There is an opportunity for the residents of Big Sandy to preserve our history. I've read about Dan Cushman but to tell the truth have never read a single thing he wrote. After reviewing a number of his works, it would be an injustice to ignore his contribution to our history.
In 2001 Brent D. McCann wrote this thesis called: Dan Cushman Reader Brent D. McCann for the University of Montana. The following is a brief part of the introduction to his thesis, but it also introduces the Stay Away, Joe by Dan Cushman.
"ROCKY BOY'S INDIAN RESERVATION
Almost fifty years ago, a novel by Montana writer Dan Cushman, came to this small Montana Indian reservation in the northcentral part of the state, and many readers found in it realism they had never seen before in print.
One couple boxed up "Stay Away, Joe" and sent it to their son overseas. John Sunchild was an airborne ranger at the time, involved in the Korean conflict.
"I enjoyed it," Sunchild said, describing the book's portrayal of the Rocky Boy's Reservation as "accurate."
Dan Cushman is the author of more than 30 books, but his most celebrated-and most controversial-is "Stay Away, Joe". This book was first published in 1953 and was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection for April of that year. Later, it was the basis for the 1958 Broadway adaptation Whoop-Up. as well as the 1968 movie Stay Away, Joe, starring Elvis Presley.
Regardless of its past popularity, today some writers criticize it as being inaccurate and unfair to Indians.
That's not, however, an assessment shared by Indians who see a familiarity, if not a reality, in what's depicted in the book.
Sunchild, 70, is the chief executive officer of the National Tribal Development Organization, headquartered at Rocky Boy. Not long ago he was tribal chairman of the Chippewa Cree, the tribe that calls Rocky Boy home.
"There's a lot of history in that book," Sunchild said."
The Big Sandy Cultural Center has inherited the archives of Dan Cushman. Doug Giebel is in the process of raising funds to help preserve and digitizing Dan Cushman's Archives.
According to Doug Giebel, a nephew of Cushman. "Dan got his writing start in Big Sandy and often wrote about our town and area. We will organize and digitize this extensive treasure of material so it can be accessed for research and general interest readers if they raise the funds necessary.
It will cost $3,000 to cover 12 months of costs for overhead and utilities only. He is trying to preserve the works of Dan Cushman: Stay Away, Joe, The Silver Mountain, Good-Bye Old Dry, Plenty of Room and Air, Timberjack, The Great North Trail, Whoop-Up (the Broadway musical) There is also letters and articles that he has inherited. Contact Doug Giebel @ 378-2430 or bscf@itstriangle.com
