Missoula history

There is “a growing national concern about the need to regulate the use of money in political campaigns.” It could be a headline from today – but it isn’t. It’s from 1918!

When it comes to slang, I know just about every reference to the teen-speak of the 1950s, but as an old dog, I will be quick to admit I don’t know a thing about today’s youthful figures of speech. Let me share some of my research.

Might I suggest – at a minimum - all presidential candidates be required to have their campaigns write some new, original songs supporting their cause?

“We have done our best and have endeavored to make this book worthy of him and to whom it is dedicated, Charles Lindbergh and the Missoula High School. It is with the hope, that every graduate of our institution will go through life conscious of Lindbergh’s spirit and ideals, that we present this 1928 Bitter Root.”

“Big Arm needs a banking house, a general drugstore, a gents’ furnishing establishment, a shoe store, a jeweler’s store and a food store!” So proclaimed the editors of the Big Arm Graphic in their 1912 salutatory issue.

I see in the local paper that a new grocery store is opening in Missoula. The ad says, “Don’t forget to bring your ticket and vote for some institution to get a cash donation. Any child coming in with their parent will receive a treat and a pair of scary eyes” for Halloween. The trouble is, the ad is from one hundred years ago: September 27, 1924. So I’m a little late for the grand opening of Missoula’s Piggly Wiggly store.

The wheels of justice can turn rather slowly these days. In some cases, months and months can go by between the time a complaint is filed and a case is finally adjudicated. What we need is a good football game to speed things up!

By Jim Harmon Autumn is my favorite season, except . . . Except for what follows: WINTER! Wouldn’t it be splendid if fall lasted a full six months, then transitioned effortlessly into spring? The poets know of what I speak. ...

In Bozeman, Mrs. S.M. Emery led the effort to create the Montana State Housekeepers Society in 1895, with the aim of “promoting better housekeeping throughout the state.”

Do 6-year-old girls still think boys have cooties? Do 6-year-old boys still think girls have cooties? I’d ask, but where’s a 6-year-old when you need one?