Author updates classic book of old time tales and characters

Kalispell historian and author John Fraley has issued a revised and updated edition of his classic book “Wild River Pioneers, Adventures in the Middle Fork of the Flathead, Great Bear Wilderness and Glacier National Park.”

The book showcases stories of early settlers, including famous moonshiner Josephine Doody; the murder of Columbia Falls woman Lena Cunningham; the tale of “Slippery Bill” Morrison and many, many others.

Fraley doesn’t just write the stories of historic figures — he gets personally involved with them. For example, he made sure Lena Cunningham had a proper grave marker in Woodlawn Cemetery and had a plaque put up on Corky Hill’s property along the railroad tracks in Nyack to commemorate the dozens that died in a fiery train crash.

It’s all in the revised copy of the book, which Fraley said took about six months to refresh with the help of the editors at Farcountry Press, who published the new edition.

Fraley personally hiked to all of the locations mentioned in the book. He recalled one incident at the former homestead of Doody where he was guiding some Park Service brass and members of the Trust for Public Lands on a tour.

Fraley showed them where the spring was that Doody got her water from to make her moonshine.

There was just one problem — he had a tough time finding his way back to the trail. They kept going around in circles.

“I think it was Josephine turning me around,” he said.

They eventually found their way back.

Fraley came to Montana as a teenager to attend the University of Montana, where he received a bachelor’s in science degree in wildlife biology. He continued his education at Montana State University and received and master’s in Fish and Wildlife Management. He worked for the state wildlife agency for nearly 40 years, mostly in the forks of the Flathead River. He retired in 2017. For 34 years he has also served as an adjunct instructor at Flathead Valley Community College, where he teaches wildlife conservation and other courses. John has written numerous magazine articles on the history of the Flathead country. His other books include Rangers, Trappers, and Trailblazers; A Woman’s Way West; and Heroes of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. John’s wife, Dana, and children, Kevin, Heather, and Troy, share with him a love of wandering around the backcountry of the three forks of the Flathead River.

Fraley said he recently finished another book on his personal experiences in the Bob Marshall Wilderness and said he’ll soon start working on a sequel to Heroes of the Bob Marshall.

The revised “Wild Rivers Pioneers” book is available at local bookstores and at farcountrypress.com