What was Helena like in 1887?

Last December, I shared Homer Thomas's description of Christmas in the Gallatin Valley in 1864. Readers seemed to enjoy it so I thought I'd share an excerpt of another delightful primary source, this one a description of Helena published in the the September 1887 issue of Northwest Magazine. Likely written as a promotional piece (so to be read with some caution), it was called "A Glance at the City."

"Let us suppose that you arrive in Helena on the train from the East just at the close of a summer day. The bustle at the station, the long lines of freight cars, the array of hacks and hotel omnibusses, all suggest a large and busy place. You select as your conveyance a brightly-painted streetcar, which takes you "up town" for ten cents, and glancing around at the warehouses, lumber-yards, taverns and saloons which gather about the station, discover that this is a new suburb, created by the railroad, and that the city proper is more than a mile away hugging closely the base of the mountains. In the intervening space you pass heaps of boulders and gravel, beds of old ditches and huge excavations scarring the face of the landscape--the remains of abandoned gold-diggings. The best of the placer ground was long ago washed out, but at one point there is still a line of sluice-boxes and some work is done when water is plenty. ... All this debris of the old mines gives to the approaches to the city a singularly ragged and uncouth look and makes the contrast a striking one, when the car, turning and descending a little hill, suddenly brings you into a long, narrow, winding street, full of vehicles and people and bordered with a picturesque variety of buildings, ranging in size from the log huts to the four story brick hotel and the cut-stone palace of a bank. ..."

Let me know if you like these occasional primary source features, or if I should stick to sharing teaching resources, strategies, and professional development opportunities.

Teaching Montana History is written by Martha Kohl, Outreach and Interpretation Historian at the Montana Historical Society.

Exploring the Roots of Anti-Asian Prejudice

The American Association of State and Local History recently sent out a four-minute video, "Remember, Record, Respect: History of Anti-AAPI Violence and Discrimination," created by the Museum of Chinese in America in response to the rising number of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI).  

The video quickly surveys the long history of anti-AAPI violence. It doesn't mention Montana explicitly, but it could have. If you are looking to contextualize the recent shooting in Atlanta and other examples of anti-AAPI violence, consider sharing the video with your students and then having them examine some Montana specific primary and secondary sources:

• Asia versus America Chinese Boycott Poster

• Testimony from Hum Fay concerning the Boycott of Chinese and Japanese Businesses in Butte (I love this one because it shows a Chinese business owner fighting back).

• Letter from Howard Toole to Gov. Sam Ford, from Missoula, 1942, Regarding Japanese Students Attending University of Montana

• Fort Missoula has an virtual tour of its new exhibit, "Looking Like the Enemy: The internment of the Issei at Fort Missoula." as well as a guided online tour. Fort Missoula also produced a twenty-six-minute video, "The Alien Place," about the fort's time as a detention center for Italian and Japanese nationals. (The first ten minutes focuses on the Italians, the next ten minutes focuses on the Japanese). 

• "George 'Montana' Oiye: The Journey of a Japanese American from the Big Sky to the Battlefields of Europe," by Casey J. Pallister, Montana The Magazine of Western History (pp. 21-33, 94-96) (This centers the experiences of a Japanese American, making him the protagonist, rather than focusing on things that were done to him.)

 

Ideas that Work

April 20, 4 p.m.-5 p.m. will be our last online PD for the year. The topic will be "The New Montana Content Standards for Social Studies." (Register here.)

I hope it will be good, but it will be hard to beat the March online PD, "Hooks! Humor, Stories, and Other Ways to Bring Montana History to Life." The teachers who participated arrived prepared to share ideas for hooking kids on Montana history--and it was fabulous. I'll do my best to summarize some of the conversation.

Fifth grade teacher Ron Buck (Shelby) began his unit on the Speculator Mine disaster by donning a fedora with an index card that says "Ace Detective" tucked in the headband. He armed his students with magnifying glasses and told them that they were going to become ace detectives too and sent them to stations around the room to find ten facts. At each station there was a newspaper article or other primary source--students spent about ten to fifteen minutes investigating the sources, and they were so enthralled that no one finished early. Later he had them explore telegrams to and from families and photographs from the disaster. When Ron does this--and he does it often with different topics--he finds five to eight compelling sources and makes multiple copies, clearly labeling the stations so that students know which sources they've looked at. 

Elementary librarian Ruth Ferris (Billings) suggested another possible hook for a lesson on the disaster: cards with names and information about specific miners--with the idea that students could find out whether they survived or not (modeled on the Holocaust Museum, where, when you visit, you get a card with a specific person's name on it.) She said that Big Huge Labs had a template for creating free trading cards.  

