“The Improbable Mr. Fink”
By Scott McMillion
Big Sky Journal
Spring, 2010
Illustration by Parks Reece
Despite his improbable name and his unruly dog, Sterling Fink was a good neighbor. You could count on him for the loan of a tool or advice on the proper spacing of a set of stairs.
“A Dose of Politics”
By Scott McMillion
Montana Quarterly
Fall, 2009
After a decades-long political career, Montana’s powerful Senator Max Baucus has the eyes of the nation on him, awaiting a health care bill that will make everyone feel better. Or worse.
“Getting Another Shot”
By Scott McMillion
Montana Outdoors
September/October 2009
Photography by Erik Petersen
Brandon Renkin isn’t very big. Though he’s 15 years old, he weighs just 38 pounds. But it’s almost all heart. The rest of it is brain and spunk, wrapped in a layer of patience. These are things that make a hunter.
“Evolution of a Paleontologist”
By Scott McMillion
Montana Quarterly
Summer 2009
Photography by Thomas Lee.
Labeled everything from “lazy and dumb” to “genius,” Jack Horner uses his unique mind to push the envelope with his latest idea: hatching a chickenosaur.
“A Friendly Harvest”
By Scott McMillion
Montana Quarterly
Winter, 2008
Out on the prairie between Malta and Saco, halfway between the Missouri River and the Canadian border, out where the hot water bubbles from the ground, a man and his preacher bent over a horseshoe pit and had a discussion.
The preacher maintained his shoe had fallen close enough to the pin to score a point. His opponent disagreed, but only briefly.
“Okay,” he conceded. “We’ll go with the Lord on that one.
Then they both grinned.
And the horseshoes sailed.
“Reflections on Voting in Montana’s Big Sky Country”
PBS Newshour with Jim Lehrer
Originally broadcast May 30, 2008
As Montana prepares to vote in its primary next Tuesday, guest essayist Scott McMillion of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and the Montana Quarterly finds a different kind of pleasure in going to the polls.
“Ted Turner Puts his Money where his Heart Is”
By Scott McMillion
Bozeman Daily Chroncile
April 17, 2008
Photography by Erik Petersen
Through his philanthropy and his activism, Ted Turner, at 69, is working on hunger, malaria, global warming, red-cockaded woodpeckers, nuclear annihilation and the volunteer fire department at the tiny town of Alder, Montana. Plus he’s writing a book, skiing at Big Sky and hoping to hear the howl of a wild wolf before he dies.
“Dances with Dinosaurs”
By Scott McMillion
Montana Quarterly
Fall 2007
Photography by Thomas Lee.
Marion Brandvold recounts 95 years of good fortune, most of it hatched near her home on the Rocky Mountain Front.
“Footprints in the Deadly Dust”
By Scott McMillion
Montana Quarterly
Summer 2007
Photography by Thomas Lee.
Asbestos finally took him, but not before Les Skramstad left his mark on the world.

