Past relived in Hill County through Living History

In 1880, Fort Assinniboine was the only major European-American community in what is today Hill County.

More than 800 troops were living in the fort on the vast plains of north-central Montana. It had barracks, command posts, supply buildings, Montana's first strip mall and a jail.

Only 17 of the original 104 buildings stand today, but visitors on Saturday got a chance to see what remains of the fort along with colorful stories on the history of the fort that remained operational for 31 years.

It was part of Living History, an effort by the tourism community to get local residents more interested in Havre's rich history. Havre Beneath the Streets, Frank DeRosa Railroad Museum, Wahkpa Chu'gn Buffalo Jump, H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum and High Line Heritage House took part in the activities.

See more photos and a feature story on events at other historic locations in Friday's Hi-Line Living section.

Visitors boarded the Black Jack touring wagon, which was driven around the fort behind a truck. Tour guide Scott Seigel regaled the audience with stories of the glory days of the fort.

The fort includes the vast swath of land that is today Hill County's Beaver Creek Park, Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation and Montana State University's Northern Agricultural Research Center.

The Black Jack was named for Gen. John "Black Jack" Pershing, a World War I hero long after he left Fort Assinniboine

The next stop was at the the original commissary was located. Part of the building remains, Seigel said. It was an all-purpose store where people could buy all kind of items - food to household goods.

It was, Siegel said, the first "strip mall" in Montana.

Edward Broadwater operated the building and had several other businesses at the fort and in Havre. He made millions of dollars.

Broadwater was big into the fur trading.

He would buy fur from Indians in Montana for $1 and sell it in China for $100.

The next stop was the jail. It was the latest of several jails. The increasing inmate population prompted officials to keep building bigger jails, he said. The lockup also served Hill County and the newly formed city of Havre.

In the later days of the fort, Buffalo Soldiers were stationed there. Most of them were from Georgia.

"The minus-30 degree temperatures came around, and they just couldn't take it," he said. "They went AWOL, but it wasn't hard to spot them on the vast plains.

"Back in those days, jail wasn't fun," said Seigel, who works at the Hill County Detention Center. "No television."

Inmates had just cement floors to sit on. They were allowed to bring one blanket from the barracks, even in the middle of winter.

People can tour the old jail cells in the building, which is one of the few buildings that is open to the public.

As the Black Jack movedforward, Seigel pointed out empty fields where important fort buildings once stood.

The buildings fell into disrepair during nearly 70 years of neglect.

"A lot of buildings in Havre that were built during that era have bricks and other materials from Fort Assinniboine."

People made a "business decision" that it was cheaper to swipe buildings materials from Fort Assinnobine than to buy them, he said.

While most of the buildings are gone, some of the foundations remain, Seigel said.

While he was conducting a tour Saturday, Tom Allen, one of six Northern Agricultural Resource Center staffers who still live at the fort, picked up an old square nail off the ground. It was used in the construction of the fort.

Outside the boundaries of the fort was Cypress, a hastily built city that Seigel called "a body town."

"That meant Cypress was a place you didn't bring the kiddies," Siegel said.

Finally, in 1886, Cypress became so bawdy that fort officials put it off limits to soldiers.

Many of the prostitutes then came to the fort and became servants to for officers and performed other menial tasks on the base.

The women were often degraded for being cheap prostitutes, he said. But many were widowed and had no other way to make a living.

"They were just doing what they had to do to buy food for the children," he said.

As the tour came to a conclusion, members of the Bullhook Bottoms Black Powder Club put on a display They set off a cannon.

This event is always popular with young people, but most adults love it just as much.

Jennifer Flesche had never shot anything like a cannon and was thrilled when powder club members agreed to let her pull the cord to set the cannon off.

The crowd cheered as she did so.

"I never shot anything that big," she said.