Bad Rock Canyon’s self-described “mountain man” has died.
Reggie “Mountain Man” Dunkin was a regular in Hungry Horse, Martin City and Coram and often regaled visitors with tales of the past and always strived “to be unique, because unique is cool.” He died on July 10.
Dunkin was 65 but he often said he was born 150 years too late.
Dunkin was easy to spot at Cabin Fever Days or Polebridge’s Fourth of July celebration, often decked out in an outfit fitting of the frontier settler he longed to be. He lived in New York, California and Indiana before moving to Montana more than a decade ago.
“I’ve been in every state in the union and I saved the best for last,” he told the Beacon in 2014. “I fell in love with this place.”
Dunkin put down roots on a plot of land at the confluence of the North and Middle forks of the Flathead River. He worked odd jobs, including a stint at the Belton Chalet, where he slept in every room just to make sure he stayed in the same room as President Teddy Roosevelt, who reportedly stayed there a century ago. He also made wooden beer koozies fashioned out of tree trunks that remain a popular souvenir for visitors to the area.
Perhaps its most recognizable resident, Dunkin said he fell in love with the string of communities that line Glacier National Park’s western edge because of the people.
“People in the Canyon, like any small town, take care of each other,” he said. “People are kind here.”