One of the most endangered historic places in Montana is in our own back yard. Built in 1883 by pioneer Nelson Story, the Story Mill used to be the largest employer in the Gallatin Valley and the pride of Bozeman. Now it sits dormant, shattered beer bottles and debris litter the ground among couches, appliances, and even a boat; and the once magnificent area that so long ago helped to feed hundreds of Bozeman residents, is a magnet for vandalism and vagrants. With a shot at new life, and the hard work and time that community members are currently willing to volunteer to put in, its brimming potential could feed hungry people in the area once again. This is what the group Reclaiming Bozeman wants to create; a community garden that will supply Bozeman with not only fresh produce, but an appealing site resurrecting a landmark. Food grown in the garden will provide a free weekly potluck style dinner each week in Bogert Park and any extra food will be donated to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. It is a winning situation all around.

Legal red tape and the greed of corporate lawyers, banks and creditors have stood in the way of every effort to clean up the property, although it is in dire need. Reclaiming Bozeman is among several groups in the past and the present that have organized and offered to not only remove refuse and clean up, but to actually restore the Mill and give it the face lift it deserves to live up to its National Historic Registry status. But these efforts have been receiving backlash from representatives of the property. Citing liabilities and risk of injury, the Billings attorney, Joe Womack, who represents the currently bankrupt owner of the Mill, says that he doesn’t know how long the court battle over the property will last. This deadlock has proven to only elongate the slow demise of the once commanding structure.

Having offered to sign waivers of any liability while on the property, David Lytle and his core group, Dana and Mckenzie, of Reclaiming Bozeman tells us that the clean up has already begun despite the legalities. The support from the community has been motivational and very positive. States Lytle,”…..we had a bunch of people walking, riding and driving by giving us thumbs up and yelling good job and thanks as they passed, which is all the payment we needed to get things done. There was even one neighbor that got inspired after he saw what we were doing and told us that he went and put up his own fence around each entrance and made his own little NO DUMPING signs….which was awesome.”
David also told us that the cops have been by numerous times and seen the group working and never even stopped to ask what they were doing. “No one has officially told us that we can not be there, NO ONE.” David proclaims.
A couple months back, the group held an internet fundraiser on kickstarter.com and by May 30th, raised all the money they needed for the project, while at the same time garnering support and recognition from the community. Now, with the funding in place, the clean up started and absolute support from neighbors, the project is finally ready to lift off. The only snafu is where they will get their water for the garden once they have it constructed. There is an irrigation ditch that goes around the back of the mill, as well as several water spigots that could be a reasonable possibility for a reliable water source. The plan is to talk to the city as soon as possible to see if the water can be turned on there. Other options include receiving help from surrounding residents.

Across the street from the Mill is Stockyard Café. The owner, Christine, is a huge supporter of the community garden project and jumped on board with the idea as soon as she found out about it. She and her husband have offered to run hoses to the garden and whatever the cost of the water, the group will pay to them. Christine has seen too much vandalism and dumping at the Mill, and is well known to the Bozeman Police Department due to the number of times she has had to call to report shenanigans. Over the years Christine has seen just about everything and then some happen out at the old Mill and has some interesting stories to share about her experiences.

“Once the water situation is figured out we were planning on getting thirty plus people to get the garden built and ready for the hundreds of starts we should have had in the ground weeks ago, all in one day” explains Lytle.

Being the vital, fruitful community that it is, Bozeman has deep roots in community, against the back drop of statuesque mountains, crystal clear water, and lush green valleys under the Big Sky. Can we ignore the vision and trailblazing courage of Mr. Nelson Story who so long ago settled here and began to build the foundation of the community we all love so much? His grand hopes for the future of Bozeman cannot be left to crumble into disrepair while progress is being prevented. How can we turn our backs on our history? How can we sit idly by and let corporate demons stalemate any clean up while the historic site falls into ruin? In its current state, not only is the Mill an eyesore and a public hazard, but it could be put to much better use to continue the Bozeman traditions of helping others and keeping our Valley aesthetically pleasing and safe. We applaud the efforts of Reclaiming Bozeman and their tenacious and pioneering spirit that would make even Nelson Story himself proud.

If you would like to help out the efforts of the community garden at the Story Mill by volunteering, please contact David Lytle at: reclaiming_bozeman@hotmail.com.

Stacey Faldetta is a political activist turned freelance writer living in Belgrade. She is currently working on her poetry book ‘A Thousand Little Sparks’ and loves to spend time with her 4 children in the outdoors of big beautiful Montana. She can be reached at: mtcinnamon73@gmail.com.