Phillips County News - One Nation, Under God

What household appliance put women at considerable risk? They could both flatten and explode? In the early 1940’s, gas-powered irons replaced the ‘sad irons’. With the new technology a pump was used to build up pressure in the fuel tank and a...

Country churches is the topic for this week. Many churches were built in the 1920s. Homesteaders found a need to be close to their God in this new land. Distance was too great to go to town on Sunday so if they wanted to worship a church would have...

Spring has arrived and the Phillips County Museum opened its doors for the 2023 season. This week a special tribute is being given to the artist Clarence Cuts The Rope. Many households in Phillips County host one or more of his paintings. Cuts the...

Brrr...it’s definitely winter in Montana. Time to circle the table and play cards. There is a legend that says cards came to America with Christopher Columbus. Sailors are a superstitious lot, and it seems the voyage of discovery had bad luck...

With everyone talking about the elections, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas shopping, and that dreaded word, INFLATION, we thought it might be fun to look up what was going on in Phillips County in November of 1942. Trafton-Dorr was...

Did you get a bite of the World’s Largest Hamburger? It was nearly a quarter of century ago that dang near the whole county came together at the Sleeping Buffalo Resort. Made a run for (and won!) the title of World’s Largest Hamburger in...

Bet-cha Didn’t Know Life gives us many good neighbors throughout our lifetime. This is a story labeled “They Were Good Neighbors” by Gladys Costello. Two neighboring landowners, one a sheepman and one a cattleman, were on friendly terms, settli...

Celebrating Independence Day always reminds us of those that have given their lives or a portion of their lives to keep us free. The following is a poem that Bryon “Buck” Hurley wrote while stationed in New Guinea. Bryon attended Wagner grade sch...

It’s not a plane, not a dinosaur…but a flying reptile! The museum added a model Pteranodon to the great room this year. Although Pteranodons didn’t inhabit this part of the continent, we think he fits in nicely between the Curry brothers...

Does anyone recognize the term “cocktail guard”? Sounds like a fun job. Maybe a time to gather at a bar or lounge for cocktail hour? Complete different meaning for a cowboy. After a long day on the trail a spot would be found to hold the herd...

Does anyone recognize the term “Slow Elk”? I’ve been reading old Walt Coburn tales and ran across a remark about Slow Elk. It refers to the practice of never butchering your own beef. In what was a questionable practice- many a ranch had a...

Memorial Day. It’s a time for family barbeques, brandings, and parties. Let us not forget that the Federal Holiday is also a time for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who gave their lives while serving the United States. The...

Are you a COWBOY? Have you ever booted a big steer up from his sleep so you could spread your bedroll on the ground he’s warmed up? That’s what George Armstrong tells about the “cowboys” in 1900. A cowboy’s work began in the spring when he...

Wondering how Zortman got its name? Zortman, an early mining town in the Little Rockies, was named after Oliver Pete Zortman. Zortman was born in Pennsylvania in 1865. He spent his early years receiving a school education and helping his father in...

Is anyone playing cards this week at the Senior Citizens? One of the first organized social clubs in Malta was the “Pioneer Whist Club”.They played once a month during the fall and winter months. The club was officially organized in 1911. The...

An “Unsolved Murder / Disappearance” of Abe Gill was on our minds this week. This mystery involves some well-known Phillips County names such as the Coburn Ranch and Kid Curry. The story involves land disputes, water rights, and women!...

The City of Malta has purchased the “old” National Guard Armory and I’ve had several questions about its history. The Armory was originally dedicated on May 1, 1965. Original cost of the armory was $100,000.00. The armory was filled to...

This week let’s talk about a few of those industrious souls who started and helped the town of Malta to grow. One such man came to Malta very early. He was a native of Canada and emigrated to the United States. This individual made many...

“Treasure” is defined as a valuable object. Treasure comes in all shapes and sizes and surprising it might even be a slip of paper. The Museum was given several paper letters that are “treasures”. The letters were hand-written by a...

As Covid raises its ugly head in Phillips County a dear friend comes to mind. She and her mother both passed due to Covid. In remembering, a story came to mind about the grandmother of my friend. Grandmother was quite a lady. She came from Minnesota...

A quote by Bob Marley says “Without music life would be a mistake”. Music does play a vital part in our lives and in doing research for a music display in the Museum I found some interesting facts. The “Divje Babe Flute” is thought to be the...

Items come in all shapes and sizes here at the Museum. Here is a quick quiz let’s see if you can name the item. What do coffeepots, elevators, cowboys, animals, fire hydrants, shoes, appliances, and horses have in common? Okay, here is the second...

“The Saddle That Made Miles City Famous”. This slogan was used by Albert Frank Furstnow in his saddle making business in Miles City. The PC Museum is pleased to have a saddle by this well-known maker. The saddle is from the Collection of Art and...

It’s almost the 4th of July and the PC Museum was in full patriot mode this week. The Museum was honored to help a foundation find information on a serviceman. The Chief Rick Stone and Family Charitable Foundation’s mission is to help identify...