One Nation, Under God
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“Hello, Number please”. Do those words sound familiar to anyone? If so, it may be an indication of your age! Those were the words that Lois Goodheart, Darl Crowder, Loretta Bebee, Allie Ereaux, or Myrna Kroon would have used when they were the Malta operators for the local telephone system. Switchboards had four sections, with two covering the same phone numbers. Long distance calls were given top priority at all times. Living and working in a small community, these gals also did wake calls, the local doctor would call and let them know where h...
What/where was the first schoolhouse in Dodson? If you answered the Dan Nicolson house, you would be correct. The year was 1904-1905. Miss Short (who was not) and Miss Moore were two of the first teachers. In 1906 the school patrons donated materials and labor for a small building which was the new school. In 1912-13 a grand amount of $10.000.00 was gathered to erect a two-story frame building. This remained the school for Dodson until 1939. In 1921-22 there were 133 students enrolled. The PC Museum has a replica of an old school donated by...
What/where was the first schoolhouse in Dodson? If you answered the Dan Nicolson house, you would be correct. The year was 1904-1905. Miss Short (who was not) and Miss Moore were two of the first teachers. In 1906 the school patrons donated materials and labor for a small building which was the new school. In 1912-13 a grand amount of $10.000.00 was gathered to erect a two-story frame building. This remained the school for Dodson until 1939. In 1921-22 there were 133 students enrolled. The PC Museum has a replica of an old school donated by...
Newscasters come and go in today’s world of scandals. But do you remember one of the most famous duos of the NBC TV network? If you guessed Huntley and Brinkley you would be correct. The senior member of the team was Chet Huntley, who was born north of Saco, went to a country school there and attended public school in Saco. Huntley was proud of his heritage and never failed to mention his Montana roots and that he was a native of Saco. The school which he attended (Huntley School) now sits in the town of Saco and is open to visitors. Please s...
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 match was lit underneath the iron, making a flame inside the iron. These irons carried a real risk of causing a fire or even exploding. In addition, some versions were made with a wooden handle that had the potential to burn the user’s hand or burn up entirely. By the 1970’s gas irons were replaced...
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 to be built. A church service was an excuse to bring people together and often the services would be followed by a community picnic. If there was no money to build a church, services were held in homes or schools. The Midale Church was built in 1920. It was known as the Margaret Boles Memorial...
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 Rope was born in Hays and attended St. Paul’s Mission School. He spent two years in an army airborne division as a paratrooper and then returned to Phillips County. He has several siblings. Clarence once said of his father “he would have been the real artist in the family if he had the time to dev...
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 following it on the sea. Looking for a culprit to blame some of the men decided that playing cards on the ship had brought bad luck! So, over the side of the ship the cards were thrown. Luckily, for all of us, one sailor must have secretly held back a deck of cards and so, cards came to America. Stay w...
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 advertising a new Lay-A-Way Plan, which was described as “a small deposit to hold any Garment until you call for it at Christmas time.” Some garments advertised included White Elk Sno-Shoes for Women ($3.25), Misses ($2.50) and Children ($1.60), and “Suzette Snip-it Slips”, priced at $2.25, and Men’s Uni...
It's roundup time in Montana and Phillips County. Roundups have been happening since before Montana became a state. I found Walt Coburns description of an early roundup at Sun Prairie interesting. This is his description. "When we came off a wide ridge with our cattle drive we could see a dozen other drives stringing in from bench lands and ridges, through draws and coulees, in bunches from fifty to a hundred head. It was like the spokes of a wheel centered to a large hub, the hub being the...
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 celebration of Milk River Wagon Train's 30th year of travel and the 70th year of the Sleeping Buffalo Resort We got to talking about all the stories of revelry and misadventures that have traveled our slice of the Hi-Line week in conjunction with Labor Day weekend in Phillips County. Between Saco Fun Days, the...
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, settling their disputes amicably. They both came to Zortman frequently to do a little celebrating. Came a day when they met in Sam Deniff’s Saloon. Both were well on their way to a celebration when the argument broke out. In a flash, each man had drawn his gun and the shooting began. The big back mirror of the...
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 school and graduated at age 15 from Malta High School. In 1940 he joined the Army and had specialized training at the Letterman General Hospital in San Francisco before being sent to New Guinea. On July 30, 1943, he was killed in action on Roosevelt Ridge in New Guinea. He was posthumously awarded the Purp...
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’ photo and moose. Pteranodons were interesting little guys, standing on all fours when not flying in search of fish. This was learned when fossilized tracks were found, showing the four contact points. Also, like some birds (and hang gliders), Pteranodons rode thermals. However, the museum’s Pteranodo...
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 for the night. It would have both water and grass available. The cattle would be watered and allowed to graze. Then with basic needs met the cattle were ready to lie quiet and chew their cuds. It was nearing twilight and soon to be dark. This period was called the “cocktail guard”. It was a time of rest...
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 herd of cattle but when it came time for supper you were generally eating one of the large cow outfits beef. The practice involved butchering the beef, cutting the brand out of the hide, whacking off the telltale earmarks, cutting up the hide and sinking it deep in the muddy waters of a river. What was accep...
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 Federal holiday has been celebrated since 1971. Yet history tells us that as early as the Civil War a holiday was held for the same purpose. It was called Decoration Day. Flowers, tokens, and flags were placed on the graves of those that gave their lives during the Civil War. Have fun and celebrate, but n...
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 was “hired on”. Generally, it began with branding continuing on until fall shipping. There was seldom a day off. In the saddle at daybreak after a 4 a.m. breakfast. Catch your horse and set the saddle on the hump in his back, walk him til he sweats and then climb aboard for the days work. Back for an early...
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 his farming. In his early 20’s the lure of gold and striking it rich drew him to the Black Hills. Not having any success in that area, he landed in Landusky in 1894, later moving to a mining camp to the north. Ellen Burrows, a business owner in Zortman, remembers him as a tall, handsome man with g...
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 club was a bit elitist concerning its membership. It’s one hard fast rule was that to be a member one had to have lived in Malta for 15 years. At that time, it meant members had come to Malta not later than 1896. Food was an integral part of the club. A full course meal was served before an evening of tr...
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! Background of the story varies with which author you read but here is my condensed version! It begins with Dan Tressler and his wife Lucy and six children. For what ever reason Lucy seems to have taken up with Johnny Curry and Dan decided to sell his holdings in the Little Rockies and move to Harlem with the chi...
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 capacity for the dedication ceremonies. As the colors were posted The Malta High School Band played several musical selections including “The Star-Spangled Banner”. Telegrams were read from the White House and Governor Tim Babcock congratulating the community. Following the program guests were taken on guided 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 contributions that helped the growth of Malta. He donated land for the Little White Church, the land for the Carnegie Library, a large piece of land for the Phillips County Courthouse and jail, land for the first Catholic Church in Malta, and the gift of land which now makes up Trafton Park on the Milk River b...
“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 schoolteacher in Caldwell, Montana to her mother who lived in the East. Here is an excerpt from a letter about a 1920’s country dance she attended. She writes “The dance was all I had hoped for! An old-fashioned fiddler but playing up-to-date modern songs! And the men in this country sure can dance. Everyone wa...
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 to Montana with her family in the early 1900s. The early years were hard with the family living in tents during the summer when their house burned down. In rebuilding the family pulled up fence posts, stood them end to end, and made their home. By the year 1919, she proved up on a homestead claim...