T H E N O R T H W E S T M O N T A N A H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y

Spring 2019

Volume 23, Issue 1

What’s Happening at

Your Museum

• Ladies Luncheon– Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, April 27

• Flathead Gives- May 2 and 3 (page 4)

• Taste of Kalispell– June 20 (page 2)

• History Book Club - see pg. 4

• Historic Film Club –see back cover

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Director’s Desk: Play Ball! John White Series Taste of Kalispell

P. 2

New Fire Lookout Exhibit for Kids Memorials

3

Flathead Gives Book Club

4

Membership Donations

5

History Corner: Early Schools in the Flathead Valley Board of Directors

6

Volunteers NWMTHS Reading Room Now Open

7

Film Club 8

The 9th Annual La-dies Luncheon at the Museum at Central School promises to be a very important date! This year’s tea party will be themed around favorite and memorable storybooks from childhood. Guests are encour-aged to bring their own chil-dren’s books to share with other attendees, while our pro-gram will consist of dramatic readings, personal stories, and maybe even a few reenact-ments from exceptions works of Children’s literature, such as Dr. Seuss and Alice in Wonderland. Besides the tea service, the event will also feature a buffet with classic finger foods, salads, and baked goods.

Purchase or reserve your tickets early by calling 406 756 8381 or stopping in at the Museum. You can re-serve a table for four to eight guests, or purchase tickets individually. Remember, we tend to sell out early! We will also be having our ever-popular raffle and silent auc-tion. As always, all proceeds go directly to the Northwest Montana Historical Society.

Considering this year’s theme, you may think that we have gone mad. May-be entirely bonkers. “But I'll tell you a secret, “ as Lewis Carroll once wrote. “All the best people are.”

Attention: The Museum at Central School is in

need of volunteers to help make this year’s event an unqualified success! If you are willing to help out with set-up, clean up, tea service, or the pro-gram itself, please call Jacob at Your Museum , or send an email to history@yourmuseum.org

The Museum at Central School Bringing Life to History & History to Our Lives

Director’s Desk: The National Pastime Comes to Kalispell

Page 2

As I write this, you would never know from the weather outside, but baseball season is almost upon us! And although we are a good distance from a major metropoli-tan area, Northwest Montana has contributed quite a bit to the history of our great pas-time, dating back to the very first World Series.

The 1903 World Series was the first to take place between the American and the National Leagues, putting the Boston Americans up against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a best of nine series. Down 10-0 at the top of the eighth inning, the Pirates called to their bullpen, and out walked a young man named John Gustav Thompson. Although he pitched relatively well, giving up one run in two innings, he could not best the Ameri-

cans and their starting pitcher Cy Young. Boston would go one to win the series five games to three.

Before his playing days, “Gus” Thompson had married Edna Knapp, a native Montanan and member of Kalispell’s Central School’s first graduating class. The Thompsons moved back to the Flathead Valley in 1909 after Gus called it a career. He later opened a pool hall and cigar store in downtown Kalispell at 140 Main Street.

Gus passed away in Kalispell in 1958 at 80 years old; today, Thompson Memorial Park at 9th St. East and 7th Ave. East in Kalispell bears his name. He is buried in Conrad Memo-rial Cemetery beneath an appropriate headstone naming Gus the “Grand Old Man of Baseball.”

1904 Pittsburgh Pirates, the spring after the World Series (L to R) Honus Wagner, Otto “Kaiser” Wilhelm, Bull Smith, Jack GIlbert, Gus Thompson. Thanks to Betsy Wood for the photos and story idea!

For nearly two decades, the Museum at Central School has looked forward to our annual John White Speaker Series, and 2019 certainly did not disappoint. Attendance has steadily increased each year, to the point that all four of our sessions this year sold out weeks in advanced. A huge thank you to David Walburn, Doug Ammons, Miantae Metcalf McConnell, and Mary Jane Bradbury for visiting us and representing their disciplines so well. We are already looking forward to another great series in 2020!

