Ellen Baumler's Blog, page 20
June 30, 2014
John L. Clarke
Artist J. K. Ralston said that when John L. Clarke finished carving a bear, you could smell it. Clarke was a gifted wood carver, highly celebrated in his own lifetime. John D. Rockefeller even purchased eight of his carvings. The grandson of trader Malcolm Clarke and his Piegan wife, John was three-quarters Blackfeet. His grandfather Malcolm was killed in 1869 over a dispute with his in-laws. His father, Horace, was shot through the head during that incident but recovered. When John was a tod...
June 27, 2014
Friday Photo: Yellowstone Lake
Montana Historical Society Photograph Archives, H-699The Zillah carries tourists around Yellowstone Lake, probably in 1904. The photo was taken by Yellowstone National Park photographer H. Jay Haynes.P.S. Haynes is also known for his photographs of the Northern Pacific.
June 25, 2014
15,000 Miles by Stage
Update: I originally titled this post "10,000 Miles by Stage" by mistake. The actual title of Carrie Strahorn's book is 15,000 Miles by Stage.
Carrie Strahorn wrote a wonderful book—still in print—about stagecoach travel in the West called 10,000 15,000 Miles by Stage. She and her husband Robert were newly married in 1878 when they traveled through Montana and other western states. Mrs. Strahorn’s astute observations about the characters they encountered, stage stops, hotels, and sce...
Carrie Strahorn wrote a wonderful book—still in print—about stagecoach travel in the West called 10,000 15,000 Miles by Stage. She and her husband Robert were newly married in 1878 when they traveled through Montana and other western states. Mrs. Strahorn’s astute observations about the characters they encountered, stage stops, hotels, and sce...
10,000 Miles by Stage
Carrie Strahorn wrote a wonderful book—still in print—about stagecoach travel in the West called 10,000 Miles by Stage. She and her husband Robert were newly married in 1878 when they traveled through Montana and other western states. Mrs. Strahorn’s astute observations about the characters they encountered, stage stops, hotels, and scenery are very entertaining.
Carrie Strahorn is the author of 10,000 Miles by Stage. Photo courtesy Idaho Historical Society.The Strahorns s...
Carrie Strahorn is the author of 10,000 Miles by Stage. Photo courtesy Idaho Historical Society.The Strahorns s...
June 23, 2014
Edgar S. Paxson
Beloved Montana artist Edgar S. Paxson was the son of Quaker parents. His father was a painter of theatrical scenery. Like his fellow artist Charlie Russell, Paxson came west looking for adventure. He arrived in Montana in 1877 and like Russell worked as a wrangler, cow punching, scouting, and hunting for his cattlemen bosses. Paxson’s life experiences on the range gave him subject matter, but he put his own twist on history. He knew and interviewed many of the characters he later depicted an...
June 20, 2014
Friday Photo: Drying Meat
Montana Historical Society Photograph Archives, 981-032This Northern Cheyenne family dried meat in the traditional manner. They sliced it thin, salted it, and hung it on a rack. The meat would have been carefully turned over every day so that it dried evenly. When it was ready to eat, it might have been roasted or boiled with bacon for flavor. L. A. Huffman snapped the photo in 1896.
June 18, 2014
Bitterroot Apple Trees
Even before the 1909 Enlarged Homestead Act was underway, the Bitterroot Valley apples drew a large population to Ravalli County. The valley’s especially long growing season was realized very early. The first apple orchards in the Bitterroot Valley were planted in the 1860s. Thomas Harris in the Three Mile area planted fruit trees in 1866. The Bass brothers planted the first commercial orchard, obtaining their trees by mail order from Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1870. Removal of the Salish to...
June 16, 2014
St. Peter’s Hospital
Early Roman Catholic institutions in Montana included missions, schools, and hospitals. Many Protestants saw a great need to balance things out. This began in the 1880s in Helena when Helena Episcopalians planned a hospital to complement St. John’s, founded in 1870 by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. Episcopal Bishop Leigh Brewer suggested the idea to his board of trustees in 1883. Men made up the board, but it was the churchwomen who did the real work. Bishop Brewer’s wife Henrietta, M...
June 13, 2014
Friday Photo: Cowboy Barbershop
Montana Historical Society Photograph Archives, Friday Photo: Dolls
Montana Historical Society Photograph Archives, PAc 82-19World Doll Day is tomorrow. These children look ready to celebrate! Unfortunately, nothing is known about their identities, the photographer, or the location of the photo.
