Yesterday's Phillips County News Memories for January 30, 2019

100 years ago

January 25, 1919

A farmers institute was to be held in Malta on Feb. 24, with M. L. Wilson, of the state extension service, to be the principal speaker.

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The Malta Mercantile company made arrangements to hold an International Harvester tractor school.

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George Robinson, “one of the youngest fighting men in the country” had returned home after having spent six months in the Marine Corps.

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Clarence Flesche was back from overseas service with both service and wound stripes. He had been gassed in one of the big battles of the war.

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Harry Cosner was appointed justice of the peace for Malta.

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Mr. and Mrs. Ray Bentzin were the parents of a son. The father was with the 91st Division in France.

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William Davidson had returned from army service. He had been stationed in New York.

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A daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Iver Lefdahl.

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Al Sammons, Loring serviceman, was back from army duty at Camp Dodge.

75 years ago

February 3, 1944

Henry Hedges dies at Saco ranch

Henry H. Hedges of Phillips County died Wednesday night at the ranch home he established a short distance north and west of Saco in 1892. He was 80 years old. He had been ill for several years.

Mr. Hedges had lived in Montana for 77 years, coming to Montana territory from Iowa with his parents by river boat in 1867. The family landed at Fort Benton and went by mule train to Helena where they made their home for several years. In 1880, Mr. Hedges and an older brother built up a ranch on Careless Creek and the station of the Hedges in the Judith Basin was named for them. A few years later he started a cattle ranch of his own on the south side of the Snowy Mountains and in the spring of 1892 came into northern Montana to establish his Beaver Creek.

Old-timers check on weather story

We can’t get by with anything. It seems we referred to the winter of 1906, in a story last week, as a winter similar to this winter. We should have said the winter of 1910-11 instead of the winter of 1906-07.

As everyone who has lived in this county very long knows, bad winters and heavy stock losses are dated from the severe winter of 1906-07. It was that winter that the Long X cattle outfit lost all of but 89 head out of a herd of 1,100 cattle and the Turkey Track outfit, located about where William Dunbar ranch is now, lost every head.

So, we repeat it was the winter of 1910-11 that was mild and warm. It’s hard to get by with anything when such old-timers as Jim Cotter, Charley Hales, Harry Cosner, and some of the rest of the old timers check so closely.

50 years ago

January 30, 1969

Lots of snow, cold weather this winter

This is a typical scene (see photo bottom left) in a Malta residential area for the month of January 1969 with snow piled high and a frigid ceiling of cold air holding a haze, or our variety of smog, over the city.

There have been 20 inches of snow during the month when the temperatures plummeted to minus 45-degrees below zero Saturday, Jan. 25, for the coldest day of the month. date was minus 25, for the coldest day of the month. The high on that date was minus 25. It was minus 42 on Jan. 24.

Boa constrictor of Jaycees getting Nat’l. recognition

It seems that Jack, the boa constrictor and goodwill ambassador for the Malta Jaycees, is making nationwide news. State Jaycees President Jim Flynn of Dillon called Gaylord LaFond, Jr., Malta Jayce president, and said he had heard a radio report on a trip to Texas.

The snake, which was loaned to the Jaycees by its owner, Nory Berg of Whitewater, was taken to the Harlem Jaycees recently on a good-will trip, and in turn, was taken to the clinic in Chinook.

25 years ago

January 26, 1994

Accelerated reader awards

Winners of the second quarter accelerated reader program at Malta Junior High award winners were announced and the recipients are: Jami Brogan, Sarah Faaborg, Melinda Wilson, Warren Hughes, Tom Pinnock, Anthony Perry, Tryna Noyd, Taleena Young, Jill Meyer, Shonda Jenkins, Tye Nelson, Dana Moe, Justine Rodkey, Rachael Fauth, Lindsay Lang, Crystal Hould, and Cheryl Kaasa.

Grapplers head of for divisional

The Malta Mustang grapplers led by undefeated heavyweight Justin Lamb head off to Conrad Saturday for Divisional action and a chance to qualify for the state tournament.

Lamb kept his win streak intact with a razor-thin 1-0 decision over perennial opponent Scott Molvig of Glasgow last Saturday night in the finals of the Malta Tournament.