Today's Headlines - Tomorrow's History

It is the end of 2011 and all of the news media are focusing on the top stories of 2011.  Natural disasters like the floods that hit Roundup and the Hardin area were noteworthy, and many sources name the medical marijuana issue as the top story of the year. In my opinion, the story that will be most remembered will be the decision of a Montana judge to grant a new trial to convicted murderer Barry Beach.  Beach was convicted of the brutal murder of a female classmate in Poplar in 1979.  The judge decided that there was sufficient evidence to grant a new trial and Beach was released on his own recognisance pending that trial.  Prosecutors are appealing to the Montana Supreme Court to overturn the judges decision and return Beach to prison but in the meantime he is enjoying his freedom awaiting the trial that he hopes will end with a different verdict.  While it must be a terrible time for the family of the victim, it will be one for the history books. We will all be watching to see how our justice system resolves this case.

Some thoughts on the vigilantes

Have you ever read a historical account of something and wondered- how can this be?  That is what I experience every time I come across another book or paper or article about the vigilantes in Virginia City and Bannack during the winter of 1863-64.  I know that most historians agree that the men who were executed or banished by the vigilantes got what they deserved, but there has always been some doubt in the back of my mind about the actions of the self-appointed justice system that prevailed at that time.

• Many accounts of the road agents and vigilantes mention that more than 102 people had been murdered by the road agents during their "reign of terror".  Who were all of these people?  I have never seen any lists of the victims of the road agents.  How did historians arrive at this number?
• How is it possible for twenty-one or more violent, dishonest people to organize into a cohesive group? Why would these men trust each other?  The expression, "there is no honor among thieves" comes to mind.
• It seems that the organization of the so called road agents, with secret handshakes and code words seems more like the characteristics of the vigilantes, who were reputed to be largely Masons, than those of a bunch of rough, uneducated cutthroats. 
• I find the hanging of Henry Plummer, the sheriff at Bannack, most disturbing.  The damning evidence against him was that he was allegedly named as the leader of the road agents by a man facing his own execution.  The only men who were witness to this revelation were the men who were out to clean up the area. The condemned man reported listed all of the other road agents, conveniently giving the men a list for their killing spree.
• According to one account, Plummer was suspected of criminal activities as early as late November, 1863 when he was identified by a young man who was accosted by some road agents. He claimed that he recognized Plummer by the red lining of his coat. The incident took place after dark, making it nearly impossible to distinguish colors. 
• Historians have justified the work of the vigilantes by implying that there was no other law enforcement or courts, other than the miners courts set up by the miners to resolve mining claim disputes.  That is not completely correct.  Sidney Edgerton, who later became the first territorial governor of Montana, held the position of Chief Justice of the Idaho Territory during that winter. It would seem that had he chosen to, he would have had authority to try anyone charged with a crime.

I am certainly not the only one who has reservations about the accepted accounts of the actions of the vigilantes and road agents. R.E. Mather and F.E. Boswell wrote two books, Hanging the Sheriff and Vigilante Victims that address the possibility that there a another side to the story.

Montana History For Kids

Montana history is not just for those of us old enough to remember some of the good old days.  There are plenty of exciting stories that would appeal to the younger generation of Montanans.  A good starting place for getting those kids and grand kids interested in Montana history is a website http://montanakids.com/  It has all sorts of interesting Montana stuff geared for the younger set.  Truth is, the stuff there is interesting for just about any age.  I liked the link to Montana Ghost Towns that has stories about the buildings that line Alder Gulch in Virginia City.The upcoming holiday school vacation would be a great time to start planning for next summer's vacation, taking in some of the historical spots listed on the site.

Christmastime in Montana

I just finished reading Christmastime in Montana.  It is a collection of stories compiled by Dave Walter and published in 2003 by the Montana Historical Society Press.  I will admit that I skipped over some of the entries, community Christmas Trees and such are probably more interesting to the community involved. The book  is arranged in chronological order, from before Montana was Montana, to the time of publication. It shows how Montana celebrated Christmas through the good years and bad.  It tells of simple pleasures and feasts one would hardly expect to find in Montana.  It also speaks to the darker side of the holiday season, with tales of lonely suicides in the mining camps.

I particularly enjoyed the section that told how Martha Edgerton Plassmann remembered her first Christmas in Bannack and how disappointed she was not to have received a book for Christmas.  Another favorite was the description of how Christmas is celebrated in a Hutterite Colony. The accounts of  holiday celebrations during the war years and the Spanish Influenza epidemic were also noteworthy.

What do you think was the most interesting event in Montana history?

For the past couple of weeks, my husband and I have been discussing what we thought were the most interesting events in Montana history.  We both agreed that the discovery of gold, the arrival of the railroads and the activities of the vigilantes both in the gold camps and later in central Montana were all interesting, but I have been wondering what others would include in that list.  So how about it, what do you think is the most interesting event in Montana history.  Please respond in the comment section.  I will share the results.

Helena as She Was

Once again I would like to share a great resource that I stumbled upon quite by accident.  It is a website called "Helena as She Was- Your Helena Montana History Wiki". There are numerous photos and postings, that are well organized.  The URL is http://www.helenahistory.org/index.htm  

Broadwater Hotel and Natatorium
Post Card from "Helena as She Was" website

This is just one of many of the pictures from the website.  The are sections covering the Capitol Building, Theaters, Hospitals, the Helena Earthquakes and many more.  I encourage anyone interested in the colorful history of our state capital, to check this one out.



Montana's Territorial Governors

From May 26, 1864 when Montana became a territory, to November 8, 1889 when it became a state, Montana had nine territorial governors as well as three acting territorial governors.  Territorial governors were appointed by the President of the United States, and as presidential appointees, had to be approved by Congress.  Here are interesting facts about Montana's territorial governors:





Sidney Edgerton


• Sidney Edgerton, Montana's first Territorial Governor was appointed by Abraham Lincoln.  His governor's residence was a one room house in Bannack, which was the first territorial capitol. Prior to his appointment he had been a teacher, lawyer, judge, sharpshooter in the Civil War and Congressman from the state of Ohio.  He came west to fill his role as First Chief Justice of the Idaho Territorial Court. 



Green Clay Smith

• Green Clay Smith, who was appointed by Andrew Johnson, later ran for President of the United States on the Prohibition Ticket. At the time of his death he was the pastor of a Baptist Church in Washington D.C.



Thomas Francis Meagher

• Thomas Francis Meagher filled in twice as Acting Territorial Governor. Probably one of the most well known of the Montana Territorial Governors, he died under mysterious circumstances, falling off of a steamboat into the Missouri River at Fort Benton. His statue stands in front of the Montana Capitol Building in Helena.




Samuel Hauser


• It wasn't until 1885, that a territorial resident, was appointed as governor.  All of the earlier appointees had to travel to the territory to fulfill their office duties. Samuel Hauser, appointed by President Grover Cleveland, held this distinction.



Preston Hopkins Leslie

• Preston Hopkins Leslie had served as Governor of Kentucky before he was appointed to be Montana's eighth territorial governor.
• Five of the Montana's territorial governors and acting territorial governors finished out their lives in Montana.  Three of them, Potts, Leslie and Hauser are buried in Forestvale Cemetery in Helena.  Benjamin White is buried in Dillon, the town that he founded and Thomas Francis Meagher's Meagher's body was never recovered from the Missouri River.