After 17 Years, John White Series Continues to Exceed Expectations

David Walburn performs tracks from his Lewis and Clark album West for America

Hungry? Taste of Kalispell Returns in June!

One of the "Can't Miss" events of the Flathead Valley is the Taste of Kalispell on the big lawn at the Museum at Central School. This event is an opportunity to join your neighbors for an evening of good food, drink, music, and com-pany, all while discovering the many restaurants and business-es that make this community great.

Thursday, June 20, 2019 5:30pm - 8:00pm

Tickets will be available at The Kalispell Visitors Center, Kalispell Grand Hotel, or the Museum at Central School two weeks before the event. Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 youth 11-14, with kids 10 and under free. Admission ticket includes free food, drink, products and services, live music, a kid’s zone and a chance to win great prizes.

With everything included in the price of admission, those attending will be able to sample food, drink, products, and services from participating restaurants and businesses all while being entertained with live music.

Proceeds from Taste of Kalispell go to support Your Museum, and it serves as our largest fundraising event of the year; the entire event is a wonderful way to enjoy a pleasant evening while supporting the Museum and your community.

The Museum at Central School Bringing Life to History & History to Our Lives

Page 3

In Honor & In Memory IN HONOR OF

CLIFF & LYNDA COLLINS Shelley Collins & Don Mitchell

IN HONOR OF CAROLINE HOOPER

Robert & Cheryl Hooper

IN MEMORY OF ANGELINE MARKOS FOPP

Scott & Elaine Graber

IN MEMORY OF ALICE MAE FORD Gregory Kasper

IN MEMORY OF

FLORA MAE ISCH BELLEFLEUR John Isch

IN MEMORY OF JACK KING

Glacier Bank Dr. Tom & Gerene Little

Dorothy McGlenn Dr. Dan & Sarah Hash Savage

The NWMTHS Board of Directors

IN MEMORY OF DONALD STEVLINGSON

Elaine S. Robbin & Kirsten, Greg Alexa & Isabelle Houk

Rand & Linda Robbin

Old Faces, New Places

(Clockwise from

right)

1961 mural by C. Rundell, outside of

Hollensteiner Stahl Hall

Don Green’s

model of Central School, entrance hall

Mountain Lion display, 2nd floor landing

1960-2000 National

Geographics, south stairwell

On April 12th, from 1-6 PM, the Museum at Central School is having a grand opening for the first exhibit from Glacier Children’s Mu-seum, called “Lookout! Our Forest, Our Home.” This exhibit will showcase plants and animals that live in the NW Montana forests, and ex-plore the concept of fire within that ecosystem, all through fun hands-on, and interactive activities.

This forest and fire-themed exhibit includes a fire lookout tower play structure, a puppet theater with local forest animals, a campfire read-ing nook, a building station, as well as an interactive magnet board and light easel. Through these interactive activities, families can learn about the local ecosystem, fire, and fire prevention.

This collaboration with the Glacier Children’s Museum has been in the works since August of 2018. The GCM reached out to the Forest Fire Lookout Association, and this exhibit is the result of the cooperation and hard work of many people and organizations. The exhibit will be at The Museum at Central School through summer.

The Glacier Children’s Museum is a new 501(c)3 organization dedicated to family education. They are currently raising funds and working toward finding a permanent loca-tion in our community that will enable the GCM to grow into a fun, hands-on learning destination. For more information on the Glacier Children’s Museum project, go to glacierchildrensmusuem.org, or email them at glaciercm@gmail.com.

“Lookout! Our Forest, Our Home” Exhibit from the Glacier Children’s Museum

The Museum at Central School Bringing Life to History & History to Our Lives

Page 4

Wednesday, April 3 Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Mad-ness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President By Candice Millard James Abram Garfield was one of the most extraordinary men ever elected president. Born into abject poverty, he rose to become a wunderkind scholar, a Civil War hero, a renowned congress-man, and a reluctant presidential candi-date who took on the nation's corrupt political establishment. But four months after Garfield's inauguration in 1881, he was shot in the back by a deranged office-seeker named Charles Guiteau. Garfield survived the attack, but become the ob-ject of bitter, behind-the-scenes struggles for power—over his administration, over the nation's future, and, hauntingly, over his medical care. Meticulously re-searched, epic in scope, and pulsating with an intimate human focus and high-velocity narrative drive, The Destiny of the Republic brings alive a forgotten chapter of U.S. history.

