Montana Album Montana Album: Six Canadian geese; treasured photo
50 Years Ago
From the Tribune week of Aug. 30, 1965
If you’ve thought recently the wild Canadian geese were flying in a bit early and a lot lower than usual, forget it. Robert Speck, city park superintendent, said Friday the six chicks hatched by a pair of Canadian honkers late last May at Gibson Park have now grown as large as their parents and have discovered the pleasure of free flight. They have been buzzing the Park Department office each morning and cruising over the Civic Center and downtown area, honking loudly as they fly. They always fly back to the park lagoon at feeding time, Speck said.
SAIGON – As the tempo of the war against the Communist guerillas increases in South Vietnam with few heartening signs of success, a new crisis has bloomed quickly in the civilian field as a direct result. It is the problem of caring for hundreds of thousands of peasant refugees. There are now about 510,000 men, women and children who have fled from their rural homes to government-controlled areas, mainly to escape from much heavier bombing by American and South Vietnamese planes.
County authorities Monday evening continued an investigation triggered by the 4:15 a.m. gunshot death of John Leon Harris, 40, 407 9th St. S. Harris died near a night spot known as the Four Lights, of which he was proprietor. County Atty. Gene B. Daly said Harris “went down shooting” in what he described as “an old-fashioned shoot-out.” Daly said it appears that Harris was killed by a 22-caliber revolver fired by Gerald Weller, who was also hit in the fray and remains hospitalized. All but two windows in the Weller car were shattered by bullets.
NEW YORK – Casey Stengel, who usually leaves ‘em laughing, left New York Met players near tears Thursday with a brief, emotion-choked farewell address at Shea Stadium. The 75-year-old Stengel, who retired Monday as manager of the Mets on doctor’s advice, stopped by the clubhouse to say goodbye to his former charges after taking part in a ceremony which officially commemorated the retirement of his uniform number 37.
Dr. Reuben K. Youngdahl of Minneapolis, chosen as one of the 100 great living men in Minnesota at the recent territorial centennial celebration in that state, will dedicate the new $4 million C.M. Russell High School at 8 this evening. Between 10,000 and 12,000 persons were at an open house at the school Wednesday evening and an estimated 7,500 to 8,500 inspected the school Thursday night.
NEW YORK – “If New York and other big American cities would convert the fuel in buses and taxicabs to liquified petroleum gas, there would be far less of a smog problem,” Japanese businessman Yasuhiro Goh of the Nippon Auto Gas Co. of Tokyo, said the other day. “Just stand behind one of your big buses here in New York City, and you’ll see what I mean,” he said. “Really, I’m surprised that something hasn’t been done here to do away with such fumes.”
Motorists using Tenth Avenue South regularly may need to adjust their driving habits slightly as result of three days of emergency servicing of the avenue’s traffic light control system. Ted L. Morehead of Los Angeles made a special trip here at the request of City Traffic Engineer Robert Myklebust to investigate the recent lack of synchronization of traffic lights on the avenue which was traced to some pipes a property owner had driven into the ground at the curb line near the conduit which carries the control cables. This made the master control inoperative and threw individual stoplights at the various intersections “back on their own.”
ROME – Buster Keaton has been cast as a deadpan Noah in “The Bible,” a modern allegory scheduled to start filming here in November with live actors and animated cartoons.
Gene Cook, known as a long ball hitter, came through on the putting greens of sand Sunday at the Anaconda Co. course to win the City Golf Championship Tournament. Cook, who has won city championships and come in as runner-up, barely edged out Dave Nichols, who took a two-stroke lead into the final round. At the end of 54 holes, the pair were tied at 218. Cook took a birdie in the next hole to win when Nichols got a par. Cook said, “I admire Dave; he is one of the best golfers I have played against.”
WASHINGTON – Jubilant backers of home rule for the District of Columbia got their last needed signature Friday on a petition to force the bill to the House floor. President Johnson called it a decisive step toward victory in “the final battle of the American Revolution.” The federal city of 800,000 has not elected its own officials since 1874. At present the District is governed by three commissioners appointed by the president and by the House and Senate District committees. That the District’s population is more than half Negro explains, in part, the opposition to home rule by many southern legislators fearing domination of the city government by Negroes.
H. Smith Richardson, prominent business executive from Greens Farms, Conn., was rescued by helicopter yesterday from the remote Klick’s Camp dude ranch in the Gibson Reservoir area. Richardson suffered a pelvic injury when his saddle horse fell on him near the ranch located at the head of the reservoir. A helicopter rescue squad from the 341st Combat Support Group at Malmstrom AFB flew to the scene and airlifted the 80-year-old honorary chairman of Vick’s Chemical Co., who is also a member of the executive board of the Boy Scouts of America.
WASHINGTON – Record traffic flow in many areas of the nation sent the Labor Day holiday weekend highway death toll mounting rapidly Saturday. Americans were dying on the highways at a rate of more than five an hour during the first third of the 78-hour holiday period. California led the nation with 13 traffic deaths.
