Black History in Helena Montana

Here it is almost the end of February and I have not even mentioned Black History Month.  I am not as familiar with the subject as I should be, but I did a little research to see what part Black History had in Montana history.  I found that for a few months in 1894, a newspaper, The Colored Citizen, was published in Helena Montana.  By reading through the pages of that publication, I gained a knowledge of how the African Americans of that era lived in Helena, and other parts of the region.  The following are a few excerpts from the September 3, 1894 edition of The Colored Citizen. 

"WHY WE WANT A PAPER.
It has been asked why do we wish

 to draw the color line and issue a paper

devoted to the interests of the

colored citizen? The question answers

itself. Why do the Germans,

Scandinavians and other nationalities

have their own organs? So it is with

the Afro-American, he can be

reached and convinced quicker and

better through a paper of his own.

Every people have modes peculiar to

themselves and the Afro-American is

not an exception to the rule. Then

we have a race pride that has clung

to us from generation to generation,

that time cannot eliminate."

“Helena has had a colored policeman for the past six years. W. O. Irvin, our present representative on the force, is serving his second term to the complete satisfaction of all classes of citizens.” 

“A female barber is one of the boasts of Helena Mrs. Mollie Millen is the proprietor of one of the nicest and snuggest tonsorial parlors in this city and she has a lucrative trade numbering among her patrons many of our best citizens male and female. She is rated as one of the most expert handlers of the razor in the city and her haircuts are tasty and fashionable. We challenge our exchanges to name another colored female barber.”

“A female barber is one of the boasts of Helena Mrs. Mollie Millen is the proprietor of one of the nicest and snuggest tonsorial parlors in this city and she has a lucrative trade numbering among her patrons many of our best citizens male and female. She is rated as one of the most expert handlers of the razor in the city and her haircuts are tasty and fashionable. We challenge our exchanges to name another colored female barber.”

“A colored dentist in the person of Dr. J. Brister is one of our valuable accessions within the past few months. Dr. Hrister is associated with one of the oldest and best dentists most skillful and painstaking which no doubt accounts for the lucrative practice he has so speedily secured.”

Sax and Fryer

I love the smell of bookstores. Call me crazy, but if we ever come to the point where all written matter is electronic, we will miss out on one of the best experiences in the world, browsing in a bookstore.  My personal favorite bookstore for browsing is Sax and Fryer in Livingston Montana.  Not only is it the oldest business in Livingston, it is the best book store of any that I have found for shopping for Montana books.  The business dates back to 1883, and has moved a few times before arriving at its current location on West Callendar Street where it has been for nearly one hundred years.  What could be better than looking for history books in a historical building?  Like many other bookstores, it also carries stationary, office supplies, magazines and newspapers.

Sax and Fryer's history including early photos can be found in the book, Livingston, by Elizabeth A. Watry and Robert V Goss.  It is part of the Images of America Series.  I recommend the book and I recommend visiting in person if you ever get the chance. 

My new distraction - Digital Newspaper Archives

For you loyal followers of this blog, do not despair.  I know that the postings have been few lately but it is only because I have been side tracked by reading old newspapers online.  It is a very entertaining diversion and if you want to get the feel of what it was like in early Montana, as well as many of the other states, I recommend it highly. Every time I log onto the web, I tell myself that I won't spend more than a few minutes reading the Montana Post and the next thing you know a couple of hours have passed.  There are three Montana newspapers included in the Library of Congress "Chronically America".  The are the Montana Post(Virginia City),  The Anaconda Standard and Daily Yellowstone Journal (Miles City). 

When I was younger, I used to go to county museums and read through old papers, bound in huge unwieldy volumes.  I frequently scan through microfilms of old papers, which is also time consuming and sometimes gives me a feeling much like motion sickness.  These digitalized versions are by far the best, especially when you factor in the search feature, that highlights whatever term you designate. 

To access the three papers listed go to http://mhs.mt.gov/research/mdnp/all%20titles.asp  From this link, you can also go the "Chronically America" home page if you are interested in reading papers from other states.  Unlike some of the other digital newspapers on line, this resource is free.  The drawback is that there are a limited number of papers on the site to date. 

Gary Cooper, two time Academy Award Winner from Montana

My husband and I don't always see eye to eye on what movie to watch, he likes the action flicks and I enjoy the romantic comedies.  When we both have some time to spare, we compromise by watching a classic.  One of our all time favorite movie stars is Gary Cooper.  Of course only part of that favor comes from his acting ability, the other part is that Cooper was a native of Helena, Montana. Tour guides on the Last Chance tour train always mention Cooper when they pass near the house where he resided as a young man.

Although Cooper began his life in Montana, he really didn't spend much time here.  He and his brother were sent to school in Great Britain until the first World War broke out and their parents felt they would be safer at home. He left Montana again to attend college in Iowa but did not graduate.  In 1924 he returned once again to Montana to manage the family ranch. While he was home in Montana he contributed cartoons to the local newspaper. (I am looking forward to a trip the Research Center at the Montana Historical Society so I can see if I can find some of them on microfilm.)

Gary Cooper in High Noon, 1952

When his parents moved to Los Angeles, he followed them, working at several jobs before breaking into the movie industry.  Although he spent most his life making a name for himself somewhere else, Montanans are proud that he came from here.