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296:. After his military service, Richard pursued a graduate degree, but economics kept him from completing it while he ran the fly shop in Gardiner. After Merton died in 1970, the fly shop remained with Merton's wife until 1985, when Richard assumed ownership of the business. He still operates it today.
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The small fly shop remained at the W. Park Street location for less than a year. In early 1954, Merton moved the business to a small store on S. 2nd Street that had been relocated from the abandoned town of
Cinnabar, Montana a few miles north of Gardiner. By the early 1960s, Merton moved the business
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or dories with his float clients. Although the fly shop has continued its mail order fly business to the present day, especially for locally produced custom flies, its mainstay was always and continues to be servicing local and visiting anglers on the
Yellowstone River and Yellowstone National Park
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Richard Parks has been a long-standing member of the
Northern Plains Resource Council, an organization dedicated to the protection of Montana's water quality, family farms and ranches, and it quality of life. He served as the council's Chairman from 1991–93,. In 1983, Parks Fly Shop and Richard
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In 1952, I was looking for retail shop accounts to get our wholesale tackle business off the ground, and
Richard's late father, Merton Parks, was looking for a place to open a quality fly shop. Together, we found Gardiner to be a suitable location. Merton was an outstanding sportsman, a fine
269:, to fiberglass, to today's graphite rods. When the shop was opened, fly lines were made of silk and leaders of silkworm gut. Flies were tied with fur, feathers, yarn and floss. Today's flies are innovative combinations of fur, feathers and a myriad of synthetic materials.
216:. By early 1952, Merton had decided to quit the paper industry and move his family and fly-tying business to Montana. With the help of Dan Bailey, Merton established Parks' Fly Shop in the back of a small store on W. Park Street, Gardiner, Montana in the summer of 1953.
24:
252:. In 1955, Merton guided his first float clients in a war surplus rubber raft, but quickly transitioned to wooden rowboats and eventually aluminum jon boats. In 1978, Richard began using fiberglass
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Proximity to
Yellowstone National Park provided Merton and Richard an enormous opportunity to become experts on Yellowstone waters. In 1998, Richard compiled this expertise into his second book--
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201:. His fly tying skills were such that many of his friends encouraged him to tie flies for them. Therefore, Merton started a small, part-time mailorder fly tying operation.
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Parks became charter members of the Bear Creek
Council, an affiliate of the Northern Plains Resource Council in an effort to generate grass-roots support for reform of the
229:
into a more permanent structure, its present location at 202 S. 2nd Street, next to the old store, sharing the building with the U.S. Forest
Service offices in Gardiner.
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to help service the collective needs of fly fishing outfitters throughout the state and help protect
Montana's fish and habitats through its conservation fund.
169:. In business since 1953, the shop located at 202 2nd Street between Main and Stone is the oldest business in Gardiner under continuous family ownership.
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and its tributaries. In 1954, Merton Parks found the older imitations of the giant stonefly unsuitable and created the
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344:. The fly remains popular and in use still today. Charles Brooks, a master Yellowstone fly fisherman, called the
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In the summer of 1947, Merton took his family, including his four-year-old son, Richard, on a trip to
Montana and
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is known locally for many innovative custom fly designs by tiers Walter Wiese and Matt Minch.,
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in
Livingston. Richard remains an active member of the chapter today and is a member of the
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In the late 1940s, Merton J. Parks (1916-1970) was an executive in the paper industry in
197:. He was an accomplished trout fisherman in the trout streams along the north shore of
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guide while working for his father in the business. In 1966, Richard graduated from
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The fly shop was one of the first in the region to offer guided float fishing on the
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Merton's son, Richard, grew up in Gardiner and became an accomplished professional
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have changed significantly and Parks' Fly Shop helped its clients transition from
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fisherman, and an excellent fly tier who quickly became a good friend as well.
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with a B.A. in History. After college, Richard spent three years in the
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Trout Country Flies From Legendary Greater Yellowstone Area Masters
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One of the most enduring contributions of Parks' Fly Shop is the
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were instrumental in establishing the first Montana chapter--
562:. Portland, OR: Frank Amato Publications. pp. Foreword.
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Richard Parks, Typical work day, Yellowstone River, 1980
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is a fly shop and licensed fly fishing outfitter in
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132:Walter Wiese, Head Guide; Matt Minch, Fly Designer
122:Park County, Montana and Yellowstone National Park
359:—which is still in print and in its 3rd edition.
348:one of his top three stonefly imitations. Today,
758:Buildings and structures in Park County, Montana
300:Contributions to Montana and Yellowstone angling
644:"The brown-trout seducing flies of Matt Minch"
8:
16:
768:Tourist attractions in Park County, Montana
580:. Portland, OR: Champoeg Press. p. 61.
