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Boom towns have come and gone in Montana. Most are forgotten and do not exist except in the annals of time and history and a few old photos. Ever been to Demersville, Montana??

The town of Demersville emerged 130 years ago and quickly developed into a vibrant boomtown that laid the roots for the modern Flathead Valley. It was the first incorporated town in Northwest Montana. The once vibrant boomtown has long been reassigned to the history books. It was located near what’s now the city of Kalispell.

Dillon Tabish wrote in a 2021 story for “Flathead Living,” that at its peak in 1891, Demersville “was home to hotels, shops, dining halls, 73 licensed liquor dispensers and numerous brothels.” But who or what was Demersville?

Demersville was named for Telesphore Jacques “Jack” DeMers, who was born around 1834 near Montreal. Jack demonstrated an adventurous spirit at an early age. He explains his sudden departure in his late teens as an answer to the call of “Go West, young man.” He followed the gold rush to California and homesteaded in the vicinity of today’s Spokane.

When the Mullan Road was completed, it created the perfect opportunity for Jack and his family to explore better and more entrepreneurial prospects. By 1866, he and his wife, Clara Rivet – a member of the Pend d’Oreille tribe – had moved near Missoula.

They began buying property and Jack became a Missoula County commissioner from 1875-79. He opened stores, operated a sheep and cattle ranch, as well as lumber and flour mills, plus saloons and hotels.

He had a dream of starting a general store to the north. So in 1887 the DeMers filled a tent with merchandise on a favorable location at the head of navigation on the Flathead River. Within two years, the tent turned into a log building, and the town was booming. The community was unofficially known as Demersville.

DeMers began investing heavily in other businesses than his new mercantile, including a large hotel that he named “Cliff House” in honor of Clifford, his new son-in-law. Interesting about the Cliff House – if you left town without returning the key, you could have a clean conscience by mailing back the key for 3 cents.

“The 80-acre village blossomed into the region’s largest trading center and a boomtown dubbed the “new Chicago” with more than 1,500 residents. It wasn’t the first community in this corner of Montana — Ashley and other small outposts had already cropped up — but it quickly became the most successful and influential.”

What began as a small community of settlers and entrepreneurs arriving on steamboats eager to build new lives grew into a “destination ripe for lumber barons and railroad tycoons.” The community’s impressive growth included a town hall, jail, several stores and hotels, a race track, and two churches — Methodist and Catholic.

Demersville had 73 licensed saloons and liquor dispensers at its peak in 1891. An 1888 photograph shows the W.O. Lung Laundry; an unidentified two-story building; a Blacksmith building with circular sign (possibly Caseys Blacksmith); an unidentified false front building; the Bodega Saloon; three unknown buildings; and the Pioneer Restaurant. It is speculated that the “unidentified false front building” is the livery stable associated with the blacksmith.

Ranching and farming were the primary lifestyles of choice, but logging developed into an exceptionally lucrative enterprise along with mining. Demersville’s rough-and-tumble boomtown included trappers, prospectors, lumberjacks, freighters, and traders who arrived in droves.

“The July 4, 1890 edition of the upstart newspaper, founded by Demersville Clayton and Emma Ingalls and named the Inter Lake, applauded “the grandest celebration in the history of the Flathead Valley” as the town observed Independence Day with fireworks, music, baseball and “glass ball shooting,” as well as a dance.”

The wild, isolated setting created its share of problems. Homesteaders and local Native American tribes struggled to live peacefully together. The 25th Regiment of the U.S. Army, the Buffalo Soldiers, traveled from Fort Missoula in February of 1890 and were stationed at Demersville to quell unrest among residents who were fearful of raiding tribes. At the same time, 45 men were deputized as members of a posse that patrolled the community, sometimes infamously.

Unfortunately, Jack’s health began declining, and he died of kidney disease in 1889, a mere 2 years after starting his dream. Then the Great Northern Railway began its expansion into the west. In 1891 railroad magnate James Hill decided to route his trains through what would eventually become Kalispell. This helped spell a death toll for Demersville.

Demersville collapsed for a variety of reasons. Jack’s son-in-law, Clifford, was ill-equipped to oversee a suite of businesses as diligently as his father-in-law. Jack and his outsized personality were absent as Hill was deciding where to build his rail line in the Flathead Valley.

It is often speculated that had Jack lived, his influence might have been great enough with James Hill to have the Great Northern routed through Demersville. But another, likely more significant factor came into play. “Money talks, and there was more land available in Kalispell than there was in Demersville.”

Frequent fights, robberies and murders plagued the wild community. Without a fire department, blazes were a frequent problem, with one incident leveling more than 12 buildings in 1891. This wild and turbulent lawlessness convinced investors and businesses that Kalispell’s prospects were better suited for success and safety.

By the winter of 1892-93, most of the town had literally packed up the buildings and moved them to Kalispell, or the structures were torn down. The only remaining trace today is the cemetery.

“The bank, the indomitable newspaper, stores, bars, cafes, the Methodist church (the Catholic church was torn down, the bricks salvaged) and countless houses were jacked up, set on skids or rollers and tugged away. And like a dream or a leaf in the river, Demersville was gone.”

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Reminiscing Our Bygone Years – First Thanksgiving in Gold Country

“Our first Thanksgiving Day dinner in the territory in the fall of 1863 was one of the memorable dinners I have ever attended. Henry Plummer, desiring to be on good terms with the Chief Justice, Mr. Edgerton, and my husband… invited [us] to dinner…he sent to Salt Lake City, a distance of five hundred miles, and everything that money could buy was served, delicately cooked and with all the style that would characterize a banquet at “Sherry’s” (a fancy restaurant). I now recall to mind that the turkey cost forty dollars in gold (now equal to $620).” (Harriet Sanders)

The first recorded Thanksgiving in what became Montana took place in the isolated mining town of Bannack in 1863, shortly after President Abraham Lincoln had established it as a national observance.

Goods were scarce, freight was slow arriving, and no one even thought about serving a turkey. Near neighbor invited Harriet and Wilbur along with Henry Edgerton, Sanders’ uncle, to Thanksgiving dinner. This neighbor wanted to make a good impression on the family.

Edgerton was the newly appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Idaho Territory, which then included present-day Montana. Their host offered the invitation well in advance.

He miraculously procured a turkey—an unheard of, unbelievable luxury—for thirty dollars in gold dust, and paid a fortune to have it freighted all the way from Salt Lake City. Harriet wrote later that their Thanksgiving meal was as fine and beautifully cooked as any meal she ever enjoyed in New York City’s finest restaurant.

Unfortunately, their host failed to make a good impression. In early January, just weeks later, Sanders and the vigilantes saw to the hanging of Sheriff Henry Plummer, the same man who had hosted their Thanksgiving Day feast. (Ellen Baumler )

“The first official observance of Thanksgiving after the creation of Montana Territory came in 1865. Although President Lincoln had established the last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day, following Lincoln’s assassination, President Johnson chose Dec. 7 as the day of official observance.”

“Residents of the mining camps paused in their relentless search for golden treasure and gave thanks for their good luck and for the end of the Civil War. Virginia City businesses closed. There were private celebrations and culinary preparations in many homes and restaurants.

The Montana Post reported that sleighs were gliding merrily around town all day, men hobnobbed at the bars, and there was a singing party in the governor’s office. The next year, 1866, at Last Chance, celebrations were more community oriented. Young ladies put on their pretties and attended the Firemen’s Ball on Thanksgiving Eve at the Young America Hall.

Markets were well supplied for Thanksgiving Day feasts. Shoppers could choose elk, deer, bear, sage hens, grouse, and pheasant. There was no mention of turkeys, however, at Thanksgiving tables on that particular holiday.” (Ellen Baumler )

From its earliest days, American football has shared a nearly unbreakable bond with today’s Thanksgiving holiday. Princeton and Yale played on Thanksgiving Day in 1876, just 13 years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the bill declaring the last Thursday in November a federal holiday to offer thanks. As a day free from work and classes, Thanksgiving offered college and high school students the opportunity to play games free from class or work conflicts.

“In its earliest decade, before dawning Blue and Gold and years before the team was known as the Bobcats, Montana State Agricultural College played its rival on Thanksgiving Day. The College’s first game against the University came on November 25, 1897, in Missoula. It was Thanksgiving Day, and the Grizzlies won 18-6 in the second football game ever played by Montana State and the first against collegiate competition. One year later the University again won on Thanksgiving, this time in Missoula just two weeks after capturing a game on the College’s home grounds.

Missoula had won three straight in the series, but the first streak between the teams was about to be ended, then doubled. Montana State beat their in-state rivals twice in 1899, including a 38-0 thrashing on Thanksgiving Day in Bozeman. That was the second of a six-game Bobcat win streak that remains tied for their longest in the series.”

Montana and Montana State has played a Thanksgiving Day game every year from the series’ inception until 1904. The schools didn’t play in 1905, and the two years after that Montana State discontinued its football program by faculty decree in order to implement rules and fiscal structure. Montana State and Montana would meet on Thanksgiving Day only one more time, a 10-0 UM win in 1910 in Missoula.

“In the late 1920s, Montana State played three Thanksgiving Day games. In 1926 the Cats closed their season with a 7-0 loss at the College of Idaho at Caldwell. Two years later Montana State and Mt. Saint Charles (now Carroll) met in Sheridan, Wyoming, in a game that decided the state championship of Montana because the Cats and Grizzlies had played to a tie. Carroll won this one easily, 29-0.

In 1929, Montana State sent what may be its best pre-World War II team to Great Falls to again decide the collegiate championship of Montana. The game set up this way because of the 14-12 win over the Grizzlies in Butte, sparked by Max Worthington’s heroics.

On ‘a snow-covered field which handicapped the speedy backs of both the Saints and Bobcats,’ according to the 1929 Montanan, Montana State gained a measure of revenge and snagged the state title. Two completed passes early in the second quarter set up a third, from Austin DeFrate to Gus Wylie, that delivered the only score of the game. Montana State used excellent defense and “line plunges” by O’Leary helped the Cats control the game, and the College intercepted passes on the final three Saints drives of the day (two by Wylie, one by Ivar Twilde) to secure the victory.”

“After those back-to-back games against Carroll, the Bobcats would play only two more games on Thanksgiving Day. In 1936 the Cats beat Montana Tech 26-7 in Butte. Two years later, the Bobcats and Northern Colorado battled to a 0-0 tie in the snow. The Bobcats stand 7-6-1 all-time on Thanksgiving Day, 5-4 against the Grizzlies, which started the whole thing to begin with.”

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Reminiscing Our Bygone Years with Native American Heritage

Once again, the 250^th committee is offering some history to help remind us where we came from.

Montana was at one time home to 11 Native American Tribes. Approximate dates when Tribes first appeared: 1500- Flathead (Salish), Pend d’Oreille, Kootenai. 1620 -Crow. 1730 – Blackfeet. 1760- 1770 – Assiniboine, Gros Ventre. 1800- Yanktonai Sioux. 1830 – Northern Cheyenne. 1870- 1875 – Montana Chippewa & Cree Bands.

The Plains Tribes were nomadic hunters whose lives depended upon the buffalo. Tribes divided into small bands of extended families. Extremely spiritual, they integrated their religion closely with the natural world.

The most prominent tradition was devotion to animism – belief in natural spirits with immense power. They communed with the spirits in dreams to secure help. Tribes would gather for the Sun Dance welcoming the Sun, which they believed healed and guardian spirit bestowed special powers upon them.

The Assiniboine Tribe was known for trading pemican and excellent bison hunters, horse riders, and fighters. They were a small Tribe, traveling to follow food sources.

Today, they share the Fort Peck Reservation with the Sioux and the Fort Belknap Reservation with the Gros Ventre.

The Blackfeet were known for being fierce warriors who battled other Tribes, stealing their horses. They were one of the toughest Tribes to fight.

They would winter in smaller groups. The Blackfeet historically occupied the north and northwestern regions of Montana as well as areas of Alberta, Canada. Today they live on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in northwestern Montana, along the eastern border of Glacier National Park.

The Chippewa, also known as Ojibwe, are a segment of the historical Pembina Band of the Chippewa natives. They were known for their rich culture and excellent handcrafted birchbark canoes, copper mining, and maple syrup. Because they lacked salt for food preservation, it is believed that they mixed many of their dishes with maple syrup.

They were skilled farmers, hunters, and fur traders; organized into different bands, each one named after a different animal. They believed they were the last created lifeform on Earth.

In 1879, the Tribe created a settlement near present-day Great Falls. While Montana officially recognizes the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe, the Tribe does not have an official reservation as it seeks federal recognition from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Chippewa tribal headquarters is located in Great Falls.

The Cree Tribe is famous for its exquisite beadwork. They were distinctly known for painting their tipis, the Thirst Dance (Rain Dance), Powwows, sweat lodges, and feasts.

Cree valued perseverance, respect, honesty, and kindness, and used storytelling as a way to share knowledge. The Cree lived across north-central Montana. The Chippewa Cree Reservation is located in north central Montana near the town of Havre.

The Crow was a dynamic, powerful Tribe known for their large horse herds and horse-based ways of travel and hunting. They were excellent hunters and known for stealing horses from neighboring Tribes.

They regarded tobacco as a sacred plant and believed the universe consisted of three realms – the physical, the spiritual, and a realm that only deities occupied. They believed spirits took the form of animals, and held bison, bears, and birds in high regard.

After migrating west from the midwestern region of the United States, the Crow Tribe settled in the Yellowstone River valley in southern Montana. Today, the Crow Reservation lies in south central Montana where the Big Horn River lies.

The Gros Ventre Tribe originally lived in the Great Lakes region but migrated west. The Tribe originally segmented off the Arapaho Tribe and, after migrating with the Arapaho, joined the Blackfeet Tribe.

The Gros Ventre sacred religious items included various types of pipes, such as the Chief Medicine Pipe and the Feathered Pipe, which protected people from illness and could be used to control the weather.

Today they share the Fort Belknap Reservation with the Assiniboine Tribe. The Gros Ventre primarily reside at the southern end of the reservation.

The Kootenai Tribe were relatively peaceful natives that lived along the Kootenai River in northern Montana. In winter, they lived in permanent villages characterized by dome-shaped homes constructed from wooden poles and mats.

While the Tribe was friendly to traders arriving in the early 1800s, their living conditions slowly worsened and eventually ended up with no land. In 1974, they declared “war” on the United States; a peaceful war with the pen, and their efforts were noticed. They received 12.5 acres of land to begin rebuilding.

Kootenai Falls was important spiritually as a place to seek visions and commune with spirits. The Tribe lived in the steep, dense forests of the northwestern region of Montana along the Kootenai River valley. Today, most live on the Flathead Reservation in northwestern Montana, which they share with the Pend d’Oreille and Salish Tribes.

The Northern Cheyenne were feared mounted warriors. They wore distinct moccasins that covered their entire foot, secured around the ankle, with a block pattern around the top.

The Northern Cheyenne reservation is located in the high plains of southeastern Montana on the Tongue River, just east of the Crow Reservation.

The Pend d’Oreille Tribe, also known as the Kalispel, lived in tipis in the summer, and unique lodges in the winter. They wove cattails into tule mats and attached them to tree branches to form a hut.

They were known for creating weapons from flint and forging daily necessities from rock. They received their name “Pend d’Oreille” from French traders, which means “hangs from ears” in French, referring to the large shell earrings the Tribe members often wore.

The Tribe’s territory once covered 20 million acres from the Cascade Range to the Rocky Mountains through northern Idaho, and across southern Canada to western Montana.

Today, most reside on the Flathead Reservation on the Flathead River in northwestern Montana with the Bitterroot Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

The Bitterroot Salish Tribe was well-known for building totem poles that symbolized a member’s spirit animal or family crest. Historically, they occupied a region just west of Billings, which stretched just below present-day Great Falls to the Rocky Mountains and extended south to the Wyoming border.

The majority lives on the Flathead Reservation in northwestern Montana and share the Reservation with the Kootenai and Pend d’Oreille Tribes.

The Sioux were a much-feared warrior Tribe. They dominated the Great Plains for centuries and honored for their courage and strength. They were fine craftsmen and artisans, known for intricate beadwork, pipe making, flute making, and leatherwork. The Sioux were well-known for wearing elaborate headgear.

The Sioux Tribe called much of the Great Plains home, settling across various regions of Montana. Today, they share the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northeast Montana with the Assiniboine Tribe. The Fort Peck Reservation spans across four counties and is the 9th largest reservation in the U.S.

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Reminiscing Our Bygone Years – Montana’s Olden Days

Cascade is joining the 250th celebration of our country. We will offer a few tidbits of history through time to help remind us where we came from and what we have accomplished over the years.

Have you ever sat and wondered ‘So what happened today a long time ago?’ Now that October has shed its leaves let’s take a stroll through the ole time machine and see ‘What did happen back in the olden days of October in Montana?’

Well on October 6th, 1952 the first helicopter rescue took place in Montana. The helicopter landed in the middle of West Broadway outside St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. The Chronicle described the event this way: “A helicopter lands on McCormick Street, at the west end of the hospital at 8 o’clock this morning, bringing a sick fire-fighter for medical treatment. This conveyance arrived about 12 hours faster than any other of less modern means. Officials of the flying company [Johnson Flying Service] said it was probably the first time in local history that an airplane had literally brought a patient to the door of a hospital. Police were alerted to halt traffic on Broadway and McCormick streets as soon as the helicopter was sighted. A stretcher crew was in readiness at the hospital door about 50 feet from where the helicopter landed. The patient survived and was dismissed 12 days later.”

The helicopter landing was considered such a success that two more landed later on that week. By 1979 St. Pats installed a fifteen-thousand-dollar heliport near the Clark Fork River next to Western Montana Clinic. The heliport was moved to a rooftop perch in 1984 when the Sisters of Providence built a new hospital building. By 2001, St. Pat’s Life Flight helicopter was flying more than 700 missions a year.

On October 16, 1887 the Great Northern Railroad’s track crews lay track into Great Falls. The Utah and Northern lines laid rails to Butte in 1881 and to Garrison the next year. In 1883 James J. Hill’s Union Pacific passed through Helena on its way to the Pacific Ocean. According to MSU historian Michael Malone the completion of the Great Northern made Hill “the single most powerful individual in the northwestern U.S.”

Hill’s railroad was the best constructed, most profitable of the world’s major railroads. Hill worked with two Montana pioneers, Paris Gibson and Charles Broadwater, to build the line into Great Falls and then to Helena and Butte. Gibson, Hill, and Broadwater eventually formed an electrical power company, the Great Falls Power and Townsite Company, bought coal deposits, and started laying tracks through Great Falls to the mines in Butte and Helena. The first trains entered Great Falls on October 31, 1887.

On October 18, 1935 the largest in a series of earthquakes, measuring 6.3, hit Helena and killed four people. Property damage was estimated at $3.5 million. The seismic activity began with a cluster of 1200 quakes on October 3rd and continued for 3 months. During some 24-hour periods small quakes hit every 10 minutes. Joseph Howard recorded “The first serious quake hit at 9:47 pm on October 18. Residents of Helena said it was impossible to stand without holding onto something, and the quake sounded like a roar. For half a minute, you could hear the bricks and timbers in the building groan and plaster fall from the walls. 1100 homes were damaged, as well as the brand-new high school. The football field at the high school was newly lined in the gridiron pattern. After the quake the lines were scrambled into a wavy pattern and the goal posts were moved more than two feet. Montana’s sense of humor showed through the tragedy. Bozeman’s newspaper reported that ‘Helena is now called Lena. This was due, they say, not so much to the leaning tendency, but because the quakes have shaken the Hel out of it.’

On October 23, 1933 the Fort Peck Dam construction began. The main dike contains 126 million cubic yards of material. The lake behind the dam stretches 124 miles with a shoreline of 1600 miles. That’s a shoreline longer than the California coast. In late October 1932 a crew of 70 men began clearing brush and cutting timber in the area that the reservoir would flood. They worked for 50 cents an hour. More than 100 farmers in the reservoir site had to sell out for Depression-era prices. Many gave up rich bottomland they had been farming for decades. The Fort Peck Dam project was unprecedented in size. Eventually the work force swelled to more than 10,000. Pile drivers pounded away day and night driving massive steel plates into the ground below the future dam to prevent seepage. 4 gigantic dredges with 7-foot cutter heads were constructed to reach up to 50 feet below the Missouri. They churned up clay which was piped to the dam site. Electric pumps on barges moved the slurry more than twenty miles in 28-inch pipe. Electricity came from Great Falls via a 154-volt power line – one of the longest every strung. 130 million cubic yards of earth traveled to the dam. Beneath the bluffs east of the river, unemployed miners from Butte cut 4 diversion tunnels, each a mile long and 25 feet in diameter. A mile long concrete spillway was erected equipped with 16 electric powered gates. The trough could hold more water that any Missouri River flood on record.

‘Smooth talking Richard Harlow’ completed his “Jawbone” Railroad from Lombard to Lewistown on October 30, 1903. The railroad’s name came from Harlow’s ability to sweet-talk creditors, workers, and suppliers. Harlow was a Helena attorney with the original idea/dream of building a railroad to the silver mine town of Castle, near White Sulphur Springs. The price of silver collapsed and created a change of directions. The line was changed to building though Judith Gap to Lewistown. The Milwaukee Road bought the Jawbone in 1909 after years of break-downs and accidents caused by poor construction and obsolete equipment. An announcement could have been stated “the passenger train scheduled to arrive in Lewistown 3 weeks ago last Monday will arrive tomorrow evening.” The town of Harlowton is named after Richard Harlow.

