Heritage Living Center reopens

ASHLAND, Mont. – On Friday, June 7, 2024, the Heritage Living Center, a senior home in Ashland, hosted a well-attended grand re-opening The event featured speakers, gourd and round dancing, honor songs by the Big Bull drum group, the exchange of numerous gifts, a hand drum contest, storytelling sessions, and a lavish community feast.

Ernie Robinson, tribal member served as the Master of Ceremonies. His mother, Lorraine, resided at the facility for quite some time, and he shared, “It brought great blessings to our family.”

The facility is a haven for Northern Cheyenne senior citizens who need a home. It can accommodate forty seniors at a very minimal cost. Seniors must be capable of independent living, each has their own apartment, receives three meals a day and numerous activities are held including transportation to nearby cities for medical appointments, shopping and recreation.

Soaring Eagle, a nonprofit organization, was established by the esteemed late Father Emmett Hoffman. With over forty years of service to the Northern Cheyenne community at St. Labre Mission, Father Hoffman held a special place in the hearts of the Cheyenne people.

More than a year ago, in March 2023, a disaster struck. Due to severe winter weather, the pipes in the ceiling of the facility froze and burst.

“It was like something from a horror movie,” said Jerry Thex, Administrator. “Hundreds of gallons of water was pouring out and the ceilings collapsed. It was very challenging to rescue and evacuate the residents to ensure their safety and continue providing housing for them.”

It took more than a year to repair the extensive damage to the facility, however Soaring Eagle was able to keep the staff working during that time. “There was so much to do,” said Thex.

During that chaotic time, the residents were first housed temporarily in Billings at the Boot Hill Inn. Then, they were relocated to Livingston where they stayed in another facility like Soaring Eagle for about a year, all expenses paid while waiting for repairs to be made to the Heritage Center.

Lazona Baily, a resident reported that it was a very nice experience. “There are a lot of things to do there, close to Yellowstone Park and Bozeman and the people in Livingston were very nice, making us feel welcome,” she said.

The history of the Heritage Living Center is truly fascinating. As a respected figure among the Cheyenne people during his tenure as a priest at St. Labre, Father Emmett was fascinated with Northern Cheyenne tribal traditions and customs, thus he was befriended by many of the old time Chiefs. Some of those Chiefs had been recorded and Father Emmett assisted in the translation of those old tapes with “Bisco” Clarence Spotted Wolf, also a Chief. Bisco and Father were very close friends. Bisco also became a Heritage Center resident in later years and served on the Board of Directors.

By then, Father Emmett, at 78, had retired from St. Labre. Bisco told him that the old chiefs had expressed concern about older Cheyenne’s who might need homes. They, including Charles Sitting Man, also a traditional and highly respected Chief, were very worried about Cheyenne elders who wound up in nursing homes off the Reservation, literally dying from loneliness. “They come back home in boxes,” Sitting Man had sadly noted.

Bisco and Father Emmett listened to those old tape recordings and the voices of the Chiefs came back to life, Skaggs explained. Father Emmett heard those voices and decided to do something about that. That is how the Heritage Living Center came about.

Father Emmett, who was a very successful fundraiser and well known in that community asked help from some non-Indian friends, Connie Sump and Mike Fenske, who was like a brother to Father Emmett. Fenske was a man who could “make things happen.”

They agreed and since Mike Skaggs, another of Father’s friends became the CEO of the Heritage Living Center but is soon planning to retire. His replacement, Kay Medicine Bull, young educated Northern Cheyenne, has already been hired as the next Executive Director. Some of her elderly relatives have lived at the Heritage Center, giving her a close connection and appreciation for the facility.

The first steps were to acquire land (in Ashland, MT, off the reservation, but basically a Native community) and to secure a construction loan with a thirty-year payoff. “First Interstate Bank and the Scott family believed in Father Emmett so much that they made that loan on a personal basis to a 78-year-old man,” Skaggs said.

Father began sending out letters and appeals. Due to his personal integrity, that worked well. Soaring Eagle has since been able to provide a comfortable and safe living environment for elders at little or no cost. According to Father Emmett’s wishes, at least 80 percent of the apartments are reserved for Northern Cheyenne tribal members. Other eligible residents are normally from ranching communities in the area who have close connections with tribal people. “A person from Georgia, for example, looking for inexpensive housing cannot move here, The Heritage Center is for our community members,” Skaggs said.

Construction of the facility took two years but opened in August of 2002. The late Rose Eaglefeathers was the first resident and Susie Cain, also one of the first residents, has lived there since, now celebrating 86 years of life.

The Heritage Living Center is under the direction of a Board of Directors including Terry Beartusk, Chair; June Persons, a long term non-Indian resident of Ashland who worked in the medical field for years and thus give valuable medical advice for the medical policies; David Fitzsimmons, secretary/treasurer, a veteran non-Indian fundraiser for the organization; John Robinson, tribal member and former Tribal President; Major Robinson, tribal member, and architect; and Gina Littlewolf Millegean, tribal member.

Terry Beartusk, Northern Cheyenne, has been Chair of the Board since its inception. As he shared, Father Emmett believed in the Cheyenne people, even those who had been terminated from prominent positions due to the tumult of tribal politics. Terry was a victim of that. “He asked several other people who experienced that to serve on the Board,” Beartusk explained. “Together, we put together a strong team”.

The Heritage Living Center is truly a miracle for elders living on or near the Northern Cheyenne Reservation who need a refuge. Indeed, there is a sign in Ashland pointing to the “miracle on the hill.”

Father Emmett himself also lived there in his final years and his grave is a centerpiece of the beautifully landscaped grounds. Many Cheyenne people believe that his benevolent spirit still remains amongst us.

(Contact Clara Caufield at 2ndcheyennevoice@gmail.com)

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