Hot today, history tomorrow.

It's hot.  This summer could end up being one for the history books.  A large part of the country is suffering from drought, some places moderate, some extreme, all of it newsworthy.  If you look at all the graphics on news stories about the drought, Montana is in better condition than many of the states in the central part of country, even so, the drought could play a major role in our ecomony.  It isn't just agricultural businesses that are keepng a close eye on the weather.   Only yesterday I heard a news report about streams that have fishing restrictions during the afternoon and evening hours.  It just doesn't take long to heat the water, when the flow levels are so low. Many communities rely on fishermen and other outdoor recreationalists for a sizable boost to their seasonal incomes. And then there are the wildfires. It is too early to tell but I have heard more than one expert compare this summer to 1988, the summer that Yellowstone National Park and the rest of the west, experienced devastating fire seasons.  I think this summer will be remembered for years as the long, hot dry summer of 2012

News of the Battle of the Little Bighorn via the Telegraph

It is a beautiful summer morning and I just came from a visit to the Depot Center Museum in Livingston.  Even though it is in my hometown, I don't visit often enough.  While I was making my way through the the exhibits, I came across a telegraphy key where patrons could try tapping out a message.  I learned Morris code as a kid, but it had been a long time since I had attempted to use it.  I couldn't resist giving it a try and my efforts made me realize the skill it  took for telegraphers  to send messages.


Thinking about how difficult it would have been to master this skill reminded me of something I had read about the events following the Battle of the Little Bighorn, in the National Park Service Handbook online. http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/hh/1a/hh1j.htm


According to the National Park Service Handbook: 

               "To send out news of the battle, J. M. Carnahan, the telegraph operator at Bismarck, took his seat at the telegraph key and for 22 hours he hardly moved from his chair. Upon completion of this message, he remained another 60-odd hours at the key without rest or sleep sending newspaper dispatches throughout the country."

I cannot imagine what that would have been like.  It is hard enough to sit at a computer for more than a few hours, but to have to spell out each word with a series of long and short taps, it was an amazing feat.  At the time the telegraph was invented it was considered to be such an advance in communication. Can you imagine what those early telegraph operators would have thought about the internet?

In Memory of the Fallen. The Battle of the Little Bighorn

This week marks the anniversary of the Battle of the Little Big Horn.  I will not go into the details of the battle, there are many books, articles and websites for anyone who wishes to learn more about this important  event in Montana and United States history.  I would be remiss, however, if I failed to show my respect for the fallen warriors on both sides of the battle.  While the Native Americans were the obvious victors in this battle, they eventually lost the war to protect their way of life.  There is no such thing as a good war, and one cannot help but mourn the loss of life when two cultures collide and cannot find a way to coexist.  Hopefully something can be learned, even a hundred and thirty-six years later, from this horrible battle so that those who perished did not do so in vain.

Memorial obelisk with the names of the officers, soldiers and civilians killed in the battle 

Indian Memorial at the Battlefield

Markers at the site of a Fallen Warrior,  a relatively new feature at the  Battlefield.

History Clues on the Montana Highway Map

It is funny how much history is recorded on a state highway map.  If you take any given region and read the names, there are all kinds of clues to what went on there.  For example, if you look at the south eastern part of Montana you can spot all sorts of references to the Sioux Indian War, including the Battle of the Little Big Horn.  There is Custer, the town and Custer County named for Lt.Col. George Armstrong Custer; the town of Garryowen is named for the marching song of the Seventh Cavalry; Miles City is named for Colonel Nelson A Miles; the town of Terry is named for General Alfred H. Terry and Sheridan County is named for General Philip Sheridan, who also played a major role in that part of Montana History.

If you were to go the other side of the state in the southwestern corner, the region that is known as the Gold West Region, you can find all sorts of names that reflect the history of that region. The clues to the areas history from the names on the map are not as obvious as the ones in the east, but they are there if you look for them.  The small town of Clancy was named for the prospector William Clancy; Anaconda comes from the Anaconda Copper Mining Company; Gold Creek gets its name from the discovery of gold there; Philipsburg was named for Philip Deidesheimer, the inventor of square set mine timbering; and Walkerville bears the name of the Walker Brothers who operated the Alice Mine.

Across the entire state there are names of Railroad employees and their families, postmasters of tiny towns and ranches who settled the area. 

Seven Montana History Events

I was killing some time at the library, waiting for the rain to stop so I went to www.visitmt.com to see what historical events were on the calendar for this summer.  I clicked on "Things To Do", scrolled over to "Events," went to the "Select type of Event" and selected Historical.  Voila!   There were 51 events listed, some of them already past, some that might appeal to others with different interests than mine and I ended up with this list that I would like to attend.

• BANNACK DAYS,  July 21-22, 2012   Bannack State Park
• AN RI RA MONTANA IRISH FESTIVAL, August 10-12 2012    Butte
• HISTORIC BAR TOUR, August 5, 201  2 Anaconda
• LITTLE BIGHORN DAYS,  June 21-24, 2012  Hardin 
• LIVE History Days  July 21-22, 2012   Polson
• LIVING HISTORY LANTERN TOUR,   June 23, July 21, Aug. 18, September 1, 2012  Nevada City
• THE MONTANA WILD WEST FEST,  August 10-12, 2012  East Helena  

If you too, need to kill some time or want more information about any of the above, or the any of the other events listed, check out www.VisitMt.com

Fort Peck Dam News Brief

Fort Peck Dam is in the news.  On June 23 and 24, there will be a celebration at the dam to mark the anniversary of the dam.  There will be a ceremony to honor the 59 workers who lost their lives and there will be several speakers and a picnic. For information about the celebration, go to the visit Montana website. http://visitmt.com/listing/categories_NET/MoreInfo.aspx?IDRRecordID=1883  It sounds like a great way to spend a summer weekend.

On a less cheerful note, Fort Peck Dam also made the news last week, when news sources reported that it would take 225 million dollars to repair the damages to Fort Peck Dam caused by last years heavy spring run off..

To learn more about the history of Fort Peck dam, go to  http://www.fortpeckdam.com. 


 Another great way to experience the history of the dam is the PBS documentary that can be viewed at http://watch.montanapbs.org/video/2236176232  PBS is a wonderful source for information about Montana History. Please give them your support.

Looking for Albert Johnson

On the front page of the May 25, 2012 Livingston Enterprise there is a story about a Salt Lake City family who found their long lost relative, buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Livingston.  I was especially interested in this story because I have been searching for years for my Grandfather. He was my Grandmother's second husband and he left Livingston in 1927, headed for Saint Paul to pick up a car. His name was Albert Johnson and the only thing I know of what happened to him was that my grandmother, Minnie Johnson received a telegram from a sheriff in North Dakota, telling her that he had put Albert on a train.  I have no idea why the sheriff was involved, but Albert never arrived in Livingston.  


Over the years I have searched for information about Grandfather, but with so little to go on, and the fact that Albert Johnson is such a common name, I have had little success.  After reading the of the success  these other people had finding out the fate of their long, lost family member it has given me a renewed hope that I will be able to find out what happened.  If anyone has any suggestions on ways to solve this mystery, I am all ears.