ide , ▁and ▁H ands ome ▁is ▁a ▁respect ed ▁account ▁of ▁Mont ana ▁history ▁that ▁has ▁influenced ▁later ▁gener ations ▁of ▁histor ians . ▁ ▁Howard ▁also ▁author ed ▁numerous ▁other ▁historic ▁and ▁literary ▁works , ▁and ▁was ▁a ▁vocal , ▁art ic ulate ▁and ▁persu as ive ▁advoc ate ▁for ▁a ▁variety ▁of ▁social , ▁economic ▁and ▁environmental ▁re forms . ▁ ▁These ▁endeav ors ▁earned ▁Howard ▁the ▁post hum ous ▁sob ri quet , ▁" Mont ana ' s ▁Cons cience ." ▁ ▁Howard ▁believed ▁Mont ana ▁and ▁the ▁rural ▁West ▁provided ▁the ▁" last ▁stand ▁against ▁urban ▁techn ological ▁ted ium " ▁for ▁the ▁individual . ▁He ▁fer vent ly ▁believed ▁that ▁small ▁towns ▁of ▁the ▁sort ▁that ▁pre domin ated ▁in ▁Mont ana ▁provided ▁a ▁dem ocr atic ▁bul w ark ▁for ▁society . ▁Howard ' s ▁writ ings ▁demonstrate ▁his ▁strong ▁belief ▁in ▁the ▁necessity ▁to ▁identify ▁and ▁preserve ▁a ▁region ' s ▁cultural ▁her itage . ▁Howard ▁worked ▁first ▁as ▁a ▁newspaper ▁editor ▁on ▁the ▁Great ▁F alls ▁Le ader , ▁later ▁for ▁the ▁Mont ana ▁Study ▁( a ▁state wide ▁community ▁development ▁project ), ▁and ▁as ▁a ▁fre el ance ▁writer . ▁His ▁books , ▁speech es ▁and ▁magazine ▁articles , ▁expressed ▁his ▁ide als ▁of ▁community ▁aw aren ess ▁and ▁identity , ▁encourag ing ▁readers ▁to ▁retain ▁an ▁ideal istic ▁vision ▁contest ing ▁the ▁de aden ing ▁dem ands ▁of ▁the ▁modern ▁world . ▁ ▁Biography ▁▁ ▁Howard ▁was ▁born ▁in ▁O sk alo