Museum board welcomes new member

A new board member joined the H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum Board in a discussion of a variety of upcoming events and issues at the museum and the Wahkpa Chu’gn Buffalo Jump also administered by the board.

Alison Hecker, former Havre director of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, took her place at Monday’s monthly meeting of the board. Hecker was appointed to finish out the term of Joel Fladstol, who resigned his position due to other obligations.

Anna Brumley, manager of the Wahkpa Chu’gn archaeological site located behind the Holiday Village Mall, said a new video of the history of the site will be available for sale likely within the next few weeks. The producer, who is donating the work and wishes to remain anonymous, is compiling the history. Brumley’s husband John, curator of archaeology for the museum, is reviewing the accuracy of the video, she said.

Brumley said any profits from sale of the video, which will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray, will go to the operation of the bison kill site.

She also said the jump has had several tours by school children this year, with eight more scheduled this week and next.

Brumley said local artist Vince Woodwick and his team of middle school assistants, known as “The Girls,” have painted some designs on the tepee promoting the site, which will be put up near the entrance of the Holiday Village Mall.

Board Chair Judi Dritshulas said she is taking Woodwick and his crew, Kaitylin Boucher, Rory Everingham, Linzy Neidert and Jessica Nivens, to lunch Saturday in thanks for the work they have done for the board, including restoring the painting of Havre historical figure Long George Francis displayed in the museum.

Dritshulas said planning for the events for Living History, the annual citywide historical event held in June, also is ongoing. The museum will feature the unveiling of a display of a quilt made for a local businessman who operated both at Fort Assinniboine before Havre was founded and in Havre itself.

Carroll McCulloch was part of the Broadwater-McCulloch business at Fort Assinboine, and he also served as assistant fire chief at the volunteer fire department in the fledgling town of Havre. The donated quilt, made for him by his wife, includes military insignia belonging to then-Lt. John “Black Jack” Pershing, who was stationed at Fort Assinniboine before serving in the Spanish-American War and later becoming commander of Allied Forces during World War I.

The McCulloch family also donated a lantern the Havre fire department presented to McCulloch upon his retirement.

Dritshulas said the board’s annual meeting, where it elects its officers, will be in July.

The board also heard about the project to repair the roof from the one-room Faber School House, which operated in the Bear Paw Mountains early last century. The Montana Historical Society awarded a $4,000 grant from its Preserve Montana grant to repair the roof of the school house.

Board member Eli Salapich said weather has slowed down the project, and he doubts that it will be completed by the deadline early in June. Hecker suggested the board approach the Historical Society to request an extension.