If you've ever wondered about Montana and its inhabitants, this non-fiction book may give insight into how Montana became a State and what people were here before the Louisiana Purchase was made and Captains Lewis and Clark rode the Missouri to Montana. This unique collection of stories, facts, and careful research is more than a dry history read. It is a story of Montana as it was when Charlie Russell arrived as a 17-year-old 'kid'. How he managed to find himself, his soul mate and eventual business manager, and who his friends were around the campfires in cattle camps throughout Montana and Alberta, Canada. Meet many of the homesteaders and American Indians whose friends and families remained and the common thread of strong will and stoic nature that runs through the people of Montana then and now. Numerous photographs taken by Chas E. Morris, one of northern Montana's first glass plate photographers, are distributed throughout "As It Was: A Common Thread". Chas E. Morris rode with Charles Marion Russell and recognized his talent of sketching and painting the west as these two young artists witnessed the disappearance of buffalo and open range. Both documented what they saw, each in their own way. Explore Montana before the northern boundary was established and property was surveyed. No taxes, fences, or law. Without boundaries there can be no law. The records of history are scattered throughout numerous versions of a single event. Each holds a flicker of truth, but more often a humorous or amorous tale of what might have been. Those tales often prevail over the facts and make for good reads. This book recognizes this relationship in the telling of the tale and takes the reader a step closer to the people who persevered Montana's fickle nature to leave indelible marks not easily recognized.
