A cover of John Fraley's new release "Heroes of the Bob Marshall Wilderness."
Joe Murphy in the latter years of his life.
Trail Riders of the Wilderness program members pose for a group photo during the 1930s at Joe Murphy's lodge in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Murphy is in the back row on the left.
Author John Fraley has spent years capturing the stories and history of those who have ridden and hiked through the Bob Marshall Wilderness. In his newly released book, "Heroes of the Bob Marshall Wilderness," Fraley covers a plethora of figures involved with the region, but the longest section is dedicated to the work of Montana outfitter Joe Murphy.
The second chapter, "Wilderness Cowboy," covers Murphy's life from his birth in 1890 to his death in 1972. Fraley describes him as "the first big outfitter on the west side of the Bob (Marshall Wilderness)."
Murphy was born in Great Falls, but moved to Ovando at the age of 12. His outfitting business was originally conceptualized in 1911. Eventually the Trail Riders of the Wilderness program was developed which would guide its members on trail rides through the mountains and backcountry of what is now the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area. The program was intended to showcase the value of Wilderness protection to community leaders.
On these trips, wealthy individuals, actors and prominent politicians would go fishing and hunting. Murphy led the first outing. Fraley said there were many examples of him converting his guests into wilderness advocates.
As part of his research, Fraley looked to Murphy's family for help to gather as many stories as possible. Many of his descendants still live in Montana. He estimated that he spent around 100 hours altogether with various members over the course of a year and a half.
"The Murphys have been very open and very cooperative," Fraley said. "They were just happy to see their grandfather finally get the notoriety that he deserved. He was the greatest packer in the Bob."
Although Bob Marshall and Murphy had existed in the same time period, Fraley could not confirm if Murphy had ever met Marshall. He could confirm, however, that Marshall had walked through Murphy's camp in 1928. That same year, Marshall had covered 182 miles within a five day trip through the area eventually dedicated to him following his death in 1939.
Fraley called Marshall "the bedrock of philosophy about wilderness areas." This year is the 80th anniversary of the area being dedicated to him.
Fraley described Murphy as "a man of the Earth" whereas Marshall was more of an academic. Murphy had a "limited" education while Marshall graduated from Harvard University with a master's degree in forestry.
The remainder of the book features about 11 other prominent figures related to the Bob Marshall Wilderness over the span of a century including Smoke Elser, Bill Workman and George Ostrom.
Fraley has been an author since 1998 and has had other books published in 2008 and 2018. He worked for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks for nearly 40 years before retiring in 2017. He ventured on hundreds of trips into the Bob. His love for the wilderness inspired him to try and preserve the history and stories that make it what it is.
Fraley had previously been invited to Seeley Lake Open Book Club meetings to present his past two publications. He hopes to be invited again once meetings resume.
The book was released to northwestern Montana bookstores in early September and is sold locally at the Grizzly Claw Trading Company. It is also available on Amazon and ThriftBooks.
Reader Comments(0)