Much of this info is derived from Jeffrey Smith’s book ‘Montana Book of Days’. He tells the tales that have been overlooked. He stops to look around at the past and hopes the stories will show us how to go forward with grace and courage and clarity.

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Friends of the Library and Wedsworth Library Book Sale

As Dory would say ‘I need to stop buying books. Oh!! Look a Book Sale!!!!

The Friends of the Library and Wedsworth Library are having their annual book sale on Saturday October the 11th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for your first chance or Sunday the 12th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for your last chance to obtain the special item you have been hoping to squirrel away for this winter’s reading when the snows a swirling round your front door. Looks to be a long cold winter, you might wanna have a big supply on hand.

There is a AAA treatment program for Bookaholics. The first step is admitting it. The second step is to keep right on reading. You might be a Bookaholic If: When trouble strikes, you head to a book sale. You will either be able to solve the problem, or simply have something to read as the world crashes down on you.

You might be a Bookaholic If: You occasionally turn down invitations to go out because you are in the middle of a good book. When you are Cold, you buy a book. You’ll still be cold but you’ll have books! The picture window in your wallet displays your library card instead of your driver’s license You say goodbye to your books collection before going anywhere for an extended period of time.

You might be a Bookaholic If: Your idea of a fun weekend is rearranging your library for the 100th time or when others come to you for advice, you just give them books to read. You might be a Bookaholic If: You’re not sure what people who go to the beach without a book even do there, to be honest. Finishing a book you loved is like losing a best friend. If there was a house fire the first thing you would save would be your favorite books (second thing if you have pets).

You might be a Bookaholic If: When you’re between books, you feel lost. You carry a book with you at all times because you never know when you’ll have a spare minute to do some extra reading. You might be a Bookaholic If: If you go too long without buying or reading a book you feel a huge sense of withdrawal and are thinking of the next time you can get away to a book sale. Walking by a book sale is torture.

You might be a Bookaholic If: Hearing someone say “I don’t like books” is almost as bad as them saying “I like to kick puppies”. You’re incapable of going by a book sale without buying something. You buy more books even if you have a stack of books that haven’t been read.

Even More Signs You’re A Book Addict: When you’re at someone’s house and the first thing you do is check out their bookshelves. When you must read every single day. When you often reread passages from your favorite books. When everyone is excited about a TV show and you’re just like, “huh?” because you only read books.

Even more Signs You’re A Book Addict: When you must visit the library at least once a week. And the librarian knows you by your first name. When you’ve been known to read while you walk. When you often think about the book you’re reading. When you often experience reading hangovers.

The First signs of our addiction is admitting it. I’m a bookaholic on the road to recovery. Just kidding. I’m on the road to the Wedsworth book sale.

The Library’s cure for the bookaholic: our annual book sale at Wedsworth Hall Saturday October the 11th from 9:00-4:00; and Sunday October the 12th from 10:00-2:00. And don’t forget the goodies!!!!!!!! Remember all who come can enjoy homemade soup, cookies, bread and refreshments on Saturday, October 11th and on Sunday, October 12th. (The soup is for the SOUPAHOLICS!!!)

Calling all volunteers. Calling all volunteers who are willing and able. We would love volunteers to help arrange all those books and tables of DVDs for the Library’s annual book sale.

We can use volunteers on Thursday October the 9th and Friday, October the 10th at 9:00 a.m. to help display the books for the book sale and on Sunday, October the 12th to box the books up once the sale is over. The Hall will be a beehive of activity for all those busy worker bees arranging this fabulous selection of books. If you would like to volunteer to be a worker bee show up at Wedsworth Hall any time after 9:00 a.m. on Thursday October the 9th and Friday, October the 10th or Sunday October 12th at 2:00 p.m.

Every table will be filled with paperbacks, hardback books, cook books, nonfiction, children’s, teens, and inspirational, DVDs and audiobooks! You name it, it will be there. Be early to find your prize book or movie. The absolute cure for Soupaholics and Bookaholics.

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America celebrates 250 Years Committee</p

America celebrates 250 Years In 2026

Join us Tuesday September 23 at 5:30

in the library meeting room to help organize

Our Community celebration for 2026

Bring History to life in our community

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We promised never to forget.

We Promised. We promised never to forget. Yet, around the world the descriptions and messages of textbooks and curriculums vary widely. In the U. S. memories and details are fading away. An ever-growing number of Americans have no personal memory of that day, either because they were too young or not yet born.

Americans watched in horror as the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 left nearly 3,000 people dead in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The enduring power of 9/11 is strong and vibrant for those who remember that day. Americans who are old enough to recall, remember where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news. 9/11 reveals how a badly shaken nation came together, briefly, in a spirit of sadness and patriotism. Patriotic sentiment surged in the aftermath of 9/11 and rallied behind their country. It changed our lives forevermore.

Within hours after the attacks of Sept. 11, thousands of rescue workers from across America deployed to ground zero to help in the search and rescue efforts. Joining the endeavor were dogs specially trained in search and rescue, police work, therapy and comfort. It is estimated that more than 300 dogs took part in the search, rescue and recovery efforts at ground zero.

Of those a yellow Labrador retriever and explosive detection dog while working in the basement of the World Trade Center’s South Tower with his handler, Port Authority Police Department Lt. David Lim was the only rescue dog causality. When the building began to shake, Lim secured Sirius in his kennel and went to help the injured, telling Sirius, “I’ll be back for you”. Sirius’ remains were found in the wreckage of the South Tower in the winter of 2002 and were removed from Ground Zero with an honor guard.

Lest we forget. The numbers were gruesome. The horror and carnage became more than most could endure. Total number killed in New York: 2,753. Of those were 23 NYPD officers; 37 Port Authority police officers. 1,402 employees died in Tower One; 614 employees died in Tower Two; 658 employees were lost at Cantor Fitzgerald. 115 nations had citizens killed in attacks.

98 FDNY vehicles were destroyed. 343 firefighters and paramedics were killed. A total of 341 New York City Fire Department firefighters, paramedics and civilian support staff died from post-9/11 illnesses.

For most, who are old enough to remember, it is a day that is impossible to forget and costly. 1,609 people lost a spouse or partner in the attacks; an estimated 3,051children lost a parent; Ratio of men to women who died: 3:1; Age of the greatest number who died: between 35 and 39. 20 percentage of Americans knew someone hurt or killed in the attacks.

Bodies found “intact”: 291; Remains found: 21,906; Number of families who got no remains: 1,717. 36,000 estimated units of blood were donated to the New York Blood Center; 258 units of donated blood were actually used.

1.8 million Tons of debris were removed from the site. Estimated cost of cleanup: $600 million. Total FEMA money spent on the emergency: $970 million. Fires burnt for 99 days.

The economy was severely impacted. Economic loss to New York in the month following the attacks: $105 billion. There was a 684.81 Point drop in the Dow Jones industrial average when the NYSE reopened. There was about 123 billion dollars in economic loss during the first 2-4 weeks after the incident.

Estimated amount of money needed to overhaul lower-Manhattan subways: $7.5 billion. Amount of money granted by U.S. government to overhaul lower-Manhattan subways: $4.55 billion

The 9/11 attacks inflicted a devastating emotional toll on Americans. 63% majority of Americans said they couldn’t stop watching news coverage of the attacks. The tragedy of 9/11 transcended age, gender, geographic and even political differences. The impacts of 9/11 were deeply felt and slow to dissipate. By the following August, half of U.S. adults said the country “had changed in a major way” – a number that actually increased, to 61%, 10 years after the event.

We need to commemorate those lost and give thanks to the brave first responders who put their lives on the line. The bravery of American citizens and uniformed personnel in the face of one of the world’s most appalling terrorist attacks is remembered on Patriot Day on September 11. Reflecting and remembering the events that took place in 2001 reminds people of the sensitivity of time and the importance of standing united as a nation.

On Patriot Day, U.S. flags are lowered halfway, and there is a country-wide moment of silence at 8:46 am (EDT), which is when the first plane crashed into one of the Twin Towers. Although the attacks were in the U.S., Patriot Day is recognized worldwide as the day that devastated and impacted people all over the world.

Moments of silences are observed several times during the day. The timings correspond with the terrorist attacks, with the first one starting at 8:46 A.M. EDT and the last one at 10:28 A.M. EDT.

On that day, “we were one country, one nation, one people, just like it should be,” Eddie Ferguson, the fire-rescue chief in Virginia’s Goochland County.

“None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.” – U.S. President George W. Bush, September 11, 2001

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Harvesting Some FUN!

A real old fashioned Community Potluck is just the thing to round out the summer, start the fall off right and relax a bit before all the hub bub of school etc. The Wedsworth Trust and Wedsworth Library would like to invite you to the Annual Harvest Dinner! Sunday August 31@ 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm.

Come One Come All!! Backyard BBQs, potlucks, and picnics – the perfect place for getting to know your neighbor. The Trust and Library are offering a great way to share your bounty and enjoy each other’s company. It’s a get to know ya on Sunday, August 31. We’ll be beginning at noon and going till whenever, (probably just till 3, but you’re free to stay as late as you please). We invite everyone to stop by, have some fun, perhaps listen to some music and enjoy some great ‘down home cookin’.

There are sooo many new faces in town and a lot of ‘established’ ones too. Now is the time to mix and meet all those faces with some plain ole’ mouth waterin food. We’d also like to invite anyone with a tiny bit of musical talent to jam with their favorite instrument to add some fun and sparkle. After all you may be really good with your Kazoo. Bring your guitar, fiddle, keyboards and games to play in the park. Let’s get down and really boogey in the town!

We invite everyone, wherever you might live, to bring a dish from your garden or just your favorite recipe. Roast beef will be provided, but feel free to bring your favorite chicken, hot dogs or casserole or even some buns. Or bring that side dish of veggies, salad, chips, deserts. Any ole thing will work.

Tables will be set up at Wedsworth Hall for everyone. We ask that you support our pot luck to help bring a sense of civic spirit and pride back to our community. Many have already committed, so we are sure to have some mighty delicious food available.

If you don’t want to bring some food – bring some muscle. We always can use some help setting up, disassembling the whole rigmarole and collecting any bits of debris floating around.

Donations will go to the Wedsworth Hall for new cages for the Sound system and to the Library to help with our Lead Mitigation and permanent phone repair. The Town will be a hoppin and a jammin that day. If you would like to participate or would like more info please call 468-2808. We’d love to see ya!!

Come join us for an entertaining fun time on August 31 at noon till we drop. So, remember August 31 where you get to experience a once in a life time happening here in Cascade. So let’s ‘get ‘er down’. See ya there!!

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JULY Minutes for the Cascade 250^th 4th of July Planning committee

The committee met July 15, 2025 and discussed events for the 2026 4th of July celebration.

Wedsworth Hall has been reserved for the celebration activities.

The committee decided to incorporate the current 4th of July activities of softball on the 3rd and 4th, the barbeque and fireworks the evening of the 4th.

The committee still would like to flood the Town with flags for at least a week prior to the 4th if not for the month prior. The American Legion is considering buying a quantity of flags at a discounted price and possibly sell them at $25.00.

Hopefully businesses and houses will decorate with a patriotic theme prior to the 4th.

Christa Hardy has been contacted and asked if the art students in the coming school year could design a few art projects reflecting the 4th of July or the 250^th anniversary of the U.S.

The Town intends to bury a Time Capsule. No time has been set up for this.

Craig Moore stated that there is money in the Cascade Fireworks Foundation to provide funding for the events. Sue Violette will send letters to the community intermittently asking for donations.

On July 3rd:

Softball games could start early in the day; this is still a work in progress.

A parade at 4:00 to 4:30 with Grand Marshalls of the Eldest in the community. For the parade they hope to engage bagpipers and clowns from the Masonic Lodge/Shriners in Great Falls, the fire department in the parade. Several names were proposed as a possible parade organizer. Contact will be made with Malmstrom Air Force Base to explore the possibility of them providing an Honor Guard/Color Guards.

Merle Peterson, imitating Johnny Cash’s music style, has been hired for music the evening of the 3rd at Wedsworth Hall. Usually, a performer plays for 45 minutes in an hour. In the 15-minute interludes, a recording of early community families’ histories will be played on a screen.

A car/tractor show on the afternoon/evening of the 3rd coordinating with the other events. A Food Truck Rodeo will be brought in, possibly starting around 3:00 p.m., including hot dogs.

The committee hopes to have an open house at the Museum and set up a self-guided tour throughout the community of historical sites and possibly the school would provide a tour. Possibly starting these at noon. The tours are a work in progress on how they will be handled.

On July 4th:

Around 10:00 a.m. a new flag will be raised at Atkinson Park. Flag will be donated by Craig Moore. Stacey will contact Earl Nielson to provide a dialogue on the historical design of the American flag.

Softball games will be played. This is still a work in progress as far as scheduling. The BQ will take place that evening

In the afternoon, performers at Wedsworth Hall to present a rendition of historical individuals. Bill Bronson has committed to performing a historical characterization of Charlie Russell. Channing Hartelius will perform as George Washington. The committee is looking for other performers of additional historical figures such as Mary Fields, or Thomas Jefferson.

Booths showcasing our local organizations and they could sell ice cream, water, cookies, hot dogs, provide face painting etc. for the 4th.

Cheryl Cruze will send a letter to community organizations asking them if they would like to set up booths for the events selling a product or just providing more information on their organization.

Channing Hartelius will reach out to people to perform historical characterizations, parade participants and find a parade organizer.

Sue Violette will contact personnel at Malmstrom Air Force Base to explore the possibility of them providing an Honor Guard/Color Guards.

Stacey Corcino will contact the Masons to see if they would like to participate in the parade.

Becca Wood and Bev Caldwell will record Cascade pioneer family histories to be presented the evening of the 3rd, possibly be included in the time capsule, copies to be donated to the Wedsworth Library and Cascade Community and Senior Center Museum.

Craig will be in charge of the softball games, contacting Food Trucks for a Food Rodeo, fundraising/financials, the BQ the night of the 4th and coordinating the music. Craig hopes to just oversee the BBQ with assistance from an organization or another person.

The committee will meet again September 23, 2025 at 5:30 in the Library meeting room again in November and then every month in 2026 before July 4th.

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250^th 4^th of July Planning Committee

The Cascade 250^th 4^th of July Planning committee discussed possible events for the 2026 4^th of July celebration.

The committee would like to incorporate the current 4th of July activities of softball on the 3rd and 4^th, the barbeque and fireworks the evening of the 4th with the following possible activities:

Montana is recognized as the most patriotic state per capita. Flood the Town with flags for a week prior to the 4th. Possibly coordinate with an organization to provide flags for those that don’t have them.

Decorate Businesses and houses with a patriotic theme prior to the 4th.

On the evening of July 3rd: A parade with Grand Marshalls of the Eldest in the community. Maybe the school band, bag pipers, Shriners in the parade, Black Powder group. The fire department in the parade and maybe providing some safety instructions later, floats, horses, community organizations and school class reunions. Anything works.

A car show the night of the 3rd, cardboard boat races for the kids. Open house at the Museum.

Booths showcasing our local organizations and they could sell ice cream, water, cookies etc. for just the 3rd or also on the 4th.

Events could be held at Atkinson Park to correlate with the ongoing softball games. A program of reliving history of Charlie Russell or some other historical personality. A celebrity to read Paul Harvey’s recounting a day in 1976 in Cascade, Mont., when he rode in the town’s U.S. Bicentennial parade.

The committee needs the community’s input on what it wants to celebrate our nation’s 250^th celebration of signing the Declaration of Independence.

Please feel free to leave ideas, suggestions, or favorites of the above suggestions. What would you like to see? This is your celebration. Recommendations may be left at 406-468-2848 and 406-468-2808.

The committee will meet again July 15, 2025 at 5:30 in the Library meeting room.

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That Ragged Old Flag

In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14 to commemorate the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777, by resolution of the Second Continental Congress, when they approved the design for its first national flag.

There are many claims as to the first official observance of Flag Day following the flag’s adoption in 1777. An event that included a celebration of the United States flag was held in Hartford, Connecticut in the summer of 1861. In the late 1800s, schools all over the United States held Flag Day programs to contribute to the Americanization of immigrant children. The observance gradually spread into communities across the country.

In 1885, Bernard Cigrand, a 19-year-old teacher in Waubeka, Wisconsin asked his students to write essays about the flag. Cigrand devoted the rest of his life attempting to gain national recognition and observance of Flag Day. William T. Kerr, a schoolboy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is credited with founding the American Flag Day Association in 1888. He is often referred to as the “Father of Flag Day”.

On June 14, 1889, George Bolch, the principal of a free kindergarten for the poor in New York City, had his school hold patriotic ceremonies to observe the anniversary of the Flag Day resolution. This initiative attracted attention from the State Department of Education, which arranged to have the day observed in all public schools thereafter.

The Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration on June 14, 1891. The New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution celebrated Flag Day in 1892. In 1893, the Society of Colonial Dames succeeded in getting a resolution passed to have the flag displayed on all public buildings in Philadelphia. More than 300,000 public school children celebrated Flag Day in Chicago on June 14, 1894. In 1897, the governor of New York ordered the displaying of the flag over all public buildings in the state, an observance considered by some to be the first official recognition of the anniversary of the adoption of the flag outside of schools.

Pennsylvania became the first state to establish June 14 as Flag Day and a legal holiday in May, 1937. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation declaring June 14 be observed as National Flag Day. President Calvin Coolidge did the same in 1927. The United States Congress approved the national observance on August 3, 1949 and President Harry Truman signed it into law. All Americans are encouraged to fly U.S. flags during that week

The American Legion affirms the following protocol is flag etiquette for the space between two flags. When the flags are in place and posted, no person is to reach between the flags to hand or receive items from the speaker as this is “Hallowed Ground”. The person needs to approach the American flag, stop and render a salute or place hand over heart, and then proceed around the left side of the flag and behind the speaker.

Nolle Deas wrote the following poem honoring the space between two flags, titled ‘This Is Hallowed Ground’. “Why You Don’t Walk Between The Colors Between the flags that proudly fly? Let no one dare to stand For here our fallen comrades lie, We call it Hallowed Ground. A symbol, yes, but mark it well; Here let us ever humbly pause In Memory of the ones who fell In fighting for our sacred cause. On sea or land these buddies died. Some lie beneath a foreign sod In graves caressed by winds and tide, In spots unknown to all but God. And so this place is Hallowed Ground. And it shall be forever blessed, As though it were a grassy mound Beneath which gallant heroes rest Be ever watchful, Legionnaire. Of those two flags which signify That we should guard this spot with care Where our departed comrades lie. And, if a man should dare to tread This spot where lie our gallant brave, He desecrates those noble dead As tho he walked upon their grave.”

Johnny Cash’s ‘Ragged Old Flag’ rather sums up how the nation should be feeling about our ragged old flag and for a song released in 1974 it also rather sums up today’s atmosphere. “She’s been burned, dishonored, denied, and refused And the government for which she stands Is scandalized throughout the land And she’s getting threadbare and wearing thin But she’s in good shape for the shape she’s in ‘Cause she’s been through the fire before And I believe she can take a whole lot more So we raise her up every morning We take her down every night We don’t let her touch the ground and we fold her up right On second thought, I do like to brag ‘Cause I’m mighty proud of that ragged old flag.”

If we reflect what 13 folds of a flag mean, it can create an uplifting experience. The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.

The second fold signifies our belief in eternal life.

The third fold is made in honor and tribute of the veteran departing our ranks, and who gave a portion of his or her life for the defense of our country to attain peace.

The fourth fold exemplifies our weaker nature as citizens trusting in God; it is to Him we turn for His divine guidance.

The fifth fold is an acknowledgement to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, “Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right, but it is still our country, right or wrong.”

The seventh fold is a tribute to our armed forces, for it is through the armed forces that we protect our country and our flag against all enemies.

The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor our mother, for whom it flies on Mother’s Day.

The ninth fold is an honor to womanhood, for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty, and devotion that the character of men and women who have made this country great have been molded.

The 10th fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since he or she was first-born.

The 11th fold, in the eyes of Hebrew citizens, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The 12th fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost. The last fold, when the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, “In God We Trust.”

There is a National Flag Foundation who declares that our Flag was born in 1777 through the power of a revolution. “Out of that revolution came its meaning – liberty and justice for all – as a birthright for every American. They believe “We are a divided and opinionated country, yet we stand united by the fabric of this historic symbol – one country, one people, one flag. The Flag inspires confidence on sight as it stands for the courageous, unselfish experiences of our citizens as they protect our freedom here and throughout the world.”

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Summer Reading 2025 Color Our World

Wedsworth Library wants to liven up young readers this summer so we are Coloring Our World. Beginning June 9^th readers age 12 and under will have the opportunity to fish in the library, check out books, and correctly guess the number of items in the Jar to win a wonderful Prize.

Every Day you check out a book, you get the chance to enter your guess as to how many are in the jar. Prize/Prizes will be awarded August 13. There will be two age categories for prizes: 1-5 and 6-12. So come TAKE A GUESS!

Every day you come in and check out a book, you are allowed to add your name to the jar. This gives you the chance to win even more prizes. The first week of July three names will be drawn out of each age jar for a prize. The middle of July three names will be drawn out of each age jar for a prize. The first week of August three names will be drawn out of each age jar for a prize.

On August 13 names will be drawn out of each age jar for a prize until all prizes are gone in that age category. Various prizes are Separated into 2 age groups – Under 6 and Over 6

We will be Fishin for Skittles. Haul in the biggest Skittle in the family.

Each child receives a bag filled with crafts and lots of goodies when they come to the library. You will have the chance to pick out a free book when a bag is picked up. One bag per child for the summer.

