Celebrating History: Welcoming home the soldiers and starting Prohibition

By Emily Mayer

As soldiers returned from the war or from training camps, our nation, state and community were making accommodations for returning warriors as well as moving forward to the future. The local Rotary Club was making sure those returning were getting a big welcome, as well as making provisions for returning soldiers and sailors to have jobs and meet their other needs. Every train with a returning soldier or sailor would be greeted heartily by the Rotarians, employment services and the Red Cross were at the ready to assist disabled military men into suitable jobs, and a special service flag was being proposed to employers who put returning soldiers and sailors back to work. Similar to the Blue Star Service flag, a blue star on a field of white bordered by red — one star for each family member serving during war time — and the Gold Star Service flag, a gold star on a field of white bordered by red — one star for every family service member who died in the war — this design of this flag would be:

A blue field on which is shown a large white sixpointed star, inside of the white star are smaller red stars with a figure indicating the number of returned soldiers or sailors employed, and below the white star the wording ‘Returned Soldiers Employed here.’

This would symbolize a “matter of pride to give a soldier or sailor a job now as it was to display the fact that an employee had gone off to war.”

The Service Star flags’ roots are squarely and firmly from World War I and were designed by U. S. Army Capt. Robert L. Queisser of the Fifth Ohio Infantry in 1917, who had two sons serving in World War I.

Government officials and the public quickly adopted the flag, and it would make a return during World War II and the Korean War but waned during the Vietnam War. It surged again in popularity during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the first Gulf War. A Silver Star flag is also gaining popularity as of late, symbolizing people injured or wounded in a war zone. Not so much for employers whose employees are deployed in service to our country or the number of veterans that are employed in their establishments; perhaps this should also make a comeback.

The Havre Plaindealer published in its January 25, 1919, edition that:

O. C. Hauge, the junior member of the firm of Norris, Hurd & Hauge, has returned from a trip east. Mr. Hauge left last week in response to a message from his mother announcing the death of Mr. Hauge’s brother with the American forces in France from an attack of pneumonia.

The Plaindealer’s February 1, 1919 issue had these short announcements:

Lieutenant Charles Emery was in the city Monday on his way to his home at Burnham. Mr. Emery is the son of Grant Emery of Burnham.

E. P. Patton who has bee in the aviation service returned to Havre Monday from Texas. Mr. Patton was formerly connected with the Havre Abstract company and been away for over a year.

In the same issue, it was reported Rev. E. J. Huston, in addition to him being sued, was at home with the Spanish flu, and that his three children had also contracted the disease.

Of course, war almost always results in a surplus of something, and tanks were one of them. First used during The Great War, tanks proved themselves extremely valuable on the European front, going places men, horses and other mechanized vehicles could not.

Innovative people finding opportunity saw a use for tanks after the war, and local farm implement dealer H. D. Shephard brought in some of these modified tanks to show area farmers what they could do. He explained it as a “fight tank with its coat off” and it cut “circles and figures familiar to all ice skaters, climbing with ease, obstacles commonly considered insurmountable for farm tractors and displaying a flexibility that has commanded the attention even of those not interested in such machines.”

This “new caterpillar tractor has been performing upon the streets of Havre the past week, and attracting crowds of interested observers by its remarkable achievements.”

Another sign the war was over was the closure of all state Food Administration offices, but hunger in Europe was still present and newspapers across the nation were encouraging Americans to continue to be frugal and donate surplus goods to organizations who, in turn, would send food overseas.

The Havre Chamber launched a membership drive, and the local Red Cross reorganized in light of the end of the war. The Havre Women’s Club was also meeting again, this time with a strong emphasis on child welfare, in particular childhood diseases and health inspections in schools.

The Havre Elks were hosting dances again, and the members of the Eastern Star were busy making preparations for a masquerade ball. A newly formed “Jazz Band” performed at the Elks gathering, which prompted this announcement in the February 1, 1919 Plaindealer:

A young men’s dancing club sponsored by the “Jazz Band” has been organized and will hold the first of its subscription dances next Monday evening and at regular intervals thereafter.

All kinds of gatherings were making a comeback, just in time for Prohibition to be passed into law. Montana had gone “dry” as of Dec. 31, 1918, and the Jan. 25, 1919 Plaindealer announced Nebraska was the 36th state to ratify the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution, making Prohibition legal throughout the entire country. Some in Havre couldn’t have been more pleased, with the Plaindealer printing in its Feb. 1, 1919, edition:

January was a quiet month in the local police court. No drunks are reported in the report for that period being prepared by Judge W. B. Pyper and the receipts were only slightly in excess of $90. Judge Pyper says that this amount is far less than one-half of any previous month during the 15 years that he has filled the office of police magistrate here.

Distressing news for all beer lovers:

D. J. Desmond deputy internal revenue officer, from Helena, at the request of the local brewery, was in the city Tuesday of this week and dumped into the Milk River 15 vats of beer, totaling 928 barrels. This was the entire supply left on the hands of the brewery at the close of the day, December 30, 1918, when prohibition became effective.

The Plaindealer also reported two men were arrested in connection with the disappearance of over 100 quarts of whiskey being transported on the Great Northern. W. E. Belknap, express messenger on the Great Northern, and J. B. Stuart, a brakeman, had a hearing before U. S. Commissioner Elwell. The owner of the whiskey was none too happy, as the shipment arrived for delivery in Great Falls past the official implementation of Montana’s Prohibition law. The investigation was on for others who may have been involved.

The Roaring Twenties was getting an early start in Havre, Montana!