Black-powder shooters take home turkeys
BERL TISKUS | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year AGO
Black powder rifles and flintlocks are on display at Fort Connah. (Berl Tiskus/Leader)
Reporter Berl Tiskus joined the Lake County Leader team in early March 2023, and covers Ronan City Council, schools, ag and business. Berl grew up on a ranch in Wyoming and earned a degree in English education from MSU-Billings and a degree in elementary education from the University of Montana. Since moving to Polson three decades ago, she’s worked as a substitute teacher, a reporter for the Valley Journal and a secretary for Lake County Extension. | October 2, 2025 12:00 AM
Turkeys were prizes for black-powder shooters at Fort Connah on Saturday from 10 a.m. until the turkeys ran out.
Bob Saint-Lewis, Mark Steele and Les Parsells are all Fort Connah Restoration Society members and were dressed in period costume of the 1870s to 1900s, including beaded buckskins, for the muzzle-loading event, which also included a tomahawk toss, a poker shoot and a candle shoot.
Saint-Louis, president of the FCRS, said the group had a good turn-out, and most were experienced shooters. The event was a fundraiser for Heritage Through Art, a program for middle schoolers to encourage them to take an interest in Montana history through art. FCRS donates a $100 to each school that participates.
A shooter for more than 50 years, Saint-Louis said his father was a Marine Corps officer and had Saint-Louis out on the shooting range when he was 5 years old.
Other members of the FCRS were also present, helping the contest run smoothly. Susan Raub and Keith Hamilton were among the workers. Raub also took aim at the targets sometimes, while Hamilton said he helps with anything that needs doing.
Saint-Louis added that Fort Connah is open for black-powder shooters, especially interested but inexperienced marksmen and markswomen, on the second and fourth Saturday of every month.
Folks who aren’t interesting in being a rifleman but want to help kids learn more about Montana history by sending a donation to FCRS, P.O. Box 82, Charlo, MT, 59824.
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