Hi-Line Living: Living History

Living History celebrates the places in Havre where people can learn - and enjoy - the many historic events that made the Hi-Line what it is today.

It's an annual event that offers visitors and everyday Hi-Line residents a chance to tour the historical attractions and see Havre of yesteryear. It highlights events of the prehistoric days, the early days of Natives in the area and the time of the Wild West.

"It helps people understand how we got here," said Lynda Taplin of the Fort Assinniboine Preservation Association, which sponsors tours of the fort all summer and special activities on Living History, which was celebrated Saturday.

People are usually excited when they see what Havre was like a century ago, said Christy Owens, office manager at Havre Beneath the Streets. The event aims to make history educational and entertaining.

Here's a look at what happened at the various stops on the Living History tour this weekend.

Havre Beneath the Streets

At Havre Beneath the Streets, kids got to enjoy a special treat that was started this year.

Volunteers gave young people a penny at each of the tour stops where volunteers explains what Havre businesses looked like after the fire of the early 20th century.

The last stop was the penny candy shop, Owens said, and kids could buy candy with their pennies.

"Kids loved it," she said.

Some kids handed over all the pennies for candy, she said. Others carefully handed over just one penny for every piece of candy they got.

A good crowd was on hand for the festivities, she said.

"But we couldn't do any of this without our volunteers," she said.

"They do such great work."

In a comment echoed by people at every stop, she praised the volunteer spirit that predominates in Havre.

A variety of people came to Havre Beneath the Streets, she said.

Some tourists just happened to stop by accident and saw the special events. Lots of Havre people dropped in.

"One couple just came in and said 'we're playing tourist today,'" she said.

They had gone to Wahkpa Chu'gn Buffalo Jump, took the tour at Fort Assinniboine and then headed to Havre Beneath the Streets, she said.

It's amazing, she said, how so many local people know so little about local history and have never visited any of the attractions.

The Cottage

The juneberry was a central part of the program put on for visitors at the High Line Heritage House Museum.

Emily Mayer, the owner and operator of the house museum, served juneberry muffins to all the people who visited during Living History.

The juneberry was an important part of life for Natives and for the first people who came to town, she said.

They were tasty, and used as food, she said.

But they were also used for decoration and for medicinal purposes. and the leaves of the plant also had a variety of uses, she added.

Juneberries were prevalent in parts of what is now northern United States and in parts of Canada, she said.

Visitors were also told the story of Mayers' cottage on 3rd Street, which was once the home of the Boone family and later the Dalrymple family.

The two families were involved in many of the events that shaped Havre of today, she said. She regaled visitors with stories of the families, including some recently uncovered information that indicates there is a family tie between the Havre Boone family and the legendary Daniel Boone.

Wahkpa Chu'gn Buffalo Jump

A tour of Wahkpa Chu'gn Buffalo Jump takes people on a 2,000-year adventure, back to the day when Natives ran bison off the cliff in Havre's badlands so the meat could be harvested.

For young people today, the most popular feature is the stone boiling method of cooking that Natives used with the meat.

Rocks are heated up - in modern times with charcoal rather than wood - explained Anna Brumley, who runs the Buffalo Jump with her husband, John. Then the hot stones are placed in a pot of water and in just over a minute, the water is boiling.

"It's faster than today's microwave," she said.

Buffalo meat is boiled, and the kids get a chance to eat it.

"They love it," she said. "It's an educational experience, and it's fun."

It's so popular, she said, kids always want more buffalo to eat.

"That's hard with what buffalo costs these day," she said. "But we have hot dogs they can boil."

Fort Assiniboine

The first major white settlement in Hill County once housed 800 soldiers who were here to keep peace among Native tribes, and it is full of interesting stories of the past.

But for kids, the most important part is a show put on by the Bullhook Bottoms Black Powder Club.

Kids covered their ears in anticipation as the black powder club member set off a cannon in the center of the fort.

Lynda Taplin said this year's Living History was a success. More people than ever showed up, especially in the morning.

More vendors were there selling local history items, she said. And the fact that they served food - pulled pork sandwiches and beans - certainly attracted some people, she felt.

H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum

Dinosaurs were the highlight of this year's Living History at the museum.

Several displays were of special interest to young people, said Jim Spangelo, the museum's manager.

There is growing interest in dinosaurs, he said, and that is appropriate because Montana is the center of national interest in prehistoric animals.

"People don't realize how dinosaurs were located in what is today Hill County," he said.

Exhibits at the Clack Museum and the museum in Rudyard as well as the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum in Malta tell some of the story on dinosaurs in northern Montana, he said.