100 Years Ago
From the Tribune week of Aug. 30, 1915
In the window of the Wertheim Clothing company is being exhibited an actual photograph of Field Marshal von Hindenburg of the German army that has more of actual interest to Great Falls people than any war picture yet shown in the city. The interest lies in the fact that the picture is from a kodak made by a nephew of Mrs. Wertheim and Abe Kaufman, the junior member of the Wertheim company. The Kodak picture was received a day or two ago by Mr. Kaufman from his nephew, Louis Lazard, an ordinance officer attached to the army corps in direct command of Gen. von Hindenburg. When it was received, Mr. Kaufman quickly realized the keen interest which local people would have in such a picture, and he arranged to have it enlarged so that it would be easy to distinguish the famous German war leader when the print was displayed in the show window.
ACTON, Mass. – With a shock that was felt within a radius of 40 miles, the glazing mill of the American Powder company, which since the war has been working to its capacity, blew up early today. So far as is known, nobody was killed. Work on the large orders probably will be held up for several weeks. Property owners in the surrounding town, particularly in Maynard, were heavy losers because of shattered windows. The police expressed the belief that the explosion had been caused with intent to cripple the plant. Armed guards have been stationed about the works for several weeks.
One of the big double truck cars of the Great Falls street railway performed in a peculiar manner on Central avenue yesterday pre-noon about 11 o’clock by leaving the rails in front of the A.A. Sandahl cigar store and pool hall and heading for the front of that building. It is believed that the swelling of the wood block pavement following the recent rains caused the rails to be pushed out of line and, in consequence, the wheels mounted the rails and left the track. Mrs. Marie Valentine, who was a passenger of the car, was thrown down when the car swerved, and while not being injured, appeared to have suffered from shock or fright. A physician was called to attend to her and took her to her home. The automobiles struck by the car were but slightly damaged, the steering wheel upon the car of H.P. Brown being broken and a rear fender on the A.A. Sundahl automobile being crushed.
SPOKANE, Wash. – The cutting of lumber prices by the Inland Empire mills in order to go into the local territory of the Montana lumber mills will be eliminated as a result of meeting which was concluded at Missoula yesterday. A.W. Cooper, secretary of the Western Pine manufacturers’ association, who with other members of the association returned to Spokane today said, “We reached a mutual agreement on the matter of competing for the local business in Montana which naturally belongs to the Montana mills. We have practically agreed to keep out of Montana, leaving the local field for the Montana manufacturers and confine our business more to the eastern trade.”
WILSALL – O.N.C. Brady, president of the Brady-Collins Sheep company of Helena, announced that the company and the Whitefish Springs Land company of Great Falls will sell 54 farms at auction at Geraldine on Sept. 20, the farms to consist of from 80 to 320 acres. The sale means the opening of a very fertile territory to agriculture in this state and is another instance of the passing of large sheep concerns which are compelled to give way to agriculture when large areas become unavailable to grazing.
NEW YORK – The very latest innovation introduced by women as a hot weather aide is the cute little roll stocking which reaches just to the ankles and allows the gentle summer breezes to cool the exposed bare leg. Seen wearing the new style while strolling on Broadway was Alice Randolph, and she was followed by the eyes of all the males and envied by numerous females who wondered what had become of the first national bank.
On Thursday some sneak thief, who had in some manner obtained admission to the office in the Great Falls public library, probably upon the excuse of using the telephone, got away with a purse belonging to the librarian, Miss Fernald. In the purse was a smaller purse containing about $2.50 in money. The matter was reported to the police with the result that the missing purse was found yesterday in an alleyway at the rear of the Hoffman saloon. The thief had apparently taken the purse into the rear of that saloon, removed the money and dropped the purse upon the floor. Here is was found by the janitor who threw it into the alley.
EL PASO, Tex. – Gen. Pascual Orozco, prominent military leader in Mexico’s many revolutions of the last five years, was killed late yesterday in a fight with a posse of American citizens, customs officers and troopers of the 13th U.S. cavalry. The battle took place in Green River canyon of the High Lonesome mountains in Culberson county in Texas, following a raid on the Dick Lovre ranch yesterday. Orozco and four companions were pursued from the Sierra Blanco country to the foothills. How desperately they fought was shown by four bullets wounds in the body positively identified as that of the Huerta general.
Family troubles have landed Fred Pfifer in the custody of the authorities. Pfifer is a rancher, 55 years of age, residing about eight miles northwest of Vaughn. In the same locality resides his son-in-law, J. Newman. Between the Newman and Pfifer families there has sprung up a coolness. Yesterday morning Newman sent his little son to the Pfifer ranch for some purpose, and the boy and his grandfather had some trouble. The boy, it is alleged, threw a rock at Pfifer, whereupon the grandfather proceeded to chastise the boy by spanking him. Newman came to the city and made complaint to County Attorney Judson, and the latter caused the issuance of a warrant from the court of Justice of the Peace John T. Earll charging assault in the third degree. Pfifer was arrested yesterday afternoon and will have a hearing in court this afternoon at 2.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – The bodies of Mrs. John J. Pershing and her three daughters, (all of whom perished in a fire in the Presidio in San Francisco) were buried at Lake View cemetery late today in a single grave. Officers from Fort Russell acted as pall bearers, and two troops of cavalry formed a guard of honor. Commercial activity in all of the larger Wyoming towns was to cease during the services out of respect to Gen. John J. Pershing, husband and father of the dead. U.S. Sen. Warren of Wyoming is the father of Mrs. Pershing, and the funeral procession led to his home.
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