This Month in Montana History: January

January 10, 1864; 159 years ago: Sheriff of Bannack and head of the road agents Henry Plummer is publicly executed by Montana Vigilantes. 17 more road agents will be killed by vigilantes throughout the month.

January 23, 1870; 153 years ago: Under command of Major Eugene Baker, the US Army kill nearly 200 Piegan Blackfeet people, mostly children, and women. The public outrage resulted in the United States taking steps to move towards a "Peace Policy", most notably moving the Bureau of Indian Affairs out of control of the War Department. However, open warfare against Indians would continue intermittently until 1924.

January 4, 1896; 127 years ago: The first issue of the Clancy Miner is published. Articles include the murder of Robert McDaniels in Little Quartz Gulch, the reason why Clancey got its name and subsequently lost the E, the latest exploits of "ulcer on the face of humanity" Sarah Borren, and a cow's heroic battle against fourteen train cars. The paper would run until July 1899.

January 30, 1899; 124 years ago: Classes begin in what is now the Old Red Schoolhouse. The first teachers are Ward Tower and Jessie Knight. By the end of the term, there were 161 students from ages 6 to 21, most on the older end of the spectrum, learning in two classrooms.

January 20, 1901; 122 years ago: A fire in Wickes burns down the entire business sector of town, including a general store, a restaurant, a grocery store, a livery stable, two saloons, the post office (though surprisingly, the mail was saved), and several houses and empty buildings. Another fire would strike Wickes in 1903, destroying most of the remaining town.

January 4, 1904; 118 years ago: The "worst fire Boulder has ever experienced" destroys the Windsor Hotel and adjourning buildings. With a fire truck with no water, fireman, and citizens made do by drawing from local wells or filling buckets with snow. At the time, the Windsor was made of log and stone; the subsequent repairs resulted in the brick building known today. The origin of the fire was unknown.

--Information from The Age, The Age Sentinel, Boulder Monitor, and Montana Sunlight, as well as additional historic sources

Questions? Comments? More information to share? Visit The Jefferson County Museum 5 N. Main Street, Clancy, MT, 59634. Open Tuesdays and Fridays from noon to 4 PM and Saturdays from 10:30 AM to 4 PM, or call to schedule an appointment at 406-224-5106, or conduct your own research at MontanaNewspapers.org