High school teacher Cynthia Wilondek (Big Fork) said she uses the Montana ghost stories in Beyond Spirit Tailings: Montana's Mysteries, Ghosts, and Haunted Places by Ellen Baumler to hook her students. She finds that talking about folklore makes students even more hungry to separate truth from fiction. (Ellen has two other books of ghost stories: Spirit Tailings: Ghost Tales from Virginia City, Butte, and Helena and Montana Chillers (which is written for upper elementary and middle school readers). Another activity Cynthia recommended for middle or high school is a "Pass the Picture" activity. Each student gets a picture from the same time period (there are GREAT ones from the 1930s.) Every student writes the first sentence of a story based on their picture. Then they pass the image and their sentence to the left. The next person writes the second sentence, etc.) The stories can get pretty fantastic--and they really pique the students' interest in learning more about the Depression.

High school teacher Kim Konen (Dillon) touted food and field trips. She serves students Butte pasties and other historical taste sensations and takes them on historic walking tours, including one of their own town. (You can find walking tour information for many towns here, and information about historic sites across the state here. Kim also takes her students to Butte, where among many other sites, they see some of the playground equipment that was once in Columbia Gardens (they loved the PBS movie Remembering Columbia Gardens.) 

Jen Hall (middle school, Eureka) also does a local historical walking tour with her students using historical photos (as well as a weeklong history fieldtrip!). She got the idea from Ellen Baumler, who worked with Helena third-grade teachers on a "then and now" walking tour. Ellen's tour is now a published book (and I can provide class sets to anyone touring Helena), but it started as folders of photocopies of historical photos (and a walk to the same spots shown in the photos for the "now.") When my son did this in third grade, he also was required to take an adult on a tour of three historic spots. The adult (me in this case) completed a "tour guide evaluation form," which he returned to school in order to be deputized as an official historic tour guide (He got a badge. At a ceremony. It was a BIG deal!) I've got copies of the evaluation and letter the teachers sent home, so if you want to use this as a model, email me and I'll send it along. 

Seventh and eighth grade teacher Laurie Enebo (Glasgow) engages her students by having them create ledger art using information from Montana: Stories of the Land. (I suggested the tribal history timelines published by OPI might be a good resource for this as well).  She also has her students play "Stump the Panel" throughout the year, whenever she has an extra ten minutes. To play, all students must come up with ten Montana history questions and answers from their textbook. She draws four students' names at random to be the "panel" and then draws names at random to choose the questioner. If the panelist gets the right answer, he stays on the panel. If she gets the wrong answer, the questioner has twenty seconds to tell (and confirm the right answer by showing where they found it in the book (so writing down page numbers is key). If she does, she gets to take the other students' place on the panel.  

Fifth-sixth grade teacher Kimber Gebhardt (Circle) brings in artifacts that relate to homesteading--and she has students bring in family heirlooms too (after interviewing family members about them). That reminded me of a lesson plan created by Chester high school teacher Renee Rasmussen many years ago that also featured family heirloom projects.

 Elementary Librarian Ruth Ferris said she will sometimes play twenty questions with historical objects she thinks her students won't recognize. She also recommended using picture books, historical fiction, and memoirs to hook students on Montana history, particularly Shep: Our Most Loyal Dog, Hattie Big Sky, and Girl from the Gulches: The Story of Mary Ronan (for which we created this study guide).

It's always great to hear about something new, so if you have a great hook--and I'm sure you do--let me know about it so I can share it with teachers across the state. They'll appreciate it (as will I)!

 

Summer Professional Development

Join the Montana Network of Holocaust/IEFA Educators in Billings for its 10th year of offering Worlds Apart But Not Strangers: Holocaust Education and Indian Education for All

Worlds Apart But Not Strangers is a seminar for educators of upper elementary through college students. Held on the campus of MSU-Billings, this intensive, inquiry-based seminar bridges past and present. Participants build background knowledge about the Holocaust and IEFA and gain writing-based classroom strategies for creating community and processing difficult information.

Place-based, learner-centered experiences include:

• Testimony from Holocaust survivors and their descendants
• Tribal experts discussing federal Indian policy, past and present
• Visit to Beth Aaron Synagogue
• Visit to Northern Cheyenne and Crow lands

This seminar is offered at NO COST to educators! In addition, participants receive:

• 3 graduate credits available for a total of $135
• Selected books and teaching materials
• Lunches and most dinners
• A low-cost dorm housing option

Program participants are also eligible to apply for mini-grants up to $1000 for classroom projects.

Find more information and a link to apply here.

 

Resources to Enliven Your Montana History Curriculum

Speaking of enlivening your Montana history curriculum, have you signed up for "Hooks: Humor, Stories, and Other Ways to Bring Montana to Life" yet? This online Professional Development will be held on Tuesday, March 16 from 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Register here. And now onto resources!

Elementary

Alixa Davis, 5th Grade Teacher at Gallatin Gateway School, is teaching the Coming to Montana: Immigrants from around the World footlocker using lesson plans from the user guide, but because we aren't circulating the actual footlocker, she created this slide show to accompany lesson 2B: Creating an Immigration Museum. (I think it will work with lesson 2A as well). She is graciously making it available to other teachers who want to do the same. Thanks, Alixa! 