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One If By Land And Two If By Sea

April celebrates the famous ‘one if by land and two if by sea’. This enduring fame began on the night of April 18, 1775, when two lanterns were hung in a steeple by church sexton Robert Newman and vestry member Captain John Pulling, Jr.

Folk hero of the American Revolution, Paul Revere’s dramatic horseback ride on the night of April 18, 1775 warned Boston-area residents that the British were coming. Paul Revere did not gain immediate fame for his April 1775 “Midnight Ride.” In fact, it wasn’t until Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, which greatly embellished Revere’s role, that he became the folk hero we think of today.

Immortalized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s ballad, “Paul Revere’s Ride”, Paul’s name became etched into history to receive sole credit for the midnight ride. Longfellow appears to give Revere the credit primarily because his name rhymed better than Dawes’s or Prescott’s. The ballad was first published in the January 1861 issue of The Atlantic Monthly.

It is important however, to acknowledge that the ride was important and why. The warning given to the colonists and the militia by the riders was to enable them to be prepared and fight off the British army’s initial attack. This provided the local militia a key advantage during the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

The primary objective of the riders that night was to contact Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington. It appears they were given a fairly specific (probably written) message to deliver to the patriot leaders. In addition, the riders were to “alarm” the countryside. The British were moving troops out of Boston and planned to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington, Massachusetts. Revere was tasked with tipping them off to help avoid arrest.

Revere had intended to ride to Lexington to warn Hancock and Adams of the movements of the British regulars (which he did) and then on to Concord where the militia’s arsenal was hidden. He arranged to have a signal lit in the Old North Church – one lantern if the British were coming by land and two lanterns if they were coming by sea – and began to make preparations for his ride to alert the local militias and citizens about the impending attack. “One if by land, and two if by sea.”

In reality, Paul Revere didn’t ride through the streets of Concord hollering a warning. He didn’t even make it to Concord at all. Paul Revere rode that night with Samuel Prescott and William Dawes. Revere’s total distance was only about 12.5 miles. It was really Samuel Prescott who completed the midnight ride to reach Concord to warn of the British invasion.

“Following the passage of the Stamp Act in 1965, which imposed taxes on printed materials in the colonies, Revere joined the Sons of Liberty, a clandestine political organization that aimed to fight British taxation.” He took part in the Boston Tea Party and was a principal rider for Boston’s Committee of Safety. He often rode from Boston to New York to spread information about the colonies.

As tensions between the colonies and the British deepened, Revere was tapped to spy on British soldiers and report on their movement using his living as a silversmith, engraver, and dentist to ingratiate himself with them. He became a master propagandist, using his artisan skills to craft engravings that incited the colonists to join in the rebellion.

Then, at about 10 p.m. on April 18, 1775, Revere set out in the dark from his North Boston home with William Dawes to reach Adams and Hancock. The two riders met Adams and Hancock in Lexington and enabled the revolutionaries to avoid arrest.

Revere’s next stop that late night was Concord, Massachusetts, a hotbed of the resistance and the suspected location of the British troops’ second attack. “But Revere, Dawes and a third rider named Samuel Prescott were captured by the British en route, and only Prescott reached Concord.

Revere was soon released, but he had already helped give the colonial militia a key advantage by alerting them to the impending attack by the British. The Battles of Lexington and Concord would spark the Revolutionary War.”

Revere remained active in the Revolutionary War, building Boston’s first gunpowder mill and joining a Massachusetts infantry, but his remaining war record was lackluster, and he was largely unknown in his lifetime. After the war Revere went back to his silversmith business expanding to other areas

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Torgy the Tractor and Linda Too

It’s not every day one can meet a tractor in the library. You need to stop by and find out how we fit that little (?) red machine in. Linda Boatman will be the driving force to show us Torgy and all his cousins.

According to Linda’s Bio she is a local author who resides in Great Falls. Linda’s mother is from England and the two particular series she loved reading while growing up were “The Famous Five” and “The Adventurous Four” by Enid Blyton.

She states she enjoyed reading and writing in her youth and always wanted to write a children’s book. Linda’s family consists of her husband, three children and ten grandchildren and loves spending time with her family. When her children were little she read to them for hours. Now she reads to her grandchildren.

Linda stresses that there is nothing we can substitute, and nothing more important we can do for our children than sitting down, opening a book and reading to them, especially in their formative years. With all the electronics we have today, she feels it is even more important to shut off the electronics, pick up a book to read, sit down, and spend time with our children.

She taught her children from a young age that being able to read well is the window to the world. Linda maintains that if you can read well, you can do anything and go anywhere!

The inspiration for Torgy the Tractor comes from her love of reading in her youth and from Torgerson’s, LLC, where she now works. They have lots of red tractors there! Linda professes she loves working at Torgerson’s, which has given her the opportunity to make Torgy the Tractor come alive on the pages of her book.

Torgy is an adventurous tractor that experiences life through the eyes of a tractor on a farm in Montana. In Linda’s book, Torgy needs his cousin’s help to get Farmer George’s harvest completed.

Come meet Torgy (and Linda too) Tuesday April 22^st at 6:00 p.m. at Wedsworth Library. Enjoy the delicious treats that the Women’s Club will be serving and meet those neighbors you haven’t seen all winter.

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Metal Rods Bent to a Particular Shape and Heated

Wedsworth Memorial Library is honored to receive updated Montana Brand books donated by the Montana Cattlemen Association. They contain the Eastern, Central, and Western ownership volumes of Montana Brands.

We appreciate their generosity. Thank a member next time you visit with one.

If you like to browse through current and old-time brands, stop by the Library and set awhile.

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Sayings and Meanings

Have we always understood Sayings and Meanings or known where they came from? Take for example the saying: ‘A different kettle of fish’. As we know for the most part, this means saying or describing something in an entirely different sense right after talking about the same subject. It also means you are talking about something which is not related to the topic you are asked to speak about.

While ‘a different kettle of fish’ is common, ‘another kettle of fish’ gives the same meaning. A kettle of fish often means mixture or confusion. The phrase originated from the United Kingdom and is traced back to being mentioned in Thomas Newte’s ‘A Tour in England and Scotland’ published in 1785.

Many of us have ‘barked up the wrong tree’ at times. The origin of the idiom ‘barking up the wrong tree’ dates back to early 1800s America, when hunting with packs of dogs was very popular. The term was used literally at first, when wily prey animals such as raccoons would trick dogs into believing they were up a certain tree when in fact they had escaped. Thus, dogs barking at the base of an empty tree were said to be “barking up the wrong tree.”

When you use the expression ‘A Chip on Your Shoulder’ you mean someone has a perceived grievance. An interesting fact about ‘A Chip on Your Shoulder’ – the origin of the phrase refers to a practice seen in America during the 19th century, in which boys spoiling for a fight would place an actual chip of wood on their shoulders before walking around belligerently daring others to knock the chip off.

WHO SAID a watched pot never boils? ‘A watched pot never boils’ was coined by Poor Richard, which was the pseudonym used by Benjamin Franklin in his annual almanac.

Better late than never. This is first recorded in English around 133 and is probably of ancient Roman origin. The phrase “but better never late” is sometimes added or said in response to the proverb: I forgot Mary’s birthday! Should I send her a gift anyway? – Sure, better late than never. – But better never late.

‘It takes two to tango’ was popularized as the title of a song written by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning in 1952. You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but we do, don’t we? The proverb was first recorded in 1929 in the form “You can’t judge a book by its binding” in the periodical “American Speech.”

Easy come, easy go was first recorded in this form in 1832, but the sentiment it expresses is of much earlier origin, occurring in Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales” (around 1390). We all seem to know ‘A fool and his money are soon parted’. The proverb was first recorded in 1587 in J. Bridge’s “Defense of Government in Church of England.”

Blood is thicker than water (but sometimes it runs mighty thin). The proverb was first recorded in this form in 1813, but the sentiment it expresses is of much earlier origin. Compare the 12th-century German saying “sippeblout von wasere night verdirbet” (“kin-blood is not spoilt by water”).

The grass is always greener on the other side (of the fence). In its current form the proverb is of relatively recent origin, but the sentiment it expresses dates back to ancient times. Compare Ovid (43B.C.-A.D.18): “fertilior seges est alienis semper in agris” (“the harvest is always more fruitful in another man’s fields”).

When in Rome (do as the Romans do) was first recorded around 1475, but the sentiment it expresses is of much earlier origin, and has been attributed to Saint Ambrose (around 339-A.D.97).

Honesty is the best policy The proverb was first recorded in 1605. In his “Apophthegms” (1854), the English politician, philosopher and theologian Richard Whately wrote, “Honesty is the best policy; but he who is governed by this maxim is not an honest man.”

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The proverb was first recorded in this form in the late 18th century, but the sentiment it expresses is of much earlier origin. Compare Theocritus (around 308-around 240B.C.), “in the eyes of love that which is not beautiful often seems beautiful.”

What Is the origin of the saying “Back to the Drawing Board” which means of course to return to the start when an attempt fails? The “drawing board” in this saying refers to an architect’s or draughtsman’s table, which is used to prepare designs and blueprints. The origin is well documented and can be traced back to precisely March 1, 1941. Even more specifically, the phrase was first used by the American cartoonist Peter Arno in the cartoon below, which was featured in the March 1, 1941 edition of the New Yorker magazine.

The caption reads “Well, back to the old drawing board.” The cartoon depicts a crashed military plane with the pilot having bailed out. It features uniformed military personnel running towards the plane, while the engineer, carrying a roll of blue prints under his arm, walks away to start the redesign. Arno’s caption was popularized during World War II, when many projects and missions inevitably did not work out as planned. Somewhat ironically, “back to the drawing board” often carries positive overtones in recognition of the eventual route to success being narrowed down. So now what are you now heading back to the drawing board to do???

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No Phone, No Internet – JUST BOOKS

We’re here, just not answering the PHONE!!!!

Unfortuantely we have lost phone and internet for several days. We are working with the Town and Quest to restore all order.

Maybe we just like to be in disorder this year! LOL

For up to date correct information about our communication systems, please refer to the Library’s posts on Facebook or Library website. There are some inaccurate rumors going around. We do our best to keep the community updated with accurate information.

Please realize we are struggling to provide the services the community needs. However – Great news you are still able to check out books!

Remember we are here, just a bit more laid back and silent.

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We’re OPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wedsworth Library Will Open To The Public Monday February 3, 2025 And Will Resume Normal Operating Hours

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Wedsworth Library Board of Trustee Vacancy

The Wedsworth Memorial Library in Cascade is looking to fill a vacancy on its Board of Trustees as a Cascade County representative. If you would like to apply for this volunteer position, please stop by Wedsworth Memorial Library at 13 North Front Street Cascade, MT to obtain an application. The application may be returned to the Wedsworth Library or mailed to Board of Trustees, P.O. Box 526, Cascade, MT 59421 to be received by Tuesday April 01, 2025. This term will begin July 1, 2025 and end June 30, 2030. For further information please contact current board members, Jo Ann Eisenzimer 406-868-4166, Nada Cummings 406-468-2539, Kelsey Harland 406-231-8537, Heather Milburn 406-459-7056 or Wes Seabolt 406-558-9537 or inquire at Wedsworth Library.

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Library Materials’ Returns

The library would appreciate it if all items that are checked out, could be returned on time to prevent accidental loss or damage. I know this is a difficult time. The Trust and Town are doing the best they can in this unexpected situation. Be thankful that Wedsworth Hall was able to pass testing.

The recent closure was not the fault of the Library family or the Trust and Town actions. This has also affected the Library’s ability to meet the needs of the community as this is also the beginning of tax season.

The Town and Trust are doing their upmost to raise the needed funding to allow them to proceed to the next step of hiring a mitigation firm and beginning the mitigation. Once those steps are accomplished, we will be on our way to hopefully reopening in a timely manner.

Wedsworth appreciates the patience of their patrons and of the community.

Now is the time to revisit some of the old news on our website to add some laughter and a bit of knowledge to your daily routine. It will get us through the wintery weather and this awkward time span.

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Explore the World & Become Independent with Ham Radios

Ham Radios offer the opportunity to enlarge an operator’s world and become independent of the internet and lack of cell signals. The educational books on obtaining an amateur radio license offer the opportunity of opening the lines of communications to independent, decentralized communications across the country for our patrons.

These kits allow Wedsworth Library the ability to offer expanded services to all of our patrons, especially those in remote areas. The possibility of obtaining an amateur radio license could lead to providing a safety net of a safer environment, improved quality of life, enriching personal lives, supporting the local community, and as a direct lifeline during emergencies.

Many in our community live in remote areas that do not receive cell phone signals. Ham radios would open the door to emergency services and communication to others, not only locally but across the world.

Most travel more than they used to. Being aware of local emergencies and knowing about a local emergency, like a multi-car pile-up, could mean the difference between spending hours stuck in traffic or not.

Handheld radios like a Baofeng (think of it like a walkie-talkie on steroids) offer the abilities to take your independence with you no matter where you are. Amateur radio operators can also easily send an email via Winlink, across the entire country or world, just with some simple equipment from their home.

Volunteer ham radio operators have mobilized around the country and executed dozens of search and rescue missions during emergencies. We live in a rural area and emergencies have occurred – whether it be fires, blizzards, medical emergencies due to encountering wild animals or lost people. Ham radios would allow not only access, but quicker access to emergency services. When we had the Harris Mountain fire a ham radio would have kept those in the remote rural areas better-informed with up-to-date information.

Ham radio is all about independent communication and self-reliance. It builds self-confidence and bridges generations. Ham radio is the best backup / emergency communications system in the world.
Stop by the Wedsworth Memorial Library and check out the materials you will need to obtain an amateur radio license to hear the adventure around you.

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The Underappreciated Snowman

“Do you want to build a snowman? Come on, let’s go and play”

Snowmen and their creation, far predate modern versions like Olaf and Frosty. They have a history far more colorful than the white of snow. It was a snowman who appeared on some of the first postcards, starred in some of the initial silent movies, and was the subject of a couple of the earliest photos, dating all the way back to the 1800s.

“Frosty the Snowman” helped cement our modern, snow manly vision of a corn cob pipe, button nose, and two eyes made out of coal. Frosty was based on a 1950 song meant to capitalize on the success of country singer Gene Autry’s “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,”.

Snowmen are the head honcho of the holidays. But what do you really know about the frosty men outside of their corncob pipes, and magical top hats?

The first documented snowman appears in a 1380 manuscript called the ‘Book of Hours’, found in the Koninkijke Bibliotheek in The Hague, Netherlands. There is a somewhat disturbing illustration of a snowman being charred by fire. “The snowman conforms to comical, and mocking, depictions of Jewish people at the time, featuring a floppy hat and a sad face with a big, sloping nose. The snowman is built in the typical “ball” method, stacked on top of each other. Writing off to the side substantiates its “blame the Jews” purpose, as it announces the crucifixion of Jesus. Some historians think that this was merely comedy used to deal with the 1400s’ horrors of the Black Death.”

Snowmen also played a similarly politically motivated part during six weeks of subzero temperatures in 1511 during the “Winter of Death,” as Reader’s Digest tells us. To keep people’s spirits up, the government of Brussels organized a snow festival for its citizens.

The city of Brussels was covered in snowmen. A spectacular display that told stories on every street corner. The disgruntled masses used the opportunity to craft a “public art installation” of 100 snowmen mocking prominent church and government officials. Some were downright pornographic. “For the people of Brussels, this was their Woodstock, a defining moment of artistic freedom. At least until spring arrived, by which time the Belgians were dealing with damaging floods.” It helped that snow was an abundant free material, and didn’t require immense skill to fashion.

Snowmen were a phenomenon in the Middle Ages, built with great skill and thought. At a time of limited means of expression, snow was like free art supplies dropped from the sky. It was a popular activity for couples to stroll through town to view the temporary works of art. Some were created by famous artists, including 19-year-old Michelangelo.

Snowmen also played a part in the Schenectady Massacre of 1690, one of the bloodiest events in early American history. Fort Schenectady, in what is now upstate New York, was a remote Dutch settlement under constant threat of attack. Unfortunately, one winter the gates became frozen open. Cold, creative soldiers guarding the gates left a pair of snowmen at their post to protect the town when they left to get out of a blizzard.

Unknown to them, a contingent of 210 French Canadian soldiers and Native Americans were approaching. Having traveled over three weeks in knee-deep, slushy snow, they were unfazed by the snowmen and invaded the fort, killing 60 villagers.

Every year since 1818, the people of Zurich, Switzerland, celebrate the beginning of spring by blowing up a snowman. On the third Monday of April, the holiday Sechseläuten is kicked off when a cotton snowman called the Böögg is stuffed with dynamite and paraded through town by bakers, blacksmiths, and other tradesmen, who throw bread and sausages to the crowds.

The parade ends with the Böögg being placed on a 40-foot pile of scrap wood. After the bells of the Church of St. Peter have chimed six times, representing the passing of winter, the pile is lit. When the snowman explodes, winter is considered officially over. The shorter the combustion, the longer summer is said to be.

Fine artists over time have used the snowman to flex their creative muscles. On the morning of New Year’s Day 1857, sculptor Larkin Mead unveiled an 8-foot-high snow-and-ice statue in Brattleboro, Vermont. The heavenly figure held a pen and paper which became known as the “Recording Angel.” It was said to be so lifelike, schoolboys refrained from pelting it with snowballs. The New York Tribune sent a reporter to cover it, the image went worldwide, and Mead became a national phenomenon.

“Do You Wanna Build A Snowman? What are we gonna do? Do you want to build a snowman?”

Building snowmen is a traditional winter pastime that many associate with family, friends, childhood, hot cocoa, hats with pom-poms, snowball fights, Christmas morning, and all sorts of related, holiday experiences.

Not all snow-creations come with corncob pipes. In Japan, snowmen are made with two balls, one big and one small atop it, and without arms. They are to resemble the daruma doll, which brings good luck. In China, going back to the 7th-century, Buddha statues are carved out of snow for families to worship in place of marble or wood.

The popular song “Frosty the Snowman” describes a snowman being decorated with a corncob pipe, button nose, coal eyes and an old silk hat. In North America, snowmen are generally built with three spheres representing the head, torso, and lower body. In the United Kingdom, two spheres are used, one sphere representing the body and one representing the head.

The usual practice is to decorate and dress the snowman. Common accessories include branches for arms and a smiley face made of stones, with a carrot used for a nose. Clothing, such as a hat or scarf, may be included.

As we all know making a snowman of powdered snow is difficult since it will not stick to itself, and if the temperature of packing snow drops, it will form an unusable denser form of powdered snow called the crust. “To make a good snowman, you need humidity,”. “The air in the North Pole is too dry. Eskimos have to frequently try multiple times when constructing igloos.” Snow becomes most suitable for packing when it approaches its melting point and becomes moist and compact.

Thus, a good time to build a snowman may be the warm afternoon directly following a snowfall with a sufficient amount of snow. Using more compact snow allows for the construction of a large snowball by simply rolling it until it grows to the desired size.

“Do you want to build a snowman? It doesn’t have to be a snowman. Do you want to build a snowman?”

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December Trivia Quiz

So what do you know about December? There is a lot more to the month than Jolly Saint Nick and the Christmas Story. Shall we do a little December Trivia to see if you are that December whiz King and for fun and games? Some will find these easy as we want the season to be a bit Merry and Holly Jolly.

Which of the following awards are normally handed out in December? a. Academy Wards b. Nobel Prizes c. Grammy Awards d. Juno Awards
What is the birthstone for December? a. Garnet b. Turquoise c. Opal d. Emerald
If you were born on the 26th of December, what would your zodiac sign be? a. Gemini b. Cancer c. Capricorn d. Libra
What is the recognized flower for December? a. Gardenia b. Narcissus c. Petunia d. Lady’s Slipper
What infamous event occurred on the seventh of December? a. The bombing of Pearl Harbor b. The sinking of the Titanic c. John F. Kennedy was shot d. Start of the civil war
What piece of land did the United States acquire on the 20th of December, 1803? a. Louisiana b. Florida c. Alaska d. Manhattan
What day in December is national chocolate day? a. The 27th b. The 3rd c. The 15th d. The18th
What famous modern piece of sports equipment was invented on the 29th of December? a. The downhill ski b. The bowling ball c. The golf club d. The badminton racquet
Which day in December is considered by some to be the unluckiest day of the year? a. The 28th b. The 4th c. The 15th d. The 22nd
What event took place in the United States on the 16th of December? a. The Mayflower landed b. George Washington was born c. The Boston Tea Party d. The end of WWII
Which American President was born on the 28th of December? a. Andrew Johnson b. Gerald Ford c. Bill Clinton d. Ronald Reagan
What medical procedure was completed on the 3rd of December 1967? a. Heart transplant b. The first x-ray c. The first blood transfusion d. The first time an artificial lung was used
If you were born on the fifth of December, what would your astrological sign be? a. Libra b. Sagittarius c. Pieces d. Taurus
Which famous music icon was murdered on the 8th of December? a. Freddy Mercury b. John Lennon c. Kurt Cobain d. Elvis Presley
Which famous comedian died on Christmas Day? a. John Belushi b. Charlie Chaplin c. John Candy d. Bill Murray

16.What famous first occurred on the 17th of December, 1903? a. First flight b. The first steam engine c. The first light bulb d. The first person swam the English Channel

We’d like to add some fun and excitement for those little tikes waiting anxiously for Santa. We talked to Santa and he consulted his reindeer. They are healthy and ready to fly. As a preview for that special night, Santa will visit Wedsworth Library Tuesday, December 17 from 10:30 to 11:00. So if there is some little one 6 and under who would like to come whisper to Santa what they would dearly love for Santa to bring them on Christmas, drop on by. We’ll have cookies and drink for the little ones before Santa feeds a few to Rudolph.