History Book Club - First Wednesday of Each Month at 2:00 pm

Wednesday, May 1 (first half) Wednesday, June 5 (second half) The Last Crossing By Guy Vanderhaeghe Englishmen Charles and Addington Gaunt are ordered by their tyrannical in-dustrialist father to find their brother Si-mon, who has gone missing in the wilds of the American West. Charles, a disillu-sioned artist, and Addington, a disgraced military captain, set off to remote Fort Benton on the edge of the Montana fron-tier. The brothers hire the enigmatic Jerry Potts, a half-Blackfoot, half-Scot guide, to lead them North, where Simon was last seen. Addington takes command of the mission, buying enough provisions to fill two wagons, and hires sycophantic jour-nalist Caleb Ayto to record the journey for posterity. As the party heads out, it grows to include the fiery Lucy Stoveall, Civil War veteran Custis Straw, and saloonkeeper Aloysius Dooley. This unlikely posse becomes entangled in an unfolding drama that forces each one of them to confront personal demons. Told from al-ternating points of view with vivid flashbacks, The Last Crossing is a novel of ruggedness and salvation, an epic masterpiece set in a time when worlds collided, were destroyed, and were built anew.

Spring has sprung once again, and for the 5th consecutive year, the Museum at Central School is but one of the many non-profits participating in Flathead Gives. This is an excellent event, not only raising funds to help keep Your Museum running, but also exposing a brand new audience in the community to Northwest Montana history.

Support Your Museum During Flathead Gives, May 2-3

There are many ways to give and help support Your Museum:

Donate online at flatheadgiving.org from April 16 to May 17 (ESPECIALLY on May 2 and 3- every gift during these two days has the potential to win monetary prizes for the Museum at Central School!)

Come say hello at the Kalispell Center Mall from 6 to 9 on Thursday, May 2, or on Friday, May 3 from 10 to 6. The Museum will have a table set up to highlight our many accomplishments and future goals.

Flathead Gives donations will also be accepted at the Museum itself on May 2 from 2-5. While credit card is accepted for online donations, gifts at the mall or the Museum can be made with credit card, cash, or check.

How is this different than a standard donation any other time? During Flathead Gives, there is a good chance that your donation will be matched! Only the Mu-seum will receive your contact information, and purely to send you a heartfelt thank-you letter. All donations to your Museum via Flathead Gives are tax-deductible!

Please call the Museum at 406-756-8381 with any questions.

Scott & Elaine Graber Scott & Jean Hagel

Liz Hammer Barbara Hammons

Cambria Happ Laurie Happ

Sue & Tom Harding John & Judy Hinchey

Jim & Wanda Hollensteiner Lisa Hollensteiner

Patrick Jentz Gil Jordan & Kimberly Pinter

Carla Kelly Kalispell Downtown Association John R. King, Three Rivers Bank

Kurt & Carol Larson Karen & Dick Lauer Margaret LeKander

The Museum at Central School Bringing Life to History & History to Our Lives

Page 5

Annonymous (3)

