Teton County, MT Message Boards

Compiled by volunteer Jeanne Anderson on June 4,5, 2013, with the cooperation of the Choteau Acantha.

1/7/37 Severe blizzard grips Choteau on Monday. Northerner swoops down unforewarned. One death of a Butte man was attributed to the storm.
City has money on hand in excess of obligations, about $5,000 more than outstanding indebtedness.
New Year's dance, sponsored by Choteau Woman's Club, acclaimed a success in every way. Mrs. Cohoe's orchestra supplied the music.

1/31/37 Construction work starts on city sewer extension project. Property owners in Hobson Addition agree to buy bonds to finance material. WPA supplies labor.

2/25/37 Mrs. Effie Bateman, wife of local physician Dr. H.W. Bateman, passed away Monday.
Great Falls resident Harry Ames purchases Choteau Drug Co.

3/25/37 Mrs. A.B. Guthrie, wife of school principal and prominent here for 36 years, died. Present at her bedside were their three children, A.B. Jr., Charles, and Mrs. R.E. Haugen and her husband.

4/1/37 City celebrates April Fool's Day by “burning the mortgage.” Municipal debt is wiped out when last of outstanding bonds amounting to $5,000, with $100 interest, is paid “on the dot.” the last of the street bonds were paid in October, which with retirement of water bonds will cut 14 mills from tax levies.

4/8/37 Mayor Burns re-elected to his fourth term. Aldermen Paul Kropp and R.R. Mellon elected in Ward 1 and W.W. Smith and A.H. Doughty in Ward 2.
Imposing ceremonies attend funeral of J.E. “Bing” Hodgskiss, 45. He was the son of pioneer parents Mr. and Mrs. William Hodgskiss of Choteau.

5/6/37 At the regular May city council meeting, bids were read and contract awarded for materials for the sewer extension in in the improvement district No. 20 on the southwest side of town. Knudtzon Lumber Co. got the contract with a bid of $428.96.

5/20/37 Harry Ames, 42, dies suddenly of a heart attack. He had just purchased the Choteau Drug. Co. last February.

5/27/37 Mrs. Hattie Wagnild, as the manager of the local office of the Mountain States Tel. and Tel. Co., co-hosts an open house of the company office in Choteau.

6/3/37 The Choteau Woman's Club report that they had a good year and hope to “burn the mortgage” on the library building this year. The library and grounds were purchased July 1, 1931, from Mrs. Mary Gray for $1,500.

6/24/37 The Choteau Bakery, owned and operated for about 15 years by Ray McClue, has been sold to E.C. Hensley who took possession Monday.
Frank Stearns is elected local Lions Club president. R.E. Nelson was presented an award for 10 years of perfect attendance.

7/1/37 The work of installing the heating plant at the Lions municipal swimming pool has been completed. The modern heated pool will be available for the 4th of July celebration.

7/8/37 Thousands attend 3-day Lions Club celebration of the 4th of July in Choteau. Compliments were heard on every hand.
Jos. Hirshberg & Co. leased floor space in the new annex to Safeway Stores Inc. Announcement will be made as to when the store will commence operations.

7/16/37 Announcement made today that the Hirshbergs are retiring from the store business in Choteau. Last year this store celebrated its 50th anniversary of its existence.

7/22/37 Citizens State Bank purchases Stockmen's State Bank building. The move will be from the Larson building where it has been since 1917. The Stockmen's State Bank was merged with Citizens State Bank in 1927.

7/29/37 Breen Oil Co. is successor to Adams Oil Co. with J.W. Breen as owner.
Clark Cable paid as unexpected visit to Choteau. Breakfasted at the Choteau Hotel.

8/5/37 The Parkway Café, beer parlor and building sold to A.J. Nutter and Son.

8/19/37 The Safeway Store will open Saturday under the management of W.T. Loughridge, who comes from Fort Benton.

9/2/37 Choteau Flour Mill is totally destroyed by fire. The fire department was handicapped by distance of water connections and unable to combat the huge fire.

9/16/37 Verne E. Greene announces the opening of his City Meat market in the Coffey building on First St. N.W.

9/30/37 Frank C. Young, 52, succumbs. He resided here and was manager of St. Anthony Lumber yard for 25 years. He is survived by wife Margaret, daughter Erma, a teacher at Dutton, a son Alvin (Dick), who is employed at Fort Peck and daughter Margaret a senior at Teton County High School.
A business transaction is the sale of Johnson's Food Market to Jack O'Neill of Havre. Johnson came to Choteau in 1931 and was the manager of the S&B store and later became the owner.

10/21/37 Lions Club 49'er celebration nets around $600. The proceeds will be applied on the indebtedness against the heating unit on the swimming pool. The crowed was placed close to 900.

11/11/37 Improvement work was started last week on streets and avenues on the south side of town and winding roads and trails that have existed for many years are to give way to straightened and graded streets. The regular street crew is doing the work with equipment owned by the city.
Carl B. Wedum, well known young businessman of Glasgow, has leased the Hirshberg store building.

11/25/37 Three local automobile dealers are already showing the 1938 models. Those who have new cars are Wallace Motor Co., Chevrolet; Hanson Bros. Garage, Pontiac; and Choteau Garage, Nash and Lafayette. L.E. Taylor expects the new Ford soon.

12/9/37 Citizens State Bank is now a member of the Federal Reserve system.

12/16/37 Death claims life of W.W. Smith, 57, proprietor of the Choteau Creamery and one of the city's best known citizens.

12/23/37 A portion of water mains in the city will be replaced. Work started with $16,000 WPA funds; city to spend about $15,000.