Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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Do you think about what a luxury your shower is every time you take one? For many that is a daily routine. How many remember when showers were not in every home. I don’t know when this wonderful convenience became a common household bathroom feature, but I do remember the time before most of us had a shower in our house. The first shower, I remember, was a pretty basic shower stall. No fancy massaging shower heads or handhelds. My gosh, how did we wash our hair? Oh, that’s right, that was a once-a-week event, usually on Saturday. The most welco...
Do you remember the fine art of Norman Rockwell? Maybe you were among those who looked forward to receiving your copy of the Saturday Evening POST magazine each month, not only for the news it would bring but to enjoy the latest Norman Rockwell cover picture. Norman Rockwell chose to depict daily life in his drawings. I can still remember my grandfather studying those drawings. I suspect that the one he enjoyed the most was a drawing of a young boy in the doctor’s office, with his britches partially dropped in anticipation of a “shot in the...
With all of the unrest in the world today, I was reminded of World War II and the fact that Glasgow housed POWs from Germany. I know there are residents of Glasgow and surrounding areas that can still remember those times. Of course, if you can remember that era, you can also remember the site of the old airport in Glasgow. This was the site of the POW camp. I understand that the Glasgow barracks housed at least 300 POWs. Due to the number of young men serving their country, there was a shortage of agriculture workers in the state. Glasgow was...
I love my computer, and really appreciate all of the time it saves me, especially in my bookkeeping. But is it so useful as far as gathering information goes? Just the other day, there was a featured article on how to peel peaches and tomatoes. How many of you readers, guys and gals, remember your mom requiring your help with the canning of the above mentioned? I still use the method my grandmother and mother taught me. So, I read this article wondering what this great method might be. Surprise – it involved blanching the peaches and t...
If you are fretting about how much time it takes to keep a lovely yard, remember when: • Lawn mowers were push reel mowers and those really got uptown with the addition of a grass catcher. • Rototillers for the flower bed or garden. • All of the hoses and sprinklers you got to move from spot to spot. No underground sprinklers with automatic timers. And when did Miracle-Gro become available? Fertilizing the lovely yard was a chore, plus you needed a farmer/rancher friend. Then there was the plus side. Remember kids running through the sprin...
Oh my gosh, what is happening to our Northeast Montana Fair? Do you remember attending the fair just to look at exhibits? There were all of the farm equipment and camper trailers on display, the games of horseshoes, and that background music that made you know you were at the fair. There was the gathering of neighbors and friends sitting on a bench discussing events. A tip of the hat to all who made the effort to bring exhibits to the fair. Remember when the number of entries you took to the fair was a bragging point, and livestock and the...
Do you remember the Listo pen? I had to think to remember the name of these pens, but they were the forerunner to our current permanent marker pens, such as Sharpies. All of your canned goods on the grocery shelf had the price marked on the top with a Listo pen, or maybe they were just called “marking pencils.” This price marking method was not just used for groceries. I assume that one of the drawbacks to this method of price marking would have been the fact that the mark could be easily removed. Just rub it energetically and it was gone! The...
Shave and a haircut, two bits. Do you remember that saying, or better yet does anyone remember the time it might have been true? Then there was the standby cheerleading cheer: 2 bits, 4 bits, 6 bits, a dollar. All for (your team) stand up and holler. Can you imagine the look you might get from a person you were doing business with today if you told them an item was 2 bits? Oh, gosh, I missed my chance when the greenhouse was selling plants! I would be willing to bet that young people have never heard of a quarter referred to as “2 bits.” Thi...
How many times have you sorted through “junk” and really looked at it? I picked up an old Coca-Cola pop bottle the other day and noticed "Glasgow, Mont.," on the bottom of the bottle. Someone needs to help me here. I remember when Coke was bottled in Glasgow, but did these bottles get recycled by being sent back to the original distributor? I have also seen bottles with "Havre, Mont.," on the bottom. I am sure there were many others around also. I know that our society was not as mobile as it is now, but I may have to do a little research on...
Remember when it was not uncommon to see livestock within the city limits of small communities, including Glasgow? Rural residents that moved into town during the school year often brought the milk cow and chickens along. These were animals that needed daily care as well as providing food for the families and chores for the kids. I can remember stories of measures taken to save these valuable animals during one of the big floods in Glasgow. There is a cute little house on the south side of Glasgow that was once a barn, with a loft, that housed...
Do you remember some of the methods of discipline your parents used when you were a child? I don’t remember that “time out” was in my parents' vocabulary. I remember a lot of threats like, “If I have to come up there (upstairs), you are going to be sorry!” Of course, most of you were like my siblings and me; you knew by the tone of voice whether or not you would get warned once or twice more before action was taken. Here's another illusion some of you may remember. I was always told that if I were put in jail for some reason, the only thin...
June is the traditional month for weddings. Do you remember when weddings were followed up by friends and relatives with a chivaree (or shivaree)? Since I had to look up the spelling of the word, I did learn that it means “mock serenade.” I just remember it as a fun time for the instigators, but not necessarily fun for the recipients. Remember the noise of banging on pots and pans, ringing of cowbells and all of the whooping and hollering that went with it? I am sure that some of you remember the pranks that were played on the bride and gro...