We won’t be a Grinch and not give you the answers to our quiz. We will join in the holiday spirit and show the answers! I hope you didn’t Peek!!!

B- Alfred Nobel established the prizes in 1895.
B -Turquoise is Blue
C – Capricorn
B -This flower is a member of the daffodil family
A – The bombing of Pearl Harbor
A -This purchase cost the United States government $50 million francs.
A – The 27th
B -The bowling ball – Many people mark the invention of the modern bowling ball as being the 29th of December 1862.
A -The 28th – This tradition dates back to King Herod’s massacre of all boys under the age of two.
C -The Boston Tea Party – The Boston Tea Party happened on the 16th of December
A -Andrew Johnson – Andrew was born in 1808.
A -Heart transplant – The heart transplant was done by Dr. Christian Neethling Barnard
B -Sagittarius – Sagittarius runs until the 20 or 21st of December.
B -John Lennon – John was shot outside his residence.
B -Charlie Chaplin – Charlie died in 1977.
A -First flight – The Wright brothers made their historic flight in Kitty Hawk

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December is More than Festive and Sparkly

December – snow, elves, twinkling lights, spirited songs and short cold days that hold the anticipation of jolly St. Nick and his sack full of goodies. But December has long been noteworthy of other important phenomena.

December 14, 1807 is celebrated as the first recorded sighting of Space Invaders. The nearly full moon was setting as dawn arrived on Dec. 14, 1807. It was Monday, and farmers, in what was then Weston, were already tending to their livestock.

Suddenly, a blazing fireball about two-thirds the size of the moon appeared in the cold, cloud-strewn sky, accompanied by a sound that resembled a cannonball being rolled on a wooden floor. Three loud explosions were heard.

The object illuminated fields and barns. There were reports of something streaking across the sky from as far away as Rutland, Vt. The meteor broke up as it slammed into the earth’s atmosphere at about 65,000 mph. Soon Weston became a target of an artillery barrage, as dozens of rocks, one weighing 200 pounds, augured into the snow-covered fields. The entire event took about 30 seconds.

Some rocks were smashed by the finders: “Strongly impressed with the idea that these stones contained gold and silver, the stones were subjected to all the tortures of ancient alchemy – the goldsmith’s crucible, the forge, and the blacksmith’s anvil” – to elicit riches which existed only in the imagination.

Fireballs had been seen in New England and other parts of the country in the 17th and 18th centuries, but it is likely that the fall of a single stone, or a few, would have gone unnoticed. It was only around 1800 that a few mineralogists and chemists in Europe had begun to realize that the stones and chunks of iron reported to fall from the heavens were distinctly different from earthly rocks. Final proof came with the huge meteorite shower that occurred at L’Aigle, France, in 1803. This forced the scientific world to admit that stones do indeed fall from the sky, because of the sheer numbers of specimens (between 2,000 and 3,000) and “respectable” witnesses.

Out of the approximately 350 pounds of the meteorite that fell on the town of Weston, less than 50 pounds can now be accounted for. Most undoubtedly gathered dust on numerous 19th century mantelpieces before being thrown away.

The largest and only unbroken stone of the Weston fall weighed 36.5 pounds. The owner was urged to present it to Yale by local people but he insisted on putting it up for sale. It was purchased by Colonel George Gibbs for his collection of minerals. Gibb’s collection became the property of Yale in 1825 and this was the beginning of Yale’s meteorite collection, the oldest in the United States.

Meteorites were a concept slowly gaining acceptance in Europe, as their study was a relatively new science. The Weston news rapidly spread and accounts were published in journals. Later, a chemical analysis of the rocks was performed and published. Notable scientific organizations in Philadelphia, London, and Paris discussed the findings. Still, there were skeptics about the idea of meteorites, including U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, who said, “It is easier to believe that two Yankee professors could lie than to admit that stones could fall from heaven.”

If you didn’t happen to observe the first alien invasion of 1807, meteor showers Andromedids, Canis-Minorids, Coma Berenicids, Delta Cancrids, Geminids, Monocerotids, Phoenicids, Sigma Hydrids and the Ursids will streak the sky with shooting stars this December.

You can look skyward on the night of December 13 after 9 P.M. for a chance to catch a glimpse of the Geminid meteors. The Geminid meteor shower is the most active shower. Unlike most meteor showers which originate from comets, Geminids meteor showers originate from an asteroid.

This year, the peak of the meteor shower meets a waxing Moon, meaning that the sky will still be affected by the light of the Moon. If the sky is clear and temperatures aren’t too chilly, it’s worth venturing outside to try to see the Geminids. The best viewing will be before the Moon rises around 1:00 A.M.

What else is December remembered for? Do not forget December 11, 1620 when 103 pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Then of course the infamous Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773.

National Day of the Horse is celebrated on December 13th. The day was designated in 2004 to recognize the contributions horses have made to U.S. history, economy, and character. The horse is embedded in our culture and runs deep into our roots. Not only did the horse serve as vital transportation, but they cleared forests for farmland, and led the way westward and into battle. Horses diversified Native American hunting habits and defined the western cowboy.

While few people today see the horse as much more than a recreational animal, they still work on ranches. As a therapy animal, horses relieve the symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and other disorders. They continue connecting to humans, and we continue to rely on them.

National Underdog Day recognizes that America loves its underdogs. Each year on the 3rd Friday in December, we cheer on the teams and individuals who are statistically expected to lose in competition. Underdog was originally used in dogfighting around 1887, to refer to a dog defeated in a fight. The cartoon character, Underdog, was an unlikely superhero dog.

How can we forget an icon of Christmas? December 26 is National Candy Cane Day. According to German folklore, the first candy canes were made in the 17th century when a choirmaster in Cologne, Germany, needed to find a way to keep the children quiet during exceptionally long Christmas Eve Mass.

In 1844, a recipe for a straight peppermint candy stick, which was white with colored stripes, was published. However, some stories tell of all-white candy sticks in much earlier times. There is no documented proof of the origins. Literature begins mentioning the candy cane in 1866, and was first known to be mentioned in connection with Christmas in 1874. As early as 1882, candy canes were hung on Christmas trees.

The average candy cane is 5 inches tall. While candy canes are not sugar or calorie-free, they do not have any fat or cholesterol. Striped red and white candy canes were first introduced in 1900.

Bob McCormack and Gregory Keller brought the candy cane to the masses. They were made by hand until Keller invented one machine to twist the soft candy into spirals and cut the stick candy; and another machine to put the crook in the candy cane. His invention became known as the Keller Machine.

Traditionally the flavor for candy canes is peppermint, but there are a variety of flavors such as cherry, sour apple, blueberry, watermelon or orange. How does pickle, bacon, mac and cheese, or root beer flavored candy canes sound to you?

How many calories are in a candy cane you ask, for that calorie conscience person? A standard, 6-inch candy cane contains two servings with approximately 50-60 calories per serving. Really – 2 servings for a candy cane?? So is that a lick for me and a lick for you and a lick for me………..?

Alain Roby, Geneva pastry chef, holds the Guinness World Record for the longest candy cane, measuring 51 feet long. I will leave the math to you to calculate the number of calories and servings. Guess that could be a party cane.

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Wisdom through the Ages

American pantomimist and radio and television comedian, host, and star performer: Richard Bernard Skelton. If you were lucky to listen to the Red Skelton Show then you are one of the thousands that sat mesmerized by the antics of this funny, boyish, teddy-bearish, lovable, open and sincere, often looney human being.

He solidified fame with the debut of his national NBC radio show in 1941. During WWII, Skelton served in the US Army and performed numerous comedy shows for troops. In 1951, he helped popularize television with The Red Skelton Show, which aired for 20 years and won multiple Emmy Awards.

He was the top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton’s career began in his teens as a circus clown and from there he went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs, and casinos, while also pursuing a career as a painter. In the early 1960s, Skelton was the first CBS television host to begin taping his weekly programs in color.

The Red Skelton Show, unlike other variety series, did not rely solely on guest stars every week. Red Skelton provided an abundance of laughter that often included a touch of wisdom in his delightful jokes and quotes:

“I looked up my family tree and found out I was the sap. If I had to live my life again, I’d make the same mistakes, only sooner. Television: A medium – so called because it is neither rare nor well done. Television: The device that brings into your living room characters you would never allow in your living room. If I make a fool of myself, who cares? I’m not frightened by anyone’s perception of me.”

Red Skelton was born in Vincennes, Indiana. He was the son of a Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus clown named Joe who died in 1913 shortly before the birth of his son. At the age of 10 Red was spotted by entertainer Ed Wynn in front of the Pantheon Theatre in Vincennes selling newspapers.

After buying every newspaper in Skelton’s stock, Wynn took the boy backstage and introduced him to every member of the show with which he was traveling. The experience triggered Skelton lifetime’s career as a performer.

By age 15, Skelton hit the road full-time as an entertainer, working everywhere from medicine shows and vaudeville to burlesque, showboats, minstrel shows, and working in the same circus as his father once did.

“I’m a Republican, and everybody who knows me knows it. But I’m an American first, and I want to see my country and my president succeed. I think it’s time to pull together. Dieting: A system of starving yourself to death so you can live a little longer. I eat a lot of fruit, and my doctor said I could have one beer a day. So I fill the tub with beer and get in, eating a banana as I bathe.”

While performing in Kansas City in 1930, Skelton met and married his first wife, Edna Stillwell. The couple divorced 1943, but Stillwell remained one of his chief writers. In 1945, he married Georgia Davis. Life would soon throw a curve ball to change his life and entertainment.

“Kids, they are a pain in the neck when they’re around. After they’re gone, you’d give your right arm to have them back. My dad always said, ‘Find a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.’ Any kid will run any errand for you, if you ask at bedtime. The time a child learns to walk and the time a child learns to drive are two of the most dangerous periods in a parent’s life.”

His famous “Pledge Of Allegiance,” in which he explained the meaning of each and every word on a program in 1969 has become a perennial favorite for public broadcast on major patriotic holidays.

Red and Georgia had two children, Richard and Valentina. Richard’s childhood death of leukemia devastated the family, especially Red. Georgia and Red eventually divorced, but Georgia continued in her role as his manager until the ‘60s. In 1976 Georgia committed suicide on the anniversary of their son’s death. Deeply affected by the loss of his ex-wife, Red would abstain from performing for the next decade and a half, finding solace only in painting clowns.

“I wasn’t a very good student, but I was the best one in my row. My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people. I told my wife the truth. I told her I was seeing a psychiatrist. Then she told me the truth: that she was seeing a psychiatrist, two plumbers, and a bartender. All men make mistakes, but married men find out about them sooner.”

Skelton “reflected a bygone – perhaps mythical – era; he was a Norman Rockwell of performing arts. His humor was as basic as a pie in the face. His performance is anything but arcane. The reasons people laughed at or with Red Skelton is right there, open, obvious, transparent.”

“I may be a little nuts,” grinning lovably, “but as long as I’m making lots of money, you know they’re not going to lock me up. I have a little car, but I’m not worried. It’s insured against theft, vandalism, and making the last payment. There are three signs of old age: loss of memory … I forget the other two. Old age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places. I’ve put on a lot of weight… I only weighed six and a half pounds when I was born.”

Near the end of his life, Skelton said his daily routine included writing a short story a day. He collected the best stories in self-published chapbooks. He also composed music which he sold to background music services such as Muzak. Among his more notable compositions was his patriotic, “Red’s White and Blue March.”

Skelton also kept himself busy as a major supporter of children’s charities, including the Shriner’s Crippled Children’s Hospital and the Red Skelton Foundation in Vincennes, Indiana, which cares for needy children.

“Live by this credo: have a little laugh at life and look around you for happiness instead of sadness. Laughter has always brought me out of unhappy situations. Heard about the young deaf boy who used sign language – One day he told his mother a dirty joke and she washed his hands out with soap.”

At the end of every show, Skelton would become serious and express his gratitude to his audience for their love and laughter. His signature closing line became “Good night and may God bless.”

“If by chance someday you’re not feeling well and you should remember some silly thing I’ve said or done and it brings back a smile to your face or a chuckle to your heart, then my purpose as your clown has been fulfilled.”

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Lady Liberty’s Torch

Do you know why lady liberty’s torch has been closed to the public since 1916?

Lady Liberty was named “Liberty Enlightening the World” by Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi. Bartholdi was the French man who conceived the idea of building a colossal statue to be gifted to America to celebrate and honor the love of liberty that bonded the French and American people. Lady Liberty stands 305 feet tall on an 89-foot-tall pedestal set in a star-shaped foundation.

The Statue of Liberty’s pedestal sits atop the remains of Fort Wood, originally one link in a chain of defenses protecting New York City and its vital harbor. The fort was built between 1808 and 1811 in the shape of an eleven-pointed star and was occupied by the War Department as an army post until 1937.

Bartholdi, a trained architect and talented sculptor, designed the statue on his own initiative. He raised money in France and in the U.S. to build the statue. Work began in 1870. Bartholdi used sheets of hammered copper to fashion the statue, and Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel (yes-that Eiffel) designed the statue’s steel framework. “It was to be a monument to the Franco-American alliance of 1778, which was forged during a fight for liberty.”

The statue was intended to be given to the U.S. in 1876 to honor the centennial of the Declaration of Independence, but the massive project needed more time. By 1878, Liberty’s head was complete. It was on display at the Paris World’s Fair.

Lady Liberty, was dedicated by President Grover Cleveland on October 28, 1886. She was not green then. The copper she was made of did not fully oxidize until about thirty years later. “Her title in full was, “Liberty Enlightening the World.” The tablet in Liberty’s left hand is inscribed with the date “JULY IV MDCCLXXVI” – July 4, 1776, the date of the United States Declaration of Independence.”

The Emma Lazarus poem, “The New Colossus”, associated with Lady Liberty was not part of the dedication ceremony of 1886. The poem was written upon request in 1883 from the pedestal fund raising committee. The poem was included in a collection of poems published as a book commissioned by the committee to help raise the money needed to complete the pedestal.

In 1901 Georgina Schuyler found the book containing the poem in a New York used book store. She was so touched by the poem, that she “set on a mission to have a plaque engraved with the five lines from the poem that are so familiar now.” The plaque was placed inside the second story of the statue’s pedestal in 1903. Today it resides in the Statue of Liberty Museum, in the base.

“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Emma Lazarus died in 1887, long before the plaque bearing her words was placed in the pedestal beneath Lady Liberty. The Statue of Liberty was designated as a National Monument in 1924. Employees of the National Park Service have been caring for the colossal copper statue since 1933.

Originally, Liberty’s torch and crown were opened to the public. However, after the “Black Tom” explosion on July 30, 1916, the torch was closed.

What was the “Black Tom” explosion? According to an article in the Smithsonian magazine, America had been selling massive quantities of munitions to the British, despite at the time claiming neutrality in World War I. Black Tom Island, which was not far from Liberty Island, where Lady Liberty stands, was a major munitions depot. It is believed that 50 tons of TNT, and 69 railroad freight cars were storing more than a thousand tons of ammunition, awaiting shipment to Britain and France.

At 2:00 a.m., an explosion equivalent to an earthquake measuring up to 5.5 on the Richter scale was felt. People were jolted awake in Manhattan, New Jersey, Brooklyn and further away. Heavy plate-glass windows were shattered and a mist of ash spread. It is said observers witnessed munition shells rocketing across the water and exploding a mile from the fires on Black Tom Island.

Dozens were injured, and it is believed fewer than ten people died. At first it was thought that carelessness in tending to smudge pots lit to keep mosquitos away had caused the explosion. It took years of investigations to determine that it was operatives working for Germany who were to blame.

Lady Liberty’s torch has remained closed to the public ever since. The arm was believed to have been weakened due to the explosion. In 1986, a new torch was added during an extensive renovation of the statue in honor of the centennial of its dedication. The copper flame was covered in 24K gold. The original torch was removed and is now on display inside the Pedestal lobby. The new torch was never opened to the public.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Liberty Island closed for 100 days. The Statue of Liberty itself was not reopened to visitors until August 2004. In July 2009, the statue’s crown was again reopened to the public, though visitors must make a reservation to climb to the top of the pedestal or to the crown.

According to The National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy, about four million people visit the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island each year. The Statue of Liberty, aka Lady Liberty, is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy.

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Friends We Need

You may have seen your local Friends of the Library around, even without knowing who they were. You may have purchased used books from our book sale and not known that you were talking to volunteers from a local group fighting for your library. But what is this group?

Friends of the Libraries are nonprofit groups that support libraries in their communities. They are run by volunteers and exist in the US, Australia, France, South Africa, and the UK.

The key thing to know is that Friends of Libraries groups are independent from the actual administration of the library. The groups are often filling gaps — gaps in funding, support, or awareness.

The National Friends of Libraries promotes groups who support libraries across the country. Library Friends groups support local libraries in a variety of ways. As a volunteer organization, their programs raise money for library needs. Their dedication to their local libraries leaves a lasting and positive impact on their libraries and their communities.

In fact, some libraries were established through the efforts of Friends groups. Not only do Friends groups support local libraries, but they also contribute to growing academic and scientific libraries. Since 2005, the American Library Association has promoted National Friends to recognize the dedication of Friends groups across the nation.

The Friends of Wedsworth Memorial Library raised money that enabled our library to move from good to great — providing the resources for our wonderful addition, additional programming, much needed equipment, support for children’s summer reading, and special events throughout the year.

They continue to support us by sponsoring our annual book sale and promoting the library. We have a great group in this little community. The work of the Friends highlights is an on-going element. Our library is the cornerstone of the community by providing opportunities for all to engage in the joy of life-long learning and connecting with the thoughts and ideas of others from ages past to the present.

The Friends understand the critical importance of well-funded libraries and advocate to ensure that our library gets the resources it needs to provide a wide variety of services to all ages including access to print and electronic materials, along with expert assistance in research, readers’ advisory, and children’s services. A Friends group provides a unique opportunity to establish consistent, ongoing, and personal relationships within the community.

Although the date and place of the first Friends of the Library group has not been verified, it is known that public libraries and their friends were inspired by Andrew Carnegie’s generosity to communities across America. The first group to name itself as “Friends” of the Library was in France in 1913.

The number of public libraries in the Unites States grew from 637 in 1898 to 3,500 by 1919, the year that Carnegie made his last grant. Half of the new libraries were funded by Carnegie and his philanthropy stimulated fundraising and library development by community members. As Sally Gardner Reed, Director of Friends of the Library USA (FOLUSA), notes, “The citizens who changed laws, persuaded city and town leaders to fund operations, and raised money were–in spirit if not always in name-quintessential Friends of libraries.”

The first “Friends of the Library” group in the US was formed in Glen Ellyn, a suburb of Chicago, to help purchase books for the local library — another was founded not long after in Syracuse. Many libraries of prestigious US universities, including Princeton and Harvard, also went on to have Friends groups associated with them, some of which still operate today.

The American Library Association (ALA) formed a committee in 1929 to help mobilize, encourage, and assist these groups. In 1979, the Friends of Libraries USA (FOLUSA), which was affiliated with the ALA, was founded to give national guidance to groups around the country — which, by then, included more than 2,000 groups.

The Friends of the Library organizations across the US would end up being crucial to keeping libraries running and open during the Great Depression, proving their worth to the survival and success of libraries across the country.

The Friends’ gift of their time and commitment to the library sets an example for all in how volunteerism leads to positive civic engagement and the betterment of our community. Libraries need more advocates as budgets are cut or when they may be in danger of closing.

Your library needed a Friends group to help advocate for the Library and increase public awareness of the library. The Friends have provided the opportunity for people who have a passion for their library to give time to benefit the library in our community.

Wedsworth Memorial Library urges everyone to join the Friends of the Library and thank them for all they do to make our library and community so much better.

Our library would be much poorer without the Friends. The funds they have raised definitely put the icing on the cake. I think most patrons would be surprised to learn how many of the services and programs they enjoy are supported by the Friends. So thank a Friend. Ours have worked hard to better our community.

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More Than Lost Feathers

If you were alive in 1970, more than one in four birds in the U.S. and Canada has disappeared within your lifetime. According to published research by journal ‘Science’, wild bird populations in the continental U.S. and Canada have declined by almost 30% since 1970.

Bird numbers fluctuate normally, and that explains changes seen from month to month. But it’s also true that many populations of bird species have been declining gradually and consistently for years.

According to ‘Science’ led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology “In September 2019, a comprehensive study of 529 bird species in the U.S. and Canada found a net loss of 2.9 billion breeding birds, or 29% of the overall population, since 1970.”

These losses aren’t just restricted to rare or threatened species. In fact, common birds have suffered the greatest losses, including beloved species like Dark-eyed Juncos (down by 168 million) and Red-winged Blackbirds (down by 92 million).

“We were astounded by this net loss across all birds on our continent, the loss of billions of birds,” said Cornell Lab of Ornithology conservation scientist Ken Rosenberg, who led an international team of scientists from seven institutions in the analysis of population trends for 529 bird species. “Our results signal an urgent need…to avert continued biodiversity loss and potential collapse of the continental avifauna.”

The study computes for the first time the total decline in bird populations in the continental U.S. and Canada. There has been a loss of 2.9 billion breeding adult birds. “These bird losses are a strong signal that our human-altered landscapes are losing their ability to support birdlife,” he said. “And that is an indicator of a coming collapse of the overall environment.”

Birds help the environment by pollinating wildflowers, dispersing plants’ seeds and eating pesty insects like bark beetles and weevils; thereby providing balance to ecosystems.

Birds can be seen on radar, especially in spring when they migrate high in the air at night. Cornell Lab of Ornithology aeroecology specialist Adriaan Dokter conducted an analysis of birds visible on radar imagery during nighttime spring migration, and he also found a decline through his studies.

