Celebrating History: Starting work on 'Assinniboine School'

By Emily Mayer

As the weather warmed up, so did the building news reported in the newspapers 100 years ago. For this 15th column in the Year of the Buildings series, we find a lot of entries regarding buildings in Hill County. The biggest news came from Fort Assinniboine.

A very lengthy article regarding the newly formed Northern Montana Agricultural and Manual Training School located at the fort was found on the front page of The Havre Plaindealer’s April 10, 1915, issue. An excerpt of that column follows, complete with misspellings:

STARTING WORK ON ASSINNIBOINE SCHOOL

State Board of Education Meets in Havre Monday in Response to Call Issued by Governor Samuel V. Stewart.

… During the 1913 session of the Montana legislature there was pending in congress a bill providing that, if the state should agree to establish an agricultural, manual training or other educational or public institution at the fort, the president would then be authorized to grant the land and buildings to the state upon payment of $2.50 per acre.

“The buildings themselves cost more than a million dollars and the legislature realizing the value to the state of the establishment of such a school in northern Montana, appropriated $5,000 for the payment of the land. Governor Stewart took an active part in securing this site for Montana.

“…an act of the 1913 legislature, which further stated, “It has for its object, instruction and education in English language, literature and mathematics, mechanic arts, agricultural chemestry, animal and vegetable anatomy and physiology, and veterinary art, entomology, geology, and such other natural sciences as may be prescribed by the state board of education, political, rural and household economy, agricultur, horticulture, moral philosophy, history, bookkeeping and especially the application and science and the mechanical arts to practical agriculture in the field, and irrigation and use of water for agricultural purposes also all that relates to an efficient modern training school.

‘We found a tract of land that will afford a wide variety of experimentation… Fort Assinniboine itself has every kind of building that will ever be needed by the station or when the school is established. Some of the buildings are peculiarly military but there are enough others for any need that will ever come up. The fence around the post surrounds an area of nearly 70 acres…’

In City Council news, two bids were received for the purchase of the old city jail building. C. W. “Shorty” Young had the winning bid of $3,200, with the condition the city could still use the jail for another four months; Nick Foss came before the council and requested permission to use Lot 13, Block 12 of the Original Town Site for use as a paint shop. Motion was granted if Mr. Foss paid $1 per month for the property. Marion Riffo’s fee for the new Carnegie Library was discussed, and the council approved payment of $360. The Elks Club requested a permit to conduct a club in the city of Havre, which was granted.

Of course, building materials were very important for constructing all of those fantastic buildings going up around town. One of the most important were bricks. Here is some interesting news about Havre bricks on the front page of The Hill County Democrat:

O. ST. GERMAIN MAKES SOME LARGE SHIPMENTS OF BRICK

O. St. Germain is again shipping brick along the high line to some of his satisfied customers.

St. Germain is one of Havre’s foremost business men and the people of Havre should pat themselves on the back to think that they have him in their town. He has done more to the up-building of Havre than another one man in town.

His ice wagons supply the homes and restaurants in Havre as well as the towns along the line near Havre. Not only this but he can boast of having supplied the brick for 90% of the buildings in Havre.

He is a man that Havre wants to hold on to as there are but few others of his business ability in this vicinity.

The Havre brickyard was located on a tract of land behind where 4-Bs, the former Arctic Circle, and other buildings to the west are currently located.

With the passing of Easter, reports of parties and gatherings were on the increase. Here is one of those gatherings, reported in The Hill County Democrat’s April 10 issue:

MRS. F. A. CARNAL A CHARMING HOSTESS

Mrs. F. A. Carnal entertained the Tuesday Evening club Tuesday. In the afternoon they enjoyed cards. The prizes were a hand painted china teapot, won by Mrs. Wanezik and the foot prize that was one by Mrs. Ellis.

After the cards the club was entertained by the hostess at a course dinner at The Havre (Hotel).

We can’t forget the happenings in Box Elder and Hingham. In Box Elder, Vern Mott and A. J. Morrow arrived from Princeton, Minnesota, and Centralia, Washington, respectively, to set up their homesteads in the area. In Hingham, we find:

The Hingham Drug Co. have opened their soda fountain for the season, and now we can get somethings cool and refreshing to drink.

The Ethelo girls have furnished the assembly room of the school building is sumptuous style. Our school building how has four rooms furnished nicely, and the assembly room has comfortable and artistic seats for a large number of people.