Celebrating History: Buildings, weddings and Red Cross Society

By Emily Mayer

There were several stories about buildings in Havre in the June 9, 1917, issue of The Havre Plaindealer. New buildings were being constructed, the biggest news being the following article:

RYAN MERCANTILE TO LOCATE IN HAVRE

Will Engage in Wholesale Trade on Large Scale

Another wholesale house will soon be located in Havre under the name of the Ryan Mercantile company. The company has a large house in Great Falls, and the Tribune of that city had the following concerning the proposed branch in Havre.

’Havre will be given a branch of the Ryan Mercantile company with a large, modern warehouse two stories in height above a full sized basement. The building will be 90 by 160 feet in length and will occupy the site formerly occupied by the old city jail at Havre. George W. Ryan, founder of the company, has concluded an agreement with C. W. Young and Dr. D. S. MacKenzie, who owned the ground comprising the site for its purchase and they have found themselves to vacate within 60 days.

’The foregoing information was confirmed by Dr. MacKenzie yesterday and most of the facts were developed at a special meeting of the Havre City Council on Monday night. W. M. Fergus manager of the Ryan Mercantile company appeared before the council and asked permits which were granted and it was said at Havre yesterday according to Dr. MacKenzie that there seems no reason to doubt that a new building will be started within 70 days. The concessions given to the company include of construction of a spur into the building site and the privilege of erecting a loading platform to serve the building.

’The entrance of the Ryan mercantile company into the Havre field would provide it with three centers as soon as the Havre one was completed as it now operates a large establishment here and another in Billings. The company has purchased a site at Lewistown and has an excellent location there for its business. The Havre location would give it command of a field which promises to be excellent territory in the future, as it could work both ways from Havre on the Great Northern main line, and reach the points more quickly than Great Falls competitors or the houses in cities east of the Montana line.’

Another business building was slated to grace the bustling downtown business district.

LARGE BUSINESS BLOCK WILL BE CONSTRUCTED

Plans Completed for New Building on First Street

Plans for a new brick building on First street between Fourth and Fifth avenues have been completed by Lancaster and Torrey, architects. The new building will be located on the south side of First street, between Loranger & Gray garage and the Bramble building, and will be owned by Louis Bay, a prominent business man of the city. The building will be three stories in height, the first floor to be business rooms and the upper floors to be office quarters. It is expected that the new structure will be ready for occupancy by the first of September.

This building was the Liberty Hotel. The upper floors would be rented long term to such renters as “Long” George Francis and Alice Pleasant, a.k.a. “Ma Plaz.” It was raided during Prohibition and at one time housed a cigar factory, clothing store and furniture store. Due to competition from other hotels, its decline started in the 1940s and by the late 1960s, it was no longer serving as a hotel. According to a note I found on the back of a clipping about the Liberty Hotel at the State Historic Preservation Office in Helena, a house of ill repute also occupied the building. I don’t know who put the note there, but of course I took a copy of it. The Liberty Hotel was razed in March of 1989, yet another piece of Havre history to hit the ground.

In other building news:

A new building is now in course of construction on Third street between Fifth and Sixth avenues that will be occupied by the Havre Decorating company. The structure will be 26x28 feet, two floors, and the company will carry a full stock of paints and wall paper.

Among the most attractive store rooms in Havre is that of the Havre Meat company in the new Wiltner building on Second street. Everything is the very latest in equipment, and the sanitary features of the new market are among the best to be found in the northwest.

The Corner Grocery also had an announcement it was opening its store on the corner of Third street and Fourth avenue.

Two weddings were noted in the Society column. Miss Rowena Tyrrell and Mr. Lee R. Crowell were married at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and Miss Dorothea M. Schneider and Mr. A. P. Rickmire were married at the Methodist Church. The following was also announced in the Society section:

Red Cross Society.

The meeting of the Red Cross Society held on Thursday evening at the Court House was well attended and great interest taken in the plans for the work that is to be done.

The organization was perfected and a charter sent for which will arrive in a short time.

Over four hundred dollars have already been raised and the receipts from the Red Cross Tag Day which will be designated later, will greatly augment that sum.

Treasurer-Mrs. C. F. Morris.