This document contains a wide assortment of papers and promotional materials concerning the Big Sky Telegraph, a Montana-based telecommunications network serving rural economic development organizations. Funded by the US West Foundation and Western Montana College, Big Sky was created to stimulate grassroots innovation in rural education, community services, economic development, and telecommunications. According to the plan, educators and individuals in 104 communities received free training and modems to gain access to distant resources and explore new strategies for development. Among other things, the system was used to offer online college courses, to establish a network among state women's centers, and to teach communications skills to aspiring entrepreneurs. Separate papers discuss the implications of telecommunications for rural people. The following are some of the titles: "Economic Development in Rural Communities"; "Rural Health Networking"; "The Grassroots Potential of Electronic Democracy"; "The Transformative Vision of Dave Hughes"; "Highways of the Mind"; and "Grassroots Networking on Big Sky Telegraph: Empowering Montana's One-Room Rural Schools." Plans to expand Big Sky Telegraph, flyers describing its services, news articles, and a class packet describing how to begin an online class are also included. Five appendices include background information, evaluative research considerations, Western Montana College's economic development initiatives, a states' progress update, and a multistate proposal for one branch of the Big Sky Telegraph project. (TES)