Celebrating history: Fighting liquor

J. K. Bramble continued his crusade against underage drinking and the tango in the March 4, 1916 issue of The Hill County Democrat.

He printed a letter from E. J. Huston, pastor of the Methodist Church, and an editorial from the Hill County Beacon echoing his viewpoints. Fittingly, the First Baptist Church was hosting an event called “Child Welfare Sermon” at city hall focusing on temperance. However, when it came to prohibition of alcohol, which was gaining traction during this period 100 years ago, J. K. Bramble was downright against it. He had started publishing nationally printed articles against prohibition laws just a few weeks after women had been granted the right to vote. The newspapers in 1915 regularly carried anti-Prohibition articles and editorials in the Democrat, and 1916 was no different.

Speaking of city hall, they received some rather distressing news this week 100 years ago. The Feb. 26, 1916 issue of The Havre Daily Promoter had this short article:

CELLS SHIPPED TO

HAVRE FRANCE

Because the new cells for the Havre jail, which were ordered many weeks ago, did not arrive, Havre officials wrote the manufacturer concerning the whereabouts of this very important part of their jail equipment. This week they received a reply stating that as they did not specify Havre, Montana, the cells were sent along with an order of steel goods to Havre, France, and were at this time in the middle of the Pacific headed for the French city.

Copies of the Promoter from late January to mid-February 1916 are not available on microfilm at the Havre-Hill County Library, which is why I have not been sharing news from that publication. The Promoter had a neat article coming from Gildford in the same newspaper mentioned above:

WINDSOR HOTEL CAFÉ DEDIC’T’D AT GILDFORD

On Monday evening, Feb. 23, by invitation of Joe B. Moore, proprietor of the Windsor hotel and café, of Gildford, Mont., almost the entire population of that progressive village gathered at the Windsor hotel and passed the evening in playing billiards and dancing, which took place in the town hall, adjoining the hotel.

Mr. Kuffe, Mr. Drake, Mr. Minor and Mr. Wesner entertained the company with quite a few selections of the most popular songs, while Mrs. B. L. Schwartz rendered a number of short readings which was enjoyed by all present. The Gildford band done their part in helping to entertain the large crowd by rendering some very choice selections in a very able manner.

At midnight chop-suey and noodles were served to the entire crowd present, and after an hour more of dancing and pool playing the large crowd left for their homes, wishing Mr. and Mrs. Moore success in their new venture.

The people of Gildford are to be congratulated on having so progressive a man in their town as Mr. Moore, who has in the last year built the Windsor hotel that has cost at least $6,000, and is up to date in every particular.

News from Simpson is often not found in the Havre newspapers, so for those of us who have roots in that wonderful homestead settlement, here is an article published in the March 4, 1916 Promoter they might find interesting:

Simpson Bridge a Baffling Problem

County Commissioner Jos. Berthelote and County Engineer Daoust, returned yesterday from a trip of inspection to the Simpson bridge, across Milk river, north of Havre. This bridge suffered severely as a result of the going out of the ice in Milk river this spring. Some 40 feet of the bridge was carried away, but more distressing that this is the fact that on one end of the bridge it has sunk in the quicksand some four feet. The piers have gone down and the bridge settled with them.

The formation at this point is not of a character substantial enough up on which to build bridges and unfortunately the same sandy formation characterizes the river for many miles in this general locality.

The bridge is one of many that serves many people and no needless time will be lost in at least temporarily fixing it so that the people of that country will be served, until plans are worked out that will enable its being fixed for permanent service.

With the arrival of Lent, parties and gathering are not as numerous in the Society column of The Havre Plaindealer. Here is the only large gathering mentioned in that column in the March 4, 1916 issue, now written under the name of “Amron,” which, happily, is much better than “Squm”:

Elks Dance Last Evening.

Another of those altogether enjoyable evenings for which the Havre Elks are famed, was the annual Charity ball of that order at Lyceum hall last evening. Beautiful decorations in purple and white, emblems of the order, were profuse throughout the hall. The floor was crowded with dancers, many from outside the city who had come especially to attend this annual function.