Phillips County News - One Nation, Under God

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...

Remember when you could order an entire house through a catalog? Inside studs, outside wood, nails, detailed instruction books, and each item needed to build a house would be delivered by rail. The house was called a “kit house.” The H.G....

The Montana Dinosaur Trail is once again making news as the Treasure State Lifestyles Magazine dedicated an entire issue to the Trail. Created in 2005, the Montana Dinosaur Trail works to promote tourism in 14 facilities across the State of Montana....

Paul Snyder, a Malta High School graduate, recently published a book about the “backbars” in Montana. The book is wonderful -well written, well-illustrated, and a wealth of information.The book also serves as a reminder of the wonderful and...

Whitewater Schools’ Graduation is May 14, 2021, at 7.p.m. Congratulations to them. IT’S MAY!!! Happy Mothers Day and Happy Birthday “to all those celebrating in May, also to those celebrating anniversaries, There was a track meet in...

How many remember the old Trafton Door Store? The following is a story told by Tom Laurence on how Trafton’s first store floated in! The prairie was covered with buffalo bones when Bob Trafton first arrived. He hired every man he could to gather...

Much has been written about cowboys and their horses, but this story is about a sheepherder and his dog. (The only dog to have been arrested in Malta). Now a sheepherder was lonely and sometimes a bit loony. His only concern was his sheep. He fought...

The Museum collections reflect a variety of objects and ethnic people. Immigrants from around the world found their way to Phillips County during the Homestead years. A new display at the Museum features objects from immigrants that came to our area...

It’s time to celebrate Spring and the opening of the Phillips County Museum!! A milestone happened during the first week in April 1917. On April 6, 1917, the United States entered World War I. In July 1917 twelve men signed their intent to enlist...

It’s the season for the receiving and sending of Christmas cards. The Museum archives have a wonderful box or two of old Christmas cards. At home we may have saved a special card from grandparents or that someone special. Cards come in all sizes...

Stories abound at the Phillips County Museum. The following is a true story. In 1907 Fred Heeck decided to go to Montana to stake a land claim. Journeying by train he arrived in Dodson Montana and rented a room in a small hotel. Knowing that...

Museum Notes Oct 21 Hunting season is upon us! I think Ernest Hemingway described the emotion associated with bird hunting when he said “I think they were all made to shoot because if they were not why did they give them that whirr of wings that...

St. Paul’s Indian Mission was a topic of discussion at the PC Museum this week. The story of its beginning and continuing story arrived with items from Jay and Lynn Contway. Here is the history as it was presented to us. On May 1, 1886, Reverand...

It’s great to see the Hi-Line Racing events bringing visitors from near and far to our community. Dodson may have had the honor of having the first big races in our county. After a baseball game in 1917, the Enterprise reports the car races began....