Voices From The Past

February 24, 1922

American Legion Plans to Build

Powder River Post No. 65, American Legion, at a meeting in Broadus Saturday evening presided over by Commander Ben Johnson, considered plans and specifications for a club building that would be erected in Broadus. The building would measure 24 by 32 feet with a full basement for gymnastic purposes and construction will be completed this year if sufficient finances can be raised. As a nucleus to the building fund the Legion already has a “nest egg”, accumulated largely from dance receipts. How to raise the additional building funds is a problem the Legion believes will be solved by the members with the co-operation and support of the public. Club buildings are being erected nearly everywhere and it is the desire of this Post to be fully as progressive. It is stated that the two lots as a site for the building have been donated by Joe Klimek, a member of the Post.

The Legion unanimously endorsed the proposal for a county high school after well looking into the merits of such an undertaking.

A gun club was organized by the Legion which will be open to outside membership as well.

Under its auspices the Legion voted to give another public dance in Broadus Saturday evening, March 4 and for the occasion has engaged a five-piece orchestra. An immense crowd is already assured for the event for the American Legion boys guarantee a good time for all and the public knows they will receive their money’s worth.

February 21, 1947

The Midway Cafe & Tavern

It has been a pleasure to serve our many friends and customers the past year and we hope that we may continue to do so.

In the future we hope that there aren’t the shortages all of us have encountered in the past.

At present there is a great shortage of beer bottles and the breweries tell us that we can only get beer in the amount of the empties that we turn back to them so we are asking your cooperation in getting any bottles that you have laying around idle back to your dealer so he can get full ones to make those hot days this summer a little cooler.

Thank you, Lee C. Smith and Staff

VFW Post Plans Veterans Hall

The regular meeting of the Chas. H. James Post 1595 Veterans of Foreign Wars was held in the Sheriff’s office at the county courthouse last Friday evening with Commander Jack Miller presiding.

John Henry Straiton reported that the county commissioners had approved the request of the VFW to erect a memorial court yard near the site of the Roll of Honor board. The 37 mm gun which was donated by the army ordnance department will be mounted on a block of concrete at least 5 feet in height. A bronze plaque with the names of the World War I and World War II dead from Powder River County will be imbedded on the one side of the concrete shaft.

Authority was given the Adjutant to purchase lot 10 in block 1 of the original townsite of Broadus from Ashton Jones. The members plan the construction of a modern building on this property. A large hall, club rooms for both the Auxiliary and the Post, also an up to date kitchen will be provided for on the main floor of the building. Showers and lavatory facilities will be placed in the basement. Private sleeping quarters for members who stay overnight in Broadus will also be provided.

Future plans for an outdoor swimming pool were discussed. The pool will be made available to the general public.

February 24, 1972

Four Hawks Place at State Tournament

The Class B-C Eastern Divisional champions, the Broadus Hawks, placed four wrestlers in two top places and finished in fourth spot in the State Wrestling Tournament held in Missoula last week. The Hawk squad is coached by Laris Roberts.

Although four is the most finishers Broadus has ever had in the state tournament, the Hawks didn’t finish as high as they had hoped. This was due to a disastrous second round in which 98-pounder, Bill Wetherelt, was the only one to register a win out of seven Hawk matches. Bill then went on to win in the semi-finals, and Mark Fraley, Kirk Vandever, Lester Stradtman and Craig Mader put together eleven wins out of twelve matches in the wrestlebacks. This enabled Fraley, Vandever and Stradtman to compete in the consolation round and Bill in the Championship. Coach Roberts said, “It was good to see the young wrestlers return to top form after the disastrous Friday evening.”

The Hawks said they were “certainly glad to finally have the season behind them”, but due to the fact that they are losing only two seniors, Monty Phillippi and Arnie Mader, from the State Tournament squad, they are “looking forward to next year with hopes of bringing home Broadus’ first trophy at a state tournament.”

February 20, 1997

Mathieson is State Class B Champ

For the first time in well over two decades, the Broadus Hawk Wrestlers have a Montana State Class B Champion, and a freshman at that.

Micah Mathieson wrestled his way to a championship medal at the Montana State Class B Wrestling Tournament last weekend in Billings, beating out two young men he had lost to earlier in the season in the process.

Curtis Damm, a sophomore took third place at 105 pounds, also downing several wrestlers he had lost to earlier.

“We got a state championship at 98 pounds with Micah Mathieson. At 105 pounds, Curtis Damm won third place. Curtis made it through the quarter-finals before he was beaten out. The other wrestlers had pretty close matches but lost out,” said first year Head Wrestling Coach Derrick Tvedt, who teamed up with veteran assistant coach Marshall Sullivan to lead the Hawks to their first individual wrestling championship since the mid 1970s. “The other wrestlers had pretty close matches but lost out. Some of them were decisioned in the last minute or even the last 15 seconds so there were a lot of heartbreakers there.”

At 160 pounds, senior Courtney Gatlin almost made it to the finals. Tony Hope, a freshman and Will Page, a junior, lost out in the first two rounds, according to manager stats. (The Billings Gazette had both winning their first matches). Chris Gnerer, a junior, faced some mighty tough competition and also lost out after the first two rounds of the tourney.

Tvedt added: “I just hope we’ll get some more numbers next year, and if that’s the case we can fill more spots. And if that’s the case we should have a very successful year next year.”