A truism often found in writings about Montana’s rural towns is that nothing ever changes. Maybe that’s true, for a few places but over the last ten years I have found change to be a constant in rural Montana.

Take Wisdom in Beaverhead County. This place was one of my first overnights in the Big Sky Country and I fondly remember a night we spent at Fetty’s, a classic bar/cafe. Sometime before 2012 Fetty’s burned down but someone rebuilt on the site, calling it The Crossing at Fetty’s or Fetty’s at the Crossing—I don’t remember which one.

The Crossing was ok but a bit stuffy, just not the same feeling as Fetty’s. By 2025 order had been restored. The same modern building was there but name had changed to just Fetty’s. And the local vibe was back.

Change also marked the town’s historic general store, a 2-story commercial landmark. In this decade it tried to make a run as Hook and Horn, a combo bistro, boutique, coffee shop. It didn’t make it.

But its sedate, calm rustic appearance was certainly at odds with the garish but you can’t miss it facade of Conover’s Trading Post from 2012.

I didn’t miss the trading post but I did like the Wisdom Market back in 2012. That now was a vacant lot.

But then my faith was restored when on the other side of Fetty’s there was a new Wisdom Market, complete with its dark stained log false front. Not all change is bad, and if you don’t look you might not realize it.