30 Years Ago

Museum sets record of 2,600 visitors

As the tourist season winds down, the Powder River Historical Society Museum and Visitor’s Center looks back on a record-breaking season, with over 2600 visitors registered to date, compared to 1500 last year.

New Hampshire is the only state yet to sign in during this busy season, and foreign guests were noted from France, Germany, England, Japan, Italy, Finland, Luxemburg, as well as Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and neighbors to the north from most provinces in Canada.

On the agenda of the meeting this Friday, 7:30 p.m. will include a report on the current remodeling of the Western Reading Room which has been started under the direction of Bob Carroll. The room should be completed this fall in order to adequately house the growing number of documents, reading material, historical data and photographs being received almost weekly.

Volunteers to help Bob finish the project are still needed.

More valuable acquisitions continue to arrive at the museum, including a 1914 Boyes Blaze Brand Book loaned by Frances Mitchell. Another interesting addition is a trip hammer made by the late Vernon Powell, from Bob Bryan. Agnes Warner of Forsyth has donated surveying equipment acquired by her late husband Beecher, used by Ira Sessions who was one of the featured Maude Beach interviewees. Part of the equipment had been given to Ira by Frank Wilbur, father of Charlotte Broaddus. A tribute to the late Oscar “Sal” Cain and his mother Bessie is included in a very interesting mounted arrangement of pictures, tools and a horseshoe from Helen Cain Cossitt of Sheridan, WY. The Cain family has been a prominent part of Powder River County and Southeastern Montana history since their arrival nearly 80 years ago.

More valued and priceless acquisitions will be announced at a later date, and the public is invited to view all the recent items at the Museum and Visitors Center before it goes into “winter recess”.

Wildfire, Chalsea fire under control

Around 500 firefighters were returning to their homes across Montana Monday and Tuesday after a three-day battle with two large fires in the Custer National Forest near Ashland.

Fire lines held Sunday on the Wildfire, northeast of Ashland, and the Chalsea Fire, south of that community, according to fire information officer Jerry Champan.

Chapman said that the Wildfire, the largest of the two blazes, burned within a 2,640 acre area in Powder River County, about nine miles northeast of Ashland. The Chalsea fire, about 25 miles south of Ashland, had burned an estimated 1,000 acres of forest near the Fort Howes Ranger Station. Chapman said that the Fort Howes complex of service shops and Forest Service employee residents were threatened by the fire Saturday night. Preliminary plans for evacuation were made, but were not carried out.

Broadus Briefs by Bernice Canon

Things seem to be improving in the small town of Broadus. Two businesses – one new and the other is reopening soon.

A new television store will be in the McCurdy-Shamley building and hopefully the Homestead Inn will be open to the public in the near future.

Earl Brownfield, early settler of the Box Elder area, will travel Saturday to Billings to pick up his award for being a Lifetime Cowboy – given by the Centennial Com. Latigo representing Carter County. His son Bob and grandson Ralph will accompany him.

Another early settler of the Bowers Creek area now of Broadus, Joe Dent, played at Spearfish, SD, Senior Center a day last week. He played many old tunes on the piano for a large group. His granddaughter, Nancy Klapmeier, took him and Laura Roberts accompanied them. The trio also visited the Dan Nisleys in Spearfish.

Jack Ridenour, Scott Burley and others took their instruments and played for the Phillippi family reunion and dance a couple weeks ago at Sonnette Hall. They reported a good time with a good crowd.

Margie Phillippi called at the Filmore Canon’s home Saturday evening. She stayed at her sisters, Jean Sterling’s home, after enjoying the Skin and Betty Collins’ 25th wedding anniversary party at the Montana Café.

Jurica to attend college in Japan

Melissa “Missie” Jurica, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leo Jurica of Powderville, left August 23, to travel to Japan to participate in an International Studies Foreign Exchange program between Montana State University and the KANSAI GAIDAI, Kansai University of Foreign Studies in Hirakata City, Osaka, Japan.

Melissa will spend two semesters there returning sometime in June. She will be enrolled in classes given in English which will include the Japanese language, art and culture.

She will have the opportunity of living with a Japanese family for half of her stay and spend the other half living in the college dormitories.

Miss Jurica is a Bio/Medical Chemistry Major at M.S.U. and is planning to return to Bozeman after her year of exchange. She was accompanied to Japan by two other honors students, also enrolled in the same program from M.S.U.

Huckins assumes new command

Air Force Lt. Col. Eddie O. Huckins has assumed command of the 1876th Communications Group, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO.

Huckins is the son of Marguerite Huckins of Broadus. His wife, Darline, is the daughter of Milton Zimmer.

The colonel graduated in 1964 from Powder River County High School, and received a master’s degree in 1979 from Webster College, Webster Grove, MO.