EXTRA! Montana Newspaper Stories 1864-1922: The Railroad Arrives!

The first rail line into Montana, the Utah & Northern Railroad over Monida Pass to Butte, was completed in 1881. Together with the completion of the Northern Pacific Railway in 1883, it heralded a new day of transportation for both people and goods. The Federal government greatly aided the railroads by awarding them tracts of land along the expected routes. The railways connected Montana towns with each other and with the rest of the nation, and they facilitated the expansion of mining and manufacturing.

Key dates

1864—The Pacific Railroad Act of 1864 charters construction of a Northern Pacific link from Lake Superior to the Pacific Coast.
1881—The Utah & Northern Railroad drives its first train into Butte, successfully linking Montana with the transcontinental line in northern Utah.
1883—A ceremony at Gold Creek, Montana Territory, commemorates the completion of the Northern Pacific Railway. Former President Ulysses S. Grant attends.

From the newspapers

• Northern Pacific Railroad, The Montana Post, November 04, 1865, p. 1.
• The Northern Pacific R. R., The New North-west, January 08, 1875, p. 1.
• Transportation Via N.P.R.R. and Missouri River, Helena Weekly Herald, March 25, 1875, p. 4.
• The Railroad, Helena Weekly Herald, January 27, 1876, p. 1.
• Railroad,The Benton Record, March 25, 1876, p. 1.
• Utah & Northern Railroad, Helena Weekly Herald, October 10, 1878, p. 4.
• The Utah & Northern railroad, The River Press, June 29, 1881, p. 1.
• Railroad Monopoly, The River Press, January 25, 1882, p. 4.
• Grand Excursion, Helena Weekly Herald, August 30, 1883, p. 5.
• The Railroad Celebration, Helena Weekly Herald, September 13, 1883, pp. 4-5.

To find more

Search for the following terms in combination, proximity, or as phrases: northern pacific railroad, utah & northern railroad, great northern railway

Ratifying the 1972 Constitution

by Natasha Hollenbach, Digital Services Technician

This post is in honor of the 45^th anniversary of the election to ratify the 1972 Montana Constitution.  All images of Con Con Monty come from The Proposed 1972 Constitution for the State of Montana published as a 12-page supplement in 13 daily newspapers across the state.[1]

Pundits have lauded the 1972 constitution as a progressive model for government covering issues as broad as privacy and environmental protections. In addition, the range of delegates at the Constitutional Convention has also been the topic of much discussion.  However, those of you who remember the election to ratify it in June 1972 may recall a different story…

During the Con Con, the Public Information Committee worked with the media to ensure that the public stayed informed on the development of the new constitution.  As part of this work, they set aside part of the Con Con budget to be used after the convention to educate the public about the new constitution in the run up to the vote on ratification.[2] Prior to adjournment, delegates adopted Resolution 14 that create a committee with the authority to complete the administrative and public education duties of the Con Con using the previously appropriated funds.  However, as soon as the Con Con adjourned opponents of Resolution 14 challenged the right of the committee’s use of the money before the Supreme Court, arguing that access to the money ended upon the conclusion of the constitutional convention. The supporters of Resolution 14 pointed out that the Con Con had an obligation to inform the public about the proposed constitution. The Court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs since voters had already received the proposed constitution along with explanations of what changed fulfilling the public education requirement.[3]

Instead delegates raised independent funds to support education efforts and donated their own time to travel around the state boosting for the new constitution at town hall meetings, panel discussions, and organization meetings. Not all delegates supported ratification however.  Even though all 100 delegates signed the final document, after the Con Con several campaigned against ratification [4] and they weren’t alone in their opposition.  Across the state citizens wrote letters to their local newspapers expressing concern about the proposed constitution. Whether individuals focused on the lack of a maximum property tax levy, the possibility of a gun registration law, ability of the legislature to pass a sales tax, or any other specific issue, Walter A. Stamm in a letter to the Daily Tribune-Examiner of Dillon published June 1, 1972 sums up the main concern.  “Some advocates say that the old constitution had too many restrictions; I would say that the new constitution 

has too few limitations.” 

