On the way back to Helena from the reunion we stopped at the Grant-Kohrs Ranch in Deer Lodge for Western Heritage Days weekend. There was a lot of sun and mosquitoes to accompany the cowboy talks, chuck wagon and blacksmithing demonstrations. By far, my favorite thing was seeing the beaverslide hay stacker in action. You can see it in the video below.

Fair Warning

This video is boring, but careful observers will notice a front flip and a driver bucked up from his chair.

The main section of the slide is constructed of two green 55-62 feet lodge pole pine poles. The 15-20 foot span between the poles is called the floor and is constructed of 1 x 4 slats roughly 40 feet long, two thirds of the length of the poles. A frame of 24 x 20 foot wood poles is called the backstop, and forms an immense right triangle with the floor and the slide. The spaced slats in between the main poles are easily seen. -Source