Barbara and Mike Winkler

Michael Winkler has recently been working for Fred Winkler. Doing excavation as a subcontractor at the College of Technology on Shiloh Road in West Billings. Mike ran across his “relative’s” name in the phone book some time ago and made friends with Fred. Now, Winkler is working for Winkler for a few winter’s weeks. You never know who you will meet in Montana. Prior to this job, Mike had been working with John Lynn of Shawmut on roads for David Miller’s new subdivision northeast of Harlowton. Winkler expects “a lot more development and a lot more expansion here. Development is going on all around us. We’re on a major truck route - an artery between Billings and Great Falls. We need to get on the bandwagon while the getting is good.” Winkler started his adult life as a heavy equipment mechanic and worked at it for 22 years. By 1993, it was time for a change. Mike got into the environmental cleanup business, starting at the tech level and moved up to project manager. He was involved in HAZMAT projects, tank pulls, and PCS (petroleum contaminated soil) removal until 1998. He recalled one cleanup in Tucson in which his crew removed 120 to 150 dump loads of contaminated soil each day for eight months at the site of a new highway interchange. From ‘98 until moving to Harlowton last year, Winkler was involved in heavy civil construction work. He supervised or managed road and infrastructure projects around the state of Arizona. In recent times, Mike Corcoran was one of his subcontractors. “He ran a blade for us.” Corcoran and his partner Sandy Fisher have longtime connections with Harlowton. Last summer, the two Mikes and Barbara (Mrs. Winkler) took a road trip to Payson during which Corcoran remarked that Sandy wanted to sell the Oasis Bar in Harlowton. Barbara asked how much Sandy wanted for the bar and Corcoran told her. Barbara immediately said, “Sold.” The Winklers flew up to Montana around Labor Day. They liked what they saw and began the 9-month paperwork process to transact the deal. “Barbara bought the bar and I bought Mike and Sandy’s house. The bar is her project. I’m the ‘maintenance engineer.’” “Expansion has been our plan from Day One. We had the opportunity to buy the Kalberg (Montana Title) building.” The Winklers have rearranged the Oasis Bar of Harlowton for more space. They moved machines and expanded the casino and card room. Recently, they opened their Family Fun Center with video machines for all ages and a pool table on the way. New employees have been hired. Beyond that, Mike has opened up an office space for his excavation (dirt moving) business - Tripod Engineering - next to the Entertainment Center. On the second floor, a room has been set up as a practice space for his group - Quintana. Some day, it may be a recording studio. Winkler has been involved with music since he was knee high to . . . Started with piano at age three and played grand piano in recital at University of Arizona when he was five. Took up trumpet at age eight, but wearing braces seemed to get in the way. So, he took to playing drums and has been ever since with breaks here and there. Mike played professionally in Arizona with Friends in the 70s and in Colorado with Burro Mountain Band in the 80s. He only played occasionally in jam sessions in the 90s. But when he got to Harlowton, he was introduced to Quint Theriault and the remnants of The Quintana Band. Quint had “retired” from playing a few years back, but was persuaded to resurrect the group with Mike playing drums, Dennis Fyler on bass, Eric Hultberg on lead, and Quint on rhythm guitar. The group has played from Townsend to Lewistown and White Sulphur to Judith Gap with the Oasis as its new home base. Quintana plays the best of country music, rock and roll and 60s and 70s tunes. They plan to add more musicians and record a CD in the spring or summer. Mike Winkler grew up in Morenci, Arizona. A town of around 2500, Morenci is home of the biggest copper mine in the USA and the largest open pit mine in North America. Winkler attended the University of Arizona and Phoenix College after finishing high school. He then went to work in a four-year apprenticeship program in heavy equipment repair, graduating in 1978. Years in maintenance, road construction and project management followed. Along the way, Mike raised five children. Wife Barbara has two grown children of her own. Mike and Barbara met not too long ago in Flagstaff, Arizona, where she was working as an advertising representative for Yellow Pages. Prior to moving to Harlowton, the Winklers lived in Cornville, Arizona. Not far from Sedona. Barbara spent half her time working in Flagstaff and the rest in Prescott Valley. Mike was on the road with jobs in the area. Mr. and Mrs. Winkler are now spending their first Christmas in Montana and their third together. Mike lived in northwest Colorado in the past and Barbara in Alaska, though she grew up in South Carolina. So, the winter is of no concern to either of them. Like the Holmans (in issue #3), Barb and Mike are newlyweds. They met at Museum Club (otherwise known at The Zoo - the Club is filled with museum artifacts and stuffed animals) where Barbara was engaged in Off Tracking Betting and Mike was taking dance lessons. “The bartender told Michael to go ask me to dance.” The Winklers were married in Las Vegas on July 30, 2005. The move to Montana was a big step, but an exciting and challenging one. Mike remarked, “Barbara always wanted a bar and the Oasis fit the bill. I came along as supporter and maintenance engineer. Basically, we saw it as an opportunity - and still do. The people are wonderful. They have been, so far.” “We’re in the middle of nowhere, here. But, that’s going to change. Things are happening all around us. Look who’s in the middle. People are coming our direction from the big cities and the smaller ones like Billings and Bozeman. Watch it happen or be part of it.” “More subdivisions are inevitable. Other towns in the area have development going. We’re basically next. It just hasn’t got here, yet. Development is part of our future.”