Montanans Love their Mannequins

Yep, the title pretty much sums it up. People in Montana, or at least those who create dioramas for the regional and county museums of this vast state certainly love mannequins. Perhaps not as much as the people of this film, but enough to use them ubiquitously throughout and to mixed success.

This first picture postcard is actually an old tableau no longer extant in the town of Virginia City. VC, as those in the know (I really don't know who that is) call it, is kind of a historic tourist trap of sorts. Once abandoned, then restored, once filled with mannequins recreating olden day life in the west, now filled with souvenir shops…only a few of the vivid dioramas remain. Most have weathered and crumbled. 

 I believe the cobble is one of the few visible dioramas left visible in the town. Here, the cracks in the figure's skull are very visible showing signs of age and disrepair.

These other mannequins are from other various museums throughout the state. While the one below is more likely a custom job the rest are probably cast offs from defunct catalog and department stores long closed from the main streets of Montana. 

Putting the Fun in Fundamentalism…or is it Putting the Mental into Fundamentalism…I get confused sometimes.

Sup everyone…Y'all know who I am so I don't need to introduce myself. Everyone seems to have these ideas of the things I like to do. So I figured I would tell it to you straight. These are the things I like to do in my day-to-day life. 

Sometimes, I like to drink from my crunk cup.

Sometimes I like to kick it with pimps and hoes.

Sometimes I like to, well…I have no idea what is going on here…

Sometimes, I just end up hanging with my homies...

Keep it real. YOLO. 

***Wonderful World of Clutter author's note: Yes this is the third religious themed post in a row…While this is a holy trinity of sorts, I hope it doesn't happen again.

Rocks of Ages

Nothing amuses me more than roadside attractions. Religious themed roadside attractions become an added bonus for me as they seem to rarer and rarer finds.

On the road south to Red Lodge, Montana, is a decaying spot called Pathway Thru the Bible. This walk through rock garden is reminiscent of the Petersen Rock Garden outside of Bend, Oregon, but with none of the grandeur and much more proselytizing.

One would actually miss Pathway if they didn't have a keen eye trained to the road. Trees practically cover the hand-painted sign indicating that some stop even exists here. Nothing really states much about who built it or why. Well, why they built it is pretty obvious…teach about the bible…through walking through ambiguously organized rocks. But it still remains mysterious. 

As I strolled through the grounds, a woman with a weedwhacker hacked down grasses off in the distance on the property. While normally I would stop and converse with the property owners of such establishments, I figured I would take pictures and let this woman manicure her property as I wandered around without being acknowledged.

It is hard to tell whether this rock garden really saw better days or not. It didn't have the aura of outsider art or the craftsmanship of a planned tourist attraction. If anything, it felt like a forced Sunday school project--something kids were subjected to build begrudgingly when egg crates and cotton ball mangers weren't enough.

I wonder though…Where did the abalone shells come from in Montana?

And of all of the scenes to depict here for a walk through of the bible, was it really necessary to have Lot's Wife as a Pillar of Salt depicted? It seems like some more inspirational things could have been presented. Perhaps it was just a the best use of the medium at hand.

Buckman's Cathedral

The Buckman neighborhood in southeast Portland, Oregon,  has a long rich history.   Over the decades, four churches have held this property. Windstorms and structural failures led to the first three being razed.  As far as I can tell, the image below is of the third church to stand on this property. Now a small wooden structure now holds the congregation. For a great overview of the history of the St. Francis Parish, go the the church's website.

And yes, this is a pretty boring post for the Wonderful World of Clutter, but this image of the church has me fascinated. Growing up in Portland, I spent just about as much time in Buckman as my residence in the Brooklyn neighborhood. When I found this postcard in a junk shop in Montana, I was extremely surprised. 

The church property is considerably less grand than this picture presents. The parish hosts a soup kitchen serving countless individuals in need. Some might consider the homeless population a blight in an up-and-coming neighborhood, but I always appreciated their presence.