FRIGHTENING FOLKLORE

FRIGHTENING FOLKLOREUnburying Montana’s Bone-chilling HistoryOCTOBER 22, 23, 29, 30, & 31, 2021Sponsored by:Dr. Philip & Marlene Saccocciawith additional support fromStockman Bank.All proceeds benefit Museum of the Rockies, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Welcome to Haunted Mountain TheaterDear Fellow Mortals,Thanks for joining this year’s production of Haunted Mountain Theater andhelping to support Museum of the Rockies (MOR). Tonight, come face toface with spine-tingling stories that haunt our region - and our nightmares.The Rocky Mountains are filled with ghastly historical events, unsettlingtales, and supernatural creatures that are beyond our mortal comprehension.Although we have dramatized the vignettes in this live production, HauntedMountain Theater is based on the research of actual historic events andtraditional legends. These stories and incidences include disasters, untimelydeaths, ghastly creatures, and more.I hope you are prepared to learn, to be surprised, and – a little – frightened.Your participation underwrites the kind of lifelong learning in history and culturethat MOR offers year after year to our community. Whether you sponsoredthese performances, helped research our stories, have a friend in our cast,or are simply bracing yourself for the upcoming show, your help is deeplyappreciated. I would like to single out our lead sponsors, Dr. Philip and MarleneSaccoccia, for underwriting this original production. Their support has allowedMOR to resurrect the dead and share their lives with you.When we launched this production in 2019, we realized that MOR is likely oneof the only museums combining live theater and a state-of-the-art planetarium.Since then, we have continued to explore new stories and look at innovativeways to share our region’s culture.In large part due to COVID, last year we worked with brilliant students fromMSU’s College of Arts and Architecture to bring the past to life throughsculpture. This year, we have merged the planetarium production with originalart. Following the formal show, we invite you to tread carefully down to thehistoric 1889 Tinsley House to enjoy a unique opportunity to see the house bylantern light, get your fortune read, and meet this year’s sculptures.Please sit back and enjoy the show and then explore the Tinsley House If you dare.Thank you,Christopher DobbsExecutive Director1 Museum of the RockiesMuseum of the Rockies would like to expresssincere gratitude to the following people,boards, and organizations.The Volunteer Cast and Technical Crew!Artistic Director Michael Peterson.Acting Coach Peggy Jensen.Visuals by Taylor Planetarium Program Manager J. Eric Loberg,Graphic Design Manager Shawn Raecke, and Michael Peterson.Creative writing by Artistic Director Michael Peterson,Executive Director Christopher Dobbs, Director of PhilanthropyKathryn Hohmann, and Curator of History Michael Fox.Stage Manager Erin Tope and Director Assistant Halley Perry.Illumination of our planetarium stage by Jonathan Dove andhistoric lighting by Dave Swingle at the Tinsley House.Management of Tinsley House events by Outreach ProgramManager Ashley Hall.Producer and Director, Christopher Dobbs.Tinsley House sculptures by students from MSU’s College ofArts and Architecture.Museum of the Rockies, Inc. Board of Trustees and NationalAdvisory Board.MSU’s Shakespeare in the Parks for the loan of props andcostumes.In-kind support from Safeway.Special Thanks to our SponsorsDr. Philip & Marlene SaccocciaandStockman Bank2021 Haunted Mountain Theater 2

SCENES & ACTORSBe Warned . . . This production contains some flashing light effects, sudden loud noises, gunfire, mature content, and ghastly ghosts.Friday & SundaySaturdayScene One – The SeanceScene One – The SeanceAnnouncerDave KelsenMadame MannaEleanor InglisAnnie Jade HarringtonFanny Ruby LammersAnnouncerDave KelsenMadame MannaJanelle BoothAnnie Jade HarringtonFanny Ruby LammersScene Two – Montana State OrphanageScene Two – Montana State OrphanageJune Jade HarringtonWillLiam TalbottGretaM. RixeDannyDaniel PerryCorpse ChildPlayed by himselfKeys ManMichael PetersonJune Jade HarringtonWillLiam TalbottGretaM. RixeDannyDaniel PerryCorpse ChildPlayed by himselfKeys ManMichael PetersonScene Three – Custer Creek DisasterScene Three – Custer Creek DisasterWilburnIsaiah DuffRadio Announcer Richard TalbottViolet Moriah SchuttOdquist Connor TweetWilburnIsaiah DuffRadio Announcer Richard TalbottViolet Hannah OvertonOdquistJohn OlsonScene Four – Bone CollectorScene Four – Bone CollectorEllisLiam DobbsLyman Harrison JacobsLucy Ruby LammersBone CollectorM. RixeEllisLiam DobbsLyman Harrison JacobsLucy Ruby LammersBone CollectorM. RixeScene Five – Lost SoldierScene Five – Lost SoldierSamantha Kyrie DawsonRadio Announcer Richard TalbottSamantha Kyrie DawsonRadio Announcer Richard TalbottScene Six – WendigoScene Six – WendigoJacobs Connor TweetCane Michael PetersonTerranceIsaiah DuffJacobsJohn OlsonCane Michael PetersonTerranceIsaiah DuffScene VI – The EndScene VI – The EndSpiritsLiam DobbsHarrison JacobsMoriah SchuttM. RixeKyrie Dawson3 Museum of the RockiesSpiritsLiam DobbsHarrison JacobsHannah OvertonM. RixeKyrie DawsonPlease note that the actors listed are subject to change.2021 Haunted Mountain Theater 4

