Our Town 100+ Years Ago... December, Part I

100+ Years Ago - December, Part I: While the children were counting down the days to Christmas back in December 1898, adults were busy with world affairs. The peace treaty of Paris was being finalized with the key details of Spain withdrawing from Cuba and the Philippines and giving up its sovereignty over Puerto Rico. The U.S. postal service was suffering growing pains with 73,000 post offices and 200,000 employees and a projected debt for the year 1900 of over $4,000,000.

The 55th Congress was in their closing session which meant a message from the president would be read, all two hours and 18 minutes. Senators were attentive for the first hour but then drifted off to various other locations outside of the congressional chambers. There were murder trials in Butte, vote recounts, and ballot issues in several Montana counties, and the Zephyr featured weekly excerpts from the play "Cyrano De Bergerac." The following articles are taken as written from the December 2 and 9, 1898 editions of the Jefferson Valley Zephyr.

SOUTH BOULDER NEWS: Some of the South Boulder young men have taken to fighting as a pastime, and not being very adept or scienced in that line, their antics in the mix-up afford great amusement to onlookers. A school with an enrollment of fifteen scholars has started at Mammoth. Miss Jean Randall of Nebraska is their schoolma'am. The Jefferson River at the Island Bridge has gorged up to such an extent that it is overflowing its banks, and the road on the Madison side is partly underwater. Old settlers claim it is the worst ever seen since the country has been settled. They expect if it breaks and goes all at once it will do great damage to the country below.

SILVER STAR HINTS: Almost everybody has a bad cold owing to the recent sudden changes in the weather.

Speaking about bad colds, the telephone line between Silver Star and Butte has one every morning, or at least it is unable to speak until after noon. Everybody has undoubtedly had a good time the last eight or ten days, in fact it has been one continual round of pleasure, shooting turkeys and chickens. Pigeon shooting, singing, playing, dancing, and in fact everything the yearning heart could wish for in a city like this (if there is another like it.)

HOME NEWS: Roll Yotter is ill at the Mayflower, and Dr. Davis says the ailment is scarlet fever. There are a number of children in the Mayflower district now, and parents are naturally alarmed.

GRAND CHRISTMAS BALL: Arrangements have been made for a grand Christmas ball at the Band Hall on Monday evening, Dec. 26th.

DEATH OF MRS. MANCHESTER: A Small Scratch on the Finger Results in Fatal Poisoning. An unusually sad death occurred in Whitehall yesterday morning when Mrs. N.R. Manchester passed away at 7:20 o'clock, surrounded by loving relatives. The fatal illness was due to what appeared to be a trivial scratch on the index finger of the left hand. For several days, little attention was paid to the wound, but on Thursday last, it was so painful that Dr. Davis was called. His diagnosis was that of blood poisoning and that the poison had entered the veins and followed the arteries. Orilla Zink Manchester was thirty years old and was born in Michigan.

Alex McKay and John Tebay went to Butte on Wednesday, taking in the Hennessy opening and transacting a little business on the side.

SCHOOL NOTES: Every pupil but one was present on Monday, which is a pretty fair showing, considering the weather. The average attendance for November was 41. During the stormy weather, they have no recess at school. Maud Cowdrey has started school and entered the seventh grade. The ninth grade is getting quite far advanced in their Latin, and they challenge any other beginner to out-talk them in the language.

A FAMILY NECESSITY: Ed Jack, Wyandotte, Kas., has applied for a patent for a contrivance to prevent snoring. It is based on the theory that no one can snore with his mouth shut. Mr. Jack also claims that his invention can be utilized to keep babies from crying and women from talking.

100 Years Ago - December, Part I: The front page of the December 4, 1924, Jefferson Valley News was topped off with the very large and bold headline "Montana Story Goes to 110,000,000 People During December MONTANA MONTH All Nation Will Read Luring Story of the Treasure State-Three Railroads Co-operating. " Most of the front was filled with stories of Montana's great mineral wealth, agricultural output, cheap farmland, and over 7,000 miles of railroad lines. Montana residents were touted as having the lowest death rate in the U.S., with only 8.2 per hundred thousand.