“The amount of ‘bird biomass’ flying over our heads has decreased by about 14% since 2007,” Dokter said. According to the analysis, the declines were steepest among radar stations in the eastern half of the country.

The scale of loss portrayed in this ‘Science’ study is unlike anything recorded in modern natural history. While the Passenger Pigeon likewise suffered cascading losses, that was a population loss among one species, mostly in eastern NA. This current research portrays massive losses among hundreds of species of birds from coast to coast.

The population models in this study are based on several decades of standardized bird-survey datasets. “This research represents the most robust synthesis of long-term population monitoring data ever assembled for animals,” said Adam Smith, a biostatistician for Environment and Climate Change Canada.

“It’s safe to say that in the natural world, birds are the best studied group of wildlife species,” Smith said. “With this study, we have finally managed to come up with a way to estimate the number of birds in North America, to get to a point where we trust the math. And it turns out, in over less than a single human lifetime, we’ve lost almost a third of our birds.”

Forests alone have lost 1 billion birds. Grassland bird populations collectively have declined by more than 50%, or more than 700 million birds. Habitat loss is likely to be a driving factor in these declines, particularly agricultural intensification and development.

“I think this analysis shows that we’re eating away at the foundations of all of our major ecosystems on the continent,” said Arvind Panjabi, avian conservation scientist at the Colorado-based Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. “These numbers show that the world has changed a lot since 1970.”

For Adam Smith, the numbers call out for a radical shift in conservation strategy. “It’s really a wake-up call for the importance of moving beyond just a single species, endangered species conservation framework,” Smith said. “We rescued the Trumpeter Swan and the Peregrine Falcon, and we should be proud of those successes. But we’re at a stage where, given these extreme declines in so many species, we need to move beyond that framework. These are systems and biomes in serious trouble.” More than 90% of the total loss of birdlife in the U.S. and Canada (more than 2.5 billion birds) comes from just 12 avian families, including sparrows and blackbirds. We’ve Lost Nearly 3 Billion Birds Since 1970.

“These so-called common birds—the species that many people see every day—represent the greatest losses of birdlife.” The Red-winged Blackbird is a common bird with an estimate of more than 170 million red-wings today. But just 50 years ago there were more than 260 million, meaning a third of the entire population has been lost in half a century. Red-winged Blackbirds is just one of the common bird species that is suffering severe, unsustainable losses.

Peter Marra, director of the Georgetown Environment Initiative, points out that the cascading losses among blackbirds have an echo in avian history: “That’s what happened with the Passenger Pigeon, a bird that was really common and nobody thought could ever go extinct.”

“Birds are a bellwether of broader ecological problems, such as habitat loss, pollution and climate change.” The decline of North America’s bird population is an enormous sign we can’t ignore. Monitoring their populations helps us understand the health of our natural environment.

Rosenberg says the findings about common birds are some of the most concerning: “We’re squeezing the planet so hard, in terms of using resources and space. And now we’re reaching this tipping point. We’re squeezing out that last bit of space, the last common birds on the landscape are declining, and we’re losing hundreds of millions of birds.”

Steep declines among birds that people regularly see at bird feeders can be deceptive. The flocks of birds are still there, so most people don’t detect a loss of abundance. “There’s a shifting baseline phenomenon,” said Adam Smith.

“Because the declines are gradual, we lose track of just how abundant these birds used to be.” But the research findings in this analysis are clear: Some of America’s most familiar and beloved backyard birds are rapidly disappearing.

Nature is chaotic. Even without humans some bird species would thrive while others would disappear. But all of “birds’ biggest challenges — habitat loss, pesticides, glass windows, even domestic cats — are man-made.”

Not all the news is dire. Some groups of birds are doing well, because governments and societies have invested in saving them. Raptors, waterfowl, and turkeys show what’s possible when commitments are made to bird conservation.

Hawks and falcons benefited greatly from focused conservation policy, such as Endangered Species legislation and the banning of harmful pesticides such as DDT. The impressive gains among some game birds such as Wild Turkey are due to the effectiveness of dedicated conservation funding and enterprising efforts of hunting groups.

As Rosenberg points out, even if 30% of North America’s birds are lost, there are still 70% left to spur a recovery if conservation measures can be implemented. But action must come soon. None of these major declines are hopeless at this point, but that may not be true 10 years from now if we don’t take steps to slow and stop these downward trends.

The Western Meadowlark, in particular, has lost an estimated 40% of its population since 1970. With steep population declines over the past five decades, meadowlarks unquestionably face an uncertain future. Their distinctive song proclaims spring has arrived and winter has departed. Meadow Larks are Spring and is music to our ears and brings back the sounds of our childhood that always lifted our spirit out of the winter blues. Without their melodic songs, how will we know when Spring has finally arrived…

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If You Dare

So many ghosts. Chilling stories and frightening first-hand accounts. Let’s travel to where real ghost live. Not far to go. A short tale away for bone-chilling stories of encountering the paranormal.

Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art [The Square], a former school, number 1 on our list. The top haunting tale of The Square is of a young boy who drowned in the pool in the basement. “What pool??” Some debunk it, but the creaky old floors and cranky boiler tell a different story.

Unseen children playing in the halls or singing from the music room has been happening for a century. Disembodied voices, the jangling of keys and the apparition of a young girl with blonde hair floating through the basement. Some refuse to be left in the building alone or have left because of the eerie occurrences – while others remained because they “got used to the old ghosts”.

Prior to the end of WWI, a janitor lived with his wife and children in the corner of the attic. His daughter went to school there. She would get up early and walk away from the school to join her friends for the walk back to school because she was embarrassed that her father worked there. Now one of the young ghosts roaming the old building. She didn’t want to be associated with the place, and now she won’t leave.

The New Park Hotel located kitty-corner from the Civic Center has a fabulous history. Built in 1915 to replace the original Park Hotel that burned in 1914. Great Falls founder Paris Gibson and his wife Valeria Gibson lived in the top floor penthouse. Valeria had been sick for some time before the newspaper, ‘The Great Falls Leader’, printed she passed in her rooms on August 18, 1900. Her funeral was held at her son Theodore’s house at 402 4th Avenue North.

Local lore tells a different story.

Lore tells Theodore Gibson pushed his mother down the stairs at his home. The fall broke her neck killing her instantly. Theodore picked up his mother’s corpse and carried it to her residence at the Park Hotel using Great Falls’ underground tunnels. He threw her body off of the top floors to make it appear a suicide. A bricked-over archway within the home suggests this could be true.

Details of Valeria Gibson’s death are questionable, to say the least. Was the wife of Great Falls founder Paris Gibson pushed down the stairs of her home by her son Theodore in a psychotic fit of rage? Did she fling herself out of the second story window of a Park Avenue suite?

Cause of death – suicide, but some believe the truth is a combination of both stories. Theodore was diagnosed with syphilis, an ailment than causes psychotic symptoms.

Now Valeria and her family haunt their old residence. Psychics have sensed a female spirit in an abusive relationship with a male spirit who are believed to be Valeria and Theodore.

The ghosts of the Lobby Bar are as colorful as its patrons. Booted footsteps heard on the second floor. CJ Peterson once ran the bar, but during his time it was known as the Jockey Club. The nightclub’s walls were painted with sweet little Art Deco ponies with live jazz and martinis. Peterson had a penchant for wearing double-breasted pin-striped suits and sporting a fedora, which hinted at mob ties. He is still seen about the joint. His image often reflected in the mirrored back bar.

A man in a white baseball cap and a man wearing a pinstriped suit wearing a fedora have been seen. It is believed that George, a former Lobby Bar patron, lives onsite with Peterson.

A doll perched on the step of the stairway leading to the top floor. Is it someone playing tricks – leaving the doll for the purpose of creating more taunting than haunting? But that plastic-headed, unblinking face peers at you.

Surveillance footage shows the bartender mixing drinks, ringing up customers and bottles jumping out of cabinets. A cabinet door opens, bottles of vodka roll out and one of the bottles halts abruptly as if some unseen hand reached out to stop it. A cabinet with an inch high lip and a door handle that needs a button to be pressed while pulling to open.

Above the bar – two floors that once housed the Davenport Hotel built in 1914. During Prohibition rumored to be a speakeasy and brothel. On November 17, 1925, a fire broke out and several working girls perished in the flames. You can still hear their cries from within the walls. The odor of smoke can still be smelled on the second floor.

An old cowboy lives on the third floor wearing a red and black shirt, check or plaid, a black cowboy hat looking to be in his late50’s or early 60’s stares out the window. A wine bottle once found out of the rack lying on the counter. A bottle of Jack Daniels found under the sink, but later replaced by a bottle of O’Doule’s.

The scent of a delicate perfume associated with a woman in a pink 1930’s gown. An elderly lady wearing a red hat encountered in the bathrooms washing her hands. Mrs. Schroeder, a retired teacher from Fort Benton, often visited the Lobby Bar and was renowned for her hats. The shadow of a hangman’s noose moves rapidly across the wall.

Murphy-McClay, a brick-and-mortar structure built in 1896, the oldest dry goods store in Great Falls. The unfinished basement a dark labyrinth of shelving and old machinery. One end of the building two large doors open up to a bricked-up wall.

A human skeleton found in the basement. A man killed in Fort Maginnis, Montana and his remains being shipped back home. The ghastly package at Murphy-McClay because it was the stagecoach stop for Great Falls. The parcel refused forwarding due to a lack of postage and tossed into the basement. Years later the bones were found. The stranger still lives there.

Kellergeist (German for “The Ghost in the Cellar”). The name says it all with ghosts running amok. It was, after all, an adult theater and porn shop. Old movie projectors covered in dust and pieces of garter belts litter the top floors. Pictures show a strange orb. That creepy orb following the male owner.

Beacon Ice House a bar, casino and night club, rumored to be haunted. Lights turn on and off by themselves, doors open and close on their own. The restrooms and basements popular spots for spirits to make themselves known.

A young bearded fur trader haunts the base chapel at Malmstrom Air Force. He often sits in the 7th pew holding a Bible, and drops it. The piano plays by itself, and the song of choice – “All the Ends of the Earth.”

In 1891 Mathias Kranz established the Kranz Flowers and Gifts with the first hothouse in Great falls. A 90-year-old player piano plays a couple of notes even when not turned on. A child’s voice can be heard, tho no child is present.

Certain areas feel uncomfortable. Dark shadowy figures are glimpsed moving in the attic. Charles Kranz inhabits the back storeroom where the workshop used to be. Some say they have terrible chest pains at the top of the stairs to the rooms where the caretaker used to live and died of a heart attack.

An unknown male voice heard in the basement where the floral design room was located. A child’s voice heard in the basement and an old wooden screen door heard closing in the main green house. Long have these tales been told and are now woven into the fabric of Great Falls’ history. Many more abound and if you dare, take a visit.

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A Huge thank you to the community for supporting the Library.

Wedsworth Memorial Library would like to extend an enormous thank you to everyone who attended our recent book sale. Everyone was so generous. We appreciate your support of the library. It is so encouraging to see that the community values the Library and the services we try to provide. Thank you. You make us feel that we are important to the community.

We couldn’t have accomplished the sale if it wasn’t for our wonderful volunteers. They were outstanding. It takes a lot of hours and dedication to bring the sale alive before anyone ever steps through the doors. Then, there were those who went out of their way to bring the most delicious soup and cookies with a salad or two. Once again – thank you. If you missed this delicious food, you missed a splendid feast.

Lest not we forget, where would we be if it wasn’t for the Friends of the Library? Their support is invaluable to maintain our library services. At this time we also want to thank the Wedsworth Trust and the Town of Cascade because their financial and overall support allows the library to keep their doors open. Without them our future might be a tad uncertain.

So what does this money provide, you might ask. Whether you check out a book, DVD or audiobook we are there for you. For those who use our library intermittently when you need to quickly print off a return label, or when your printer quit working, or the internet is down, or you need to fax; we are there for you. We are there for you to use our meeting room, our Wi-Fi 24/7, find tax forms, peruse our archives for genealogy, or attend one of our programs.

We try to be there for you to the best of our abilities. In order for us to provide the services we currently do and want to provide in the future, we depend on the generosity of our patrons. Donations and the book sale money allow us to bring in special speakers or entertainers; supports the Summer Reading Program; all the extras outside our basic budget and of course the treats you love.

We enjoyed seeing all who browsed, sampled a bite or two of soup and stayed on to visit and socialize. We love to host our book sale for that very opportunity of seeing the community being a community – visiting.

Then we witnessed the whirlwind of volunteers to tear down. Wow, they were so efficient and FAST! You made it look so simple and easy! What a great group of people.

And of course, we value those who came and shopped. It was great to visit with old friends and meet new. Without you, our efforts would have been in vain. And we thank everyone for being patient when our math was maybe a bit out of sorts. We blamed it all on the new math! Thank you one and all.

It was amazing to see how the community appreciates the library and our efforts to provide what you require and need. So, once again we thank all of you and want you to know how much WE APPRECIATE YOU. We hope to see you next year on Columbus Day weekend.

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The ship that saved 7

The USS Zuni was a United States Navy Cherokee-class fleet tugboat, formerly called Navajo class. It was a ship named for the Zuni, the popular name given to a tribe of Pueblo Indians indigenous to the area around the Zuni River in central New Mexico near the Arizona state line.

Launched on July 31, 1943 she was deployed as a Navy tug to the war-torn Pacific. Hopping from island to island, she towed torpedoed warships to safety and performed routine missions assisting broached landing craft and laying submerged fuel pipes as the U.S. drove Japanese forces back east.

In 1945, she arrived off Iwo Jima three days after the initial assault. For 31 days, she performed yeoman service for the warships in the area. She pulled a transport off a sand bar. She deliberately ran herself aground alongside a disabled LST to help that ship land ammunition. She would tow two heavily damaged cruisers, the USS Houston and USS Reno, hundreds of miles to safety.

Two crewmen died when a tow cable snapped and struck them. They were the only casualties during a two-year span in which the Zuni participated in four invasions and traveled thousands of miles in seas patrolled by Japanese warships and skies swarmed with fighter squadrons. Zuni earned four battle stars for her World War II service.

Of the dozens of men who served on the ship, the last known surviving member of the original crew was Lt. Herb Ruben of Westchester County, N.Y., who died at 94. “He always said it was a ship that could take anything.” “He was very proud of being in the Navy and being on the Zuni.”

A year after the war ended, the Zuni was transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard and renamed the Tamaroa, where it spent almost five decades rescuing ships in distress, intercepting drug smugglers and enforcing fishery laws. In 1956, it was one of the first ships to reach the sinking luxury liner Andrea Doria off Nantucket, where it helped rescue more than 1,600 passengers and crew.

A half-century later on Oct. 30, 1991, it made history when three storm systems slammed together off the New England coast with gusts of 70 mph and waves as high as a four-story building. She overcame gale force winds and 40-foot waves to help save seven people off the New England coast, a rescue effort immortalized in the book and film “The Perfect Storm.”

75 miles south of Nantucket Island the Tamaroa’s rigid hull inflatable rescue boat was sent to help the sailboat Satori. Satori had three people on board and needed help after being caught in the storm raking New England that came to be known as The Perfect Storm.

The Tamaroa tried to rescue the Satori’s three crew members via a smaller, inflatable boat it had launched. The crew was able to toss survival suits to the three men on the Satori. But the waves were too much and the Satori’s stern came crashing down on the smaller boat. Both crews were soon hoisted up to a helicopter and flown to safety.

The Tamaroa’s work was far from done. It was soon sent to rescue the crew of an Air National Guard helicopter. The Jolly 110 had run out of fuel on a rescue mission in the storm and had to be ditched in the ocean. Bobbing up and down in the sea, the Tamaroa made several attempts over two hours before finally hoisting four of the five crew members aboard.

“Capt. Kristopher Furtney deployed a cargo net along the side of his ship then laid her side-to the immense waves produced by the storm. The ship took 52-degree rolls in those 40-foot seas and was buffeted by 80-knot winds. Fortunately, the maneuver was a success and the crew of the helicopter was able to grab the cargo net and were pulled to safety by the Tamaroa’s crew.” The ship then spent the next 48 hours searching for the National Guard’s rescue swimmer, Sgt. Rick Smith, unfortunately without success.

The storm made national news but attention quietly died down. “For years it was called the “No-Name Storm” until the Tamaroa’s exploits were documented in Sebastian Junger’s 1997 book, “The Perfect Storm,” and three years later in a film starring George Clooney.”

“Capt. Brudnicki said newer Coast Guard cutters would not have been able to make a rescue in “The Perfect Storm.” The Tamaroa was 700 tons heavier and sat 6 feet deeper than more modern ships. That allowed it to endure the hill-sized waves.

We would not have been able to sustain the waves we took if we were in a more modern ship,” said Brudnicki, who retired in 2002. “Back then, they built ships to last.”

But the Tamaroa could not conquer time. Only three years after the storm, the Tamaroa was decommissioned. It changed ownership several times and was moored on the Hudson River and then in Baltimore. A group of Navy and Coast Guard veterans formed the Zuni/Tamaroa Maritime Foundation, with the goal of restoring it.

Unfortunately, after almost a decade of work and tens of thousands of dollars spent moving it to Norfolk, Virginia, the ship sprung a substantial leak in 2012 and saltwater flooded key parts of the vessel. Repairs were estimated to cost as much as $2 million.

With few options, the foundation members resigned themselves to sinking their beloved ship. The ship that has made so much history would be sunk off the southern coast of New Jersey to help expand an artificial reef that attracts both scuba divers and anglers.

“Having the Tamaroa sit on the ocean floor isn’t how many who served on the ship envisioned its fate. There is an emotional attachment to the ship far more powerful than mere nostalgia. The Tamaroa was home to generations of crew members who routinely risked their lives in some of the most brutal conditions to save others.”

The man who commanded the ship during the 1991 “Perfect Storm” said “sinking the Tamaroa is a better outcome than being demolished for scrap metal, a common ending for old service ships.”

“It’s always sad when you sink a ship, but some good will come of it,” retired Coast Guard Capt. Larry Brudnicki said. “It’s being repurposed. It’s being used. If it’s cut up, who’s going to know that their razor blade came from the Tamaroa?”

They originally scheduled to sink the Tamaroa around Oct. 30, the 25th anniversary of “The Perfect Storm. This was delayed by rough seas and related issues. She was finally scuttled at 13:00 on May 10, 2017 in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 33 nautical miles from Cape May, New Jersey, at a depth of 120 feet, to form an artificial reef.

A positive note. It is a coup for New Jersey divers. “It’s like anything else, it’s name recognition,” said Brian Nunes-Vais, a trustee with the Ann E. Clark Foundation, which helps fund New Jersey’s artificial reef program. “Would you want to dive Bob’s boat or the Tamaroa?”

“I’d rather see her be a permanent undersea memorial than be scrapped,” said Bill Doherty of Rockland County, N.Y., who served on the Tamaroa in the late 1960s, when it was based in New York Harbor. “She has too much history for that.”

Not every piece of the Tamaroa will be on the ocean floor, however. Lt. Col. Dave Ruvola, the pilot of the Jolly 110 whose crew was rescued by the Tamaroa during “The Perfect Storm,” heard the ship was in danger of being scrapped and wanted a memento. The foundation gave him a porthole.

Today, that porthole hangs at the headquarters of the 106th Rescue Wing in eastern Long Island in honor of Rick Smith, the pararescueman who died when the helicopter went down.

“It was the ship that saved my life,” Ruvola said. “So I thought it was fitting that we use a piece of Tamaroa to pay respects to Rick. He was a guy who gave his life trying to save others.”

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Time Capsules You’ve Stubbed Your Toe On

We have rocks, all kinds of rocks. Rocks that sparkle. Rocks that are misshapen. Rocks that are perfectly round. Rocks that are square and oblong. Rocks that are just a bit different. So, if you are missing a few stop on by the library and see if yours might have rolled on in. Check out our display for your rock.

Have you ever taken a moment during a hike to admire a uniquely shaped stone or felt fascinated by the jagged cliff looming overhead? If you have, you’ve dipped your toes into the world of geology. Rocks are more than just the rigid, passive materials they appear to be. They have a dynamic and exciting story to tell about our planet’s history.

Rocks are truly incredible and fascinating. They’re time capsules, carrying the history of our planet within their layers, and they’re as diverse as the Earth’s many landscapes. Over the centuries, certain rocks have become famous thanks to that fascination. Some are imposing and a few are so revered that they have been stolen, chipped, or broken into pieces in attempts to gain ownership of a part of history.

The rock cycle is a continuous process that changes one rock type to another. It illustrates how through melting, erosion, sedimentation, and metamorphosis, rocks are continuously created, altered, and destroyed. The Grand Canyon is a treasure trove for geologists, displaying nearly two billion years of Earth’s geological history in its vibrant layers of exposed rock.

The rarest stone is the painite named after its discoverer, Arthur C.D. Pain (not because it is in pain). Only around a 1,000 have been found and of those, only a handful are of quality shape. Their rarity makes them valuable.

The saying is ‘one can sink like a rock’. But if you were pumice, you would float! Pumice stone, unlike regular rock, does not sink in water because it has a low density. It is igneous rock formed when lava cools quickly above ground (lava froth). You can see where little pockets of air have formed.

Certain types of rocks, like gypsum and other evaporite minerals, can grow over time. This happens when mineral-saturated water evaporates, leaving behind mineral deposits that accumulate and form rock.

One of the most famous rocks is the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps. This majestic mountain is made of metamorphic rocks – gneiss and schist.

