The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

When Don Sorensen heard that "The Mountaineer" wanted him to tell some Fourth of July stories, he brought in a picture of him when he was probably around 8 years old. Don thinks the picture was probably taken around 1953.

Anyway, in the picture is Don, attired in clothes too big for him. Beside him is a big Dutch oven smoking away and behind him is the river that he loves so much.

Not much has changed except these days Don's Clothes fit better. He is teaching Dutch oven cooking on the river at the Virgelle Merc where he has a bed and breakfast on a meadow overlooking the Missouri.

Being on the river has always been very natural for Don. If it was Memorial Day or the Fourth of July, Don's parents and friends and family packed up and headed for the Missouri or maybe at the Faber ranch in the Bear Paw Mountains.

No one ever swam in the river. Don said that his parents both had people who had died in the river, so none of the family was ever allowed in the river.

"When we were camping, my folks always did Dutch oven cooking," said Don. "When they got a small propane stove, they thought that was the greatest thing to cook on they had ever seen."

Don said that his mother would nail an apple box to a tree next to where the cooking was done. That box would hold all Mrs. Sorensen's spices. Don remembers that box well when they were camped near the ferry one year.

Many family members slept in a very unique way when camping out. Mr. Sorensen would take his grain truck down to the river, put some straw on the bed of the truck, put a canvas on top of that, then put another canvas on the top of the sides of the truck, then attach a ladder and that cozy truck bed was a wonderful and soft place to sleep. Mostly it was the kids that slept in the back of the grain truck. Don can't remember if it was blankets or sleeping bags but remembers that they all slept very well.

Don pointed out in the picture that he is wearing clothes that are too big for him. His mother had bought school clothes for the family. Don said she always bought them too big hoping they would grow into them. Only thing was the kids had the clothes worn out before they ever got a chance to fit properly.

Good memories. Don even remembers going to the Warrick rodeo.

Time marched on and Don graduated from Big Sandy High School and went to the College of Great Falls for two years and then to the pharmacy school at the University of Montana where he got his pharmacist's license.

Don worked in pharmacies both Big Sandy and Havre for several years, then went to Nevada to work for a change.

Before leaving he bought an old tumbledown dilapidated building in the ghost town of Virgelle known as the Virgelle Merc. That was in 1975.

When he got back to Montana he decided to fix up the building and sell antiques.

Don said that his dad had one question. Why?

At that time Don was not doing regular pharmacy work but instead doing relief work where he helped out as needed.

"I loved the relief work," said Don. "And I loved the pharmacy and my customers but I was inside all day long and I didn't like that at all."

So, the antique store opened in 1978. In 1979 Don moved a couple of cabins in and by 1988 he had a canoe business operating on the river, and a bed and breakfast along with several cabins and even a sheep wagon was to come along.

"I went broke several times so I would have to go back to work at a pharmacy," said Don, laughing.

The Fourth of July is always a very busy time in the hospitality business but there was always time to go down to the ferry on the Fourth of July evening and have a potluck with family and friends of that area.

Don said they always went to the ferry for a pot luck campfire dinner because ferry operator Bev Terry and her family could never leave.

One of the best Fourth of July celebrations was when a law enforcement officer from California and his family showed up with a huge bunch of fireworks he had confiscated from people having them illegally. They moved the ferry boat into the middle of the Missouri and shot the fireworks off from the barge. Don said the show was spectacular and with the walls of the canyon as a backdrop, it was simple beautiful.

Then there was the Fourth of July when they were just sitting down to eat when a large storm rolled in. All moved in Bev's small house which was very crowded. The storm hit and things went flying. After the storm passed by, there was lots of damage at the Merc and along the river.

When he thinks of the Fourth of July dinners, Don laughs for he says there is always enough for thirty but only ten or so to eat it all.

Courtesy Photo

Don Sorensen, (note dutch oven even then)

"There was a couple here last week, "Don said. "Their first question was where do you get your food?" A physician from Billings couldn't believe they were so far from medical attention. When Don told him it was 12 miles to the hospital in Big Sandy, he seemed to think that was a great distance.

These days Don Sorenson does much more than is in the hospitality business. He teaches Dutch oven cooking classes, sells antiques and collectables all over Montana and on July 10th he will be having an acre of antiques and collectables at the Virgelle Merc's Outdoor Antique Flea Market. This year promises to be huge with new vendors from Malta, Townsend, Shelby, Billings. Great Falls and Havre.

Whatever is going on at Virgelle, you can imagine that Don Sorenson will be a part of it. And, you will never find him far from the river he loves so much.

Not much different from the little boy in the too big clothes by the smoking Dutch oven. And that is good!