HEART BUTTE — The town of Heart Butte on the Blackfeet Reservation hasn’t had a grocery store since the last one, named The Thompson Store, shut its doors nearly a decade ago.
That means every time an ingredient was forgotten or needed, residents had to drive a minimum of thirty miles to the nearest store in Browning. Many make trips to Costco, purchase in bulk and then re-sell.
But in just a few months time, Heart Butte residents will have their very own convenience store, packed with basic essentials and groceries. A fuel pump is also included.
The project is being managed by the Siyeh Corporation, a Blackfeet company, assisted by tribal sub-contractors and tribal councils.
It’s been years in the making. A shortage of funds halted development after the installation of fuel pumps. But with a reinvigoration of ARPA funds and more, the tribe has decided to green light the project once more. The original contractor already laid the majority of the groundwork, so the building should be completed soon.
“Everybody's quite excited about it because it'll be a shorter run to get to the store here than it will be to go all the way to Browning,” says Senior Superintendent of Pacific Northern Environmental, Steve Pihl.
Rendering of the project suggest the store’s name will be Heart Butte C-Store, but this is, in fact, temporary.
“The tribal council put up $1,000 prize for, contest, to develop both the logo and the name,” says Project Manager with the Siyeh Corporation, Mark Magee.
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That’s right, Montanans with a deep understanding of Blackfeet culture are welcomed to submit their designs and ideas by Tuesday, November 26th.
The logo and store name should reflect the community of Heart Butte and be consistent with the reservation landscape. Special consideration will be given to residents of the Heart Butte community.
The winner will be chosen by the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council and will be required to sign a transfer of rights of the artwork and name.
Entries must be submitted to the Blackfeet Tribal Business Office, located at 640 All Chiefs Road, by November 26, 2024.
The store will be located at 2431 George Duffy Comes At Night Road.
There is no word yet on when the store is expected to open.
For more information, call 406-338-7521, or click here to visit the Facebook page.