HAUNTEDSculptures, Fortunetellers,TINSLEY HOUSE: Death, & StorytellersThe spookiness continues.Tinsley House Actors and CrewAfter the show, please explore the historic 1889 Tinsley House and ourHaunted Sculptures made by MSU students in the College of Arts andArchitecture’s School of Art’s Intermediate Sculpture Class. Specialthanks to Associate Dean James Zimpel, Instructor Ryan Parker, and all ofthe students, volunteers, and staff for making this production possible.Janelle Booth Eleanor Inglis George Lafaye Ryan McAlindinKaitlin Murdy John Olson Hanna Overton Alycia PatencioMoriah Schutt David Swingle Connor Tweet Ashley HallPlease note that the actors and crew listed are subject to change.The Flathead Lake MonsterThe Mystery of the Montana Cattle Mutilationsby Jodi Harkness and Katie O’Malleyby Chelsea May and Alicia June CourseyBetween 1889 and 2017, there have been 109 “unusual sightings” of seaanimals on Flathead Lake in western Montana. About 70 percent of thesesightings involve a large, eel-shaped creature measuring between 20 and 40feet in length. The Flathead Monster has been seen by fishermen, boaters, andeven a water skier who neatly collided with “something big” near the lake’s BigArm on the west shore. Perhaps the most famous sighting of the affectionatelynamed “Flessie” was reported in 1889 when Captain James C. Kerr and the 100passengers of the steamboat U.S. Grant saw an unusually large, whale-likecreature in the water. Passengers fired rifles at the animal, and it reportedlydove beneath the waves to safety.Roberta Donvan and Keith Wolverton recount a series of bizarre cattlemutilations in Cascade County between 1974 and 1976 in their book MysteryStalks the Prairie. These were neither the first nor the last animals founddead in the area under mysterious circumstances. Most of the cattle weremissing a portion of their jaw and sometimes an eye as well. No blood wasfound on or near the carcasses; they were sometimes entirely drained ofblood. In some cases, the hide had a “crisp” feel to it, like it was heated.The mysterious mutilations sparked all sorts of theories as to how and whohad killed the cattle. Perhaps the most fanciful of these suggests that spacealiens had harvested the animals for organs to study. These mysteriesremain unsolved.Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarecrowby Diana Peyton and Katelyn BauerIn 1852, Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of America’s greatest storytellers, publisheda short story called Feathertop. In the tale, Feathertop is a scarecrow broughtto life in human form by a witch. The scarecrow believes himself to be a humanbut can only keep his human form while puffing on a magic pipe provided bythe witch. At the witch’s insistence, he courts the daughter of a local judge.However, when the couple gazes upon themselves in a mirror, Feathertop’strue identity is revealed. The judge’s daughter rejects Feathertop in horror,and in despair, he drops his pipe returning forever to his true form as a lifelessscarecrow.5 Museum of the RockiesThe Frenchwomanby Mia Alexson and Angela CateoraThe August 28, 1868, issue of the Deer Lodge Weekly Independentnewspaper provides an account of the death of Madame Guyot (first nameunknown) at her ranch, hostel, and toll house. While accounts vary as tothe specifics, Guyot was murdered in her log cabin on MacDonald Passbetween Deer Lodge and Helena, where she collected tolls on her husband’snearby toll road and hosted guests. She was thought to have squirreled awaythousands of dollars in gold dust in her rustic home. One account tells of atraveling miner who sighted an unusually giant elk near the residence, thendiscovered the body of madam Guyot. She had been murdered with an ax.Frenchwoman’s Road near the pass marks the site of her unsolved murder.2021 Haunted Mountain Theater 6

MEMBERS GHOLIDAY CHEERET MORGIVE THE GIFT OFMEMBERSHIPShare all that you love about MOR with your friends andfamily. With a gift membership, you can experience ourexhibits, programs, and classes together. So, share thejoy this season and give a gift that lasts all year long.Purchase a gift membership at theFront Desk, call 406.994.6054, emailmembers@montana.edu, or online atmuseumoftherockies.org/gift.

Museum of the Rockies. Welcome to Haunted Mountain Theater. Dear Fellow Mortals, T. hanks for joining this year’s production of . Haunted Mountain Theater. and helping to support Museum of the Rockies (MOR). Tonight, come face to f