Voices from the Past

March 28th 1924

Moving Picture Theater opens to a Packed House

The Star Theater had its initial opening Saturday evening with an estimated 160 adults and children attending. The moving pictures were projected across the width of the Hall, thirty feet from the machine to the canvas curtain. The curtain measures 9 X 12 feet, with the size of the pictures, 7 x 10 feet. The machine itself is 110 volts with a 1,150 watt generator. The electric current is generated by a pulley fastened to the rear wheel of a Ford car.

The pictures were projected onto the screen without flicker and without delay. Seven thousand feet of film was run through the projecting machine in the entertainment that lasted two and a half hours. Earl Homer operated the machine from an elevated booth on the east wall of the building.

The picture machine and apparatus only arrived in Broadus Friday evening and practically all day Saturday was devoted to its installation in which E. Culbertson assisted. Homer and Culbertson were in the special enclosure that houses the Ford car and the picture machine the night of the show. Both were nauseated and sickened by the fumes from the Ford exhaust, but these offensive odors did not enter the theater. To prevent a repetition of the conditions on the opening night, ventilation of the annex will be provided by an opening through the roof.

April 1st, 1949

Cathy Linville was Visiting Relatives

Cathy Linville, 3 and a half year old daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Warren Linville, decided about supper time Tuesday evening to visit her grandparents, Mr. & Mrs. F.W. Linville, who live about a mile down the road from her home. She did, but before it was learned that she was a visitor at the grandparents home, a posse had scoured the river banks, fields, and hills in the vicinity of her home in a vain attempt to find her after she had been reported missing by her parents. Her father finally drove to his father’s place and there was Cathy, sitting in the dark waiting for someone to come home.

April 1, 1949

Ranchers Have Modern Homes

Modernization of ranches in Powder River County started shortly before the war and since the end of the war has continued at a rapid pace. Many of the ranchers are planning new homes and ranch buildings and many have already become a reality.

Speaking of this matter this week, A.W. Hingle, manager of the Electric Shop in Broadus, said that during the past three years his firm had sold $100,000 worth of modern home appliances, electric, gas, and oil.

In spite of the difficulties encountered by REA in establishing a distribution system in this county, ranchers generally are installing electric light plants so that many of the ranch homes have the conveniences of town property. Mr. Hingle cited the Dick Smith place west of Broadus as having recently purchased a 3,000 watt plant. At the same time Mr. Smith installed a 15 cu. ft. deep freeze unit and an 8 cu. ft. gas refrigerator. Other ranchers who have installed electric plants within the past few months are Douglas Randall, Carl Russell, and Louis Russell. The Russell brothers in addition have completely modernized their homes with the installation of water pressure systems.

With summer coming on many ranchers are anticipating the purchase of mechanical refrigeration and gas and electric ranges. A number of ranchers did not put up ice this past winter knowing that they would install refrigerators this spring.

March 28th, 1974

Action on Little Powder

Work has begun rebuilding nearly six miles of Broadus-Biddle road, Highway 59. Apparently the first dirt was moved on March 20th, only a little bulldozing then, but equipment is all on the ground, the men, too, to change the looks of things there in a hurry.

The contract for this job was let by the Montana Highway Commission on August 14, last year, to Hilde Construction of Great Falls and Maronick Construction of Helena, a joint undertaking of these two companies, for grading, graveling, surfacing with plant mix oil, and signing this portion of the road for a price of $1,118,212.19, beginning ten miles north of Biddle and extending northward from there a distance of 6 miles toward Broadus.

That was too late in the season for either company to start work before the winter and we are fortunate that conditions are such that they can get an early start this spring. We naturally hope the work will go so well they can have the road oiled by fall.

First purebred Simmental born in State

What is believed to be the first purebred Simmental bull ever born in Montana arrived recently on the Emmet Butcher Ranch ranch near Lewistown. The calf is out of a Simmental heifer purchased recently by Charlie Emmons, Butcher and three other Montana ranchers for $62,000.

The bull is expected to be worth from $50,000 to $100,000 when it reaches service age.

Butcher said he knew of no other purebred Simmental bull calf born in Montana, where the foreign strain noted for its fast growth rate and large adult size has been raised only in recent years.

April 1, 1999

By Laura Lee Ullrich

Powder River Mudcats gearing up for Season

The executive board of directors for the Powder River Mudcats American Legion baseball team has announced the hiring of their coaching staff for the 99 season.

Hired as head coach was Frank Danielson. Frank has played baseball for years, including three years with the Miles City Mavericks. Hired as assistant coach was past Mudcat pitcher Nathan Perleberg. “We think this will be a dynamic duo as a coaching staff”, said Laura Lee, president of the Board.

The Mudcats kick off their season with a Baseball Clinic to be held on April 5th. Kevin Kemp, former coach of the Boise State College Baseball Team knows all the ins and outs of the game and really has an excellent day planned for the team. Babe Ruth players are also invited to attend. The Clinic will be held at the Sagebrush Field from 2 to 6. The team is only losing two players this year and has lots of returning talent and leadership. The Mudcat Board wishes to thank the community for its continued support. You have made it possible for these young men to have their “Field of Dreams.”