Celebrating History: Memorial Day and a new service station

By Emily Mayer

Havre was preparing for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, the first one since the end of World War I. The May 17, 1919, edition of The Havre Plaindealer carried this front-page news:

WORLD WAR VETERANS MEMORIAL DAY PLANS

Arrangements for Suitable Observance Being Made

Arrangements are being made by the World War Veterans association of Hill County, Montana, for a suitable observance of Memorial Day at the county seat at Havre, Montana. It is planned to have short services in the morning, at which the graves of those who served in the late war will be suitably decorated.

“In the afternoon, starting about one o’clock there will be a parade, starting at the court house, in which all Civil war veterans, Spanish war veterans, all soldiers of the late war and the patriotic organizations of the late war will be invited to participate. Immediately following the parade, exercises will be held at the high school, consisting of music and two short talks suitable to the occasion. All of Hill county is invited to participate in the exercises, and it is especially urged that all returned soldiers in Hill county make it a point to be present. The new Soldier’s club, on the ground floor of the Masonic Temple, will be opened for that occasion, and will be open also the evening before and arrangements will be made to take care of all soldiers from out of town, if they will report to the committee at that place. The program will be announced next week.

Havre had another reason to celebrate, this being in the form of a new business in town.

CLACK COMPANY HAS NEW SERVICE STATION

Growth of Corporation’s Business Forecasts Prosperity for County

With the opening at the corner of First street and Fifth avenue of the new City Service Station of the H. Earl Clack Co., Havre has the best and latest thing in supplying gas for automobiles. The station is built of Havre brick and is of attractive design in architecture. Two driveways lead across the corner of the lot from one street to the other, passing beneath the shed roof where the pumps are located. The pumps stand between the two driveways and two machines can be filling with gasoline at the same time. The station will supply the trade with the Oklahoma gasoline which the Clack Co. began putting out sometime ago under the trade name of Hi-Power Gas. This new gas has been meeting with popular favor and the representatives of Clack Company are enthusiastic about its superiority over gas from other fields. A pump has also been installed in front of the Clack store to supply autoists with this same gas, and the Clack Company already contemplate establishing distributing stations at other points outside of Havre. They also are supplying the wholesale trade and are meeting a gratifying response in this line. Although they have taken on this line but a short time ago the growth is indicated in the quantities that they are receiving. Eight cars of gasoline and kerosene besides two cars of lubricating oils are now in the Great Northern yards awaiting unloading. The wholesale trade will be handled largely from the company’s warehouse on First street below the bridge. The expansion of the Clack Company business has been one of the most rapid in Havre and Northern Montana. Started some ten years ago by Mr. Earl Clack, the head of the present corporation, it is now a corporation of $150,000 capital and surplus. Mr. Clack came here and started in the dray business from which he rapidly expanded until the Clack corporation was formed in 1913. With their other interests the company now has six big elevators which are located as follows: Havre, Kremlin, Big Sandy, Laredo, Burnham and Lohman. It was through these that their business received its first large impetus but the growth they have added other lines of which the gasoline and compete auto accessories are the latest. They have also recently taken on the agency for the Hart-Parr tractor. A representative of the company talking yesterday of the strides made in their business indicated his belief that the greatest was yet to come. He spoke most optimistically of prospects for this section of the country as indicated by trade conditions as found by them. Since the first of the year their trade has increased so much faster than had expected that it has been something of a problem to meet the demands upon them. In connection with what this country has gone through this is surprising and encouraging. In some lines the volume of business over the same time last year has increased forty percent and in other lines while not so large the increase has been surprising. The representative of the company commented upon a most unexpected increase in the harness trade and the growth in the implement business indicated a financial strength on the part of the farmers which promised well for the future. In the hardware line the increase he estimated to be about one-third over the business done last year which also is significant of the underlying soundness of the farmers position in this county. Reports from the country are indicative of great confidence that this year will be a good crop year and with indications of such general sound financial conditions a crop means prosperity for this section never before equaled and those who were here in previous prosperous years know what that means.

The members of the Havre Women’s Club and Women’s Christian Temperance Union addressed the Havre City Council as reported in the Plaindealer’s May 24, 1919, edition. The Women’s Club proposed a Traveller’s Aid which would hire an official to greet all trains to give such information and assistance to any traveler. The Women’s Club was willing to pay $50 per month in salary for the position. The proposal was referred to the police committee.

Both groups and the Parent Teachers association addressed the garbage issue to the City Council. They, along with Dr. Hamilton, proposed the formation of a garbage collection system and the appointment of a sanitary inspector. The proposal was sent to the streets and sidewalks committee on the grounds of health reasons. The Plaindealer reported:

Finally the delegation left and as the last member disappeared through the door, snap, snap, went the matches as the council members brought out the cigars and pipes they had so long been denied.

Congratulations to all high school graduates in the Class of 2019. As this is also Memorial Day weekend, please take the time to participate in the annual ceremony at the Hill County Courthouse in remembrance and gratitude to those who served our country and especially to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so you could have a three-day weekend and the freedoms you enjoy today. Please, above all, celebrate responsibly!