Sept. 30 – On this day in Montana history in 1911 young aviator Cromwell Dixon in a Curtiss biplane crossed the main range of the Rocky Mountains for the first time in history. He had left from the fairgrounds in Helena. He flew to Blossburg in half an hour and delivered a message from Gov. Edwin Norris to the crowd there that stated that its delivery was the proof of the record setting event. Air mail came later, but this might have been one of the first air mail deliveries. 

Sept. 29 – On this day in Montana history in 1910 the first public performance of what became Montana’s official state song, “Montana,” took place at the Helena Theatre (formerly known as the Ming Opera House.) The song was written by Joseph Howard. The Black Eagle Band of Great Falls was in town to perform at the State Fair, and Howard enlisted the band to perform it in its public debut.

Sept. 28 – On this day in Montana history in 1954 former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt spoke at the Helena Civic Center. She delivered a passionate speech on the importance of the United Nations and her hope for world peace.    

Sept. 27 – On this day in Montana history in 1870 Henry Comstock shot himself in the head and died dead broke and alone in a shack near Bozeman. Ironically, his name is associated with the famous Comstock Lode in Nevada. Although he was part owner of a claim that others found silver on, he bragged so much about it that the whole area became known as the Comstock Lode. It yielded 400 million dollars in precious metals, but Comstock sold his share for $11,000 which he soon squandered away. His grave marker still stands near Bozeman.

Sept. 27 – On this day in Montana history in 1870 Henry Comstock shot himself in the head and died dead broke and alone in a shack near Bozeman. Ironically, his name is associated with the famous Comstock Lode in Nevada. Although he was part owner of a claim that others found silver on, he bragged so much about it that the whole area became known as the Comstock Lode. It yielded 400 million dollars in precious metals, but Comstock sold his share for $11,000 which he soon squandered away. His grave marker still stands near Bozeman.

Sept. 26 – On this day in Montana history in 1910 the first successful public flight in the state of Montana was made at the Montana State Fair Grounds in Helena. Pilot J.C. “Bud” Mars made two successful flights in his Curtiss plane. The flights dispelled skepticism of many who doubted it would be possible for a plane to take off at Helena’s altitude of 4,157 feet.

Sept. 25 – On this day in Montana history in 1963 President John F. Kennedy came to Billings and was greeted by 17,000 cheering people at the Midlands Empire fairgrounds. He spoke of many things, but most on his mind was the recently passed nuclear test ban treaty. “We now have a chance for a more secure existence,” he told the crowd. On the platform with Kennedy were Sens. Mike Mansfield and Lee Metcalf and Gov. Tim Babcock.

Sept. 24 – On this day in Montana history in 1841 Father Pierre Jean DeSmet planted a cross on the banks of what is now the Bitterroot River in western Montana establishing the historic mission known as St. Mary’s of the Rockies. One can call it coincidence or divine providence, but DeSmet came to Montana from Council Bluffs on the Missouri River after meeting Native Americans from the Flathead country who were on their way to St. Louis to plead for a “black robe” to bring “powerful medicine” to their people. DeSmet went with them to St. Louis and convinced Catholic officials there to allow him to return with his new found friends.

Sept. 23 – On this day in Montana history in 1858 the first Masonic ceremony in Montana history was held on the summit of the main range of the Rocky Mountains near the Mullan road near Helena. Nathaniel Langford and two other Masonic brothers officiated at the ceremony that is commemorated by a large oil painting in the Masonic Library in Helena.

Sept. 22 – On this day in Montana history in 1927 a man who for the rest of his life was known as Miles City’s Flying Cowboy” landed in Spokane. C.B. McMahan in his “American Eagle” landed first in his class in a long distance airplane race. 

Sept. 21 – On this day in 1919 the son of President Theodore Roosevelt, Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt, was greeted by a large crowd on a trip to Butte, which was embroiled by mining labor disputes with owners. The Butte Miner reported that the president’s son “minced” no words in urging labor and management to resolve their differences peacefully and not turn to “bolshevism.” “Riots and Disorder have no place in this country and peace and order must be restored before rights can be debated,” Roosevelt said.

Sept. 20 – On this day in Montana history in 1942 quotas were established by the War Production Board in Helena for all Montana counties to save kitchen fat. Advertisements appeared across the state urging housewives to “Save Waste Fats for Explosives” for the World Was Two effort. It was said that 3 pounds of fat could provide enough glycerin to make a pound of gunpowder.

Sept. 19 – On this day in Montana history in 1933 the Santa Rita oil pipeline began carrying most of the oil in the Cut Bank oil field to the rails near Cut Bank. The  Montana Oil and Mining Journal reported that the cost to producers to get oil to the market was cut from about 40 cents per barrel, which had been the cost to using trucks, to 28 cents per barrel using the new pipeline. The economy of the area was booming.

Sept. 18 – On this day in Montana history in 1955 the death of Maggie Smith Hathaway, who was one of Montana’s first two women legislators, was reported in Montana. She died in Tacoma, Wash., As a representative from Ravalli County she served in the Legislature from 1916 to 192215, 16 and 17 Montana Legislatures and was elected the same year as Emma Ingals of Flathead County. If you want to read more about her, her life story “Maggie and Montana” published in 1954 by MSU political Science professor Harold Tacher is available In the MHS Research Center

Sept. 17 – On this day in Montana history in 1945 Philip Douglas Jackson was born in Deer Lodge. Jackson, better known as Phil, went on to graduate from the University of North Dakota and to basketball fame as a player for the New York Knicks and later as a coach for the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers winning championships at all three stops.  He also wrote books including “Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior,” which delved into his Zen influenced philosophy of life and basketball.

