"My hats off to you and your boot builders" C.M. Russell

by Barbara Pepper-Rotness, Reference Librarian

Catalogues are an excellent source of information when researching items commonly used during a particular time period. We can learn about washing 'machines' that are no more than a scrubbing board; or, about houses sold as a kit like the Sears Mail-Order Homes (check out this Sears Homes Archives - it includes images and prices of their home kits from 1908 to 1940!).

H. J. Justin & Sons, Inc. 1940 cowboy boot

 catalog dedicated to C.M. Russell

  
  Some catalogues are more

   interesting than others,
   though, such as this one
   in the Montana Historical
   Society’s Library 
  collections. Created by 
  the H. J. Justin & Sons, 
  Inc. boot company in 
  1940, the catalogue
  is unique in that 
  it ties cowboy boots
  to a well-known 

  personality in U.S. 
 Western history, that of 
 C.M. Russell, 
 the cowboy artist. 
 Throughout this beautiful 
 little booklet are pictures 
 of cowboy boots that
 were popular during the 
 early 1940s, interspersed 
 with illustrations by 
 C.M. Russell. 

The entire booklet is dedicated to the artist and includes “A Tribute to Charles M. Russell, written as an introduction to the artist’s book by the beloved cowboy humorist and actor Will Rogers”. On the second page of his tribute, Will Rogers quotes "a lot of them old reprobates, they said," speaking of Charlie:

“We may have Painters in time to come, that will be just as good as old Charley. We may have Cowboys just as good, and we may occasionally round up a pretty good man. But us, and the manicured tribe that is following us, will never have the Real Cowboy, Painter, and Man, combined that old Charley was, For we aint go not more real cowboys, and we aint got no more Cows to paint, and we just dont raise no more of his kind of men, and if by a Miracle we did get all that combination why it just wouldent be Charley.”

Charlie himself was fond of the Justin Boys and their boots and demonstrated that by purchasing his own boots from them. He even wrote letters to them, such as the one below copied in the catalog, praising their products:

Letter, dated December 28, 1921, from CM Russell to H.J. Justin and Sons

The Justin Boys were so dedicated to keeping C.M.Russell's name and art alive that on the credit page of this 1940 catalogue, it says that each booklet costs 50 cents to purchase and half of each purchase will be 'presented to the Montana Cowboy's Association for its Memorial to Charlie Russell.'

The cost of the boots themselves, though, depended on the style and whether the boot was customized. or, 'Made to Measure'; or if it was from their stock, as we can see below on the inserted price list effective June 1, 1940:

Retail Price List Effective June 1, 1940, from
H. J. Justin & Sons, Inc. catalogue

Let's look at some of the boots you could choose from:

'For the ladies', there was a nice selection of boots that the "dudines* really go for":

"No. L1514 – The Dudines really go for this trim streamlined Western Gypsy boot with its Narrow Square toe, classically simple stitching pattern and dainty row of white stars inlaid around the tops. The whole boot is made of soft pliable Brown Kid and lined with Justin’s smooth tough baseball leather."

And, in reference to their description above concerning the 'smooth tough baseball leather', they included a full page description of the baseball leather they used:

The Justin and Sons Boot, Inc. company was even able to import 'exotic' leathers like kangaroo from Australia.

Genuine Australian Kangaroo Leather selections,
from 1940 Justin Boot catalogue

And, even though round-toed boots were slowly going out of fashion by this time (see below), 

This early 'infographic' describes the evolution of the cowboy boot
[From: The Old West - The Cowboys, by Time-Life Books, 1973]

the H.J. Justin and Sons, Inc. company was still selling them in this 1940 catalog, along with medium-square and narrow-square-toed boots.

Begun in 1879 in Spanish Fort, Texas, a frontier settlement on the later-named Chisholm Trail, Justin Boots is located in Fort Worth, Texas and continues its tradition of creating boots 'crafted by skilled boot-makers using only the finest leathers and quality materials.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*'Dudine' (and 'dudess'), were early forms of 'dudette':

From A Dictionary of Americanisms on Historical Principles, University of Chicago Press, 1951

“A Montanan Through and Through”: The Photographic Legacy of Barbara Van Cleve

by Molly Kruckenberg, MHS Research Center Manager

Throughout her long career, renowned photographer and Montana native Barbara Van Cleve has captured the spirit of the west through her photographs.  Deemed a “Treasured Montana Artist,” Van Cleve has documented Montana and western ranch life from the mid-twentieth century through today.  Her photographs, described by B. Byron Price as having “left a trail deep and plain over open range,” capture distinctly Montana and western images. 

