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.

June Disasters in Montana Disasters: Fires, Floods and other Catastrophes

June is almost here.  It is my favorite month, but it seems like it is also the one of the worst months for disasters.  Several of the disasters that I wrote about in my first book, Montana Disasters: Fires, floods and other Catastrophes, happened in June. On the evening of June 18th and the early morning of June 19th, 1938, a flash flood in Eastern Montana caused a horrific disaster for the passengers aboard the Chicago, Saint Paul and Milwaukee Railroad’s Olympian Train number 15.  Custer Creek, which was usually hardly more than a trickle was much fuller than usual but didn’t pose a threat for the trestle that was built to withstand the pressures of heavy spring run-off.  A deluge that dropped several inches of rain in a short time upstream from the bridge sent a twenty foot wall of water that weakened the structure.  As the locomotive passed over the bridge, the middle support gave way and  many of the passenger cars were washed into the raging creek.  The heroic efforts of the passengers and railroad employees, along with tales of tragedy and survival make this one of the most compelling chapters in my book.

Other June disasters included in the book are the Speculator-Granite Mine Disaster in Butte, the Blackfeet Flood of 1964, and the Battle of the Little Big Horn.  Montana Disasters: Fires, Floods and Other Catastrophes  is available at Amazon.com and at many locations around the state.  It can also be checked out at almost any library in Montana

Rainy Days are Great Museum Days

I just checked out the weather forecast for the Memorial Day Weekend.  If the meteorologists are correct, it is going to be a little cool and wet for outdoor activities.  The good news is that many of the smaller museums around the state open for the season this weekend and  rainy days are great days to visit a museum.

 Some of the museums that I have visited and enjoyed that open this weekend are:    

• Crazy Mountain Museum in Big Timber
• Powder River Historical Museum and Mac’s Museum in Broadus
• Museum of the Upper Missouri in Fort Benton
• Valley County Pioneer Museum in Glasgow
• Frontier Gateway Museum in Glendive
• Prairie County Museum and Evelyn Cameron Gallery in Terry
• Jefferson Valley Museum in Whitehall

These are only a sampling of the museums around the state and a good source for getting information for a museum near you is: www.visitmt.com

Battle of the Little Bighorn - Journey to the Battle

On May 17, 1776, The U.S. Army along with Native American Scouts, and a handful of civilians rode out of  Fort Abraham Lincoln, North Dakota.  Their plan was to follow the route surveyed by the Northern Pacific Railroad westward to the Yellowstone Basin. Their objective was to round up the Indians that were standing in the way of the settling of the Great Plains.  When the officers and soldiers marched out that morning,  no one could have dreamed of the disastrous outcome of the expedition.  Almost anyone familiar with American history knows how this venture ended.  The Battle of the Little Bighorn or Custer’s Last Stand is probably the best known battle of the Indian Wars.  Among the civilians, a reporter named Mark Kellogg, who represented the Bismarck Tribune, kept a journal of the expedition and sent dispatches back to the newspaper.  Kellogg perished pursuing the story of a lifetime.  The Associated Press recognized Mark Kellogg as the first AP Correspondent to die while covering a story.  Also among the civilians were Boston Custer, brother of Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer, and their nephew, Autie Reed.  The Custer family was well represented on the expedition.  George’s Brother Tom Custer and his brother-in-law James Calhoun also rode out that morning, and they all died together at the Little Bighorn 39 days later.

Big Horn County Museum's Big News

For the second time in one week, the local newspaper has carried a story about the opening of new historical museum facility in Montana.  On Tuesday the Livingston Enterprise carried an Associated Press story about the new state-of-art home for the Big Horn County Historical Museum in Hardin, Montana.  Of course I am always excited when a new historical destination presents itself, but what I found most encouraging about this story was the fact that there are still many people out there who are willing to donate their time and money to preserve the past and present it in ways that intrigue and entertain visitors of all ages.

More information about hours, displays, and events can be found at http://www.bighorncountymuseum.org/Info.htm

Home for the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame Announced

A recent front page story in the Livingston Enterprise carried the news that Big Timber had been chosen to be the home of the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center.  While I was disappointed to hear that Livingston, which under consideration, had not been chosen, I was pleased that it will at least be nearby.

I hadn't paid much attention to the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame until I read the news story.  I was vaguely aware of  its existence in Wolf Point, but I hadn't actually visited the area.  After reading the article, I did a little research on the organization and I am really looking forward to the opening at the new location.  If you would like to learn more about the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center, including the full press release about the move to Big Timber, you can visit their website www.Montanacowboyfame.com  I will try to monitor the progress of the new facility and keep everyone posted.