When I returned to Montana in 2001 after my long naval career, I surveyed "neglected" Montana history to determine what had been most neglected. African American and other ethnic stories had been left out of Montana history with the excuse "but there were so few." That was nonsense, and I began to research and write Black history stories and urging others like the Montana Historical Society to do so as well. When I wrote of Montanans in the Civil War, World War I, or the Cold War, I included the stories of Blacks (and Chinese and Native Americans). Same for woman's stories that were just beginning to be emphasized. In part based on my emphasis, history stories of Montana's African Americans have "exploded," with books, biographies, and articles now coming from many authors.