Barbara Van Cleve’s heritage is steeped in Montana.  Her family’s ranch, the Lazy K Bar, was founded in 1880 on the slopes of the Crazy Mountains.  As a photographer, she has held a camera since she was 11 years old.  Her youthful interest in photography grew into a lifelong commitment.  Ranch work also began early for Barbara.  Barely six, she could be found helping at the corrals or sitting astride a horse.  Ever since she has documented the “true grit” and beauty of her experiences on ranches in the West.

Following an academic career in Chicago, Barbara moved to New Mexico to pursue her photography.  She has since returned to her hometown of Big Timber, Montana, where she continues her photography work today.

Van Cleve has offered her collection of more than 10,000 negatives and prints, comprising her life’s work, to the Montana Historical Society.  As a body, the collection records the land and sky, people and animals that have been a part of her life as well as modern western history.  Stating, “I am deeply pleased that photography students, scholars and historians of the West will have access to my work,” Van Cleve acknowledged her pleasure that her “work will come home to stay in my heartland, Montana.”

Van Cleve has generously agreed to offer her collection to the Montana Historical Society for $250,000.  In addition, she has agreed to donate her personal collection of cameras and family materials.  If you are interested in helping the Montana Historical Society preserve and protect this significant Montana history resource, please contact Director Bruce Whittenberg at bwhittenberg@mt.gov or 406-444-5485.

Gallery of Outstanding Montanans Coming Up!

On Wednesday, February 27, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. in the Capitol Rotunda, architects John G. Link and Charles S. Haire and champion bronc rider Fannie Sperry Steele will become the newest inductees into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans.

Butte-Silver Bow Club
[MHS Photo Archives PC 001]

Working independently and in partnership, John G. Link (1869–1954) and Charles S. Haire (1857–1925) shaped Montana’s built landscape. In 1906, the two joined together to form Link and Haire, Architects, which quickly grew into one of Montana’s most prominent architectural firms. In addition to providing plans for a third of the state’s county courthouses and contributing to the capitol’s 1912 expansion, Link and Haire designed schools, churches, hospitals, office buildings, libraries, and private homes. Their buildings, many of which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, embrace the period’s eclectic and classical tastes.

Helena MT Life Insurance Company
[MHS Photo Archives PAc 2013-50]

Fannie Sperry Steele (1887– 1983) grew up near Helena and learned to ride almost before she could walk. In 1907, Sperry began participating in women’s bucking horse competitions. At the Calgary Stampede in 1912, her ride earned her the title “Lady Bucking Horse Champion of the World.” Sperry rode exhibition broncs until she was in her fifties. She was the first woman in Montana to receive a packer’s license, and with her string of pintos, she guided hunters on trips into the mountains. Widowed in 1940, she continued to run her family’s ranch until she was seventy-eight.

Fanny Sperry Steele, Miles City Roundup
[MHS Photo Archives 2018-56

My Valentine

by Jennifer Bottomly-O'Looney, MHS Museum Senior Curator

Charles M. Russell and Nancy Cooper were married on September 9, 1896, in a ceremony at the home of their good friends Ben and Lela Roberts. The bride wore a blue wedding dress that Lela Roberts made for her.[i]

Charlie Russell and wife Nancy, 1896, Elite Studio
[MHS Photo Archives # 944-674

The event was newsworthy. As the Anaconda Standard reported, “Wednesday evening at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. B. R. Roberts, Miss Mamie Mann and Charles M. Russell were united in marriage by Rev. B. W. Pierce. A large number of guests were present and after the ceremony the party sat down to an elaborate collation. The occasion was one of the most pleasant social events ever held in Cascade where the couple have many friends.” The Standard noted that “Charley Russell, the happy groom, is known all over the west as the ‘Cowboy Artist’ . . .  [and] now more than ever before [he] will confine himself to his profession. In the classic language of Charley, he’s ‘done settled down to business and can’t trot with the gang anymore…’” [ii] They honeymooned in the small twelve by twenty-four-foot shack behind the Robert’s house, where they would make their home.

