Havre and the fire of 1904, continued.

By Keith J. Doll

Havre/Hill County Historic Preservation Commission

Continued from article of the same name printed Dec. 14

The headline in the Havre paper, Plaindealer read "DEVASTATED BY FIRE FIEND." The headlines in the Great Falls Tribune read "HAVRE IS ALMOST WIPED OUT." Chinook Opinion read "HAVRE IS IN RUINS." The Butte Miner read; BUSINESS SECTION OF HAVRE WIPED OUT BY FIRE." Deputy Sheriff Exor "X" Pepin, Simon Pepin's nephew, came to Havre with an offer from the business men of Fort Benton to help in any way they could. The Plaindealer was also notified by The River Press of Fort Benton as to if anything happened to the Plaindealer during the fire, they would let them use their printing equipment. Harlem also offered assistance any way they could. The headlines in The Missoulian read "HAVRE SCOURGED BY FIRE" and The Helena Independent wrote "HAVRE IS THE SCENE OF MOST DISASTROUS FIRE."

Several months before the fire, an ordinance was passed that all new buildings within the business district be built of brick or stone. In February of 1904, the city council told the chief of police and the city engineer to strongly enforce the building ordinance. Also, an ordinance was passed whereas there was a bench mark established by the U.S. Geological Survey which would have the elevation grades of the streets, avenues, curbs and sidewalks in Havre. The main brass plate read "U.S. Geological Survey, B.M. Havre, Elevation above Sea. 2486 feet." This would make the buildings straight with the street and the correct height off the ground where before it was guessed. It would also make all the sidewalks at the same level so a pedestrian would not have to go to different levels in one block.

In February of 1904 the stone for the foundations were being quarried south of Havre. The eginning of April 1904 excavation was started on the Broadwater-Pepin Block. Back then, there was no street address, you went to the post office to get your mail. Businesses and dwellings were either next to - or across from - two story buildings that were called blocks, such as the Peterson Block or the Almas-MacKenzie Block. A building on a corner was usually referred as that name then corner. Like the Broadwater-Pepin Block was built on the Mint Corner. Shorty Young's Mint Saloon was on that corner before the fire. On the southwest corner of Third Avenue and First Street where Ruff Real Estate, J.M. Donovan's and The New You is today the Oxford Saloon sat, so it was called the Oxford Corner. Across the street, where Master Sports is today the Buffalo Saloon was before the fire, so it was called the Buffalo Corner. Out of 22 saloons in town, 11 burned down on Thursday, Jan. 14, 1904. Six opened in different locations the following Monday, the others opened a week or two later. The excavation of the four lots Broadwater-Pepin owned on the Mint Corner to the lot owned by L.K. Devlin took 20 teams of horses and they figured 5,000 yards of dirt. Next they were going to dig the Oxford and Buffalo Corners. Also in April, John Lebert retired from the firm Gross and Lebert and went back to Kalispell.

Later in 1904, several businesses moved. The Oxford Corner was the Havre Drug Company. Before the Oxford Corner was finished the Havre Drug and Lucke's shoe store were next door in the Chestnut Block with a partition between them. The Havre Drug company moved to the Oxford Corner the end of September 1904. The partition was removed in the Chestnut Block and the new Beckstead Drug company, successor to Stringfellow Drug, moved in, taking all the main floor. The south part of the Oxford Corner and facing Third Avenue was Havre Jewelry Company. Upstairs were the offices of Doctor's Almas, MacKenzie and Wright. Next to the west from the Oxford Corner was Beckstead Drug, then a vacant lot also owned by Frank Chestnut and sold to Nemuel (Bert) Gourley in 1909, Burt built his bakery on it. A.J. Broadwater owned the next lot and built on it in 1905 he rented it to Shorty Young for his Mint Saloon. L.K. Devlin built his Pioneer Meat Market on his lot in 1912. On the Mint Corner four lots were the Broadwater-Pepin Block built in 1904. The west corner of the building was rented to C.W. Young for his Mint Saloon. Then Peter DesRosier's Department Store with an archway going into the post office. The post office moved in the first part of October 1904. The next store was The City Drug with the Post Office in the rear, then F.B. Churchill Jewelry. Upstairs was the Northern Hotel, which also rented apartments. The Buffalo Corner had the M. Auerbach & Son clothing store, the Hub, which had nothing to do with the Hub several years later in Chestnut's Place Saloon on Third Avenue. The second establishment in the building was a billiard hall and cigar store.

In September of 1905 C.W. Young moved his Mint Saloon to the A.J. Broadwater Block. James Holland then moved his mercantile business in the Broadwater-Pepin Block where the Mint Saloon was. On Thursday, November 30, 1905, Thanksgiving Day, the Broadwater-Pepin Block burned down again. The mail in the Post Office was saved before the fire got to it. James Holland was putting out his first box of Christmas goods the day before. Attention was paid to save the new A.J. Broadwater Block and Shorty Young's Mint Saloon.

The broken glass in A.J. Broadwater's Block was fully covered and the building was saved. Before the fire was completely out, James Holland leased the Peterson Block. It was a two-story building on the southeast corner of First Street and Fourth Avenue. Some of you may remember it as Lee's Tavern. The second floor was removed while it was Lee's Tavern, now it's the Hi-Line Gold Casino. The Broadwater-Pepin Block was rebuilt in 1906, that's what you see today on the building. The Almas-MacKenzie Block was built in 1913 and is located on the north side of First Street between Third and Fourth Avenue's where Gram's Ice Cream & Candy Shop is today. Drs. Almas and MacKenzie both had their offices on the upper floor. Dr. Wright also built in 1913 and located two buildings west of the Almas-MacKenzie Block, where Shamrock Bar and Casino is located now. Drs. Wright and Ryan both had their dental offices on the second floor.

Frank A. Buttrey bought the Auld and Walen property for his Fair Store in March of 1904. It was located on the southwest corner of Third Avenue and Second Street. It soon would become the nucleus of his empire. In 1909 he changed the name to Buttrey Department Store and would eventually be located in several western and mid-western states.