Fletcher, Bob (text, photography, design); Shope, Irvin (illustration and cover artist); Greene, Amsel (photography)

[Montana] Headin’ for the Hills

Helena, Montana: Montana State Highway Department, 1937. Fletcher, Bob (text, photography, design); Shope, Irvin (illustration and cover artist); Greene, Amsel (photography)
Headin’ for the Hills, Helena, Montana: Montana State Highway Department, 1937

8.5 x 11 inches, Stapled pictorial wrappers
[28] pp., Heavy crease at old center fold, light soiling to rear wrap, internally fresh and bright. Very Good.

A rare and lovely collaboration by a host of noted creators, issued by the Montana State Highway Department in 1937 to promote travel and tourism in the state. Heavily adorned with photographic images and wonderful illustrations, the book provides a conversational account of Montana highways and the scenic wonders statewide.

The primary author of this work, Bob Fletcher, was (per a bio on the Montana Department of Transportation website) known as “Montana’s Roadside Historian” and was “the perfect man for the job” to help boost tourism in the “Treasure State” after the Great Depression. Born in Iowa in 1885, Fletcher moved to Montana in 1908 and was hired as an engineer by the State Highway Commission in 1928. He spent over a decade writing the state’s tourism promotional material, and with the department graphic artist (and noted painter) Irvin “Shorty” Shope, designed and built over 100 highway markers, many of which still stand. Fletcher also published the first of the state’s colorful highway maps in 1934, designed and built visitor centers at Montana’s ports of entry and established a roadside museum program. He authored a collection of cowboy poetry (like this book, also illustrated by Shope) as well as a seminal work on the Montana cattle industry, “Free Grass to Fences,” in 1960. One of his poems was purchased by Cole Porter and became the basis of the famous song “Don't Fence Me In." Fletcher died in 1972.

The cover image by Shorty Shope features a couple traveling with a dog, waving from their automobile as they pass several riders on horseback and a pack string. A member of Cowboy Artists of America, Shope (1900-1977) lived in Montana and worked as a cowboy before beginning his artistic career. His usual subjects were cowboys, the Blackfoot Indians, mountains and deserts, and all his works have a distinctly western look. This image was reused for the cover of the Summer 2024 issue of “Montana: The Magazine of Western History.” Shope’s work has frequently been sold at auction.

The book also features photography by (Miss) Amsel Greene, a longtime schoolteacher in Helena. She is best known for her book “Pullet Surprises,” composed of students’ malapropisms and misinterpretations in language, as well as a widely-used textbook in word study and vocabulary-building, “Word Clues.” One of Fletcher’s poems is printed at the rear.

A rare, wonderful introduction to Montana highways and sights. No holdings were found in OCLC but a Google search revealed a copy at Texas A&M University. Item #1873

Price: $95.00