The oldest rocks are called zircons and are about 4.4 billion years old. They were discovered in Western Australia and provide a glimpse into our planet’s early days.

The oldest intact rock found is from the Acasta Gneiss Complex of northwest Canada. “The Acasta Gneiss Complex, located at the Slave Craton in the Northwest Territories of Canada, contains 3.9-billion-year-old Archean rocks that, according to Roth et al., can be explained by crust extraction during the first few hundred million years after Earth formed and by relatively slow recycling of Earth’s crust.”

The Blarney Stone is a block of limestone embedded in the walls of Blarney Castle, near Cork, Ireland. “According to legend, kissing the stone imparts the gift of eloquence.” In earlier days, accomplishing this was a real test of courage, since the stone is set back from the parapet by several feet, requiring kissers to dangle headfirst over the gap. Today, iron railings provide handholds and prevent anyone from falling through the gap.

Haystack Rock is a large rock formation near Cannon Beach along the Oregon coast. At 235 feet tall, it is the largest of the many sea stacks found along the Pacific coast, formed by lava and shaped over millennia by wind and wave erosion.

Based on the legends, many assume that Plymouth Rock is an imposing cliff where the passengers of the Mayflower first set foot on North American soil in 1620. In reality, the rock is rather small. The Mayflower first landed not in Plymouth, Massachusetts, but in Provincetown, and Plymouth Rock was only identified as a significant landmark decades after the pilgrims settled in North America.

Plymouth Rock does however remain a symbol for the birth of the U. S. It has been broken apart and chipped away over the years as it moved from place to place as a tourist attraction. Today, it is housed in a monument at Pilgrim Memorial State Park, in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Two large pieces of the rock that were broken off can also be found in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

The Rock of Gibraltar is the highest point in Gibraltar on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula and overlooks the Strait of Gibraltar. The rocky outcropping is an important resting area for migratory birds and the home of Europe’s only wild monkey species, the Barbary macaque.

The Rosetta Stone is a stone slab inscribed with a royal decree that dates back to the year 196 BCE. “While the contents of the decree are historically important (it established the divine authority of the new ruler), it is the three languages contained on the stone that provoked the most fascination.” The parallel texts in ancient Greek, Demotic Egyptian, and Egyptian hieroglyphics allowed researchers to translate ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic writing for the first time.

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument constructed of large stones in Wiltshire, England. The structure has been the subject of archaeological study for centuries, and questions about who built it, as well as how and why it was erected, still remain. Best estimates place the construction of Stonehenge in the late Neolithic Age, around 2500 BCE. The layout of the stones is arranged to point to where the sun rises on the summer solstice.

At 230 feet across, the Great Arch of Getu in south-central China is the largest natural arch in the world. It was carved millions of years ago by an ancient river that flowed through the soft, porous limestone found throughout much of southern China.

The Stone of Scone is a rectangular slab of red sandstone that has been used for centuries in the coronation ceremonies of Scottish and English monarchs. The stone’s first home was in Scone Abbey in Scotland. King Edward I of England relocated it to Westminster Abbey in 1296 as a spoil of war.

The Stone of Scone remained at Westminster Abbey until Christmas 1950, when it was taken by four Scottish students. It was returned a few months later, but the stone remained a point of contention between England and Scotland. In 1996, the British government decided the stone would remain in Scotland when not in use for coronation ceremonies.

Devils Tower is an 867-foot-tall rock in the Black Hills of NE Wyoming. It is the world’s largest example of columnar jointing—a rare geologic process in which molten rock cools so quickly that it cracks and forms a hexagonal structure.

We may not have the big stuff, but we have a variety for some interesting perusing.

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On Your Mark Get Set Go to Book Sale 4 2024

Have you marked it on your calendar? Are you ready for the social event of the year? Are you doin your stretchin exercises and walking the miles? Ok then, on your mark, get set, go. Go to the finish line at Wedsworth Hall. The Friends of the Library and the Library will be holding their annual book sale at Wedsworth Hall Saturday, October, 12th from 9:00-4:00; and Sunday, October 13th from 10:00-2:00.

If you are willing to help with the book sale in any way shape manner or form, please call the library to enlighten us and also to find out any final details. Want to make soup, give us a call. Love to help sort the books, give us a call. Have an idea to make the book sale better, give us a call. We’d love to see ya and value your help.

We’ll have oodles of books, DVDs, audio books, a mountain of cookies, cake, and gallons of soup. All the goodies you need to satisfy your taste buds while you socialize with your favorite author and next-door neighbor. And it will be warm inside because of all the hustle and bustle of finding your treasures! So sample the soup and cool beverages to revitalize. Couldn’t have it any better than that.

Remember we’re celebrating the gold at Wedsworth Hall Saturday, Saturday, October, 12th from 9:00-4:00; and Sunday, October 13th from 10:00-2:00. Don’t forget the homemade soup, cookies, goodies, and refreshments on Saturday, October, the 12th and cookies and refreshments on Sunday, October the 13th. Find the gold in your winter supplies of reading and listening. What a great community. Thanks for everything. Looking forward to seein ya! Don’t forget the delicious homemade soup and goodies all waiting for your pleasure.

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It’s Treatment Time for the Bookaholics

Once again Wedsworth Library has a AAA treatment program for Bookaholics. The first step is admitting it. The second step is to keep right on reading. You might be a Bookaholic If: When trouble strikes, you head to a book sale. You will either be able to solve the problem, or simply have something to read as the world crashes down on you.

The First signs of our addiction is admitting it. I’m a bookaholic on the road to recovery. Just kidding. I’m on the road to the Wedsworth book sale.

We are holding our annual book sale at Wedsworth Hall Saturday October the 12th from 9:00-4:00; and Sunday October the 13th from 10:00-2:00. And don’t forget the goodies!!!!!!!! Remember all who come can enjoy homemade soup, cookies, bread and refreshments on Saturday, October 12th and on Sunday, October 13th. (The soup is for the SOUPAHOLICS!!!)

Calling all volunteers. Calling all volunteers who are willing and able. We would love volunteers to help arrange all those books and tables of DVDs for the Library’s annual book sale.

We can use volunteers on Thursday October the 10th and Friday, October the 11th at 9:00 a.m. to help display the books for the book sale and on Sunday, October the 13th to box the books up once the sale is over. The Hall will be a beehive of activity for all those busy worker bees arranging this fabulous selection of books. If you would like to volunteer to be a worker bee show up at Wedsworth Hall any time after 9:00 a.m. on Thursday October the 10th and Friday, October the 11th or Sunday October 13th at 2:00 p.m.

Drop by for your last chance to obtain the special item you have been hoping to squirrel away for this winter’s reading or listening when the snows a swirling round your front door. Don’t be snowed in without a bit of entertainment.

It will be a Jim Dandy of a sale! This rousing event raises money in support of our library. Lookin forward to seeing you on Saturday October the 12th from 9:00-4:00; and Sunday October the 13th. AS Dora would say ‘I Need To Stop Buying Books; Oh’ Look A Book Sale!!’

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Vicious and Ugly

We hear it on the radio. We see it on TV. We get the fliers in the mail. We see the billboards. And you know, through time the mudslinging and questionable actions have always been a tad bit ugly and often quite malicious at times. If you think it is bad now, try taking a look at the viciousness of the past.

Alexander Hamilton, the man whose image graces our ten-dollar bill, was born out of wedlock in 1755. A number of his political opponents made sure to remind the world of the circumstances of his birth. Perhaps foremost among these opponents was John Adams, who appeared to harbor a special dislike for Hamilton. Adams had a special expression that he came up with for Hamilton: “bastard brat of a Scotch pedler.”

“Yet I loose all Patience, when I think of a bastard brat of a Scotch Pedler, daring to threaten to undeceive the World in their Judgment of Washington, by writing a history of his battles and Campaigns. —Letter to Benjamin Rush(by Adams), 25 January 1806. Shall I replace on the Shoulders of Washington the burthens that a bastard Bratt of a Scotch Pedlar, placed on his Shoulders, and he Shifted on mine? —Letter to Thomas Jefferson (by Adams), 12 July 1813

In the technical sense of the word, Hamilton was indeed a bastard. Whether he was a brat or not, is probably subject to the debate of history.

In the election of 1800, the Federalist incumbent John Adams ran against the rising Republican Thomas Jefferson. The extremely partisan and outright nasty campaign failed to provide a clear winner because of a constitutional quirk.

The stage was set for the first critical constitutional crisis of the new American federal republic. This election was very important because the Federalists had controlled the Government up to that point and this time the Democratic-Republicans had control of Congress.

Leaders of the Federalist and Jeffersonian Republican parties knew that the key to the presidential election of 1800 was controlling the manner of selecting the electors. In a letter to James Madison, Thomas Jefferson outlines plans for manipulating the selection of presidential electors in the key states of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Charles Carroll of Carrollton (1737–1832) accused Thomas Jefferson’s supporters, whom he called “Jacobins,” of “arts and lies” in trying to obtain Maryland’s electoral votes by legislative manipulations, even though a majority of the residents favored the Federalist Party.

As the campaign for the presidential election of 1800 was about to begin, Thomas Jefferson wrote a long “profession of my political faith” to Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814) of Massachusetts. Although Jefferson formally insisted it be kept private, it is clear that he expected Gerry to circulate this letter among friends to assure them of Jefferson’s steadfast belief in republicanism and the federal Constitution.

At that time, Presidential electors were required to vote for two people for the offices of president and vice-president. The individual receiving the highest number of votes would become president and the second highest number would be vice-president. Unfortunately, Jefferson and his vice-presidential running mate Aaron Burr both received the identical number of electoral votes. Therefore, the House of Representatives had to vote to break the tie.

The election of 1800 led to the creation of the 12th amendment because of the way the constitution regarding the electoral college was originally written. Originally, there was no clear way of who won the electoral college.

Instead of everyone casting 2 votes, and the first winner would be president, it was revised to say that there would be a separate casting for the presidential ballot and the vice-presidential ballot. The Twelfth Amendment stipulates that each elector must cast distinct votes for president and vice president, instead of two votes for president.

One might possibly assume that the 19th century might have been a more polite political climate than today. So, calling a candidate’s mother a prostitute would probably be considered out of bounds. One would therefore be definitely wrong. The Cincinnati Gazette reportedly published in 1828 an article which alleged this very thing.

“General Jackson’s mother was a common prostitute, brought to this country by the British soldiers! She afterwards married a mulatto man, with whom she had several children, of which number General Jackson is one!”

Additionally supporters of John Quincy Adams, Jackson’s opponent, drew attention to the fact that when Jackson married his wife Rachel, she had not technically been divorced from her previous husband, and called her an adulteress.

There were some views back in the 1860’s that Ulysses S. Grant was overly fond of imbibing. Less examined is how colorful some of the charges were. The Cincinnati Enquirer, in 1866, gave an account of a citizen at a meeting who alleged that Grant was nothing more than “a drunken trowser-maker.”

Late in 1868 the Detroit Free Press published comments about Grant that they attributed to “leading Radicals”: “Grant is a Drunkard”; “Grant is a man of vile habits, and of no ideas”; “I am going to Europe to get out of advocating this bungler”; “Never ask me to support a twaddler and trimmer for office”; “The nation owes it to its self-respect to tolerate imbecility in politics no longer”; “Grant is as brainless as his saddle.”

Lewis Cass, who ran unsuccessfully as the Democratic candidate for president in 1848 (losing to Zachary Taylor), did not receive a lot criticism to make him a particularly notable candidate. However, he did manage to earn the dislike of Horace Greeley. Unfortunately for Cass, Greeley happened to own a newspaper ‘The New York Tribune’. And Greeley was not shy about using it for political ends.

The Tribune referred to Cass as a man “whose life has been spent in grasping greedily after vast tracts of land, buying up large estates round Detroit, &c. and selling them out in small town lots, huckster fashion, at immense profits to tradesman and immigrants.”

Greeley appeared to save his truly memorable insults for his personal correspondence. In a letter to Schuyler Colfax in 1848, he wrote of the candidate as “that pot-bellied, mutton-headed, cucumber-soled Cass.” Potbellied is fairly self-explanatory; mutton-headed refers to an oafish or dimwitted state; cucumber-soled has not been used by many or anyone save Greeley, and its meaning remains a bit shrouded in mystery for anyone other than Greeley.

Pimp is not a new word. It has been used in the English language since at least 1600 to refer to a criminal who facilitates liaisons with a prostitute. Never been considered a polite word though. So, there was a certain degree of astonishment when, in 1855, Kenneth Rayner (a former Congressman from North Carolina) gave a speech in which he referred to President Franklin Pierce as such a creature: “The minions of power are watching you, to be turned out by the pimp of the White House if you refuse to sustain him. A man sunk so low we can hardly hate. We have nothing but disgust, pity, and contempt.”

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Maybe they should be thankful there wasn’t any social media way back when.

And another stays the same! – Wedsworth Hall will be the site of a rare and delightful experience on Saturday October 12th from 9:00-4:00 and Sunday October 13th from 10:00-2:00. Everyone stopping by will have the opportunity to become acquainted with famous authors and actors from around the world. Treasure hunters can experience all the fantastic adventures offered by these eminent individuals.

Come enjoy homemade soup, cookies and refreshments Best of all you can take home your favorite adult or children’s book, audio book, VHS tape or how to do it manual. See you there.

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A Dead Ringer

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn’t just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s.

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June. Since they were starting to smell, brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women, and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it … hence the saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the Bath water!”

They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot and then once a day it was taken and sold to the tannery. If you had to do this to survive you were “piss poor.” But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn’t even afford to buy a pot; they “didn’t have a pot to piss in” and were the lowest of the low.

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof, resulting in the idiom, “It’s raining cats and dogs.”

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed, therefore, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That’s how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, leading folks to coin the phrase “dirt poor.” The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way, subsequently creating a “thresh hold.”

In the old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while, and thus the rhyme, “Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.”

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, “bring home the bacon.” They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and “chew the fat.”

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the “upper crust.”

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up, creating the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So, they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. Often times they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.

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Remembering

1.8 million Tons of debris were removed from the site. Estimated cost of cleanup: $600 million. Total FEMA money spent on the emergency: $970 million. Fires burnt for 99 days.

Estimated amount of money needed to overhaul lower-Manhattan subways: $7.5 billion. Amount of money granted by U.S. government to overhaul lower-Manhattan subways: $4.55 billion

Moments of silences are observed several times during the day. The timings correspond with the terrorist attacks, with the first one starting at 8:46 A.M. EDT and the last one at 10:28 A.M. EDT.

On that day, “we were one country, one nation, one people, just like it should be,” Eddie Ferguson, the fire-rescue chief in Virginia’s Goochland County.

“None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.” – U.S. President George W. Bush, September 11, 2001

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a Huge thank you

The Wedsworth Trust/Estate and Wedsworth Library would like to extend a Huge thank you to the community for supporting our annual Harvest Dinner. We couldn’t have accomplished this delightful social event if it wasn’t for the volunteers and supporters.

The food was wonderful and absolutely delicious. We want to thank the businesses/organizations who supported us with their donations and everyone else who tempted our taste buds with such a variety of scrumptious cuisine. If you missed this delicious food, you missed a splendid feast.

Wow, and how could we not appreciate the volunteers who helped set up and the tear down. Their help was outstanding. Thank you!

It was a nice relaxing social affair where one heard a lot of ‘I haven’t seen you in ages’, ‘it’s great to see you again, how are things’; ‘I sure have missed seeing you’ and ‘it was great to meet the new people in the community’.

It was amazing to see how the community appreciates us and our efforts to provide the services of the Hall and library that the community requires. So, we thank all of you.

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Official Close of Summer

Sun disappeared and reappeared; the moon shows up sooner and goes to bed later and so will we, as times R changing. We are officially announcing the close of summer and the beginning of fall or actually the entry into our winter hours.

Wedsworth library is changing to winter hours on Tuesday, September 3, 2024. We will be closed Labor Day September 2^nd. Hours for winter are: Monday 9-1; 2-6, Tuesday 9-1; 3-5, Wednesday – Friday 2-5. Does it seem like summer went by way too fast??

But please remember you can’t enjoy the Library soon if you don’t remember to change to winter hours the day after Labor Day. Remember Wedsworth library is changing to winter hours on Tuesday, September 3rd. Hours are: Monday 9-1; 2-6, Tuesday 9-1; 3-5, Wednesday – Friday 2-5. Our heroes will always be readers.

And don’t forget about the great Harvest Dinner coming up Sunday August 25th – 12-3. Good food and better friendly people.

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Traveling to Demersville

Boom towns have come and gone in Montana. Most are forgotten and do not exist except in the annals of time and history and a few old photos. Ever been to Demersville, Montana??

By the winter of 1892-93, most of the town had literally packed up the buildings and moved them to Kalispell, or the structures were torn down. The only remaining trace today is the cemetery.

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Pages and Pages of Green

Remember the Green?? It was all available if you just had enough of the green. Those little paper books filled with the valuable green stamps.

S&H” symbolized the Sperry & Hutchinson Co, which Thomas Sperry and Shelley Byron Hutchinson established in 1896. S&H Green Stamps became the most popular trading stamps across the United States. They were found in many households from the 1930s to the 1980s, but it was during the 1960s and ’70s that these stamps reached their peak.

The S&H stamp story began in 1896. Salesman Tomas Sperry noted that a store was having success with a program where customers were rewarded by coupons redeemable for store items. Perry theorized that dispensing coupons that were not tied to a specific store and could be redeemed everywhere would lure customers into the store to collect the stamps.

Working with Shelley Hutchinson, the pair launched the Sperry and Hutchinson Company and began selling S&H Green Stamps. S&H representatives had to persuade stores that by dealing in these stamps, customers would get hooked on them and choose their store over another. Retailers bought the stamps from S&H, and distributed them to their customers as a bonus for shopping and using cash rather than credit. A 1963 magazine article stated that the average supermarket paid $2.45 for the stamps needed to fill one collector book.

The first redemptions center opened in 1897. People would bring in their booklets filled with stamps and ‘buy’ their free merchandise. S&H bought merchandise at wholesale prices and sold it at retail prices (when stamps were redeemed).

The popularity of the stamps spread like wildfire, becoming a wild craze and huge drawing factor for loyal customers. 83% of households were saving S&H Green Stamps. S&H was printing three times as many stamps as the U.S. Postal Service at the height of their popularity. The rewards catalog was among the leading single publications in the country, with approximately 35 million catalogs a year.

The stamps had an actual cash value. If you brought in 1,000 stamps, S&H would cheerfully hand you $1.67. But few cared about the stamps’ cash value when catalogs offered tempting merchandise like clock radios and Corning ware. The perforated stamps came in values of one, ten, and fifty points.

S&H Green Stamps had several competitors, “including Greenbax Stamps offered by Piggly Wiggly, Gold Bell Gift Stamps (in the Midwest), Triple S Stamps (offered by Grand Union Supermarkets), Gold Bond Stamps, Blue Chip Stamps, Plaid Stamps (a project of A&P Supermarkets), Top Value Stamps, King Korn Stamps, Quality Stamps, Gunn Brothers given by Safeway,” among the few.

S&H provided the collector’s books free. The books contained 24 pages with a page requiring 50 points, so each book contained 1,200 points. Shoppers then exchanged filled books for housewares and other items from the local Green Stamps store or catalog. Each item was assigned a value expressed by the number of filled stamp books required to obtain it.

So what was bought? Bathroom accessories, swank accessories for men and tobacco items were a hit in the 1970s. An array of picnic items was available in a catalog from the 1960s.

A question was asked of who remembered those little green books. Many remember their mother buying: “It was a toss-up: the boys wanted a rowboat and the girls wanted a sewing machine. In the end we compromised and got a nice color television that everyone could enjoy! My mother bought a set of “real china”. A camping tent and a little camp stove. An iron and ironing board in 1974. Cuckoo clock, a small vacuum cleaner, toaster, waffle iron. My mom collected enough with stamps to give her three kids complete sets of real silver tableware, initialed. When they first were invented, my mother got an electric percolator. Sheets for my college dorm room.”

In 1966, Pennsylvania school children collected enough stamps — 5.4 million — for a pair of gorillas: one went to the Pittsburgh Zoo in Highland Park, while the other one, a female named Samantha, went to Glenwood Park Zoo in Erie to serve as a mate for their male gorilla, Lonesome George. Donkeys and elephants were available for zoo groups too. Offered, but never purchased was an 8 passenger Cessna airplane.

Andy Warhol got into the act showcasing S&H Green Stamps. “His lifelong attraction with ready-made, reproducible imagery is expressed in creating his S&H painting. According to The Museum of Modern Art in New York: “Warhol hand stamped an image of an S&H Green Stamp trading coupon in three successive layers (light green, dark green, and red) using silkscreen ink. This labor-intensive three-step stamping process mimicked the more efficient process of screen-printing, which Warhol would employ in the months to follow.”

When the economy turned bad in the 70’s, the tough economic climate dragged the value of the stamps down. The consumers preferred lower prices rather than reward stamps, so stores stopped giving out stamps. As it took more and more stamps to purchase anything worthwhile, people stopped caring about them and cashing them in.

Sperry and Hutchinson was sold by the founders’ successors in 1981 to Baldwin United. In 1999, it was purchased from Leucadia National a holding firm by a member of the founding Sperry family. At that time, only about 100 U.S. stores were offering Green Stamps.

So, the little green book that offered that exciting dream to many a family slowly died due to the access of the internet and ever-changing economy.

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Cascade Most Wanted

You are wanted. Yes, YOU!! You are wanted! We’re lookin for you. We really miss you. We have a wanted list for all who like to eat and talk and you are on it. We are at it again and can’t wait to see you!!

