dealt with physical pain at one time or another. Imagine living with pain non-stop for more than 10 years.  That’s been the case for Montana native and former Great Falls resident Corinna Dahlin.  She’s endured a rare liver disease as well as suffering from other conditions.  But she chooses to take a positive approach in her battle against pain and rare diseases.  See omny...

What do streaming series ‘1923’, ‘Ozark’, and ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ have in common?  The same thing as the Hollywood blockbuster ‘X-Men’, the cult classic ‘Willard’, and Broadway plays ‘Tiger at the Gates’ and ‘The Elephant Man.’   All of the aforementioned productions featured actor Bruce Davison in a starring or supporting role.  His career spans more than five decades and he has close to 300 act...

Tim Gordon might not be a household name. But when it comes to the world of collecting, antiquing and appraising, he's among the very best. The Missoula native's passion for the profession started when he was a child, collecting bottles in Butte. It led him to appraise some of the most decorated collections in the country and the world, including the dress collection at Kensington Palace of the la...

When it comes to the history of Montana, the brewing of beer is a tradition as old as Big Sky Country itself. A history lining the pages of a new book by Missoula author Ryan Newhouse. I recently had a chance to talk to him about this in-depth look into the Treasure State’s beloved beverages. He discussed some of the innovative marketing techniques brewers used to peddle their products, the diffic...

Julie Mac has made it her mission to tell the stories of Montana through her latest venture.  The tv host and producer recently embarked on Montana’s Best. Through social media platforms like youtube, she and her crew travel the state looking for the people, places and pictures that make Montana special.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.