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Celebrating History: Newspaper's Booster Edition

The July 18, 1914, issue of the Hill County Democrat was a very interesting one. It was a Booster Edition, full of columns boasting about how great Hill County, Havre and Montana were to live and work. The issue was 24 pages in length, with only one of those pages and a scattered short column or two pertaining to national and world events. Pictures were in this newspaper of buildings and interiors of businesses long gone, unfortunately, the ones that most of us have not seen are of poor quality, so I am not able to share them with readers.

Lengthy columns regarding businesses and some business owners, elected officials and their offices, education, churches, roads, hunting and fishing, along with legal notices mostly pertaining to homesteads, and of course, the social columns were in this issue. So, for this 28th installment of this series honoring the 150th anniversary of Montana Territory, we find in this issue, complete with misspelling:

Havre Society People Married

Miss Lillian Grace Hammond And H. C. Thregoning United In Matrimony

Brother Van Ties The Knot

Bride Is The Daughter Of One Of Havre's Well Known Lawyers.

On last Wednesday, July 15th occurred the home wedding of Miss Lillian Grace Hammond and Mr. Henry Cuthbert Tregoning. The Rev. W. W. Van Orsdel, of Great Falls officiated.

The first to enter was Rev. Van Orsdel and following him came Kenneth Howe, ring-bearer, who was in turn followed by the charming bride, leaning on the arm of her father, and the bride-groom with the bride's mother.

The bride was gowned in delicate blue crepe meteor and her veil was caught up with tiny rose-buds. She carried a boquet of roses and lilies of the valley. The bride's mother wore a beautiful gown of yellow crepe meteor, trimmed with jet.

The house decorations were artistic and one charming feature was the beautiful arch between the living-room and the library, which was adorned with ropes of Similax and Roses.

The bride was one of Havre's popular young ladies and the daughter of the well known attorney here.

The groom has been employed at the Havre National bank and has made hosts of friends in the city.

Lillian Hammond was a very good student as well as being very musically talented. Her name appears in numerous old newspapers in the social pages as well as the published school reports, and she and Imogene Elizabeth Allen were the first students to graduate Havre High School in June 1907.

The Hill County Fair was being heavily advertised, it being scheduled for Sept. 17, 18 and 19, 1914. Articles appeared throughout the newspaper, asking for those who wished to participate to start saving grain, grass and vegetable samples for showing, along with livestock. James Hill and his son, Louis, had visited the fair in 1913 and was so pleased with the reception they received from the people, they had a brand-new agricultural building constructed on the fairgrounds, with its first use being the 1914 fair. A 1,500-foot well provided drinking water for people and livestock, also a new feature. A reminder, the fair grounds in 1914 was on the East End of Havre, in the vicinity of North Star Dodge and Oakwood Village.

Of course, we have the social page entries. We can't forget those, complete with misspellings!

The proprietor of the Orpheum Theatre, Sidney Hirshberg, made a business trip to Great Falls Friday.

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Mabel Bailey came in from her claim southeast ow town this week and has been visiting with friends.

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Carl Zibulka, a boy thirteen years old was ordered committee to the reform school at Miles City on complaint of Humane officer L. K. Devlin. The boy has been working with Andrew Miller, an uncle of his who resides near the Canadian line. The boy was charged with incorrigibility, but his appearance belies the accusation.

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E. Erickson and Andrew Knutson are the names given by two men who were arrested last Saturday in connection with the murder committed over in Alberta. These men were apprehended by Ernest Simpson, a ranchman residing 35 miles northwest of here. The men were walking and answered fully the description given of the murderers. They had apparently came from across the line and were headed south afoot. Sargeant Ash of the Canadian mounted police, left this morning with these men for Lethbridge. They were willing to go without a formal requisition.

I wish I could share more of this issue with readers - it really is a keeper for those who love local history. Also, while enjoying the Great Northern Fair, please take a few moments of your time to go visit the Faber Schoolhouse, which will be open for visitors Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum and the Clack Foundation members have worked hard for a long time to preserve this piece of Hill County history, and they want to share it with you.

Check out the brand-new roof while you are visiting with the great volunteers that make this happen for you.

 

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