Gretchen & Mike Apgar Jim & Vivian Atkinson

Annie Beck & Ed Anderson Don & Janan Beller

Alexander & Margene Berry Carol Bibler & Jim Watson Gael Bissell & Rick Mace

Bob & Sue Brown Benton Cavin

Tip & Diane Clark Dave & Jody Cooley

Margaret Davis & Bruce Ennis Dr. Danette Dobyns

Noel Drury David & Joanne Ford

Wally & Lucille Fowler Ed Gilliland

Dr. Tom & Gerene Little Bob Lopp

Chuck & Nancy Manning Tom & Barbara Maxwell

Dorothy McGlenn Joan Monaghan Kimberly More

Devonna Morgan Mark Norley

Jeanette Oliver Ivan O'Neil Bob O'Neil

Bobbie Truckner Anita O'Neil

Katherine Pedersen Jim & Audrey Ponaski

J. Michael & Annette Poston Marianna Potts

Membership & Donations

Charles & Maureen Redfield Jane & Dave Renfrow

Elaine S. Robbin Rand & Linda Robbin Gene & Marilyn Ruby

Pat Sanders Dr. Dan & Sarah Hash Savage

Gerri Savory Franklin E. Schroeter

Dr. Robert & Julie Sherrick Charles Siderius

Pete Skibsrud Colonel Tom & Toot Sward

Dr. Loren & Sherry Sander Vranish John & Marleen Walsh Mark Walterskirchen

Dan & Tia Robbin Wilson Fay & Wes Wolf

IN-KIND DONATIONS Gretchen & Mike Apgar

Alex Berry Bret Bouda Clark Davis Judy Elwood Insty Prints

J-2 Office Supplies Margaret LeKander

Signs Now Pete Skibsrud

DONATIONS

Gretchen & Mike Apgar Alexander & Margene Berry

Flathead Community Foundation Oro Y Plata Foundation Scott & Elaine Graber

Laurie Happ Jane & Dave Renfrow

Dr. Dan & Sarah Hash Savage Sunriser Lions Club

ANNUAL FUND

R. W. & Sharon Albiston Phyllis Anderson

Jim & Vivian Atkinson Carla Augustad

John & Kathryn Babcock Richard & Carol Bauer

Annie Beck & Ed Anderson Matt & Lynne Bradley

C.M. & Janet Clark Sharon Crowder

Heidi Duncan Carol Duffner Nadine Eckert

MEMBER RENEWALS

John & Dana Fraley Clarice Gates Terrill Guidi

John & Toni Gunnerson Bill & Aleta Hall

Mark Hatfield Dallas & Susan Herron

Steve Johnson Bobbie Kandarian

Kurt & Carol Larson Duane & Bev Larson Kathy & Tom Larson Jim & Donna Lester

Marianne Madler Don & Marianna Matteson

Jane Matthies David & Martha Maurer

Barbara Maxwell Loraine Measure Joan Monaghan

Rosella Mosteller Victoria Nytes Jeanette Oliver

Marylane Pannell Marianna Potts

Jerry & Mary Reckin

Don & Leslie Rich Dan & Maureen Rovig

Pamela Ryan Sue Sande

Franklin E. Schroeter Mark & Theresa Sethre

Lana Shura Foster & Ginny Swan

Rick & Nancy Trembath Doris Warrant Dan Weinberg

Tom & Diane Wiggin Larry Wilson

NEW MEMBERS Herbert & Betty Albright

Selma Bradley Brian Braunberger Chuck Brownfield

Victoria Byrd Rinck John Easley

Jacqueline Fisher Unavea Gaby

Susan Gadpaille Marilynne Gardner Kay Lynn Hertlein

Robert & Susan Iverson Sandy Johnson

Paul & Christine Lautenschlager Benjamin Long & Karen Nichols

Debra Schweitzer Doreen Spano Karen Stanley

Benton & Jacqueline Van Dyke Dick & Beverly Wilson Paul & Kathryn Yancey

1895 CLASSROOM

SPONSORS Monica Jungster & Chuck Brasen

Duane & Beverly Larson Dorothy McGlenn

Lucy Smith

BUILDING MAINTENANCE FUND

Dan & Maureen Rovig

LIFETIME MEMBERS Steve Kemler

RENEWING BUSINESS

MEMBERS Five Star Rentals

J2 Office Products Jackola Engineering & Architecture

Sons of Norway The Conrad Mansion Museum

Valley Bank of Kalispell

The Museum at Central School Bringing Life to History & History to Our Lives Page 6