I was reminded on Memorial Day that the day was set aside to remember and honor our veterans. It is also a day when we remember all of our deceased family and friends. If you grew up in a small community, you also had the privilege of keeping that final resting place one of peace and beauty. What a way to keep in touch with our roots. If you take the time to wander around a community cemetery, read the headstones, straighten a bouquet or two, pull a few weeds, you will find all kinds of memories flooding your mind. You remember the stories of...
Do you remember the old philosophy of planting your seed potatoes on Good Friday so you could have potatoes by the 4th of July? I remember planting a lot of seed potatoes, doing a lot of hoeing, and picking a lot of potato bugs, but I don’t remember having potatoes on the 4th of July. Does anyone have memories of using the potato peelings for planting? Maybe this started during the Depression years, when nothing went to waste. The cook of the house just peeled the spuds extra thick and planted the peelings. The household potato supply was p...
It is graduation time. Do you remember your high school graduation? The pomp and ceremony of it all. The gals planned their attire for several months, or at least weeks. Graduation announcements were ordered from a firm that usually made a sales appearance at the school. Very little individualism with those announcements, no online or Photoshop. The entire class had the same announcement to send out. Graduation was a time for your best. Did you even think of decorating the top of your cap, or wearing tennis shoes or flip flops? Did we have a dr...
A little more on the building that housed Tork’s Drug. I mentioned last week the hotel lobby and lounge. This “mall type” building is the present day Rundle Building. It makes me happy to see these buildings restored and still used. The lounge was known as the Oasis (not our current Oasis) and is remembered for some pictures that hung there. One reader mentioned a large picture of bagpipe players dressed in kilts. There may have been some history attached to that picture as other pictures mentioned were actual area pictures – some of the Old... Full story
How our downtown area has changed over the years. Do you remember Tork’s Drug Store? The thing that separated “Tork’s” from some of the other businesses in town was the lunch counter located toward the back of the store. If you were not inclined to sit at a counter for lunch, you could go upstairs to find tables and chairs. The cool thing about that was the dumbwaiter that went from the kitchen to the serving room upstairs. That was pretty “uptown” for a country kid. Thinking about that building, it was maybe a forerunner to a mall, as yo...
The celebration of Easter is behind us. Easter has its own significance for most of it and we recognize it as a religious holiday. Do you remember when Easter was the time to begin your spring wardrobe? For a lot of the female gender, it meant getting a new dress and a lovely new bonnet. “Put on your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it, and you will be the grandest lady in the Easter Parade.” Most of us just called it a new Easter hat. You could find cute little hats for the very young generation also. Don’t forget the gloves that were...
This is for those gracious readers who noticed I did not have an article in last week’s issue. I honestly tried. I was out of town, took my laptop with me, had to call my son to figure out how to access the motel internet, thought I sent my article to Jim, and found out technology beat me again. OK readers, this is what you would have gotten last week – and I think I will stick with the old stuff from now on. We have spent a lot time remembering things from years ago and then briefly touched on modern technology last week. Many Courier rea...
If you are of an age where you remember stuff I have written about, you may also be entering the age of being technology challenged. As hard as I try, I find there are way too many things beyond me. I struggle with “texting” and refuse to buy a phone that lets me talk … and it does the texting. But wait a minute – if I were to do that, I wouldn’t have to learn the whole new texting language. What a thought. Do you remember the days spent in English class learning the difference between adjectives and adverbs, nouns and pronouns, and when to use...
I will admit that I am not one to spend many dollars on artwork for decorating my home, but I do love all of my “old” decorations. One of my treasured wall hangings is a “tin dog.” I am sure there are many of you that will remember the old tin dog. I bet I could name more than a few local men who will. Many early residents of our area ran large herds, or bands, of sheep. Some families were able to manage summer grazing of their sheep themselves and others were able to hire the service of herders. Regardless of your circumstances, most herders...
Yes, my face is RED. As I typed up my article on Cory’s last week, I had this thought nagging at me. Just where was the pharmacy counter? Since this was not a drug store, rather a confectionary, I should have heeded that nagging thought. So, all of you great readers, I do apologize and I stand corrected. For you that called to correct me, I am grateful. The upside of my error was a lot of information that I did not know. Cory’s made some of their (maybe all) candy in the basement of their store. I understand that the light taffy made there was...
I am sure that many readers remember Cory’s Drug. Cory’s was brought to mind when the Roxy fire was discussed. I remember Cory’s, but missed those years that most readers remember. I understand that the gentleman who owned Cory’s (was Cory their last name?) used to make his own ice cream bars. Apparently they were delicious. Please feel free to correct me, but I think that the owner was a railroader and the confectionary part of the store was run by his wife. The ice cream bars were apparently made when he was at home, so if there was a large...
My mind is a blank this week. There must be a lot of things that need to be remembered, so please share. I did have several real interesting conversations with Courier readers. One of our readers actually has an original page published by The Courier after the big downtown fire. He tells me that the fire was the 29th of November 1951, and that was on a Monday. Another reader shared a different item of interest. Apparently some of the young residents of the area had discovered that there was... Full story
Do you remember the Johnnie Café? Yes, of course, most everyone remembers and misses that eating spot – a gathering and meeting spot for so many. A place you where could always run into family and friends, our rural neighbors, not just from Glasgow but from the surrounding areas. How many of you remember when you could select and play music on the juke box right from the convenience of your booth? Each booth along the wall had a device mounted just above the booth table, allowing you to se... Full story
