It says something about Ralph Saunders’ attention to detail that he carried a battery-operated razor to shave in the morning when he invited me on a 2006 backpacking trip into the Beartooth Mountains.
It was my first outing with the spry guy, who seemed amazingly energetic for his age. (He was 63. I’m now 63, which doesn’t seem as old as when I was 45.) As he easily scaled the steep hillside from nearby Deep Lake after a day of fishing, it made me think he must be part mountain goat.
Ralph Saunders thanks the crowd gathered for his award ceremony.
Brett French
Now Saunders is a GOAT, or one of the Greatest Of All Time.
On Thursday, Aug. 8, he was honored as the 2024 Montana Heritage Keeper. The award, conferred by the Montana Historical Society’s board of trustees, honors those who demonstrate “exemplary commitment, effort, and impact in identifying, preserving, and presenting Montana’s historical and cultural heritage for current and future generations.”
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With his always-humble demeanor on full display, Saunders’ acceptance speech was about how undeserving he was and how great all the people in attendance were. He singled out Ross Waples for his research on Native American water rights, MSU Billings history professor Tom Rust who helped identify one of William Clark’s 1806 campsites along the Yellowstone River and his editor and wife Marlene, to name a few. (Actually, he wasn’t allowed to name Marlene — at her insistence — but still indirectly praised her.
“There are so many people in this room who deserve this award as much or more than I do,” Saunders told the crowd gathered at the Western Heritage Center.
Mike Penfold, the volunteer conservation program
