Montana Medicine Show: Brother Van

Welcome to the Montana Medicine Show. I'm Derrick strong. A. Strong soul like the mountains rock ribbed and moral strength. His very presence said. Here's a man and yet he was kind and gentle and beautiful in his unconscious demeanor as a little child. That's how Methodist Bishop cook described William Wesley Ventura still Montana's pioneer circuit preacher. The Blackfeet called him great heart. Most simply knew him as Brother van. He arrived in Montana in 1872 and soon became a missionary at large. During the next five decades he preached across the treasure state creating converts wherever he went. One old timer recalled. Everybody knew that if Brother van came to visit he would pitch into cleaning the barn milking the cow cutting wood churning butter rocking the baby or any other job that needed to be done. Then Or still motivated Montanans to build a hundred small churches and 50 homes for their pastors he helped construct seven Deaconess hospitals a nurses home the

inner mountain children's home and Montana Wesley and university. Now Rocky Mountain College upon his death in 1919 Bishop Cooke summed up the universal estimate of the Minister's character. Brother van was everybody's friend. I don't believe that there was a dog in the state that would not wag his tail when he saw him coming. If you want to see his monument look around. The theme song for the Montana medicine show was written and performed by Mike vidiot of Bozeman. From KGO studios. I'm Derek strong. Montana medicine show is supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. A private corporation funded by the American people.