Missoula history

Lewistown’s parade in 1910 was advertised as one you shouldn’t miss. “The most striking features will be the auto parade, in which a long line of handsomely decorated autos will participate.”

In 1919, Missoula lagged a bit behind. I’m sorry. That was actually an understatement of rather generous proportions – Missoula was downright unwelcoming to the coming wave of auto tourism!

Today’s parents are irresponsible and indifferent about the raising of their children! And it is that indifference which has caused the children to drift from parental influence into “the modern maelstrom of pleasure.”

Moonshine, magpies, trolley tracks and a new theater headlined the news 100 ago this month in Bozeman. Quite a crowd gathered on May 8, 1923 to watch officers dispose of “40 gallons of moonshine whiskey by pouring it down a manhole near the courthouse corner.”

Florence Matthews was something else, a strong-willed teenager. In 1908, she had been home for days, battling a severe illness, but (against her doctor’s orders) still participated with the Missoula High School debate team for state honors.

Once upon a time, there was a man who lived on an island in the Missoula River, right under the Higgins Avenue Bridge, near the Snead-Simons Building. (FYI, the Missoula River is now called the Clark Fork and the building is now called the Wilma). The man had two companions, a pair of white rabbits.

The near-overflow crowd was excited. The champagne flowed freely. The hors oeuvres were marvelous. The setting, the historic Florence Hotel, was perfect for the official unveiling of Francis Lyman Worden’s Hazelton Brothers square grand piano on Friday, April 14. The Worden piano is the earliest documented grand piano brought to Missoula (circa 1880).

The new owner of the historic Florence Hotel, Thomas Taylor, has proposed displaying Missoula co-founder Frank Worden's unique square grand piano in the mezzanine of the downtown building. An official welcoming/unveiling ceremony will be held Friday, April 14 at 4 p.m.

Back in the late 1800s, social clubs were omnipresent. New York boasted the Manhattan Club and the Union Club. Chicago had the Iroquois Club and the Union League. There were so many clubs that some bordered on the silly.

Most folks are familiar with The University of Montana’s student newspaper, the Kaimin. But did you know there was another, albeit short-lived, student newspaper back in the early days of the campus – this one published by the Forestry School?