Desire to correct a wrong helped bring Montana 500 to Libby

The Montana 500 Model T tour is coming to Libby — thanks in a great part to  the generosity of the Venture Inn and the woman who manages it.

In 2007, the Montana Cross-Country Model T Association chose Eureka to host the annual 500-mile tour, drawing participants from Washington, Idaho, Oregon and many other states. In all, about two-thirds of the 75 car-club members participated in the tour.

Then-President Tom Carnegie and his brother, Rick, of Spokane Valley, Wash., drove their Model Ts through Libby en route to Eureka. However, in Libby a city patrolman stopped Rick Carnegie and told him his car was improperly licensed.

“We knew it was properly licensed,” Tom Carnegie said. “We knew the law, and this car was properly licensed.”

Still, the Model T-enthusiasts loaded Rick Carnegie’s car on a flatbed trailer and towed it out of Libby to comply with the Libby officer’s demand.

“It was sad,” Tom Carnegie said. “We all felt so bad about the whole thing. Many of the guys said they’d never come back to Libby. It left a bad taste in mouths of many of our club members. As soon as we got out of Libby city limits, we took the car off the flatbed and drove it to Eureka.”

State Rep. Mike Cuffe, who is a Model T car enthusiast and who participated in that 2007 Montana 500 tour, retold the story afterward, which ultimately made its way to Linda Gerard, manager of the Venture Inn.

“It was just a horrible story for Libby,” Gerard said last week recalling the story. “We felt so bad that it reflected poorly on Libby that we invited him back, comp’d him a room, and I even think we comp’d him a meal. We just felt like we needed to do something to make it right.”

Made it right, Gerard did.

Subsequent races took the Montana 500 to other venues. However, seven years later as the story of Gerard’s kindness circulated, the Montana 500 is coming to Libby.

“Certainly, Mike Cuffe is a big part of the reason it’s coming to Libby,” Tom Carnegie said. “However, when the motion came for Libby to host the Montana 500, there was not one dissention, and just about all these guys remember 2007. What the Venture Inn did was a big part of coming to Libby.”

With the support of Cuffe, who is the current Montana Cross-Country Model T Touring Association president, at least 30 Model Ts from all over the country and Canada will converge on Libby on Father’s Day weekend in June for the annual tour.

“You can thank folks like Linda Gerard at the Venture Inn along with the Chamber of Commerce, Mayor (Doug) Roll and Commissioner (Tony) Berget for encouraging the group to consider Libby,” Cuffe said.

Paul Bunn, the current owner of the Venture Inn, called Gerard a “remarkable businesswoman” and praised her for her generosity.

“We can thank her for this coming back to Libby,” Bunn said.

The Venture Inn will be Montana 500 headquarters with a safety inspection and check-in on Father’s Day, June 15. These vintage vehicles will drive about 200 miles on June 16, and again on June 17. They will travel another 100 miles on Wednesday, June 18. The top three cars of the 54th annual event are subject to a tear-down inspection afterward at Timberline Ford to ensure they are truly stock Model T Fords.

The average speed for the winning cars is about 54 mph.

The host city typically garners considerable national publicity because of the notoriety of the Montana 500 and its affiliated enthusiast magazine, Cuffe said.

“When the Model T entourage pulls out, it leaves behind many smiles, plus $35,000 to $50,000 in payment for rooms, fuel, food and other purchases,” Cuffe said. “The group will make visits to Eureka, Yaak, Thompson Falls and the Flathead.”

Cuffe said the Montana 500 also attracts curious spectators who come to see the vintage autos.

“Usually, quite a few people come out to look over Henry Ford’s Tin Lizzies during the safety inspection,” Cuffe said. “Often, local groups build around this for a celebration, fundraiser or car show. The old cars usually create lots of happy faces.”

Ford Motor Co. built an estimated 15 million Model Ts between 1908 and 1927, which are powered by a four-cylinder engine that sends 20 horsepower of torque to a two-speed transmission that featured the original automatic shift.

Bunn, the Venture Inn owner, said several Model T enthusiasts already have reserved rooms at his hotel.  Some will be checking in a few days before the event, some will stay longer to enjoy the beauty of Northwest Montana.