Twenty years ago, Bill Kittredge and Annick Smith completed their remarkable collection of Montana literature, a book they called The Last Best Place. And that title sure did sing to us, even if the tune was a little sad. It told us that we Montanans had something the rest of the country lacked, or had lost, something we hadn’t screwed up yet.
I wonder, sometimes. Would it still sing today?

 ”The News Hour with Jim Lehrer.”

Originally Aired: November 12, 2008

Introduction by Ray Suarez: “Twenty years ago, Montana offered sprawling landscapes and inexpensive living, but the economic meltdown is changing life in “the last best place.” Guest essayist Scott McMillion of the Montana Quarterly reflects on the changes, including job losses, poverty and tight budgets.”