Feek's Vision documentary preview at museum Dec. 19 and 20

The Carter County Museum will be showing two previews of the documentary film "Feek's Vision" on December 19 and 20, 2018 at 6 p.m. This footage will air during the National Finals Rodeo and the museum's showing in Ekalaka will give those who do not have a chance to get to Vegas an exclusive preview of the film.

Chandler Earl "Feek" Tooke moved to Ekalaka in 1913 and began raising and training horses on the family ranch. He has been hailed as the "Henry Ford of the bucking horse industry" and was inducted into the PRCA Hall of Fame in 2008. Tooke bucking horses began their lives right here in Carter County, raised to compete at ranch rodeos in Ekalaka and the famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale.

In 2012, Toby Chandler Tooke, great-grandson to Feek Tooke began a Facebook page that aimed at raising the awareness of the impact the Tooke bucking horses have on the Rodeo industry. Today, the page has over 36,000 followers. Filmmaker Ken Howie (Special Cowboy Moments, Wild Rides on RFD-TV) took notice and the documentary project "Feek's Vision" was born. Four years, many interviews, and miles on the road later, the film is on its way to the National Finals Rodeo where an exclusive preview will be shown at the Orleans Hotel and Casino on December 9, 12 and 13. It will then journey back to Ekalaka where the story all began.

The museum signed on to the project in 2017 as the fiscal agent for the film at the request of the Tooke Family. As the fiscal sponsor, the museum receives tax-deductible charitable contributions for the implementation of the film project and a portion of those funds go to the Tooke Bucking Horses exhibition at the museum. Donated by the Tooke family, the collection contains plaques, Hall of Fame and other trophies, branding irons and the rubber flank cinch – a Feek Tooke invention that is still used for bucking horse stock today. Plans for the exhibit include the bones of Grey Wolf, an 1,800 pound, 17 hand tall stallion that would go on to become one of the greatest breeding horses in United States rodeo history and a digital compilation of the genetics of the Tooke breeding line and how they connect to horses in rodeos today. Carter County Museum partnered with Ken Howie Studios and the Tooke Family for this project to tell this remarkable, old west story of ingenuity and hard work so that others may learn Feek Tooke's contribution to history and its roots in Ekalaka, Montana.

In the film, rodeo champions such as Larry Mahan, Deb Copenhaver, Clint Johnson, Dan Mortenson, Brad Gjermundson and Ty Murray share stories and historical details about the Tooke Bucking Horses and their profound impact on the sport of rodeo. Legendary stock contractors Harry Vold, Cotton Rosser and Mel Potter (Rodeo, Inc.), Matt Burch (Burch Rodeo), Sparky Dreesen (J Bar J) and Powder River's Franzen family share their testaments to Tooke bred horses, many still winning titles today. Traveling thousands of miles to capture original footage, Howie brings revered rodeo legends to the screen, sharing memories of their matches against Tooke bred horses in the arena.

Attendees will get a look at the film in-progress as well as raw interview footage from which select cuts will be made for the completed film. Museum staff can help with DVD pre-orders and the pre-order discounted price of $24 has been extended for the event. Tickets are free, but seating is limited to a maximum of 50 people per evening. Tickets are available at the museum or online at https://cartercountymuseum.org/events/feeks-vision-preview-at-carter-county-museum/.