Our Town 125 and 100 Years Ago...October, Part II

125+ Years Ago: October Part II - October 1897 was ending much as it began. More miners died in Butte, a woman overdosed on drugs in her room on the Galena alley, Veno the Healer was arrested for bilking Butte citizens out of at least $7000 and the well-known John A. Baker shot himself in his home on North Crystal Street. Outside of Montana, a mayoral election was being held in the huge three-million-strong metropolis of New York City with the yearly pay for the mayor set at $15,000. In Japan, Americans were not at all welcome. Yellow fever was running rampant in New Orleans. The town of Windsor in Nova Scotia was wiped out by a massive fire. In Nebraska, a hot spell ended with a blizzard that almost stopped railroad traffic in the western part of the state. Here in our valley, farmers were busy completing their harvest, people were dying, getting married, and the county was totaling its tax revenue. The following articles are taken as written from the October 15, 22, and 29, 1897 editions of the Jefferson Valley Zephyr. The photo is an advertisement from one of those editions.

WATERLOO NEWS: Nearly all the crops in this section are now harvested. The ranchers report a good yield of grain and apples, but the potato crop is generally light. Acting on the principle that children are sent to school to study and not to contract rheumatism and ague, it might be well to have the frog pond now around the school house, somewhat reduced in size. Several of our best citizens are showing marked interest in the proposed organization of a literary and debating society which is to be started soon. With hearty goodwill and cooperation, the success of the project is assured. The teacher, Mr. McIntyre, and pupils are hard at work preparing for a school exhibition to be given about Thanksgiving time.

TAX STATISTICS: Interesting Figures Compiled by the Officials of Jefferson County. According to the tax books recently figured up by the county clerk and placed in the hands of the treasurer, the assessed value of all property in Jefferson County is $3,250,417. The total tax to be collected from this property is $60,296.55, of which the county tax for general, school, poor, and road funds is $43,875.14; for the state, $8,125.10; special school, $5,282.19; special fire (Whitehall and Basin) $1,270.77; for the bounty on stock destroying animals, $849.30; for stock inspection and detection, $324.61. Jefferson County gets a considerable sum from the railroads in taxes. The Northern Pacific on its main line and branches pays $9,758.10; on its land, $1,035.85. The Great Northern Company pays $7,876.60.

THE HOME NEWS: The county treasurer will hereafter follow the letter of the law in the collection of a ten percent penalty on delinquent licenses.

The ditch of the Parrot company went out on Thursday and again Tuesday morning. The weak spot is just above Point of Rocks. Fluming may be resorted to.

J.J. Hill is busily engaged in making three new ladders for the fire department. Two of them will be 22 feet in length and their third one 12 feet.

PRUETT-BRAY: Charles J. Pruett, one of the original locators of the Mayflower mine, near Gaylord, was married yesterday to Miss Annie E. Bray of Butte. There is a pleasant bit of romance in the affair, Mr. Pruett having met the young lady, who is an orphan when a poor man. When fortune smiled on him he did not forget his former love and yesterday he came to Butte and was married. The happy couple will reside near Gaylord, Mr. Pruett is engaged in mining operations.

HALLOWE'EN PARTY: Invitations are out for a Hallowe'en party to be given at the boarding house at Camp Golden on Saturday. They are in early English and read as follows: "Ye men and maydens are besoughten to attend a Hallowe'en basket party at ye concentrator boarding house. Assemble upon ye hour of half past seven, on ye thirtieth of ye month October, eighteen hundred and ninety-seven. By command of ye Hallowe'en Spirit."

100 Years Ago: October Part II - In the second half of October 1923, there was still turmoil in the world, yet there were many bright spots. Communists were gaining strength in parts of Europe. Germany changed the backing of its currency by forcing mortgages on landowners, a move made after 6.5 billion marks were worth only one U.S. dollar. A failed revolt of military officers took place in Greece. Bulgaria lost its entire Air Force (a single plane) in a crash. After WWI, Bulgaria was allotted a single aircraft by the Treaty of Neuilly. On the brighter side, the New York Yankees beat the New York Giants in the World Series. Three young men from Bombay, India started (and would later finish) a bicycle ride around the world that covered 44,000 miles. Montana Senator Thomas J. Walsh headed the committee for the hearings on the Teapot Dome oil leases. The Walt Disney Company was founded by brothers Walt and Roy Disney. The patent for a suspended ceiling was issued to Eric E. Hall. The Kentucky Derby winner, Zev, beat Britain's premier horse, Papyrus, by five lengths and the owner received a $100,000 prize. President Calvin Coolidge signed the proclamation for creating Carlsbad Caverns National Monument. Here in our valley, as usual, things were a bit more ordinary, and for the most part, life was good. The following articles are based on notes made by Roy Millegan, Sr. from October 18 and 25, 1923 editions of the Jefferson Valley News.

St. Theresa's Catholic Church will be hosting Reverend P.J. Youngblood for a week of mission gatherings to spread the word of his Redemptorist Order. He is a powerful and forceful speaker who has reached the souls of many.

Nate Root stopped in our news office this week to sing the praises of his faithful Universal motor car. After 30,000 miles of driving his "Spirit of 15," he says he would not trade it for a Packard with all the extras. Nate has become an expert at starting his vehicle and has not given our local doctor the pleasure of fixing up any sprained, fractured, or broken hands like other gentlemen in town who have not cranked their vehicles in a safe manner.

Our Mayor has signed a proclamation stating that the Civic League of the school has undertaken the noteworthy task of creating a skating rink for all to use in our fine community. Therefore, the afternoon of October 22nd shall be declared a half-holiday, and all able-bodied citizens, young and old, are to come with shovels and hoes to assist in removing brush and smoothing the area to create a much-needed and wanted rink. The location of the rink will be near Dan Morrison's home on the west side of town near the railroad tracks.

Mrs. Ike Pace has done much to put Whitehall on the map. She is currently on a speaking tour of our great state as part of her duties in the office of vice president of the Montana Federation of Women's Clubs. Our local Women's Club will be sending two young ladies to the Vocational Congress in Bozeman.

Our local grade school students are preparing to be the best at producing a high school newspaper when they reach that stage by starting their own grade school paper called "The Grade Tattler." Better mind your p's and q's or you could be their next front-page story.