On August 20, 2018 at 4:30 p.m., board members of the Missoula Writing Collaborative installed the kiosk stand and laptop containing the Missoula Children’s Poetry Map in the children’s section of the Missoula Public Library. The digital map features more than 500 poems written by fourth-grade students about places in Missoula. Accompanying the poems are colorful drawings and recordings by the students. The poems cover well-known Missoula landmarks: the M and L trails, the North Hills, as well as lesser-known areas, such as Skyview Park, Rainbow Hill or Moose Can Gully.
The map was a collaboration between Caroline Patterson, executive director of the Missoula Writing Collaborative, Ken Wall and Kyle Balke, President of Geodata Services, and Greg and Chris Robitaille of Xplorer Maps. It was funded by a $25,000 National Endowment Our Town Grant as well as a $10,000 grant from the Llewellyn Foundation. The Missoula Public Library and Missoula County Schools were also partners.
Fort Missoula
By Cole
Cold Springs Elementary
Birds coo and deer crunch
the pinecones as I look at the wagon
wanting to know its real secret
how long has it been there?
I hear the kids screaming in
the fort while I sit in the peace
of the birds cooing
I feel the breeze brushing through
my hair. The birds soar above
as I watch eagles glide.
The public can access the map at the library. They can also access the map using their own computers here
and here.