On June 6, Montanans went to the polls for two separate elections: the constitution and the primary. The constitution vote was close. The returns showed 116, 415 (50.55%) in favor and 113,873 (49.44%) against the new constitution. A difference of only 2542 votes.  Of the 56 counties, only 12 returned a majority in favor of the new constitution.  Opponents of the new constitution argued that since the 1889 Constitution required “a majority of the electors voting at the election” for ratification and given that 6,756 ballots went unvoted, the vote failed to pass.  Governor Forest H. Anderson declared the election valid, the Montana Supreme Court ended up validating the election results in a 3-2 decision on August 18, 1972.[5]

[1] These images come specifically from the May 19, 1972 issue of Daily Tribune-Examiner from Dillon.  Images provided by MONTANA NEWSPAPERS, Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana.  Other newspapers which included this supplement are The Billings Gazette, Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Montana Standard, Great Falls Tribune, Daily Ravalli Republican, Havre Daily News, Helena Independent, Kalispell Inter Lake, Lewistown Daily News, Livingston Enterprise, Miles City Star, and the Missoulian.

[2] Montana Centennial Commission – 1989.  100 Delegates Montana Constitutional Convention of 1972. Dallas: Taylor Publishing Company, 1989.

[3] Supreme Court Case No. 12260. State Ex Rel. Kvallen vs. Graybill. 1972. Accessed in the Montana Supreme Court Cases database, Available through the State Law Library of Montana.  https://searchcourts.mt.gov/

[4] “More Delegates Say No to Document.” Daily Tribune-Examiner (Dillon, Mont.), 01 June 1972, located at <http://montananewspapers.org/lccn/sn85053036/1972-06-01/ed-1/seq-1/>, image provided by MONTANA NEWSPAPERS, Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana.

[5] Supreme Court Case No. 12309. State ex rel. Casmore v. Anderson. 1972. Accessed in the Montana Supreme Court Cases database, Available through the State Law Library of Montana.  https://searchcourts.mt.gov/

EXTRA! Montana Newspaper Stories 1864-1922: Statehood

By the 1880s, residents of the Montana Territory were ready to embrace statehood and enjoy benefits like full representation in Congress, the power to tax local corporations, and federal land grants to support education. Although there had been previous attempts locally and nationally to create the new state, it took 25 years for Montana Territory to become a state.

Key dates

February 22, 1889—President Cleveland signs the Omnibus Bill, an "enabling act" notifying North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, and Montana that if they drew up proper constitutions, they would be granted statehood.
July 4, 1889—Representatives elected from across Montana open a constitutional convention in Helena.
October 1, 1889—In a general election, Montanans approve the new state constitution and elect Joseph K. Toole governor.
November 8, 1889—President Harrison proclaims Montana the 41st state.

From the newspapers

• Victory Won, Great Falls Tribune, February 23, 1889, p. 2
• Grover Agrees, Helena Independent, February 23, 1889, p. 4
• Four New States, Livingston Enterprise, May 25, 1889, p. 6
• The Constitutional Convention, Helena Independent, July 04, 1889, p. 4
• Our Great State, Great Falls Tribune, July 17, 1889, p. 1
• The Convention, Livingston Enterprise, July 20, 1889, p. 1
• A Sovereign People, Helena Independent, November 09, 1889, p. 1
• Gov. Toole’s Proclamation, Great Falls Leader, November 12, 1889 p. 1
• Statehood at Last and Montana is a State, The New North-west, November 15, 1889, p. 2

To find more

Search for these terms: constitutional convention, statehood

---

Written by Catherine W. Ockey


__________________________________________________________________________________
If you haven't completed our survey to learn about your experience with this blog, please click this link.  Thank you for your feedback.

A Continuing Journey: The Conservation of Published Accounts of the Journals of the Corps of Discovery

Molly Kruckenberg

Research Center Director

William Clark, Meriwether Lewis and the Corps of Discovery’s successful return to St. Louis on September 23, 1806, was far from the end of the story of the Corps.  Tasked with keeping a written record of their journey, Lewis and Clark as well as several other members of the expedition kept daily journals of their activities.  Sergeants John Ordway and Patrick Gass as well as Private Robert Frazer were among those that also kept a record of the journey. [i] After the return of the Corps there began a brief battle over who would publish the first account of the expedition.

