Our Town 100 Years Ago: May Part 1

One would think that things were a lot different back in 1896, and in many ways they were. But, some things were much like today. In May 1896, headlines included destructive tornadoes in Kansas, a fire in a Colorado town that left at least 2000 people homeless, high-profile murder trials, and trouble in the Middle East. Locally, the Jefferson Valley Zephyr stories reflect, to some extent, the happenings of the country. The following are taken as written (with some content excluded) from the Zephyr.

WAS CRUEL MURDER: On Friday, probably, a brutal murder was committed less than one mile from the center of Whitehall, and the body was left in the willows which fringe the banks of Pipestone creek as it flows through the ranch of Mike Quinn, and within 400 yards of Mike’s cabin. The murdered man was J.E. Reddish, who for some months had been working with the George Mattox Northern Pacific bridge carpenter crew, and it is supposed that a new-found companion by the name of White, is his murderer.

ZEPHYRETTES AND PERSONAL CHAT: The Delmonico Café is the name of a new restaurant which will be open to the public in a few days, next to the post office. It will be owned and managed by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Schmidt, which is equivalent to saying that the table will be first class. The building is being papered, painted, and fixed up in elegant shape.

J. W. Glem and Fred Lapuy, who have for some time been engaged in operating the Fish creek sawmill, have separated and the business will hereafter be conducted by Mr. Glem.

Mr. Tidball, prospective millionaire but at the present dry-goods man for the J.V.T.Co., was somewhat under the climate early in the week but is now on top of it with a strangler’s grip.

Hon. J.S. Hopkins, of Custer county, was in town yesterday and today. In addition to being a prominent sheep breeder, Mr. Hopkins’ name will go down to posterity as that of one of the two democrats only who were elected to the Montana legislature in 1894. Mr. Hopkins shipped 3,000 fine-looking sheep from here to Forsythe.

Frank Lemoyne, the well-known Little Pipestone placer miner, was in town this week, looking happy as a clam at high tide.

ECHOES OF THE RAIL: Engineer J. Dempsey got lost in Butte one evening last week, and was finally discovered following a milk wagon from house to house. Conductor Elliott says he has a full-grown kick coming; upon interrogated as to what occasioned his unhappiness he said, “Oh, nothing; but one of my brakemen, Tom Griffin, is getting to be such a notorious liar that he keeps me continually in hot water.”

HUCKLEBERRY GONE: “Huckleberry” McKune, well known to all the readers of this paper through his humorous writings, passed over the great divide very suddenly in Butte on Friday morning of last week. John. H. McKune, better known by the soubriquet of “Huckleberry,” was one of the old-time printers of the west. He was one of the owners of the Townsend Messenger and had recently worked on the Basin Times, Whitehall Zephyr, Pocatello Tribune, and Dillon Tribune.

The (inquest) evidence was to the effect that he went into Howard & Harrington’s saloon (Butte) a little after 12 o’clock yesterday morning. McKim woke McKune up and called him up to the bar and he took whisky straight. He took eight more drinks in quick succession and filled the glass each time…in about five minutes Bob Howard noticed that he was frothing at the mouth. Officers Slusel and McLeod were summoned, and he died at the corner of Park Street and the alley leading to the jail. He was interred at Butte by the Typographical Union.

By early May 1922, Whitehall High School Seniors were eager for graduation and to move on to the next chapter in their lives. The following is based on notes made by Roy Millegan, Sr. from May 4 and 11, 1922 editions of the Jefferson Valley News. The accompanying photo is the WHS Class of 1922.

Our local high students are ready for the school year to end and having fun waiting for it. With the mill levy passing 58 to 31, the school will remain open until the official end of the term. Henry Reilly won the Public Speaking competition and will be going on to the next level in Missoula with his speech on “Boy Orator of Zapata City.” The track team boys left the Three Forks sprinters in the dust, beating them 89 to 20. The Junior Prom was the Berries. The gym ceiling was transformed into an evening wonderland with crepe paper and a huge flutter of handmade butterflies dancing with the slightest breeze. The orchestra pavilion was highlighted in purple and white while 70 couples went goofy over the latest dance steps. Supper was served at the Liberty Café with Mr. and Mrs. Flaherty providing top hat service.

There will be 26 locals graduating this month. The high school graduates in 1913 numbered only 2. Those earning their diplomas are George Beck, Allen Bryan, George Bryan, Helen Harrington Carter, Verne Correia, Melvin Davies, Clem Davison, Gladys Elmer, Berenice Evans, Maude Jayne, Pansy Jenison, Bernard Johnston, Leslie Knight, Archie McDonald, Rosina Micklethwait, Elizabeth Miller, Ralph Murphy, Henry Painter, Henry Reilly, John Smith, Cecil Thomas, Irma Thompson, Josephine Tidball, Lola Wetzel, Frank Wilson, and Clarence Young.

BUSINESS NEWS BITS: Delmonico’s, operated by Mrs. Borden, is one of the town’s finest eating establishments. The Sanitary Dairy will be changing ownership. J. W. Lechtworth and son-in-law Ted Sanders will be moving to Twin Bridges. Mr. Myers has leased the dairy and will be using the same old familiar milk wagon so it will be easy to see where the milk products are coming from. Mr. Schulke has purchased the bar and the fixtures from the Yellowstone Hotel and will be moving them to his soft drink establishment. The bar is one of the oldest historic relics of our town. Back when the Sunlight and Mayflower were running at full steam, it is said more money passed over this bar in one night than now flows around town in one week. In competition with the Sanitary Dairy is the new Riverdale Dairy owned by everyone’s favorite teacher, Nellie Hoey. Milk delivery will begin on June 1. Order now to get your milk at 10 cents per quart or a half pint of cream for 12½ cents.

OBITUARIES: George W. Edwards passed on April 25th. He was born in Illinois in 1852 and came to Montana in 1901. Ethel Ester Hyndman passed on April 29th. Born on December 3, 1884, in Kansas. Interment will be in the Whitehall cemetery.

Henry T. Brooke, formerly of Waterloo, has died. He was born in December 1865 in Yorkshire, England, and came to America in July 1873. He and his wife Mary lived in Waterloo until her death in 1904. He then moved to Butte to operate a grocery business and took that experience with him to Salt Lake City in 1921. The surviving family lives in Yorkshire and Black Pool, England.

Whitehall will surely be up to speed with twentieth-century advancements as they come along. Ab Schmidt and George Tait are among the first in our valley to have in their possession the latest in wireless communication, the radiotelephone.