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

BOARD OFFICERS

Laurie Happ

President

Sally Hash-Savage Vice President

Margaret LeKander

Treasurer

Jim Atkinson Secretary

Richard Siderius

President Emeritus

BOARD MEMBERS

Alex Berry Arne Boveng Elaine Graber Mark Hensley

Jim Hollensteiner Ron Hoye

Patrick Jentz Jane Renfrow Linda Robbin

SENIOR ADVISORY DIRECTORS

Cliff Collins Ed Gilliland

Duane Larson Betty Jo Malone

Dorothy McGlenn Bob O’Neil Rick Riley

Boyd Holt Maintenance

Doug Jacoway

Visitor Services

MUSEUM STAFF

MUSEUM

AMBASSADORS

Jim Hollensteiner Pete Skibsrud

The first school built on the East side was located on the Charley Lyon’s homestead about a mile southeast of the present Fairview School and was built by donation work and constructed of logs.

Mrs. Blanchard was the first teacher and taught two terms of winter school of three or four months each. This school was built about the year 1885. Mrs. Blanchard was required to live at the school house as there was no “settler” within a mile or so where she could board, and the snow was so deep with no road kept open during winter months. She was obliged to live in the rear of the schoolhouse.

School District Five—organized in1884—comprised 90 square miles and extended from the Canadian border in the North, to the Idaho line on the West and, to the South, all of Missoula county, part of Sanders and Mineral counties, described Range 15 to Range 35.

Mr. John Lange built the school house at Fairview in 1885. The Superintendent was J. H. T. Ryman. On the board were Mr. J. Lang, Chet Sheldon, and Charles Lyons. Tom Stanton was the Clerk. Mr. A. W. Swaney made the first school census in 1884, and in the whole district there were only 12 children of school age.

The first teacher was J. E. Robinson, “a trapper who had been a teacher in the East, and having nothing else in par-ticular to do, and being the only person available who could teach, was employed.” The school was on John Lambert’s place below Ball’s Crossing. Later he taught a term near Ashley.

Dave Gregg said Robinson had his own policy in running the school; he could knit as well as trap, so the girls learned the knitting, and the boys learned how to catch the beaver, mink, muskrats, and martin with profit until 1890. If Robinson thought his own traps needed looking after, he would dismiss school for the day and make up lost time on Sat-urday.

[These stories were found in the files of the office of the County Superintendent of Schools,]

History Corner: James K. Lang’s article about the early Schools in the

Flathead Valley, 1928

Bob O’Neil, NWMTHS Past President and Senior Adviso-ry Director, shares another piece of Montana history.

Gerri Savory Room Rentals

Jan Woods Accounting

Jacob Thomas Executive Director

Laurie Happ Membership

BARTENDERS &HOSTS Alex Berry

Sharon Bristow Dawn Duane Diane Etter

Elaine Graber Sally Hash-Savage

Gerri Savory Bill Leingang

Betty Jo Malone Kathleen McClure

Mary Reckin Linda Robbin Dick Siderius Rande Simon Pete Skibsrud Jacob Thomas Dennis Urban Rod Wallette

Tammy Yonkers

BOOK CLUB Diane Etter

Tammy Yonkers

COLLECTIONS & EXHIBITIONS

Jim Atkinson Glenda Brown Heid Duncan Judy Elwood

Sally Hash-Savage Bobbie Kandarian Betty Jo Malone

Jesse Malone Maggy McGraw

Bob O’Neil Jane Renfrow Bruce Ruby Foster Swan Rod Wallette

BUILDING &

MAINTENANCE Jesse Malone Pete Skibsrud Foster Swan Rod Wallette

WELCOME DESK Larry Benke

Sharon Bristow Glenda Brown

Jean Craft Kirk Falcon

Char Lawson Bill Leingang

Betty Jo Malone Kathleen McClure

Mary Meister Richard Siderius

Ginny Swan Dennis Urban

Tammy Yonkers

BOOKS AND GIFTS Renee Brewer Jerry Bristow Diane Etter

Carla Holman Fran Meerkatz Kristin Osborn Mary Reckin Sandy Smith

The Museum at Central School Bringing Life to History & History to Our Lives

Page 7

DOCENTS Bob O’Neil

Jacob Thomas

FILM CLUB Sally Hash-Savage

Pete Skibsrud Jacob Thomas

REFRESHMENTS Betty Jo Malone Sharon Bristow Elaine Graber

Sally Hash-Savage Linda Robbin

SCRAPBOOK

Bobbie Kandarian

THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE IT HAPPEN

The Museum at Central School is always on the lookout for new volunteers!