Middle and High School

A teacher recently asked me what we had about the Speculator Mine disaster, which killed an estimated 168 miners in 1917. His request made me remember that we had digitized a few of the telegrams relatives sent to the North Butte Mining Company, asking if their loved ones had survived, and the company's responses. After emailing the links to him, I realized that other teachers might want to use these in their classes as well, so I added them to the Montana: Stories of the Land site as another "Learning from Historical Documents" option.  I think they are incredibly moving, and I bet your students will too. 

The online exhibit "American Land Rush: 'A Lonely Homesteader' Searches for Security in the Montana Homestead Boom" explores the experience of Lily Stearns, who settled with her four children on a promising homestead in northeastern Montana, only to find her fate conscribed by extreme weather and the limits of her endurance. 

Short Films

I can't remember who pointed me to this resource for historic newsreel footage, but it's cool!  And there are 37 films from Montana, including newsreels about the 1935 earthquake, forest fires, WWI soldiers, and presidential visits. Use the search box in the upper right corner to search for Montana.

 

Who's the heritage keeper in your community?

 Every community has them--the unsung heroes of local museum or preservation efforts--including language preservation. Maybe it's time to let the whole stqate know about the person who means so much to your community.... 

The Montana Historical Society is seeking nominations for people and organizations whose exemplary commitment to identifying and preserving our historical and cultural heritage makes them eligible for the Heritage Keeper Awards. 

Up to three people or organizations will be honored by the MHS Board of Trustees for the Heritage Keeper Awards. An additional award, The Montana Heritage Guardian Award, given out only on special merit, recognizes the accomplishments of one of the Heritage Keeper Award nominees with a record of outstanding accomplishments. 

To qualify, the individual must be alive, and organizations must be currently active. The nominee must have demonstrated a commitment to a significant Montana history project or have identified and preserved objects or property of significance to Montana’s history and culture. 

Organizations also must have a record of preserving and celebrating Montana’s historical and cultural heritage. 

All nominators must show a commitment to Montana’s historical and cultural preservation beyond the requirements of professional employment, or an organization’s specific goals and objectives. Evaluations will focus on the significance and impact of the overall work in enhancing, promoting, and stimulating general public interest in a specific aspect of Montana history and culture.

“Areas of interest can include historic building and landscape preservation; sustained historical and cultural research and publication; fine art history and preservation; and efforts to promote and educate future generations on the historical and cultural legacy of all Montanans,” said MHS Director Molly Kruckenberg. “We look forward to hearing from you.”

The nomination deadline is April 1, 2021. The nomination form and additional information can be found online at mhs.mt.gov under the “Historic Preservation” tab. Nominations may be resubmitted on an annual basis if the person or organization didn’t previously receive a Heritage Keeper award. 

Nominations or questions can be emailed to Jodel Fohn at jfohn@mt.gov, or mailed to Heritage Keeper Awards Chair, Montana Historical Society, P.O. Box 201201, Helena, MT 59620-1201. The forms also can be dropped off at the MHS office at 225 North Roberts in Helena. 

The awards will be presented by the MHS Board of Trustees at its annual Montana History Conference in Butte in September.

 

Nominate a Great Teacher for the Centennial Bell Award

It's been a tough year. Everyone is overwhelmed. But that's all the more reason to nominate a teacher for the 32^nd Montana Statehood Centennial Bell Award honoring the Montana History Teacher of the Year. Your amazing colleague deserves some recognition! And you can complete the nomination in less than two minutes. Maybe in less than one minute if you're a fast typist. 

Montana grade school principals, superintendents, fellow teachers or librarians from public and private schools are asked to nominate a 4^th-6^th grade teacher who has done an exemplary job teaching Montana history during the 2020-2021 school year.  

The winner and his or her class will be honored at a ceremony in the State Capitol on Statehood Day, Monday, November 8, 2021.  The winner will receive a plaque and a $4,000 cash prize toward library and classroom materials, field trips, speakers and anything else that will enhance learning in the classroom.  

How to Submit a Nomination

To nominate a teacher, send an email with your name, school, address, phone number, email address, and the nominee's name, grade, school, address, phone number and email address to Norma Ashby Smith, Award Coordinator, at ashby7@charter.net.  Deadline for nominations is March 30, 2021. 

Nominated teachers will be asked to submit two letters of support —
one from their principal, superintendent, fellow teacher or librarian, and one from a student. In addition, nominees should submit a one-page letter that details why they enjoy teaching Montana history and how they adapted their teaching of Montana history due to the covid-19 lockdowns. Judges will consider how nominees engage their students in learning, how their Montana history course recognizes cultural diversity, as well as anything else the nominees would like to share about their class or methods.

Nominees will receive further instructions on how to submit this material. Deadline for submissions is May 5, 2021. 

More about the Program

This program is sponsored by the Montana Television Network, the Montana History Foundation and the Sons & Daughters of Montana Pioneers in cooperation with the Montana Historical Society and the 1889 Coffee House in Helena. 

Contact Norma Ashby Smith of Great Falls, Montana, with any questions about the award or the nomination process at 406-453-7078 or at ashby7@charter.net.