By the following week, the front page was back to local news. Apparently, nearly everyone in the valley viewed the silent film "The Covered Wagon," and most local news was about who motored where for Thanksgiving dinner. But there was plenty of other local news worth repeating. The following articles are taken as written from the December 4 and 11, 1924 editions of the Jefferson Valley News. The photo is one of the movie posters for The Covered Wagon.

YOTTER & SON DISTRICT AGENTS FOR TEXACO CO: Yotter & Son, proprietors of the Tire Service Station, corner of Legion and Division Street, are now the district agents for the Texaco Oil Company. They will sell at wholesale and retail all grades of lubricating, machine oils, and floor wax in addition to Texaco gasoline and kerosene. They have a ten-thousand-gallon tank for the storage of gasoline located on the N.P. railroad company's property, south of the tracks. Already, they have installed a new 550-gallon tank on the north side of their place of business and also a ten-gallon visible pump in front of their shop.

ROLL YOTTER IS AWARDED MAIL CARRYING CONTRACT. Roll Yotter has been awarded the contract for the hauling of the mail from Whitehall to Alder on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays each week. Clyde Akin has been employed by Mr. Yotter to drive the new Chevrolet truck purchased recently by the proprietors of the Tire Service Station for that service. J.E. Fitch, who has had the contract for the transportation of the mail every other day since the daily train service between this station and Alder ceased, about a year ago, and Nat Chamberlain were also bidders for the job. The bid of Mr. Yotter being the lowest and best, he was awarded the contract. The latter will make his first trip on December 16.

LOCAL NEWS: Archie McArthur spent the weekend at the Gillespie ranch in the Whitetail Park. While out riding, his horse fell on the ice, Archie's foot was caught, and as a result, he has been suffering from a badly injured ankle. He returned home Sunday evening and has not been able to attend school this week.

The Cardwell Country Club held their bazaar last Thursday, December 4, in the Lahood pavilion. The many lovely things made by the members of the club were soon sold and netted a large profit. Candy was also sold. Mrs. Minnie Shaw won the bedspread, which was raffled off, and James Weidenbach, the patch quilt. What do you do with so many quilts, Jim?

The community dance in the High School gymnasium on the night of Thanksgiving was one of the best, if not the best, attended affairs of the kind ever held in Whitehall. Nearly four hundred persons from very community and town within twenty-five miles of Whitehall were in attendance. The music was furnished by the Whitehall orchestra, under the leadership of Roll Yotter, was thoroughly enjoyed by the many who took advantage of this special occasion to trip the light fantastic step.

SCHOOL NOTES: Fourth and fifth grades: Nora Sullender, Acting Reporter. The fourth grade is going to have a Christmas tree and decorations in their room. Peter Capp and Vincent Stretch were absent one day this week. Katherine Zietzke, Pearl Green, and Alta Wyne were chosen from the fourth grade for the Christmas operetta. Ruby and Ingolf Halverson from Pipestone entered the Fifth grade this past month. They brought our enrollment to 43. We are proud of our record in spelling and arithmetic this month. Out of the 43 in our room all but two received grades of 90 or above in these two subjects.

Eighth grade: Jean Thompson, Reporter. The selling of Christmas seals began Tuesday noon. The contest is most lively between the two teams. The losing side are to give a party to the winners. The absences of the past week are George Smith, Herchel Davis, Ted Flaherty, and Madelyn Cowdry.

FOR SALE: Special-One Electric Eight Cup Percolator, $5. Flapper Curling Iron, 75 cents. One Electric Soldering Iron, $1. Electric Shop. FOR SALE-My Full-Blood Poland China boar, weighing 400 to 500 pounds. Price: $35.00. William McGee, Whitehall.