NEVER LONG GONE recounts the spirited journey Rob Quist, Steve Riddle, Terry Robinson, Christian Johnson and Greg Reichenberg took after forming the Mission Mountain Wood Band (M2WB) in 1971; how they became one of the nation's hottest performance bands and put thousands of miles on a converted 1955 Scenic Cruiser bus. Singing ballads, old timey tunes and original songs like "Mountain Standard Time," they continually perfected their musicianship and professionalism to the point where they were guest stars on national TV programs. (more...)

The epic story of the rise and fall of Butte is told through the people that forged this tightly-knit community: the miners and their families, people who were initially immigrants from Ireland and England but who eventually represented nations from across Europe (signs in the mines were written in 16 different languages). Theirs is a tale of hardship, fleeting joy, pride and community, hard-won and ever in peril; a camaraderie born of danger where every day in the mines could be the last.  (more...) Pictured: Butte miners, 1940s.  Courtesy of Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives.

The next Backroads of Montana episode travels first to Park City, where everyone will tell you that the best angel food for miles around comes from "The Cake Ladies." In Great Falls, we'll visit a special site that not only honors fallen soldiers, but pays tribute to living veterans as well. We stop in the central Montana town of Winifred, the unlikely location for what may be the world's largest Tonka toy collection. And we visit a working cowboy singer on his ranch south of Wibaux. William Marcus hosts the program from Malta.

In Before There Were Parks: Yellowstone and Glacier Through Native Eyes, more than a dozen Native American leaders and experts from all across the region offer a respectful introduction to the knowledge that tribal people have passed down here for at least the past 12,000 years. Viewers will discover why Glacier and Yellowstone are so important to American Indians--for reasons far beyond their recent status as National Parks. (more...)