Sept. 16 – On this day in Montana history in 1926 Sarah Bickford, a black woman who owned the Virginia City water system, brought suit against the city for failing to pay its bills for rental of city water hydrants. She eventually was successful and ran the mining city’s water system until her death in 1931. She was a groundbreaker for black people in the state and a respected business leader.

Sept. 15 – On this day in Montana history in 1910 The Newspaper of Chester published what it called the “Ten New Dry Landers’ Commandments” on its front page.  Among them was “thou shalt plow deep,” “thou shalt summer fallow when rainfall is less than 15 inches,” “thou shalt add organic matter to the soil.” The list ended with “he who obeys these commandments shall reap abundant crops.”

Sept. 14 – On this day in Montana history in 1894 the Montana Colored Citizen newspaper reported that black man J.P. Ball Sr. had been nominated at the Republican county convention meeting in Helena for the position of coroner of Lewis and Clark County. “The disposition to ignore the colored citizens grows less and less as time rolls on, and the time is near at hand when he shall be accorded the full and just recognition to which he is entitled,” the paper said. Ironically, Ball said that his business interests would prevent him from accepting the nomination.

Sept. 13 – On this day in Montana history in 1944 250 German prisoners of war were being used to help harvest sugar beets in the Hardin area. A work camp was set up on the fairgrounds with the U.S. Army providing the “fencing and armed guards.” 

Sept. 12 – On this day in Montana history in 1907 a Great Northern Railroad Oriental Limited express car was held up and robbed near Rexford. Two men who were onboard the train climbed over the tender and forced the engineer to stop the train in the wilderness near Yaak. They blew up one of two safes in the car and reportedly netted about $40,000. George Frankhauser and Charles McDonald were eventually convicted of the crime, but not before escaping from the Lewis and Clark jail and eventually being recaptured.

Sept. 11 – On this day in Montana history in 1969 Montana’s first and pioneering radiologist Dora Walker died in Great Falls. In 1918 she came to Great Falls and opened the Walker Laboratory “specializing in X-ray, chemistry and pathology.” She also was a leading cancer specialist and founder of a medical program for Cascade County’s poor. 

Sept. 10 – On this day in Montana history in 1884 headlines lit up with “The First Fires Started in That Mighty Structure” as the Anaconda Smelter – still a landmark visible for miles on the Interstate – was lit up for the first time. It was hailed as “the most important and extensive smelting enterprise yet known in connection with the mining history of Montana.” The plant manager said in ceremonies at the smelter the furnaces were lit “for the hope that they may never be extinguished.” It is historic evidence that nothing lasts forever.

Sept. 9 – On this day in Montana history in 1896 famous Montana cowboy artist Charlie Russell married Nancy Cooper in Cascade. The couple had a successful life with many people saying that Nancy was the business brains behind the man who painted Montana. Their honeymoon cottage is still standing in Cascade. 

Sept. 8 – On this day in Montana history in 1883 Northern Pacific Railroad president Henry Villard held what was actually the second ceremony driving the last spike of the line at Independence Creek. In reality the first ceremony occurred Aug. 22 when work was actually completed, but Villard held an international public relations event on this day that saw a special train filled with dignitaries and reporters from across the world brought to Montana to bring attention to the economic possibilities of the line.

Sept. 7 – On this day in Montana history in 1904 the Havre Herald reported on the success of Labor Day events with 500 working men marching and dozens of floats in the parade. In its reports of major speeches given touting the need to organize labor, W. G. Conrad’s speech on the need to “fight against” the threat of “Orient labor” to American workers was said to have riled up the crowd. Some things never change, it seems.

Sept. 6 – On this day in Montana history in 1923 the Absarokee Enterprise was touting tobacco as a major crop for Montana. J.W. Tucker of Worden, who had been a tobacco grower in Kentucky, said his experiments in growing tobacco in Montana over several years were successful, and produced “leaves equal to, if not superior, in quality to that grown anywhere else.” His neighbors in the Huntley irrigation project were following his experiments carefully.

Sept. 5 – On this day in Montana history in 1927 famous aviator Charles “Lucky” Lindbergh landed in Butte and into a throng of fans anxious to greet a true American hero. Extra police and soldiers from Fort Missoula handled security and made sure the field was safe and clear for landing. Lindbergh spoke at a sold-out banquet in the evening and thrilled the crowd with stories of barnstorming in Montana in his early days with a lot of his old friends.

Sept. 4 – On this day in Montana history in 1805 Lewis and Clark met the Salish at Ross Hole. The meeting was critical to the success of the expedition because they secured a guide and horses to continue on to the Pacific coast. Famous Montana artist Charles Russell commemorated the event with a large mural considered one of his masterpieces above the rostrum in the House Chamber in the state Capitol.   

Sept. 3 – On this day in Montana history in 1894 the first African-American newspaper was published in Montana. “The Colored Citizen” was published in Helena and “Devoted to the Interests of Colored Americans.” 

Sept. 2 – On this day in Montana history in 1911 Montana’s congressional delegation sent word back to the state that the federal government had decided to restore a large amount of land near Cut Bank back to public domain making it available for homesteading. The lands were taken off public domain when a small irrigation project was created. The subsequent uproar and economic logjam nearly killed the town local officials complained. “But for our railroad payroll we would have had the deadest town in all Montana,” a Cut Bank  official said.    

Sept. 1 – On this day in Montana history in 1953 newspapers used large headlines to warn “Every Highway will be Passable but Dangerous Over Labor Day.” The public service ad campaign noted that 290 people were being killed and more than 13,600 injured nationally on an average weekend. That number jumped significantly on Labor Day, and newspapers warned “Slow Down! The Life You Save May be Your Own.”