Although rumors of a publication of Private Frazer’s journal surfaced and Lewis did his best to discredit publications not by he and Clark[ii], Patrick Gass’ journal was the first one published.  Shortly after returning from the Expedition, Gass had sold his journal and publication rights to David McKeehan, a Pittsburgh, PA, bookseller.  After much editing and transcription, McKeehan published the journal in 1807, under the title Journal of the Voyages and Travels of a Corp of Discovery and followed with an additional printing in 1808.  Two years later, Mathew Carey of Philadelphia, acquired the copyright to Gass’ journal and published more editions in 1810, 1811, and 1812.

It wasn’t until 1814, five years after Lewis’ death, and through the work of Philadelphian Nicholas Biddle, that Clark was able to see an edition of the official journals published.  Clark had worked closely with Private George Shannon to assist Biddle in the production of History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark.[iii]  Published by Bradford and Inskeep, also of Philadelphia, the two-volume set was primarily a narrative account of the expedition and did not include any details of the scientific discoveries recorded by Lewis and Clark.[iv]

The MHS Research Center is fortunate to hold several early publications of the journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, including an 1810 edition of the Gass journal and the 1814 Biddle edition of Lewis and Clark’s journals.  While the Gass journal is a recent donation, the Biddle edition has been in the care of the Research Center for more than a century. 

Kept in our secure and environmentally-controlled storage facilities, these volumes are a significant part of our rare book collection.  Given their age of more than two centuries, though, the books were beginning to show some gentle wear and tear.  Last year the Research Center undertook a project to see that these volumes were properly conserved so that they would be available for use and study for the next two hundred years.

The professional conservators at the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, Massachusetts received the books in the fall of 2016 and conducted an initial review of their condition.  Each of the three volumes contained several issues, from patches and scuffs on the leather covers, to dirt, discoloration and water stains.  Conservators cleaned the pages, repaired bindings, reinforced sewing, mended tears and created custom storage boxes for each volume.  The images here illustrate the before and after condition of the title pages for two of the volumes.  The completion of this work stabilizes the volumes making them ready for study by the next generation of Montana history scholars.

The Research Center works continually to balance our joint missions of conservation and preservation of collections with public access to the materials that tell Montana’s history.  Through the conservation of the 1810 edition of Patrick Gass’ journal and the 1814 Biddle edition of Lewis and Clark’s journals, we are continuing our work to ensure Montana’s history is available for research far into the future.

---

[i] Private Joseph Whitehouse also kept a journal and Sergeant Charles Floyd kept a journal until his untimely death August 20, 1803.

[ii] Meriwether Lewis published a notice in the National Intelligencer (Washington D.C.) on March 18, 1807 warning the public not to purchase any publication about the Expedition not authored by himself.

[iii] The complete title is History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the Sources of the Missouri, Thence across the Rocky Mountains and down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean.

[iv] Aarstad, Rich and Jennie Stapp. “Travel and Exploration Narratives in the Montana Historical Society Collection.”  Montana the Magazine of Western History (Vol. 55 No. 3), p63-65.



EXTRA! Montana Newspaper Stories 1864-1922: The Mullan Road

Before the extension of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1883, it was difficult to get people and goods from one side of Montana Territory to the other. The Mullan Road was a U.S. Army project built to move troops to the Indian wars. Named for Lieutenant John Mullan, it was the first wagon road to extend from the Missouri River over the Rocky Mountains, through Northern Idaho and beyond. The road became a vital transportation link, and parts of it were incorporated into major roadways that are still in use.

Key dates

1859—The U.S. War Department appropriates funds for construction of a military road between Washington Territory and the Missouri River.
1862—The Mullan Military Road is completed.
1880—Improvements are made on sections of the old Mullan Road.
1893—The completion of the Great Northern Railroad through Montana decreases demand for an overland wagon route.

From the newspapers

• The Mullan Road, Montana Post, October 6, 1866, p. 2
• The Mullan Road, Montana Post, January 26, 1867, p. 1
• The Western Route, Montana Post, June 8, 1867, p. 1
• The Mullan Road, Montana Post, July 10, 1868, p. 8
• The Mullan Road, Montana Post, January 15, 1869, p. 1
• Territorial News, Rocky Mountain Husbandman, September 18, 1879, p. 2

To find more

Search for the following terms in combination, proximity, or as phrases: mullan, mullan road, western slope

---

Written by Catherine W. Ockey