Ellen Baumler's Blog, page 60

First Montana Christmas

Granville Stuart and his brother James came from California to the Deer Lodge Valley in 1857, before the Montana gold rushes brought the first waves of miners. The Stuarts and their companions, Reece Anderson and Jacob Weeks, claim the honor of making Montana's first recorded gold discovery in 1858. Many years later, Granville recalled their first Christmas in Montana. The four men were living in a skin lodge, camped on the Big Hole River, near the future site of the town of Melrose. That Chr...

Shopping 1896

Christmas Eve is eight days away! Do you have your shopping done?

Shopping is an important part of the holiday season, and that was just as true in 1896. For the holiday meal, shoppers could buy 2 dozen oranges for 35 cents and a gallon of fancy cranberries for 35 cents. California wines were 25 to 40 cents a bottle and "very fine" brandy went for a whopping 85 cents. Meat department specials included fresh flounder at 10 cents a pound, Jack rabbits for 24 cents each, quart cans of New York se...

Custer's Dogs

General George Custer had his faults, but one characteristic makes him more likable. Custer loved dogs. He owned as many as forty and took them with him everywhere. Historian Brian Dippie wrote that Custer's dogs "accompanied him on hunts and campaigns; they arranged themselves at his feet, rested their heads on his lap, shared is bed and his food, got under foot, made nuisances of themselves, but never lost their special place in his affection. They were like people to him." His dogs adored ...

Homer Thomas

Homer Thomas was eight years old when he came with his family to Montana Territory from Illinois. It was almost Christmas when Homer wrote a letter to his grandmother. "I am glad you didn't come with us," he wrote, "you could not have stood it; [the trip] was mighty hard." Homer described Virginia City as a poor place where the miners dressed in old, dirty, and ragged clothes. He wished especially for apples and cider, something not found in Montana. Homer's longing for Illinois comes through...

Friday Photo

What are you up to this weekend, history buffs? Historian Jon Axline and I will be at the Montana Historical Society. We're commenting on the 1964 film Last Chance Gulch narrated by Chet Huntley (who was born in Cardwell 100 years ago on December 10) as part of the Society's "Second Saturday" event. Do you have any Chet Huntley memories?
Photo courtesy Museum of the RockiesChet Huntley (L) and David Brinkley (R) teamed up as the co-anchors of NBC's nightly national news program, the Huntley...

Montana's Naval Namesakes

At least nine naval ships have been christened with names related to the Treasure State, and one of them suffered damage during the attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. There were three ships named Montana, one named Montanan, two named Missoula, and four named Helena. The first USS Montana, launched in 1906, provided escort service during WWI. In 1920 it was rechristened the USS Missoula after Missoula County. A second USS Missoula provided transport service during WWI. Two other ship...

Ella Knowles Haskell

Ella Knowles faced formidable obstacles in pursuing a career in law. Upon statehood in 1889, a statute prohibited women from passing the bar. After much debate, Montana lawmakers amended the statute, thinking a woman could never pass anyhow. Knowles astounded them and passed with flying colors.

Ella Knowles Haskell, engraving from Progressive Men of the State of Montana, 1902
She became the first woman licensed to practice law in Montana. But acquiring clients was another matter. She tried in v...

Not in Our Town

Do you remember this bit of recent history? It happened just eighteen years ago today.
On December 2, 1993, a brick came hurling through 5-year-old Isaac Schnitzer's bedroom window, landing on his bed in a hailstorm of glass. Isaac was fortunately uninjured. Because his bedroom window displayed a menorah, a symbol of the family's celebration of Hanukkah, the Schnitzers became a target of religious bigotry and vandalism. Montana's early settlement history included a large Jewish population...

Sledding Down Broadway

The forecast is calling for a good chance of snow through the weekend. Are you going sledding?
Sledding in frontier Montana was a lively sport enjoyed by boys and men wherever there was snow and a hill. They built sleds in all shapes and sizes, painted them in bright colors, and gave them fanciful names. But Mary Ronan in her reminiscence, Girl from the Gulches , recalls a very memorable adventure she had on Christmas Eve 1864 on a vehicle that was entirely makeshift. Sledding was a sport...

Julian Anderson

Are you planning any holiday parties this year? Here's a recipe that Julian Anderson would have served to the rich and famous at the Montana Club. It's from Golden Jubilee Edition: Recipes by the Master of Mixes as served by him at the Montana Club, Helena, Montana, for fifty continuous years, June 1893 to June 1943. The Montana Historical Society's research center has the original.

Bowl of Egg Nogg
2 1/2 pounds fine pulverized sugar; 20 fresh eggs; have the yolks separated; beat as thin as wat...