558:Tying and Fishing the West's Best Dry Flies
447:Tying and Fishing the West's Best Dry Flies
426:Seasons of the Yellowstone-An Angler's Year
520:"Yellowstone Permitted Fishing Businesses"
480:. Portland, OR: Frank Amato Publications.
181:Merton Parks Trout Fly Catalog, circa 1950
22:
15:
451:. Portland, OR: Frank Amato Publications.
364:Fishing Outfitters Association of Montana
458:"A North Yellowstone Fly Fishing Primer"
378:of Livingston, Montana and Bud Lilly of
599:. New York: Nick Lyons Books. pp.
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208:. It was on this trip that Merton met
534:"Gardiner Montana Chamber of Commerce"
362:In 1980, Richard Parks help found the
424:Leighton, Kim; Bryan, Denver (1998).
402:. In May 1990, Richard received the
7:
778:Retail companies established in 1953
554:Wilson, Bob; Parks, Richard (1978).
501:Angling in Yellowstone National Park
443:Wilson, Bob; Parks, Richard (1978).
428:. Minocqua, WI: Willow Creek Press.
189:. Merton's avocations however were
665:. Guilford, CT: Falcon Publishing.
14:
357:Fishing Yellowstone National Park
324:, an improved version of the old
625:"Yellowstone Fly List-JD Miller"
773:1953 establishments in Montana
1:
408:Greater Yellowstone Coalition
642:Wiese, Walter (2008-12-08).
456:Wiese, Walter (2006-02-28).
706:. Fall 2005. Archived from
591:Brooks, Charles E. (1984).
404:Conservation Activist Award
257:waters. Since its opening,
148:Guided Float and Wade Trips
794:
753:Companies based in Montana
663:Fishing Yellowstone Waters
595:Fishing Yellowstone Waters
400:General Mining Act of 1872
392:Federation of Fly Fishers
380:West Yellowstone, Montana
374:Merton Parks, along with
206:Yellowstone National Park
21:
292:serving in Virginia and
282:Montana State University
661:Parks, Richard (1998).
476:Staples, Bruce (2002).
370:Environmental interests
722:"Conservation Efforts"
627:. 2004. Archived from
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290:Landing Craft Coxswain
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85:45.03083°N 110.70528°W
50:Gardiner, Montana 1953
34:Fly Shop and Outfitter
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410:for his work on the
328:used to imitate the
90:45.03083; -110.70528
578:Montana Trout Flies
412:New World Gold Mine
214:Livingston, Montana
80: /
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704:"The Plains Truth"
687:"The Plains Truth"
384:Joe Brooks Chapter
318:
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263:fly fishing tackle
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187:Cloquet, Minnesota
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672:978-1-56044-625-5
435:978-1-57223-133-7
346:Parks' Salmon Fly
338:Yellowstone River
322:Parks' Salmon Fly
250:Yellowstone River
167:Gardiner, Montana
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107:Gardiner, Montana
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460:. Archived from
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342:Parks Salmon Fly
330:giant stoneflies
308:Parks Salmon Fly
223:Dan Bailey, 1978
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418:Further reading
388:Trout Unlimited
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350:Parks' Fly Shop
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267:bamboo fly rods
236:Parks' Fly Shop
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163:Parks' Fly Shop
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111:United States
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730:. Retrieved
726:the original
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708:the original
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648:the original
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629:the original
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537:. Retrieved
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466:. Retrieved
462:the original
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349:
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334:Salmon Flies
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316:Custom Flies
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140:Custom Flies
63:Headquarters
31:Company type
763:Fly fishing
326:Sofa Pillow
278:fly fishing
254:drift boats
191:fly fishing
118:Area served
88: /
75:110°42′19″W
747:Categories
732:2009-03-28
468:2009-03-28
376:Dan Bailey
210:Dan Bailey
128:Key people
94: (
406:from the
286:U.S. Army
195:fly tying
72:45°1′51″N
576:(1981).
539:13 March
496:See also
274:fly tyer
145:Services
137:Products
39:Industry
414:issue.
336:on the
173:History
55:Founder
47:Founded
42:Fishing
669:
607:
484:
432:
690:(PDF)
506:Notes
288:as a
259:flies
153:Owner
667:ISBN
605:ISBN
541:2009
482:ISBN
430:ISBN
386:—of
276:and
261:and
193:and
332:or
212:of
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603:.
601:41
394:.
109:,
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735:.
675:.
613:.
543:.
522:.
490:.
471:.
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98:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