My Valentine

Watercolor and gouache, ca. 1896-1897, 18” H x 15½” W

Gift of Mrs. Charles L. Sheridan in memory of Lela V. Roberts

[MHS Museum Accession X1954.03.03]

Charlie was persuaded to paint the very atypical, and romantic watercolor, My Valentine, for his friend Lela, who used it as a sign for a candy booth set up as a fund-raiser for a church social. It was given to the Montana Historical Society in memory of the donor’s mother, Lela V. Roberts. Both Lela and her husband, Ben Roberts, were close friends of Russell’s. The Roberts’s home is where Russell first met Nancy and where they married. [iii]

---

[i] Brian Dippie, Shaping of Russell’s Art, 6

[ii] Anaconda Standard, September 13, 1896, 13

[iii] MHS Curatorial Records.

Montana's Last Best Nicknames

This year marks the 130^th Anniversary of Montana’s Statehood. Montana has had many nicknames through the years, and we often wonder how each came into being. Below is a brief look at some of the more popular ones. 

Treasure State

In 1895 "Treasure State" became the first nickname to gain wide appeal.  It appeared on the cover of a promotional booklet published by the Montana Bureau of Agriculture, Labor, and Industry.  "Treasure State" was chosen because of Montana's status as the country's foremost producer of metallic treasures - gold, silver, and copper.

Land of Shining Mountains

"Land of Shining Mountains" also appeared in 1895 in the same promotional booklet published by the Montana Breau of Agriculture, Labor, and Industry that introduced "Treasure State."  This motto had its origins with brothers Pierre and Chevalier Verendrye, French Canadian fur traders and explorers, who gazed upon the northern Rockies and upped them the "Shining Mountains."  According to Joaquin Miller's 1894 history Montana, Native tribes also referred to the Rockies as "the Shining" because of their snow caps.

Last Best Place

Originally the title of a compilation of essays, poems, stories by Montanans, The Last Best Place: A Montana Anthology, it developed into the ‘last best’ descriptor of the state of Montana. William Kittredge, co-editor of the anthology, coined the phrase through an ‘epiphany’ of sorts:

“In an interview, they recalled being "in a tizzy" at an editorial meeting in 1987. They could not come up with a title for the book. Then Kittredge had an epiphany, which may or may not have been helped by the gin-and-tonic he was drinking at the time. He melded a line from a Richard Hugo poem about "the last good kiss" with Abraham Lincoln's definition of the United States as "the last best hope of mankind."*

Stubbed-Toe State

First seen in the 1922 edition of the World Almanac, the only explanation for Montana as the "Stubbed-Toe State" comes from the Dictionary of Americanisms, which asserts that the nickname refers to the mountainous region of western Montana where the multitude of rocks might pose a hazard to the novice hiker.

Montana: High, Wide and Handsome

Montana: High, Wide and Handsome first appeared in the 1940s on the cover of a Montana Highway Department publicity brochure. This phrase was also the title of Joseph Kinsey Howard's acclaimed book. Although the original source of the phrase is unknown, evidence points to C. B. Glasscock, who stated in War of the Copper Kings published in 1935 that "Life in Butte was high, wide, and occasionally handsome."

Big Sky Country

Big Sky Country was adopted as a Montana nickname in 1961 and is based on the book by A. B. "Bud" Guthrie.  In the summer of 1961 Jack Hallowell hosted writer John Weaver of Holiday magazine, who asked to meet Guthrie.  During their meeting Hallowell casually asked if Guthrie would object to the state advertising department using "Big Sky" to promote tourism.  Guthrie granted his permission on the spot.  Ironically, the title of the classic novel of the American fur trade originated with Guthrie's editor, Bill Sloane, because Guthrie submitted his manuscript without a title.  Guthrie had sent biographical notes, including the exclamation--"standing under the big sky I feel free"--that his father made during his first day in Montana."

Montana - Naturally Inviting

In 1985 state promoters developed "Montana - Naturally Inviting" as a replacement to "Big Sky Country," as they feared that state advertising using that slogan would be confused with advertising for Chet Huntley's Big Sky Resort south of Bozeman.

______________________________________________________________

*[From the August 26, 2005 Washington Post https://wapo.st/2RNb3vY]

[Content borrowed and updated from the MHS Montana History Compass, which contains so much more information about Montana’s history. https://bit.ly/2F93E8y]