Come One Come All!! We’re havin our annual Harvest Dinner potluck and picnic – the perfect place for social interaction with lots of delicious food. Wedsworth Estate and Wedsworth Library are offering a great way to share your bounty and enjoy each other’s company. It’s the perfect place for you to have the privilege of meeting those you know and haven’t seen for a while and for meeting those you don’t know.

On Sunday, August 25^th. We’re startin at noon and going till whenever, (probably just till 3, but you’re free to stay a bit later, but then you definitely have to help clean up!). We invite everyone to stop by, have some fun, and enjoy some great ‘down home cookin’.

There are still some new faces in town and a lot of ‘established’ ones. Now is the time to mix and meet all those faces and the plain enjoyment of mouth waterin food. We invite everyone, wherever you might live, to bring a dish made with food from your garden or just your favorite recipe. Meat will be provided, but feel free to bring your favorite chicken, hot dogs or casserole. Or bring a side dish of veggies, salad, chips, deserts. Any ole thing will work.

We ask each organization/group in the community to commit to bring something to the ‘Table’. Whether you be the Lion’s Club, Fire Department, a church group, Women’s Club, or other group/organization in Town, we ask that you support our pot luck to help bring a sense of civic spirit and pride back to our community. Many have already committed, so we are sure to have some mighty delicious food available.

If you can’t bring some food – bring some muscle. We always can use some help setting up, disassembling the whole rigmarole and collecting any bits of debris floating around.

Tables will be set up in Wedsworth Hall for everyone to come meet others and get to know each other. Inside! Away from the bees and all those other varmints. Perhaps bring your guitar, fiddle, keyboards and play us a tune or two. Donations will go to the Wedsworth Hall to help support the cost of refinishing the floors and the Library needs to become ADA compliant with landscaping and exits at our back doors.

The Town will be a hoppin and a jammin that day. If you would like to participate or would like more info please call 468-2848. We’d love to see ya!! Come join us for an entertaining fun time on August 25 at noon till we drop. So, remember August 25 where you get to experience the top of the line eating in Cascade. So let’s ‘get down’. See ya there!!

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LEGACY OF THE RODEO MAN

With the rodeo right around the corner, Baxter Black defines the true character of the Rodeo Cowboy.

There’s a hundred years of history and a hundred before that
All gathered in the thinkin’ goin’ on beneath his hat
And back behind his eyeballs and pumpin’ through his veins
Is the ghost of every cowboy that ever held the reins

Every coil in his lasso’s been thrown a million times
His quiet concentration’s been distilled through ancient minds
It’s evolution workin’ when the silver scratches hide
And a ghostly cowboy chorus fills his head and says, “Let’s ride.”

The famous and the rowdy, the savage and the sane
The bluebloods and the hotbloods and the corriente strain
All knew his mother’s mothers or was it his daddy’s kin
‘Til he’s nearly purely cowboy, born to ride and bred to win

He’s got Buffalo Bill Cody and Goodnight’s jigger boss
And all of the brave blue soldiers that General Custer lost
The ghost of Pancho Villa, Sittin’ Bull and Jessie James
All gathered by his campfire keepin’ score and takin’ names

There’s every Royal Mountie that ever got his man
And every day-work cowboy that ever made a hand
Each man that’s rode before him, yup every mother’s son
Is in his corner, rootin’, when he nods to make his run

Freckles Brown might pull his bull rope, Casey Tibbs might jerk the flank
Bill Pickett might be hazin’ when he starts to turn the crank
Plus Remington and Russell lookin’ down his buckhorn sight
All watchin’ through the window of this cowboy’s eyes tonight

And standin’ in the catch pen or in chute number nine
Is the offspring of a mountain that’s come down from olden time
A volcano waitin’ quiet, ’til they climb upon his back
Rumblin’ like the engine of a freight train on the track

A cross between a she bear and a bad four wheel drive
With the fury of an eagle when it makes a power dive
A snake who’s lost its caution or a badger gone berserk
He’s a screamin’, stompin’, clawin’, rabid, mad dog piece o’ work
From the rollers in his nostrils to the foam upon his lips
From the hooves as hard as granite to the horns with dagger tips
From the flat black starin’ shark’s eye that’s the mirror of his soul
Shines the challenge to each cowboy like the devil callin’ roll

In the seconds that tick slowly ’til he climbs upon his back
Each rider faces down the fear that makes his mouth go slack
And cuts his guts to ribbons and gives his tongue a coat
He swallows back the panic gorge that’s risin’ in his throat

The smell of hot blue copper fills the air around his head
Then a single, solid shiver shakes away the doubt and dread
The cold flame burns within him ’til his skin’s as cold as ice
And the dues he paid to get here are worth every sacrifice

All the miles spent sleepy drivin’, all the money down the drain
All the “if I’s” and the “nearly’s”, all the bandages and the pain
All the female tears left dryin’, all the fever and the fight
Are just a small down-payment on the ride he makes tonight

And his pardner in this madness that the cowboy’s call a game
Is a ton of buckin’ thunder bent on provin’ why he came
But the cowboy never wavers he intends to do his best
And of that widow maker, he expects of him no less

There’s a solemn silent moment that every rider knows
When the time stops on a heartbeat like the earth itself was froze
Then all the ancient instinct fills the space between his ears
Til the whispers of his phantoms are the only thing he hears

When you get down to the cuttin’ and the leather touches hide
And there’s nothin’ left to think about, he nods and says, “Outside!”
Then frozen for an instant against the open gate
Is hist’ry turned to flesh and blood, a warrior incarnate

And while they pose like statues in that flicker of an eye
There’s somethin’ almost sacred, you can see it if you try
It’s guts and love and glory-one mortal’s chance at fame
His legacy is rodeo and cowboy is his name

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Wrapping Up Our Adventures

It’s a wrap. Adventures begin at your library. We’ve wrapped ‘em up for the summer. The Fair is just around the corner and that awful 6 letter word jumps in right behind it. So where did the Summer go?

Wedsworth Library hopes everyone was able to enjoy their Summer adventures at the library. The gold found for these escapades was discovered at several wonderful businesses. We would like to recognize the Homestead in Cascade, The Dairy Queen on Fox Farm Road, Nitro Creamery and the Great Falls Lumber in Great Falls for supplying the prizes our patrons were able to find at the end of their quests.

Wedsworth Library greatly appreciates the donations of these wonderful businesses to support our programs. Without this type of support, we would not be able to offer the programs and provide some enjoyable extras.

We hope all those who were lucky to win a prize will extend their appreciation to the businesses who were generous enough to donate to our Reading Adventures at our library. Even if you didn’t receive a prize but appreciate the efforts of these fine businesses, please thank them for going out of their way to support our library.

It was great seeing all those who explored new beginnings and embarked on their summer adventures. Hopefully everyone caught the reading wave and enjoyed themselves.

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END OF LIFE PLANNING

Nobody likes to talk about it. Yaa, I’ll do it soon. I’ll get around to it. I’ve got a lot of time – until you don’t.

Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult parts of life. No matter how prepared we try to be, saying goodbye is never easy, so why not try and make it easier for your loved ones left behind.

Preparing ahead of time will ensure you know what to do when someone dies at home, at night, if they were abroad, if it was sudden or unexpected, or even if the death was the result of a long illness or accident. What happens if both spouses are together in an accident?

There are five things that everyone should do before they die: No.1. Sign a durable power of attorney to manage your affairs if you become sick and unable to do so yourself. “Name someone you trust totally.”

Who is going to pay your bills, deposit your checks, manage your financial affairs and your business if you have one? We’re going to live a lot longer in general, and most of us will live under some chronic condition or disability that will impair us. The goal is to live with as much control and quality of life as possible.

No. 2. Write a will and maybe some estate planning if assets can be considered above average. State where this will can be found. Write your own obituary/death announcement. At least it will be correct. Writing an obituary or death announcement can be painful for those left behind.

No. 3. Write an advanced-care directive or living will, and give someone medical power of attorney to carry out your wishes about medical treatment at the end of your life. A durable power of attorney for health care enables you to appoint someone as your proxy to make health care decisions for you. Once again “Name someone you totally trust “.

No. 4. If you have dependent children, name a guardian to take care of them. If you have a disabled child, you may also need to consult a professional who can guide you through the maze of Medicaid and Medicare rules.

“Find a specialist who understands the benefits that may be available under Medicaid and Medicare, and who understands how those benefits can coordinate with asset planning,” Sabatino says. “If you leave everything to a disabled child, he or she won’t be eligible for aid. They will have to use up the entire estate before they qualify for aid. More thoughtful planning would allow the estate to complement public benefits. This is a growing specialty called special-needs planning.”

No. 5. Ease the trauma of your death for survivors by preplanning your funeral. Leave instructions on how you want your body to be disposed of. Make arrangements for the body or at least leave a document stating what you would like, such as cremation, where to be buried, memorial service or not, wake, open casket viewing, graveside burial, music, flowers or just donate to charities you want donated to.

Donate your organs. Carry an organ donation card in your wallet. Keep a second card with your important documents so it will be found quickly should you have an accident. In many states you can become an organ donor when you renew your driver’s license. For information, visit http://www.organdonor.gov.

Make sure you have life insurance if your spouse or children will need financial support after you die. Think about long-term care. Don’t assume that long-term care insurance will protect you.

The important thing is to start planning sooner rather than later, according to Dan Taylor, author of The Parent Care Conversation. Generally, people do not talk about this because they don’t know how to begin the conversation.

Help out those left behind. Start making lists. Leave instructions for how to care for children and pets. A list of who to notify. In the age of social media, news spreads quickly, and you don’t want close family members or friends to learn of a passing from Facebook.

Leave a list with phone numbers and account numbers of agencies or companies that need to be notified, such as: Social Security office and add your social security number, date of birth and where you were born. Believe it or not family will need all three.

Banks/Mortgage companies, it’s important to let mortgage companies and banks know of the death. List where the safety deposit box key is and at what bank the box is held and where the combination to a safe is. Include your bank account numbers and what banks they are held at.

Financial advisors/brokers – Just like finding the contact information for a bank or mortgage company, financial planners, personal bankers and brokers may be a bit hard to track down.

Insurance companies (medical and life) – Leave a list of account numbers and phone numbers of the companies as well as addresses. Remember the insurance companies from work as well as those you pay for yourself. Insurance will need to be canceled.

Life insurance policies with telephone number and account numbers should be in an easily accessible file. If you have insurance policies on your children whether it be life or medical, list each account under each child with account numbers and phone numbers for the companies.

List your health professionals and phone numbers. Any outstanding hospital, dental, podiatry or other health related appointments will need to be canceled.

Phone numbers of agencies providing care such as social services, home care givers, meals on wheels and day centers, financial organizations, banks, insurance companies (e.g., life, buildings / contents, medical, car, travel), pension providers, any financial institutions. All these services will need to be canceled.

List of property and utilities companies, their account numbers and phone numbers. Mortgage provider or landlords will need to be contacted, so provide a list of phone numbers.

List of phone numbers for buildings and property insurance companies to ensure continued cover especially if the property is left unoccupied or need to be canceled. TV/internet companies account numbers and phone numbers so accounts can be canceled.

Develop a file for these documents and make sure the following is included: a will, birth and marriage or civil partnership certificates, death certificates of a previous spouse(s), divorce papers showing any previous surnames of the deceased, any document showing a change of name, documents relating to state pension or benefits including insurance numbers, pension certificates, insurance policies, titles to vehicles, your obituary if you decide to write one.

Also add to the file a list of your passwords and usernames for all vendors, online accounts. Instructions for the funeral and place of burial. List of family members and friends with their phone numbers or mailing addresses. List of credit cards with their numbers, 800 number to call and cancel; include mailing addresses.

Make a list of places to call, their phone numbers and account numbers: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, phone company, utilities, landlord, banks, veteran affairs, union, medical insurance, doctors, dentists, car insurance, where is 504 plans, tax accountant, stock broker, any place you do business even if it isn’t on a monthly scale, anyplace you might have a membership such as a gym or store

Keep a copy handy of a tax filing document and phone number if you have a tax accountant; because remember taxes will have to be filed. Do you have any brands that will need to be registered with the state – because this is a rural area?

Some of these suggestions are repeated because they bear repeating. Not only do you develop these documents, but print them and put them in a file. Develop a flash drive with all this information so it can be changed as things change. Keep the flash drive in an easily found spot for family. Last but not least talk to your family. Tell them where these documents can be found.

Leaving documents in a safety deposit box is great, but if no one knows you have a safety deposit box, where the key is or what bank that box is in – then all this work is very worthless.

All this sound overwhelming?? It is, BUT if you spend 20 minutes a day on a small portion of it, you would be surprised at how much you can accomplish in a short time. It’s time to talk about the hard stuff.

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Do You Like to Read, Talk, and Eat

If you love to read. If you love to socialize. If you love to have fun. If you love to read, socialize, eat and have fun all at the same time, while talking about the last book you read; then you will fit right in at Wedsworth Library’s book discussion group.

Book discussion resumes August 19 at 5:00 p.m. at the Wedsworth Library. All are welcome. If anyone is interested in joining the discussion group, please call the Library at 468- 2848. The first book out of the chute is ‘Julie and Julia’ by Julie Powell so stop by and have a peek. Looks to be a fun time at the Library with several new faces and expectations for a year of enjoyable reading.

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Quilting a Community

You can create a quilt to look pretty or fancy. A show piece. It doesn’t have to be durable and weather the storms. It isn’t created to warm or protect the group. You want it to win prizes so you can feel good about your final goal.

A fancy quilt is cleverly made. All the pieces are cut precisely beforehand, match perfectly, and the design is chosen to make an impression, not necessarily to weather time.

An enduring everyday quilt can be a conglomeration of mismatched pieces chosen because the material is what is at hand. The edges are made to fit as close as possible but the colors might clash or the materials look not to belong together. The colors eventually work, the material is strong and the thread holds it all together. The edges are trimmed to fit, colors and materials are moved to create an item that is durable. Overall, it works.

A lot goes into crafting a quilt. Poor choices lead to unacceptable low quality end product. Each individual item such as threads, material, colors – is paramount to creating a strong long-lasting product. One weak item, piece (link) results in a weak quilt.

A group is only as strong as the weakest link. If a piece of the quilt is chosen just to be showy and not for the ultimate strength of the group, then the group is often weak.

When crafting a quilt even the best of quilters have difficulties. Things get rough. The thread breaks continually. You really need one more square to fit with all the rest, but sadly lack that continuity, smoothness.

Inexperienced quilters don’t always value the quality of the thread that ties the item together. Poor quality thread and uneven stitches don’t create smoothness and strength. The quilt bunches and lacks uniformity. Poor chose of colors mean a color stands out for their “look at me feature” and doesn’t create harmony

Individual pieces of a quilt shouldn’t just stand out. They blend to produce a strong durable outcome. You wouldn’t sew dissention and disharmony into your quilt. You attempt to make the best choices for all quilt materials if you want top quality.

Because a quilt provides comfort for the home; the analogy captures the way community members make a community a home. Creating and crafting a quilt is what happens when various people gather or a group forms; whether it is a booster club, group to raise funds or a board/council to support an idea or represent the whole.

A patchwork quilt of community that is inclusive of all who take a stance and reinforce the seams of this blanket with respect for others, share common values and goals, dedication, understanding of one another’s needs and working together to achieve these goals independent of the color of the binding threads. Each seam acts like an adhesive that sticks to whoever has the courage to offer their patch to the greater creative aspiration.

Community. Real community. It is something that we all innately crave, whether we realize it or not. To be with others who understand, who do not judge but support and encourage.

The term refers to how the United States of America is made up of many different people and cultures. Each one is like a patch on a quilt. Despite being different, each patch is connected to the others and works together for a common goal. Each piece is important but they must be sewed together with tough, yet flexible threads.

Joining a group, organization etc. is similar to creating (crafting) a quilt. With a quilt you can have many goals. It may become tattered at times but one then mends. It can last for generations and generations. Cleaning it will sometimes make it shine a bit more. But cleaning the stains and mending the worn spots or spots that have hurt the quilt is important.

Each piece of a quilt or person of a group must bear their own weight. To be a member to exhibit the brightest colors or showiest material doesn’t make for the strongest end product. Sowing disharmony into a group weakens it and the relationship to the community. Using a thread or square to just be a show piece doesn’t produce a strong unified group.

Members are like pieces of a quilt – what can each person do to strengthen the piece? Not a piece that wants to show off their square. The end product of any quilt or group is to protect and keep warm the (family) or the community. What is done should always be asked – what does the whole quilt need or want, to survive?

Groups are a piece of a community’s quilt. Different colors, various threads, some more showy, some more veiled. They all bear the weight of the community’s strength and can make the community weak or strong depending on how they all interact with each other and with individuals. Working together they produce a strong viable quilt.

We again live in a time of discord. Citizens berate each other if there are difference of opinions. Most of us want to believe that Americans can come together to create a functional whole, just as numerous pieces of fabric can be joined to form a beautiful quilt. We want to believe that we can still pitch in together to accomplish tasks that need to be done, as we did in mobilizing our communities. Take the time and quilt a strong community.

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Montana and PARIS 2024!!!

The 2024 Summer Olympics, set to kick off in Paris on July 26, will include four extra sports. They are breaking, surfing, skateboarding, and sport climbing. Baseball and softball were removed from the 2024 Olympics, but will be reinstated for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Olympians are still being made here in Montana. Montana has the privilege of these talented athletes representing out state and our country. Once again, she has a chance to cheer on several of their own at the July 26 – August 11, 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games.

Missoula’s Katharine Berkoff makes USA swim team for Olympics. Hellgate alum Katharine Berkoff now gets to add Olympian to her decorated career, as she will represent the USA swim team in the 100m backstroke in the Paris Olympics. Katharine punched her ticket after finishing second in the 100-meter backstroke. Her time was 57.91 seconds, while she finished behind Regan Smith, who set a new world record of 57.13. Berkoff will be the second Olympian in the family. She will follow in the footsteps of her father, Dave Berkoff, who competed at the 1988 and 1992 Olympics in four events, winning medals in all four events, including two gold medals in the medley relay.

USA Cycling announced its Olympic Team with Bozeman native Cameron Wood earning a spot as the first Montanan to compete in BMX Racing. “Blessed, honored, and proud is understatement after being named to the 2024 US Olympic Team in Paris,” Wood said in a press release. “There has been several challenges and a lot of adversity faced during the qualifying process. It feels rewarding to have faced those challenges head on, grow as an athlete and person, and ultimately earn my way in.” “It has been a dream of mine for a long time to represent my country in the Olympics and give it my all,” he added.

Wood was born in Great Fall and grew up in Bozeman before moving to Phoenix at the age of 16 to pursue BMX racing at a higher level of training and competition. Wood has taken full advantage of that opportunity to become one of the top racers in the country. He competed in the 2020 Tokyo test event at 18 years old before winning his first professional race at 19 in 2022. The now 22-year-old is a two-time World Cup Champion and bounced back from a major shoulder injury in 2023 to make the 2024 Paris Olympic team.

Whitefish native Nicole Heavirland has made the USA Women’s Olympic Rugby Sevens Team as a Traveling Reserve. 29-year-old Heavirland, a Hooker/Scrumhalf, will now travel to Paris for her second Olympics after joining USA Rugby in Tokyo in 2020. The Eagles finished sixth in those Olympics.

Ivan Roe, a Manhattan, Montana native, will be making his Olympic debut in Paris for Men’s 50m Smallbore Air Rifle. Roe is currently a sergeant and a marksmanship instructor in the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit at Fort Moore, Georgia. He will represent Montana in two separate shooting events at the Paris Games.

For Roe’s 50m event, shots are taken at a bullseye target at a distance of 10.94 yards using a 4.5mm-caliber air rifle with a maximum weight of 12.13 pounds. Roe won Team USA selection over 77 other male marksmen with a cumulative Olympic Trials score of 1898.9 points, which was 9.1 points over the second-place finisher. He also qualified in the 10m Air Rifle.

Sergeant Roe was quoted as saying, “Representing the U.S. is a dream I’ve had since I was a little kid. So it’s a culmination of everything I’ve been doing the last two decades. It’s a huge, huge milestone.”

The journey once again continues for U.S. Army Spc. and Belgrade native, Ali Weisz. After a 14th place finish in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Weisz dedicated herself to become better and more focused.

Weisz felt her shooting was definitely not up to her standards at the Tokyo Olympics. However, she did feel she gave it her best shot. “The experience and comfort of knowing, was satisfaction enough. I had such a good experience, even on the line, competing where, when I walked off the line like shot my last shot, put my gun down, I knew that I gave it everything I had that day,” Weisz said reflecting upon her first ever Olympics.

Not advancing to the round of eight and ultimately the medal round gave her motivation moving forward in other competitions. This last October at the ISSF world championship and Olympic qualifier, Weisz stepped up to the line and won the gold in women’s 10m air rifle with and a silver medal in the women’s team 10mr air rifle. Both finishes earned her an Olympic quota.

“As far as the individual medal, I knew I was capable of it, just like I knew I was capable of it back in Tokyo,” Weisz said. “I’ve been working really hard all year in my training, kind of working on the things that I was maybe missing just a little bit of in Tokyo.”

The team aspect is essentially the same as any individual event. The difference being that the scores add up to create a team score. For Weisz, “it’s a challenging event with the shift in mentality required to score well.”

“I’m still just shooting a score like I normally would, but now sort of that mentality of our scores are coming together. It matters how I shoot for more than just me; it impacts them as well.”

