road is a place that ….
road is a place that for many years was owned and operated by the Gustitis Family. It is now owned by Alan and Mary Danelson.
Another mile up the road, Spring Valley meets up with the Madoc Road.
Spring Valley is a unique spring bottom as the main creek and its tributaries have springs that continue to flow throughout the entire winter. This is very valuable to not only domestic livestock but to wildlife.
UKRAINIAN COMMUNITY
The prairies just north of Scobey up to the Canadian line attracted many Ukrainian homesteaders who found sites close to each other. The homes were typical of all homestead shacks and included many sod houses.
Families began moving to the area around 1910. Their surnames included Stafanik, Antonichuk, Kindzerski, Tkachyk, Darchuk, Skornogoski, Komarniski, Hudyma, Tymofichuk, Holyk, Ktytor, Kostenick, Forchak, Saranchuck, Kowcun and Yarmey. The early Ukrainian settlers came mostly from the Ukraine to Canada and then on to the United States. As with most people from foreign countries, they brought their own customs, which were soon blended with American ways.
In the old country Christmas was celebrated on January 7, and they were soon celebrating both the December and January observances. They visited each other’s homes and danced to an old country xylophone, accordion and fiddle. Young men went caroling to the different homes at Christmas, and on the Feast of the Three Kings a priest would visit and bless all the homes.
Easter was celebrated for three days with services on Easter Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Between services on Monday the children would play games and receive Easter eggs, and on Tuesdays after services they would meet at the schoolhouse and dance. They brought their art in the form of intricate embroidery and Easter egg painting.
They purchased their fuel from the coal mine east of their homestead sites. In 1911, on the day before Christmas, Wassyl and John Kindzerski, father and son, set out for coal. Wassyl drove a team of horses and John led a team of oxen. The day was a bright one, thawing what there was of snow and frozen ground. As is typical of Montana weather, a severe blizzard blew up suddenly. Wassyl, with his horses, got safely home. John was caught in the rough of the blizzard. He never arrived home. The team of oxen was found loose in the shelter of a strawstack. A search party found John the next morning less than a half mile from his home. He left a pregnant wife and a small daughter.
Margar...
