(Special thanks to The Heritage Museum, Libby, Montana, for providing historic photos for video in this story) The timber industry was a mainstay of western Montana's economy for decades. But that economic force entered a sharp decline that continues today. Divisions between the industry and critics were especially rampant in the 1980's and 90's. But one of Montana's most prominent logging activists is on a journey of collaboration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Saturday, November 22nd, thousands of college football fans will swarm Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula for Montana's Brawl of the Wild. The Montana State University Bobcats and the University of Montana Grizzlies will meet in the state's most intense rivalry. Who will bring home the coveted Great Divide Trophy? This will be the 25th year that traveling trophy will make its appearance on the field. They are scenes of joy when the winning team hefts the coveted prize in the air for fans to see. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With big game hunting season underway, NBC Montana explores a disease that is devastating to deer, elk and moose.' For years, Hamilton's Rocky Mountain Laboratories, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, has been researching Chronic Wasting Disease. For the time being , the scientists who are doing this work have been furloughed. We shot this story before those furloughs. The scientists' CWD research focuses on whether it could be transmitted to humans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A ranch family from Polson has earned state and regional honors for their conservation practices. The Montana Stockgrowers Association awarded G&G Livestock and 'Cathey Cattle Company' its annual Montana Environmental Stewardship Award. The family also won the region's Environmental Stewardship Award from the National Cattlemen's Association. The family is one of six regional winners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are there times when you just know when something's right? You discover that despite obstacles, everything turns out fine because it's meant to be. If that happens, your sense of contentment and happiness may spread throughout your community. That's kind of the way it was for a Bozeman couple, who in the 1960's, were busy raising a family. From the very first time he saw the handsome old house in Bozeman, Ray Campeau knew it was here that he wanted to live. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In last week's Montana Moment, NBC Montana brought you the story of a secondhand store and pawnshop in Libby. In its tenure of 40 years, this family-owned business may be a reflection of Libby history and its working people. The late Dave Strand opened 'New To You' as a secondhand store, and eventual pawnshop after a career in logging battered his body, especially his knees. He'd worked in the industry for years. “He had a lot of logging equipment," said his wife Peggy Strand, " and that went into the secondhand store.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hard work and smarts are always assets to success. Doing what you do well, usually brings rewards. But nothing’s ever guaranteed. Sometimes, life throws a curve, and you need to change direction. This is the story of a secondhand store and pawnshop, the generational family that runs it, and the family’s late patriarch who started it all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Along Missoula's Hip Strip, off South Higgins is a go-to spot just about everybody knows. Its back story is about hard work, a love of what you do, and a dedication to local community. Big Dipper Ice Cream is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Not far from downtown, the University of Montana campus and Hellgate High School, it's been a draw for ice cream lovers for generations. Customers come from all over to taste new flavors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Payne Family Native American Center on the University of Montana campus houses UM’s prestigious Native American Studies Department. It’s the first academic center of its kind in the country and was designed by Crow Tribe Member Daniel Glenn. It provides services to Native students and offers classes and cultural activities to meet the needs of Indigenous students. It’s named for its primary benefactor and lead donor, UM alumnus and businessman Terry Payne and his wife Patt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Montana’s beloved author, the late Ivan Doig, called livestock brands “the classical language of the American West." Doig and his wife Carol gifted the Montana Department of Livestock a donation to make the history of those brands more accessible to the public. If you’d like to learn more about your family brand you can acquire a lot of information online. Brand records have been compiled by the Montana Department of Livestock and supplied to the Montana Historical Society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A livestock brand proves ownership. It ties generations of families to their land and ancestors. The practice dates to the ancient Egyptians. But most of us know it as an iconic symbol of the American west. NBC Montana spent a day late last spring with branding crews at the Cross Ranch in the Horse Prairie Valley near Bannack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Livestock brands open windows into history. They uncover stories. They fill in missing pieces to events forgotten or left unrecorded. They shed light on lives long past, and bridge generations. In our Montana Moment season debut, NBC Montana traveled to southwest Montana where we met rancher Debbie Staudenmeyer Tamcke and her family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A thousand years ago, a new life began near present day Seeley Lake. The only witnesses to his youth would have been the Indigenous People. He was already 200-years-old when the Magna Carta was signed, and more than 800 when the Civil War started. But today, this Western Larch tree, affectionately known as Gus, continues to thrive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Between Sheridan and Alder stands an inn once known as a major transportation hub. The building has long since been retired as a place of business, and is now one of southwest Montana's most historic sites. After gold was discovered in Alder Gulch in 1863, fortune seekers and other travelers rested here before moving on to their destinations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Molten granite formed the Pioneer Mountain Range in southwest Montana about 72-million years ago. As the granite cooled, water carried quartz and other minerals through the rocks and deposited them in veins. With time, the minerals were exposed to air and ground water, leaving a repository of gems. Few places in the country showcase that more than Crystal Park. You will find Crystal Park off the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway between Wise River and Polaris. To the east, the Pioneer Mountains climb as high as 10,000 feet. To the west lies Crystal Park. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Montana's landscape, its color, and spectacular light have always been an inspiration for artists. Artistry comes in many forms. It's fluid and always changing. Just ask artist and St. Ignatius farmer Kathy Yelsa. Kathy's art can be found in two worlds-one on her farm, the other in Hollywood, where she used to live and work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The neon sign on West Main Street has been inviting patrons for beer, mixed drinks, and hamburgers to the Missoula Club longer than most of us have been alive. Anyone who has spent time in downtown Missoula is certainly familiar with the Missoula Club sign. “The neon sign has been there probably since the 20’s," said Missoula Club bartender Shane Kelly."It’s a classic. People always stop to take a picture.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In April, The Society of American Foresters brought collegiate and professional logger competitors to Missoula for the 28th annual Forestry Day. College timber sports athletes competed on April 25 and 26. Pro-athletes joined them on Saturday, April 26. It's where you will see how the old-time lumberjacks got the job done. Behind the logger sports show is Montana Historic Equipment Area chairman, Scott Kuehn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For thousands and thousands of years, it's been a trade that has stood the test of time. From the Great Pyramids to the Taj Mahal, craftsmen have used this simple material to erect some of the greatest buildings and monuments in history. Stone is prized for both its sturdiness and beauty. Karl Marcus is a stonemason. NBC Montana went with Karl to a riverbed near Virginia City, where he collects river rock from Alder Gulch dredge tailings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in 1985, the Missoula Mendelssohn Club was performing at a choral festival in France. The event spurred choral conductor and music professor, the late Don Carey, to start an invitational festival in Missoula. In 1987, with the help of Missoula's music community he did just that. Now, 38-years later, the Montana International Choral Festival is one of Montana's most treasured summertime happenings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices