~ Lasting Impressions Bed and Breakfast ~ Press ~

Press
on Lasting Impressions Bed and Breakfast

The following article appeared in both the Hysham Echo on June 26, 2003
and Independent Press on June 19, 2003

B & B fulfills dream
BY KATE BERTIN

Carol Klinker stands in front of her new bed and breakfast, "Lasting Impressions."

For as long as she can remember, Forsyth's Carol Klinker has loved taking care of a household.
She loves to entertain. She loves to cook. She even loves to clean.
Earlier this month, Carol put her skills to work as she opened "Lasting Impressions" Bed and Breakfast in her vintage Victorian home across from the Rosebud County Courthouse.
The seeds of "Lasting Impressions" were planted 30 years ago, when Klinker's children had barely emerged from toddlerhood. She dreamed then of running a bed and breakfast.
"I like the atmosphere of a bed and breakfast - it just seems so much more cozy," Klinker said. "That's what I love to do, is take care of a home and cook."
Klinker looked at buying houses in Great Falls, Bozeman and Billings. None of them seemed just right.
When she moved to Forsyth six years ago, she fell in love with the rambling three-story home on the corner of 13th and Cedar.
Klinker purchased the home, moving her photography and newspaper business to Forsyth from Hysham. (Besides doing commercial photography, Klinker is publisher of the Hysham Echo.) Thoughts of a bed and breakfast were in the forefront. Besides having the house zoned to allow her two home-based businesses, she jumped through the hoops necessary to have a bed and breakfast there.
For several years, the dream lay dormant as Klinker worked at various other projects. With the help of Rosebud contractor Norm Reinertson, she completely remodeled her vintage kitchen. She had the house painted and dabbled with redecorating.
Then last fall, Klinker's sister-in-law reminded her of the dream she had always had. "What are you waiting for?" the sister-in-law asked.
The question lit a fire under Klinker. From that moment on her days were a blur of getting the house ready for guests. She ripped out carpet and refinished old wood floors. She collected beautiful bedding for each of the home's three guest rooms, and made plans to decorate each according to a theme. The rooms are named after former owners of the home, Klinker said.
The Wahl Room is named after the contractor who originally built the house. (The same contractor also built the Vananda Bank, now a fixture on Forsyth's Main Street.) Klinker hired local decorators Vicki Fink and Sandra Wright to decorate the cozy bedroom in wood and brown tones, with a western flavor and antique tool decor.
The McCuistion Room is named after the first owner. McCuistion was a rancher, so Klinker decorated this room in a thoroughly western style.
The final guest room is the Carolan Room, named after a music teacher fondly remembered by many former students. Klinker decorated this room with a more feminine style in shades of green.
Klinker, who loves to cook, has been busy trying out recipes to serve to her customers for breakfast. She has been collecting recipes with breakfast in mind since her days as a teacher of home economics, she said.
"There's all kinds of different things you can serve instead of the plain old bacon and eggs," she said. For instance, she plans to try sausages covered in pancake batter, deep fried and dipped in cups of syrup. She also makes a mini cornmeal quiche and has tried a barbecued breakfast on her outdoor grill.
Klinker's first guests arrived last weekend for the Quigley Shoot.
"I hope people come and feel comfortable," she said. "I want it to look nice, but I don't want it to look... like you don't dare put your feet up."
Klinker plans an open house on Friday, June 27 from noon until 6 p.m. During the open house, she will give guests tours of the newly refurbished home, and then offer them refreshments on her screened-in front porch. Reservations for the bed and breakfast can be made by phone.

The following article appeared in the Independent Press on August 19, 2004

Pieces of the Past: The McCuistion Home

Editor's Note: "Pieces of the Past" is a new feature to be published periodically in the Independent Press. The city of Forsyth recently named several areas as historic districts, and work has been ongoing in identifying the history of the buildings within the districts. The following describes the home at the corner of 13th and Cedar, currently owned by Carol Klinker.

The deep eaves and flared rooflines of this two-story home were meant to evoke the Far East, while its octagonal tower, ornamental brackets, decorative beveled glass, and corbelled chimneys reveal the attention to detail that accompanied the home's construction. Forsyth contractor Louis Wahl built the elegant residence for rancher and businessman Joshua McCuistion and his wife, Grace, in 1914.
Grace, who had traveled to Asia, had a great appreciation for eastern architecture and was reportedly intimately involved with the home's design and construction.
She is said to have checked every load of lumber delivered to the site, sending back any boards that didn't meet her specifications.
Described by the Forsyth Times as "one of the most costly in the city," the residence served as the McCuistion's "town house." In 1928 they sold it to Whit and Elsie Carolan. The home's location was particularly convenient for Whit, a lawyer who served as county attorney and whose office was at the county courthouse. Elsie, who taught piano to generations of Forsyth children, lived here until 1978.

On a humorous unplanned press picture...

In mid-January Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer visited the Rosebud County Courthouse, and had his picture taken speaking to a group of people. Well, in the background take a close look, can you see it? Right through the window, across the street from the courthouse is a clear view of Lasting Impressions Bed and Breakfast! This picture appeared on the cover of the Independent Press that week.