Studio and Gallery Offers Unique Shopping Experience

Septuagenarian Edward Anklam has recently opened a truly unique business establishment in Culbertson. Open for business for the past month, Anklam's Studio and Gallery on Culbertson's main street offers a fascinating glimpse into America's past. Anklam carves pictures of wildlife or Native American themes onto old buffalo bones that he has collected over the course of the last six decades. These carvings on bone constitute the bulk of his business, but he also operates a gallery of historical Americana and has an eclectic mix of items on display, from limited edition collectible automobiles to Native American artifacts to Civil War relics.

"This is a very unusual store," Anklam acknowledges. "I have a ménage of items for sale. I love history, artifacts interest me, and I like finding old things and making them new again by bringing them back to life in some way. I have traveled all over the country and my store is unique."

The studio's main emphasis focuses on the carvings on buffalo bones. Anklam began gathering these skeletal pieces along the Missouri River 65 years ago. "I started collecting as a child," Anklam recalls. "I went fishing with my dad and the bones we found fascinated me. My dad explained about the buffalo and how the bones got in the river. When the water was low along the Missouri I walked the water line and picked up all the bones I found. I hoped to find enough of them to make a complete skeleton but I never found all the right pieces. However, I saved all the bones, and about ten years ago I started carving pictures on them. I take a bone, come up with a picture, and sell the result as art."

In 1979 Anklam had a sampling of his buffalo bones carbon dated. He discovered his bones range in age from one thousand to three thousand years old.

Anklam has always exhibited an artistic talent. He restored old cars for years, but he inhaled too much old paint which caused health issues. His restoration of cars came to a halt, but when he could no longer bring old vehicles back to life, he turned his attention to his collection of buffalo bones. He began carving pictures onto the bones and gave the resulting artwork to friends and family. Impressed with Anklam's artistic ability, recipients of his carvings urged him to find an outlet for his products. "People encouraged me to sell on the Internet, but I am too old for that,"

Anklam laughs. "I decided to start a store here in Culbertson instead."

Although his priority remains on the carvings in bone, Anklam's Studio and Gallery offers other fine work and memorabilia items. "This is a great place to browse," Anklam says. "I've got an uncommon limited edition of collectible cars on display and for sale. I've got artifacts that I've found over the past 60 years, including dozens of arrowheads and metal objects. I've recreated arrows and tomahawks exactly as they once were. I have limited edition knife sets. I've got reconstructed Civil War artifacts, including swords, caps, and powder horns."

He adds, "I love American history from the Civil War to the present era and I have great admiration for the Native American way of life."

Anklam gained his regard for the Native American life at a young age. "I learned about Native American culture in 1957," Anklam remarks. "I, along with two other boys, was taught by a full-blooded Sioux elder, Raven Crow, who was in his 80's at the time. The two other boys and I took lessons from Raven Crow for a Boy Scout project. We designed and made a full Indian regalia under Raven Crow's tutelage. I have a photograph from 1957 showing us wearing Indian clothing that we made ourselves, from the headdress to the leggings."

He adds, "This was fascinating for me and I gained total admiration and respect for Native American culture thanks to Raven Crow and his teachings."

Anklam's Studio and Gallery sits at 113 1/2 Broadway in Culbertson. "It can't be missed, it is well signed," Anklam says. "The studio and shop are a very different shopping experience, believe me. People are amazed at what I've got and they really enjoy browsing. This is a one-of-a-kind store."

He concludes, "I am really excited about this business venture."

People can stop to shop or browse at the Studio and Gallery Mondays through Fridays from 9-5, and on Saturdays from 9 to noon.