Go Local Flathead

01/10/2023

As houses replace hayfields, farming the Flathead’s remaining agricultural land becomes increasingly difficult.

For 12,000 years, give or take a millennium, the Flathead Valley has fed its people. The Native Americans hunted, fished, and foraged, then incorporated livestock and crops alongside their traditional ways as the white settlers arrived with seeds and machinery. Along with logging and the railroad, ranching and farming built the valley’s early 20th century economy. But with the recent explosion of growth, our local farmers are facing a slew of challenges.

Read the full story in the Go Local Flathead Valley magazine (distributed valley-wide) or online (link in bio). 



Story by Katie Supinger Cantrell
Photos by Lauren Lipscomb

A Hard Row to Hoe As houses replace hayfields, farming the Flathead’s remaining agricultural land becomes increasingly difficult. FEATURE STORY BY KATIE CANTRELL Chris Fritz pulls his maroon pickup onto the rutted path next to the old barn. The October morning holds the promise of later warmth, bu...

01/06/2023

"It was the summer of 2016 and I was helpless. I’d been living in the Flathead for a few months, didn’t have many friends, and was captivated by the mountains. Unfortunately, being born and raised in suburban Minnesota, my upbringing afforded me zero mountaineering experience. So, I did as any good Gen Z'er would: headed straight for the internet. That’s when I found Summitpost, an online forum that provides crowdsourced information about mountains around the world, including how to climb them."

Read the full story in the Go Local Flathead Valley magazine (distributed valley-wide) or online (link in bio).

By Colton Born
Illustration by Morgan Krieg

Field Notes To Share or Not to Share The mountain adventure dilemma. Illustration by Morgan Krieg   BY COLTON BORN I t was the summer of 2016 and I was helpless. I’d been living in the Flathead for a few months, didn’t have many friends, and was captivated by the mountains. Unfortunately, being...

01/05/2023

A community reporter (Tristan Scott) bears witness to one of the thorniest aspects of recreationalists’ relationship with land: tragic death in the mountains.

Read the full story in the Go Local Flathead Valley magazine (distributed valley-wide) or online (link in bio).

Story by Clare Menzel
Photo by Mandy Mohler (Field Guide Designs)

Crux Ghost WriTer A community reporter bears witness to one of the thorniest aspects of recreationalists’ relationship with land: tragic death in the mountains. Tristan Scott. By CLARE MENZEL Tristan Scott, managing editor of the Flathead Beacon, is an award-winning environmental and political ....

01/02/2023

"As a q***r man living in the Flathead, I am all too aware how even the mere mention of these terms can make some of my neighbors uncomfortable. But the fact remains that members of the LGBTQ+ community call this wonderful land home."

Read the full story in the Go Local Flathead Valley magazine (distributed valley-wide) or online (link in bio). ❤️

By Andrew Krop
Illustration by Morgan Krieg

Field Notes Free to be There’s enough space for all of us. Illustration by Morgan Krieg   BY ANDREW KROP “I ’m on the right track baby, I was born this way!”   As local performers Eric Krop and Mynxx—the all-female glam band comprised of Halladay Quist, Erica von Kleist and Sarina Hart.....

12/30/2022

STORAGE UNITS!
FINALLY, A DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL EVERYONE CAN AGREE ON.

Read the full story in the Go Local Flathead Valley magazine (distributed valley-wide) or online (link in bio).

Yes, this is satire. No, we are not a fan of storage units.

Story by Katie Cantrell
Illustration by Morgan Krieg

SATIRE Storage units! Finally, a development proposal everyone can agree on. Conveniently located adjacent to the top of the Hellroaring Chairlift, these units are perfect for keeping your options open for Big Mountain’s—ahem—variable terrain, like when you foolishly brought your pow skis in D...

12/28/2022

Sprawling subdivisions are not the Flathead Valley’s inevitable future.

Given that we cannot wish ourselves back to the population levels of five or 10 years ago, we must also accept that new housing will emerge. We’ve always built new housing, mainly in the form of single-family homes creeping out from our city limits into the surrounding countryside.
Why is that?

Read the full story in the Go Local Flathead Valley magazine (distributed valley-wide) or online (https://golocalflathead.com/2022/12/02/manifest-destiny/).

By Keegan Siebenaler

Manifest Destiny Sprawling subdivisions are not the Flathead Valley’s inevitable future. FEATURE BY KEEGAN SIEBENALER When Tianna Thomas moved back to the Flathead Valley as a crisis counselor for the National Su***de Prevention Hotline in 2019, she couldn’t even recognize her hometown of Whitef...

12/16/2022

Have you checked out our newest Go Local LAND issue? Get reading! It's a REALLY good one.

Fabulous cover photo of Chris Fritz, local farmer
Photo taken by our amazing Field Guide Designs

08/22/2022

Dirt. Terrain. Earth. Ranch. Plot. Parcel. Real Estate. Acreage. Public. Private.

Land. It evokes many connotations, possibilities, and emotions. As the headlines constantly remind us, land in the Flathead Valley is a finite resource, one that is increasingly at the center of public debates and civic issues.

For our Land Issue, we're looking for stories that explore the many sides of our land and its uses, from the big picture of how our cities and county are involved to the different voices who are closely connected to it. Generational farmers, Indigenous Americans, hunters, growth planners, and conservationists are just a few of the players who come to mind. What's happening with land use planning? How do we deal with a very real housing shortage while also maintaining our ability to produce crops and raise livestock, to have meaningful space for wildlife and outdoor recreation? For our Spark and Crux sections, what artists and athletes are deeply connected to the land?

Send us your pitches! We're looking for essays, shorter articles, feature stories, and athlete/artist profiles. If you haven't written for Go Local in the past, please also include a writing sample, either a published piece or something you've written for yourself to give us an idea of your style.

Send your pitches to [email protected] by Thursday, September 8.

02/14/2022

ANNOUNCING OUR SUMMER 2022 THEME 🔥🕺🏻👇🏽

The Bright Side Issue:

After two years of pandemic, watching the housing market lose its mind, and the tensions around growth and change and community and identity, it can be easy to focus on the problems.

But the stories we tell each other shape how we view our wonderful little valley. While we don’t want to pretend problems don’t exist, let’s take a minute to acknowledge the sunshine, not just the clouds: who is doing something awesome, right here, right now? We’re looking for stories that inspire us, lift us up, and give us a reason to keep fighting the good fight.

We’d never put an expiration date on hope, but we need your ideas by March 6th. Send them to [email protected]. Thanks!

Love, team Go Local 💛

12/02/2021

THE ART MATTERS ISSUE IS HERE!!! 🥳🕺🏻❤️‍🔥

Keep an eye out for our fabulous little racks and downtown drop spots.

Photo by the amazing Field Guide Designs
Cover lady: the one and only Tessa Heck-George

10/07/2021

We’re not going to lie, we’re a little bias when it comes to our next issue’s topic. Art, in all of its beauty and horror is near and dear to our hearts. We’ll be digging into the burgeoning contemporary art movement in the valley, the life and tribulations of beloved local musicians, and a glimmer of where our local culture is heading.

Be a part of our Winter Art Matters issue 🤩 Early bird ad rates end next Friday the 15th of October! Link in bio for online ad buys 👍🏽