Celebrating History: New bank, good crops 100 years ago

By Emily Mayer

Before this local history column begins, may I extend a warm welcome to those participating in and enjoying the Rocky Boy Pow-Wow, August 1-4 this year. Best of luck to all contestants, singers and drummers during this wonderful celebration, and thank you to those who organized and worked hard to put on this event.

Filing for political offices ended this week 100 years ago. We will read more about them in November. Instead, let’s focus on the upbeat news this week a century ago, and there was a lot of it.

The newly organized Hill County State Bank opened, and this article was front page news in the July 27, 1924, edition of the Havre Daily Promoter.

HILL COUNTY STATE BANK OPENS FOR BUSINESS WITH GOOD DAY

Reorganization Plans of Depositors and Creditors of Old Security State Bank Carried Out

The Hill County State bank of Havre opened for business yesterday and the first day deposits of over $9,700 were received.

Women friends of the new bank decorated it with garden flowers and sweet peas and many old customers of the Security State bank called to make deposits.

’It was a most satisfactory first day’s business,’ said President George B. Bourne, commenting on the opening of the bank.

The bank is a reorganization of the old Security State bank of Havre with new capital put up by some of the old stockholders and some new ones. It takes over 50 per cent of the deposits and assets of the old bank, under a plan worked out by the Organization of Depositors and Creditors of the Security State ban, the remaining half being placed in a trust fund.

‘We are delighted at the success of our efforts,’ said President L. G. Linebarger of the depositors’ organization last evening. ‘Much credit for this is due to the members of the executive committee of the organization, which worked for weeks perfecting the contract and to the officers of the old bank.

Crops were looking really good this time 100 years ago, and more good news was reported in the Promoter’s August 2, 1924 newspaper.

COUNTY FARMERS WILL PLAN FALL SHIPMENTS

There will be a meeting of the Hill County Shipping association August 9, at the court house at 1:30 o’clock and they will take up the fall shipping of hogs and cattle and wheat. All farmers are requested to be present if possible.

HILL COUNTY HOGS BRING $10.75 IN SPOKANE

The Hill County Shipping association just received the returns from the two car loads of hogs which were shipped July 25 to Spokane.

The market was good and the farmers received $10.75 per hundred for top hogs.

All farmers who shipped hogs in these cars can get their money at the Rainbow Store.

Havre and Hill County’s beloved lady bronc rider, Marie “Buckskin Mary” Gibson, continued to make her mark on the rodeo circuit. This article was printed in the July 29, 1924 Promoter:

’BUCKSKIN MARY’ WINS ANOTHER CHAMPIONSHIP

Marie Antoinette DuMont Gibson, of Havre, has added another wreath to her already long string of laurels and this time it is the highest honor an American cowgirl can possess, namely “The champion cowgirl bronc rider in the world.”

Mrs. Gibson left several months ago to participate with the foremost “hoss-wranglers” of the world in the mammoth rodeo in London, England and while there covered herself with glory.

The troupe left London and recently returned to the United States and the next heard from ‘Buckskin Mary’ for that is her name where the excited snort of wild horses breaks the midnight air, and she was entered in the Frontier Days celebration and rodeo at Cheyenne, Wyo., where by her daring riding of unmanageable mounts she was quickly acclaimed the premier woman rider of the world.

You can see pictures of Buckskin Mary at the Clack Museum, located at 2 Fifth Avenue. A book about her has also been written by her relative, April Farnham. The book, titled “Riding Wild Horses: The Story of Marie Gibson “Buckskin Mary” Lady Bronc Rider Champion of Montana” is a great read and can also be found at our county’s museum to purchase.

The Chautauqua was coming to town, and a fun event was organized for the children. This article was in the August 1, 1924, Promoter:

YOUNGSTERS HUNT FOR CHAUTAUQUA TICKETS

This morning all the boys and girls in the city are going to compete in the children’s season ticket hunt to be held at the community play grounds this morning at 11 o’clock under the supervision of Miss Ethel Kelly, director of Chautauqua for this year.

Miss Kelly will hide a number of tickets around the play grounds and at a given signal all the boys and girls are to start the search, the lucky ones to be rewarded with a weeks entertainment to all the Chautauqua programs free.

Miss Kelly will at the same time present an outline of the children’s work in the Chautauqua for this season.

And this follow-up article was printed August 2, 1924, edition:

Children Enjoy Hunt for Chautauqua Tickets

Two hundred excited boys and girls gathered at the Community Play grounds yesterday morning anxiously waiting the signal which started the children’s ticket hunt, held under the direction of Miss Ethel Kelly, director for the Chautauqua, who had hidden eight tickets in the corners of the grounds.

After the youngsters had found the season passports Miss Kelly briefly told them of the children’s part in the Chautauqua which is the circus parade, on “Circus Day” the final day of the program. She told of Hughie Fitzpatrick, the tumbling clown who by his contortions and antics keeps the audience in a continual uproar.

Maybe agriculture, bronc riding or the Chautauqua aren’t your things. Maybe being a princess is. This contest was published in the July 29, 1929 edition:

CONTEST BEGINS FOR PRINCESS AT FAIR

For the third consecutive year The Havre Daily Promoter will participate in choosing of princess for the state fair and in conjunction with the state fair management will conduct the contest for a princess in Hill county.

The contest, which was to have started last week, was postponed until this week by special authority from the management of the Queen of Montana contest in Helena so as not to run opposition to the popularity contest of the American Legion during their circus.

In order to be a contestant to represent Hill county in the Queen of Montana contest at the fair, Sept. 23 to 27, a contestant must have been a resident of the county for six months, between the ages of 18 and 25, must be nominated on a ballot printed in one of the papers participating in the contest. Ballot for nominating will be printed in The Promoter up to and including July 31, and voting ballots will be printed form August 1 to August 9, inclusive. The result will be announced in the paper Sunday morning, August 10. Nominating ballots must be mailed to the contest editor, care The Havre Daily Promoter.

It is hoped there will be a large number of nominations. Name your favorite.