• Help preserve local history

• Become part of Something Bigger

• Join an active and positive community

of fellow volunteers

• Be an ambassador for the Flathead Valley and Northwest Montana

Interested? Call Gerri at 406-756-8381 or email us at history@yourmuseum.org for more information!

The Northwest Montana Historical Society’s Reading Room is now open and awaiting curious patrons! The Society’s collection of books and pamphlets has been moved out of storage and is now available for use. The Reading Room itself is on the first floor of Your Museum near the women’s restroom.

This extensive collection covers Montana history with a strong em-phasis on Northwest Montana in particular. With hundreds if not thousands of NWMT books and pamphlets, it is certainly the best usable collection of Northwest Montana in the area (maybe anywhere). The Library also has a large collection of Montana poetry and fiction.

The electronic catalog can be searched by author, title, or sub-ject on a Reading Room computer. The subjects are also listed in a three-ring binder on the desk. Unfortunately, at this point, we do not have the staffing requirements or procedures in place to allow books to be checked out of the building, but in the Reading Room itself and else-where on the first floor of the Museum there is ample space for note-taking and many comfortable chairs. There is also a special shelf to re-serve your book or pamphlet just in case you run out of time and need to come back to finish! A copy machine, generously donated by J2 Of-fice Supplies, ia also available for your use.

The NWMTHS always welcomes donations of additional books and pamphlets concerning Northwest Montana.

NWMTHS Opens New Reading Room and Research Library

Museum at Central School

124 Second Avenue East

Kalispell, Montana 59901

ON THE W EB & FACEBOOK www.yourmuseum.org

E LEGANT R OOMS FOR RENT C ALL FOR OUR LOW RATES

Museum Phone: 406 756-8381

Email: history@yourmuseum.org

Hours: 10 to 5 Monday-Friday

School Bell Books & Gifts

“Where History Happens — Every Day”

T H E N O R T H W E S T M O N T A N A H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y

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Historic Film Club Free Admission! Free Popcorn!

Tuesday, April 23rd, 7PM - Sweetgrass (2009)

For over a century, sheepherders have led their flocks over Montana’s Beartooth Mountains to summer pastures. Howev-er, much has changed over time. With new technology and a larger civilization, few have continued to make that jour-ney. Sweetgrass is both an elegy to the last modern cowboys of the American West and a eulogy for a dying way of life.

Tuesday, May 28, 7PM - Go West (1940)

In this Marx Brothers classic, Chico and Harpo are small-time con-men who manage to swindle fellow con-man Groucho out of some money. By lending some money to an old miner, Chico and Harpo come into possession of the deed to his mine; having the railroad cut right through their recently acquired land would make them very rich men. But before they could collect their pay day, they too are scammed out of the deed. It is up to all three brothers to recover their fortune.

The train chase and derailment scene towards the end of the film cannot help but be reminiscent of the 1927 Buster Keaton film The General, and not for no reason; Kea-ton himself served as a consultant for the filming of the pivitol scene.

MONDAY, June 24, 7PM - Being There (1979)

Chance (Peter Sellers) is a simple-minded gardener for a wealthy estate. An unambitious man, Chance’s entire knowledge consists of what he has scene on television. However, due to a very large misunderstanding, Cha-ce is mistaken for an intelligent statesman, with consequences that may reach to all corners of the globe. As he somehow becomes an advisor and friend to both the US President and Russian ambassador, Chance is con-tinually misinterpreted, and the naïve Chance must soon face the biggest unknown of his life: the romantic interest of Eve (Shirley MacClaine).