Our Town 100 Years Ago: May 1921 Part 2

May 1921 Part 2

The following are taken as written from May 1895 editions of the Whitehall Zephyr

SCHOOL BONDS: Saturday, May 25th, one week from tomorrow, an election will be held for the purpose of deciding whether Whitehall is a progressive or retrogressive community. The present school building is manifestly much too small to accommodate the demands at present-what will it be by winter? It is proposed to add another story to the present building. It has been said that it is only two years since the present school was built-an assertion which is true enough, but what does it prove? It simply proves that Whitehall has exceeded by far in its growth the hopes of the wise people of the time. Is that unfortunate? No sane man will deny that enlargement of the school building is necessary. This being the case, it does seem as though there should not be a vote against it. Sufficient or insufficient educational facilities, i.e. civilization or barbarism-note for which you favor; it is your right.

ZEPHYRETTES: Cauliflower plants, $1 per 100; cabbage plants 60 cents per 100, delivered. O. H. Davey, postoffice. The railroad right-of-way fence between the depot and the south part of town has been removed. The portable oven for Engel & Fischer's new bakery will soon be in place. It weighs nearly three tons. Ivan Houghton's stage team started out on a trip to the mine on their own account a few mornings since, but had not gone very far before the lines got wound around one of the wheels so tightly as to bring them up standing. There was a much-needed rain last Monday night, but it quit at least 24 hours too soon. The valley has not had one good drenching rain this spring.

Detachments of the Blanket Division of the Grand Army of Unemployed are daily filing into town in search of employment on the branch from Whitehall to Gaylord, and the smoke of their campfires can be seen in every direction every morning.

PERSONAL CHATS: Mrs. Dr. Davis is now in Whitehall to stay and the doctor and his wife are now settled in housekeeping quarters in the upper story of Worthy Noble's house. "Doc" Burdick says Joe Swenzrath is preparing a lecture entitled "What I Know About a Cloudburst in a Cloudless Sky," and that W. M. Fergus will be business manager. Mr. Thomas Lutey, of Butte has purchased the John Beall ranch, and moved his family to it. Mr. Lutey has made no mistake in selecting the Jefferson Valley for his future home.

The following is rewritten from notes made by Roy Milligan, Sr. from May 1921 editions of the Jefferson Valley News. The photo is the center block of town on Legion Avenue from what is now Green on Main to the theater building.

SCHOOL NEWS: The Whitehall High School Alabama Minstrels played to a packed house at the Yellowstone Hall. The concert was a fundraising effort to buy stage scenery for our new big gym at the school. Mr. Manlove served at the interlocutor. Other members included Allen Bryan, Dale Bryant, Henry Painter, Leslie Knight, Frank Wilson, Henry Reilly, Arthur Needham, and Hugh Mosier. The stage scenery and a fine stage curtain has been shipped from St. Paul and students are eagerly awaiting the arrival. The Whitetail school will be closed, and students will be brought into Whitehall in an enclosed truck. The Pipestone Bench school is under consideration for closure.

BUSINESS NEWS: Mrs. Joseph Friend has beautiful garden plants for sale. You can buy, per 100 plants, strawberries, pansies, or tulips for $1.00 and Columbine, Canterbury Bells, or Tiger Lilies for $2.00. Roots are available for Golden rod, Golden glow, Ribbon bliss, Crawling butter cup vine, pre-annual Heliotrope and Sweet Marie. Howard A. Johnson, of Butte, will take over the law practice of D. F. Naughton who is moving to Salt Lake City. Mr. Johnson will also serve as the land commissioner. Whitehall Clean-up week, as declared by our mayor, will take place May 16-21. Mr. E. W. Keeler of the Yellowstone Confectionary has installed a new ice cream cabinet just in time for summer heat. A maternity home will be opening soon in town. It will be run by Mr. and Mrs. F. E. Eaton who have been dry land farming on the North Boulder for the past seven years. The Smith Garage Company has a great buy on Overland Cars. They make 25 miles to the gallon and sell for just $850, FOB Toledo.

OBITUARY: Mrs. William McGee passed away on May 20th. Anna was born in New Port Wales 51 years ago and came to Butte about 32 years ago. She was there for two years and has been living on Fish Creek for the past 30 years. She married William McGee in 1893. She is survived by three sisters, a brother and children Mrs. Florence McGlynn, Mrs. Lucy Mooney, Mrs. Bessie Lutey, Rosie McGee, Pearl McGee, and son William McGee.