Our Town 125 and 100 Years Ago...May, Part I

MAY: Part I

By May in 1897, the long cold, snowy winter had finally receded and allowed spring to arrive. While the rest of the country and the world were embroiled in war, natural disasters, and front-page crime, life was still a little more docile here in our valley. People in Virginia were shaken by an earthquake; the Globe Savings Bank in Chicago had failed due to the mismanagement by its officers; in Fresno, California, a spurned man killed a woman and her daughter and then himself; war between Greece and Turkey was still on the front page; and in New York City, a blaze in a storage warehouse of the Merchants' Refrigerator Company that contained ammonia (and 150,000 cases of eggs) killed one firefighter and left 50 more in need of medical treatment. The articles below are taken as written from the May 7 and 14, 1897 editions of the Jefferson Valley Zephyr. The photo is of an advertisement that appeared in several May 1897 editions of the Zephyr touting the healing qualities of electricity for men.

A Man is a Man for A' That. Twin Bridges correspondent of Anaconda Standard: "J. J. Hill" was the simple inscription on the Twin Bridges hotel register Thursday. As big railroad celebrities are by no means unusual visitors to Twin Bridges these days, the Standard man hied thither in hot haste to "catch on" to a real big one. Imagine his disgust when he found it was only a Whitehall carpenter. People who have met both claim that Jack Hill is by far the better man of the two. The Twin Bridges man should have made Mr. Hill's acquaintance. He might have received a pointer or two on the real thing in manners.

THE HOME NEWS. The prices of admission to Miss Morris' entertainment tomorrow night will be 35 and 25 cents with no extra charge for chairs. C.D. Wilkinson spent the warm hours of Wednesday repairing the telephone line between Camp Golden and the depot. The big smokestack on the Parrot smelter at Gaylord was completed yesterday afternoon and its completion duly celebrated. A force of skilled workmen are engaged in setting the machinery in the big powerhouse of the Parrot smelter at Gaylord. Whitehall seems to have a few fellows in it who have nothing else to do but tie cans to dogs' tails. As times are now, there is no excuse for men to be without better employment than this. The summer excursion season will open on Sunday next. Special trains will leave Butte every Sunday morning, running to Sacry's ranch with stops at Pipestone, Whitehall, etc.

On Wednesday the approach on this side of the Jefferson Island bridge was in such shape that it was dangerous to cross. Senator Cardwell came to town and telegraphed the county surveyor the condition of the structure. Recently some repairs were made on the approach, but it seems that they were not strong enough to hold the piling under the approach and the rise of water took the rock and brush out.

Until the bridge is fixed, the people of South Boulder will have to cross at Gaylord or not at all.

It has been suggested that The Zephyr start a voting contest to determine who is the laziest man in town. It seemed at first a good idea until it was discovered that a number of our friends would vote for the editor as a compliment. Therefore there will be no voting contest.

There are a number of nice, clean bachelors in Whitehall who are waiting, waiting, waiting. Some are waiting girls with money; others want a "companion;" and there are some who want a good cook. This paper is no matrimonial bureau, but if a carload of lasses and molasses happen this way we will devote a column each week to the "Heart and Hand" business until the crop of bachelors has been materially reduced. This office received letters about real estate business and "situations wanted," but it is going to devote some of its efforts to finding sweet mates for some of the bald and ribald bachelors of this locality. Girls will enclose stamps for circular, giving descriptions, habits, fortune, religion, and preferences of Whitehall sourdough members of society. Bachelors who yearn will please leave their photographs at this office.

Fast forward 26 years to May 1923. Whitehall is growing yet somehow not much different than at the close of the 19th century. Outside the boundaries of our valley, the world was moving at a faster pace. John Macready and Oakley Kelly, U. S. Army pilots completed the first non-stop transcontinental flight across our country from Hempstead, New York to Rockwell Field near San Diego in just 26 hours, 50 minutes, and 38.6 seconds in a T-2 airplane. New York Yankee Everett Scott appeared in his 1,000th consecutive major league baseball game. Maine and New Brunswick were sustaining extensive damage from high spring runoff. More than 300 train passengers on the Tianjin-Pukou Railway Blue Express luxury train, including American and English visitors, were taken hostage by bandits. Native American Sioux and U. S. Army "code talker" during WWII, Gilbert Horn Sr. was born on May 12th. The following article, based on notes taken by Roy Milligan, Sr., highlights the news in Whitehall from the same time period.

Our local lads are showing skills as fine upstanding young men. During the Mayday breakfast at the Methodist church, a group served as waiters and helped to raise $40 for the event. In the past, our young ladies have served the meal. At the district track meet, our five high school representatives brought home the silver for their outstanding performance in track. Dale Bryant won the 220 and 440-yard dash, outperforming athletes from Livingston and Bozeman. Lloyd Lovelace was first in the high hurdles, Hugh Mosier placed first in the half-mile, and Almer Halverson won the mile race.

The new fountain in the center of town on Legion Avenue is a wonder to watch with the electric-powered pump spraying the air with a fine mist. The Northern Pacific is supplying the water.

Mayor Tait is to be commended for his leadership on the many improvements made so far during his term. Here is what has been added during his time in office: 7/10ths of a mile of concrete and Macadam road; new sidewalk in the business area which were widened by three feet; 1.5 miles of new concrete walkways and crossings with 25 carloads of cinders being placed on other streets; grading and clearing of streets in the NP addition and electric lights installed and outstanding support of the town cleanup campaign. A total of 83 truckloads of trash were hauled out of the town alleys, being deposited there by residents for pickup. Mr. Tait has more improvements planned. They include establishing a permanent tourist stop, creating another section of the city park, and paving Main Street from the fountain to the school.