The Olympic athletes have come a long way in attire and equipment. Today’s Olympic equipment is designed for speed, aerodynamics and top-quality performance. Today’s Olympic shooters wear special clothing, such as a shooting jacket, shooting trousers and shooting gloves. These are designed to eliminate most of the stress from firing a gun dozens of times and are tested for thickness and stiffness by International Shooting Sport Federation standards.

Olympic shooters are also allowed to wear light athletic shoes if they meet the qualifications and standards, such as the maximum thickness of the sole at the toe is 10 millimeters, the height of the shoe can’t exceed two-thirds the length of the shoe wearer’s foot plus 10 millimeters, the top of the shoe’s thickness may not be more than four millimeters and the toe of the sole of the shoe may not extend beyond 10 millimeters from the end of the shoe.

To help their eyes, Olympic shooters are urged to wear protection. The non-shooting eye may be covered by an item not wider than 30 millimeters. An actual side blinder, attached to a hat, headband or glasses, may not be any deeper than 40 millimeters. For ear protection, the device used is not allowed to be a receiver of any kind.

Wow!! And to think that the athletes from the past succeeded without any specialized attire or equipment. We have to acknowledge their determination and athleticism.

No special shoes for Jim Thorpe. In 1912 Jim Thorpe wore different socks and shoes. This wasn’t a fashion statement. On the morning of his competitions, his shoes were stolen. Luckily, Jim ended up finding two shoes in a garbage can. One of the shoes was too big, so he had to wear an extra sock. Wearing these shoes, Jim still won two gold medals that day.

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What Price Freedom

Have you ever really realized just how important the 4^th of July is? So many think of it as day of picnics, day at the beach or lake. Not many see this as a “freedom day,” that we should be thankful for because of those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom and lived through horrendous hardships.

If you look at the Fourth of July as a holiday “owed” to you, then you’re missing the whole point of freedom. Freedom came at a cost and we have forgotten what this cost entailed.

They declared their freedom. They declared the freedom of these small brash colonies. This courageous act brought forth a national holiday that celebrates the anniversary of the approval of the Declaration of Independence, a document that symbolizes the independence of the United States of America from the rule of Great Britain.

“The question often has been asked, “What happened to those men who signed the Declaration of Independence?” Paul Harvey, noted radio commentator and writer, answered the question in an article entitled, “What Price Freedom?”

Here’s what he found: “Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army. One of the signers had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died of wounds or the hardships of the Revolutionary War.

But what kind of men were they, these men who boldly wrote their names to the Declaration that lit the fires of liberty in souls of men throughout the world? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists, eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners, men of means, well-educated.

Their security, their incomes, and their worldly possessions made them substantially well off. But they signed the Declaration of Independence even though they knew the penalty would be death on the gallows, if they were captured.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes…and their sacred honor. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and his properties to pay his debts and died in rags. Thomas McKean was so hounded by the enemy that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers or both looted the properties of Ellery Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Rutledge and Middleton. At the Battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr. noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner quietly urged General George Washington to open fire, which was done. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. His grave is unmarked and unknown.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their thirteen children fled for their lives. His fields and his grist mill were laid waste. For more than a year he lived in the forests and caves, returning home after the war to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.

Morris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. These were soft-spoken men of means, wealth and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more.

Standing tall, straight and unwavering, they pledged: ‘For the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”

Once the battles began, the soldiers faced appalling conditions. They froze at Valley Forge and hunger was a constant companion. They endured a critical shortage of arms and ammunition, clothing, shelter, and camp equipment. In the first years of the Revolutionary War, George Washington and his Continental Army faced the deadliest threat, even deadlier than the British: an epidemic of smallpox.

Between 25,000 and 70,000 American Patriots died during active military service. Of these, approximately 6,800 were killed in battle, while at least 17,000 died from disease. The majority of the latter died while prisoners of war of the British, mostly in the prison ships in New York Harbor.

Bobby Bare may have summed up why we honor our early patriots and why we respect and love our wonderful, though flawed country, in his song ‘God bless America Again”. These patriots were willing to sacrifice so much because they hoped to provide a better place to live.

“Wash her pretty face, dry her eyes, And then God bless America again. God, I sure do wish You’d bless America again, You know, like You did way back when it all began. You blessed her then, but we just sorta kinda took it for granted And never did ask again. So just hold her hand God, that’s all. And if she should stumble, please, don’t let her fall. God bless America again. You know I don’t understand everythin’ I’m readin’ here About what’s wrong with America. You see all the troubles that she’s in But when You don’t have a lotta book learnin’
I guess there’s a lotta things You don’t understand. Wash her pretty face, dry her eyes But let me say this God, she’s like a mother to me And all I am or ever hope to be, I owe to You and to her. Wash her pretty face, dry her eyes And then, God bless America again”

“The price of freedom is the blood of our nation’s finest men and women. On this Fourth of July, remember that. For our life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, they sacrificed theirs.”

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Even The Smallest Had Their Role

Cats were the perfect companions not only in the trenches of WWI, but onboard ship as well. While dogs and horses are often portrayed as wartime workers and companions, cats also played vital roles. It was a cat named “Simon” who won a Dickin Medal, the highest honor for Animal Military Gallantry in Britain.

In the military, animal mascots were used to provide friendship and a happy distraction to Canadian soldiers. Various animals such as “Mike” the Saint Bernard, or “Batisse” the goat gave soldiers comfort and affection. Animal mascots were often given military code names which often brought flashes of laughter among soldiers as they shared silly names from childhood pets.

Cats found a niche job in military barracks, trenches, and aboard ships. Not only did they protect the limited rations, but they were able to squeeze into tight spaces and prevent rodents from gnawing at important communications wiring and chewing through ropes and planks on ships. By controlling the rat and mouse populations, cats were also able to curtail the spread of disease carried by rodents.

Some superstitious sailors even believed cats would bring them protection at sea. With their excellent eyesight, cats were rumored to spot even the faintest of lights on the darkest and stormiest nights. Tiddles, a large black cat, traveled more than 30,000 miles with the British Royal Navy during World War II.

Soldiers experienced grueling stress under the most perilous of conditions. Cats provided stress relief and a bit of fun in tense situations. Prior to flying into battle pilots on aircraft carriers often relaxed by playing with the ship’s mascot.

The act of caring for these lost animals gave the servicemen comfort and many found entertainment and stress relief in a furry mascot at the end of a hard day. A Women’s Army Corps kitten named “Glamour Puss” was famously cat-napped, but the offer of a delicious steak dinner prompted his safe return.

Unofficially, cats were also welcomed in barracks and military field offices to help with rodent control. A good ratter could help preserve precious food stores, help in preventing the spread of diseases, and again keep rats or mice from chewing through wiring.

Life in the trenches of WWI was absolute hell. If an enemy bullet, artillery shell, or gas canister didn’t kill you, then the cesspool of diseases that formed at the bottom of the trenches would. To make matters worse, the damp and dirty environment made for the perfect breeding ground for rats that carried and spread deadly diseases.

Thousands of cats were dispatched to the trenches during WWI to keep rodent numbers down and act as early warning detectors for mustard gas. It was speculated that there were an estimated 500,000 cats in the trench systems running along the Western Front. Primarily, cats were used to cull the rodent population, but troops found comfort in caring for the little rascals. No one knows how many cats survived the trenches.

As heart-wrenching as it was, cats were very susceptible to the near-odorless and near-invisible toxic gas used against the Allies. Cats felt the effects of the gas attacks almost immediately. Like canaries in mine shafts, their reaction to the gas would alert the troops to put on their gas mask and head to safety. It’s unknown how many cats died due to chemical warfare, but their losses saved countless GI lives.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the cats, though. Many troops loved and cared for the cats in between battles and made them part of their unit. They served at mascots and troops shared their rations. The cats gave them something to play with between conflicts. Cats had a way of breaking up the monotony of any long day. Their services though not always considered heroic were certainly great contributions to those around them who benefitted from their companionship, mouser skills, and entertainment.

The cats were also able to freely cross no man’s land. During the famous Christmas Truce of 1914, many soldiers wished for peace and friendship between the troops of warring factions. So, they would tie messages around the collars of some of the free-roaming kitties and the message would get across to the enemy fortifications.

Unfortunately, not everyone thought such communication was to be taken lightly. One cat by the name of Felix was caught by French officers and put in front of a tribunal. This cat, trying to carry messages of peace and love in exchange for treats, was found guilty of treason and executed by firing squad.

The cats were known to be fiercely loyal to the troops with whom they served. One Belgian officer and scout, Lt. Lekeux of the 3rd Regiment of Artillery, came across a litter of kittens whose mother had perished before the young could open their eyes. Lekeux nursed the kittens back to health, but unfortunately only one survived — he named the cat Pitoutchi.

The cat followed the lieutenant everywhere he went and jumped on his shoulders when trenches were too wet. “One night, as Lt. Lekeux was scouting out the German position and drawing their location on a map, German troops almost spotted him. Alerted by some noise, the troops surrounded the artillery crater in which Lekeux took cover. He was trapped; the Germans were sure to shoot him if he fled or bayonet him if they found him in there.

Suddenly, Pitoutchi jumped from Lt. Lekeux’s shoulder and dashed out of cover. The Germans spotted the little kitten and opened fire, but his cat’s reflexes proved too quick. The Germans attributed the noise they heard to Pitoutchi and gave up searching. This gave Lekeux the window he needed to mount an escape, with the maps and Pitouchi in hand.”

Cats were also thought to be able to detect bombs ahead of time, like dogs sniffing out explosives. Soldiers theorized it was due to cats being attuned to atmospheric pressure, or possibly just their “sixth sense.” During World War II, some families would rely on their cat’s senses to alert them ahead of a bomb being dropped and would retreat for safety to air-raid or bomb shelters.

The most famous of these fearless felines was aptly named “Bomber”. It was claimed that he could identify the difference between German aircrafts and planes in the British Air Force.

Cat Man Chris wrote the following to honor these small heroes: “Paws At The Ready – The cats of World War One had significant role in all the campaigns, we must honour their bravery too. Give thought to all the kitties who served in World War One. A battalion of the finest who never fired a gun. What was their role?

Whether hunting rodents out at sea, or loyal friends to men, these many cats had vital roles, time and time again. The food was saved. A common sight in trenches deep, dispatching mice and rats, the soldiers had a special bond with many of these cats.

Many were treasured mascots. Five hundred thousand cats were sent to serve in the Great War. Some detected mustard gas, whilst others were off shore. Some of the feline heroes – Togo was the Dreadnought’s cat, The Swan had their lad Ching. Pincher was the Vinex’s mog, it was luck they hoped they’d bring.

‘Martinpuich’ was aptly named, by The 9th battalion chaps. Pitouchi was the orphaned kit, who’d survived on army scraps. Spark Plug, Tabby and many more were companions to the troops.

The feline unsung heroes, those cats who became recruits. We’ll never truly realise just what these cats went through. So spare a thought and give some thanks for what they did for you! Lest We Forget.”

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Poster Coloring Challenge

Have you colored your poster yet? The Wedsworth Library has opened up a Summer Fun Kids Coloring Contest. Age Groups are 1-4 ;5-8; and 9-12. Pick up a poster from Wedsworth Library and color to your hearts content. We already have some fabulous art from some very talented artists. Turn it in by July 15. Winning Art Work Will be Chosen from the 3 different age groups and awarded a delightful gift certificate.

We have some very delicious prizes from the Homestead Café right here in Cascade, the Nitro Creamery and Dairy Queen on Fox Farm Road in Great Falls. These wonderful businesses have been great supporters of our Summer Reading Program. Stop on by them and thank them while you are enjoying your favorite summer treat.

We have also decided to find out how artistic the older artists are in town. So for those over 12, (any age) you also can stop by a pick up a poster. These too have to be turned in by July 15. So get out those crayons, paints or whatever and show us your unique talent. One last reminder – any age group has a chance for a fabulous summer treat in our Summer Poster Coloring Contest.

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Have You DQ’d Enough?

So what do you do in the lazy days of summer? Where do you head when the heat gets you down? Need a pick–me-up? The only solution is to head to your local DQ. Enjoy the cool smooth taste of a Blizzard, or that tasty sundae, even the ultimate ice cream delight –the banana split with all the fixings. Whether you prefer dipped cones or Blizzards, ice cream lovers worldwide flock to Dairy Queen in the summer.

For decades upon decades, Dairy Queen has been there for you in the summertime with ice cream and burgers. DQ is an authentic American fast food chain founded in 1940 and presently headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota.

In 1938, Sherwood “Sherb” Noble, owner of Sherb’s Ice Cream in Kankakee, Illinois became the first to sell soft-serve ice cream, which had been invented by father-and-son team J.F. and Alex McCullough. Their trial run was an all-you-can-eat sale for 10 cents at Sherb’s store. Selling more than 1,600 servings in two hours, soft-serve became an instant success.

“According to Joe Rintelman, after perfecting the machine, Noble and the McCulloughs opened the first Dairy Queen in Joliet in June of 1940. In 1941, Noble opened a drive-up Dairy Queen, a novel concept at that time where people park and walk up to a window to order.

“Soft-serve creator Jack “Grandpa” McCullough called the store’s sweet staple a queen among dairy products and thus Dairy Queen officially acquired its name. The mission was to create positive memories for all who touch dq® and their vision was eventually to be the world’s favorite quick-service restaurant.”

Noble was drafted into World War II but returned to continue opening Dairy Queens. In 1947 he opened his first Kankakee store, which remains open today.

Since 1940, the chain has used a franchise system to expand its operations globally. The first ten stores in 1941 grew to 100 by 1947, 1,446 in 1950, and 2,600 in 1955. The first store in Canada opened in Estevan, Saskatchewan, in 1953. The company became International Dairy Queen, Inc. (IDQ) in 1962.

Dairy Queens became a fixture of social life in small Midwestern and Southern United States towns during the 1950s and 1960s. Texas is home to the largest number of Dairy Queens in the U.S. The largest Dairy Queen in the US is in Bloomington, Illinois. Vermont remains the only state without a Dairy Queen. The largest in the world is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the busiest in the world is in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

While some stores serve an abbreviated menu primarily featuring DQ frozen treats and may be open only during spring, summer, and fall, most DQ restaurants also serve hot food and are open all year.

And you can’t call their delicious product ice cream! Soft serve doesn’t qualify to be called ice cream. To be categorized as ice cream, the minimum butterfat content must be ten percent, and their soft serve only has five percent butterfat. That “curl” on top of the soft-serve is considered a DQ trademark! It’s occasionally referred to by employees and DQ acolytes as “the Q”.

Products eventually expanded to include malts and milkshakes in 1950 and banana splits in 1951. There’s a history behind the famous Dilly Bar. Dilly Bars were introduced to the franchise by Robert and Phyllis Litherland, the owners of a store in Moorhead, Minnesota in 1955.

“In 1954, the Moorhead Dairy Queen was used as a site to train area Dairy Queen operators how to make the new treats. As they were working, one of the trainers made a blob of Dairy Queen on a piece of cardboard and put a stick in it and said, “ain’t that a dilly?” Hence the Dilly Bar was born and introduced to the entire industry in 1955. To this day the Moorhead Dairy Queen still makes thousands of Dilly Bars by hand using the same process with a piece of cardboard.”

The Moorhead DQ is “The Dairy Queen that Dairy Queen doesn’t want you to know about.” “The reason is because the Moorhead DQ franchise continues to serve frozen treats that are either of its own creation, or were dropped by the national chain in other outlets – including a chocolate covered banana call the “Monkey Tail,” “chipper sandwiches,” and flavored sundae toppings including butterscotch, raspberry and cherry that had been discontinued by the chain.

This has been a cause of friction between the kiosk and executives at DQ HQ, and why DQ still doesn’t acknowledge the Moorhead outlet’s claim that it invented the Dilly Bar.” It is a well-known fact through franchises that they are only able to sell products marketed by Dairy Queen. Any out sourced products sold generally pulls their DQ franchise.

Mr Misty slush treats came along in 1961 (later renamed Misty Slush, then again to Arctic Rush; as of 2017, DQ again calls them Misty Slush). In 1962, the Buster Bar, vanilla ice cream, with a ribbon of hot fudge and peanuts in the middle and then more peanuts and fudge on top with the whole thing dipped in chocolate to create a chocolate shell, was invented by David Skjerven in Grafton, North Dakota.

Jets, Curly Tops, Freezes were added in 1964. In 1971, the Peanut Buster Parfait, consisting of peanuts, hot fudge, and vanilla soft serve, was introduced by Forrest ‘Frosty’ Chapman in his St. Peter, Minnesota Franchise.

The idea for the now classic Blizzard came from a Dairy Queen franchise in Missouri. Samuel Temperato, who owned a whopping 67 DQ locations, came up with the concept after seeing a competitor’s ice cream shop selling frozen custard. Originally Blizzards were only available in traditional flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, with added malt on request.

The first year the Blizzard was introduced; DQ sold more than 175 million of them! There’s a Blizzard in the Guinness Book of World Records. The biggest Blizzard ever made weighed 8,224.85 lbs. It was made in Springfield, MA in 2005 and was a whopping 22ft tall.

In addition, Dairy Queen now offers a Blizzard Cake in flavors such as Oreo and Reese’s. Much like the restaurant’s conventional ice cream cake, this variation is aimed toward celebrations and birthdays. A Birthday cake and ice cream (excuse us – soft serve) all rolled up in one!

Whatever your favorite, enjoy a bit of sunshine on a hot summer day. Then again a tasty treat is a tasty treat year around!

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Coloring and Adventures Begin at the Library

Adventures begin at the Library. And the Wedsworth Library is the starting point for all artists’ adventures. Wedsworth Library is in search of all talented area artists. The Library is sponsoring a poster coloring contest as part of their Summer Reading Program.

There will be three age groups: 1-3; 4-6; and 7-12. Winners will receive prizes from the Homestead Café right here at home in Cascade, the Dairy Queen and Nitro Creamery in Great Falls.

Posters will be judged by the Wedsworth Library Board members and will be displayed in the meeting room. Stop by the Library to pick up your poster and color crayons to create your masterpiece. Then again if you want to be a bit more adventurous you may use colored pencils chalk, or other mediums.

We ask that every aspiring artist write their name, a phone number where we can contact you, and age (because how will we know how old you are to place your beautiful entry in the appropriate age group) on the back of the poster.

When stopping by the library to begin your adventures, be sure to grab a Summer Reading bag of fun. And don’t forget to enter the other prize trail while there.

We would like the program to be wrapped up by July 26 so the deadline of submitting your original Picasso is July 15. This provides our wonderful Library Board members plenty of time to judge the entries and award prizes before the fair, final vacations, school starting and all the things that seem to fill up August. And then you can start your travels to the prize destinations.

While about town, please thank the Homestead Café, Dairy Queen, and Nitro Creamy for providing such delicious prizes. Looking forward to seeing you on your summer adventure.

Remember we will be drawing a prize 1^st week of each month for the regular summer reading program and all prizes for all the summer reading programs will be awarded by July 26.

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Crazy things Found in Library Books

As readers, we have all flipped through books for various reasons. Most flip to find out what the book might be about. Others open a book to read it. But over time libraries have found a few ‘unusual’ items.

Wedsworth has found a few, but nothing like the stories you are about to hear. We did find an old hard-boiled egg under one of the bookshelves when we were moving into the new addition. Guess the Easter Bunny must have got lost that year.

Most things do go better with a book, especially meals, baths, and country picnics. Apparently, many people agree—and they take it a bit too far. Here are just a few of the nicer things that have been found in library books over time, but that we probably don’t want to find.

Libraries have found laundry, old desiccated lunches, and an apple core or two. Books appear to make great keepsakes for products of nature. Librarians have opened returned books to find pressed flowers, four-leaf clovers, dandelions gone to seed, and whole marijuana leaves. (No one got arrested, that we know of.)

Pressed flowers and locks of hair seemed much more common in collections dating before 1930, back in the days when flowers from the favorite beau were preserved.

One library found a flattened, dry strawberry in a book. It is noted that it had been preserved quite nicely. “It surprisingly just left a light red kiss inside the book!”

One library employee recounts, “I once had a book with a note indicating that the back inside cover needed attention. When I opened the back cover, I found a partial, flattened, little red snake.”

Unwanted items such as some of the above can create a bit of a problem. “The items that will cause the most damage over time include organic items which can cause staining, eat away at the paper, attract pests, or encourage mold growth,” “Leaves, food, and newsprint seem to be the common things seen.”

Apparently valuables make great bookmarks. One library almost got a bit lucky. However, they were kind and generous. “One time I found $100 in 20s. It was quite a large amount of money to be hidden in a book. I located the patron who last checked out the book and after some questioning, I verified he was indeed the one who left the $100 behind.” Others have reported finding credit cards, lottery tickets, Broadway show tickets, and even live paychecks.

Then again there are those who leave a bit of a ‘romantic’ bit of themselves behind. “As I was going through book donations, I noticed one book had a large amount of papers sticking out of it. I pulled the papers out and after reading through some of them, I quickly realized they were either sexual letters written to a woman or someone was working on some serious erotica for a future book. The details were pretty graphic so I had to toss them in the trash pretty quickly.”

Librarians have found genuine love letters, a list of “karma violations,” a visitor registration form for the county jail, divorce agreements, and even naughty photos. Guess that all makes for some interesting reading.

Then again history can come knocking at the door when one library found a bit of history. “One time I opened a donated book and there was a letter in there from a woman to a family thanking them for helping her learn to play music. The letter was very old so I decided to research the name of the woman who wrote the letter. It turns out she had become a famous musician!”

What you do in your private reading time sometimes ends up in public. Imagine picking up a returned book and having something like this fall out: a glass vial labeled “smallpox sample.” A little scary and unbelievable. After all, sharp objects and books should probably not go together, and yet librarians have found scissors, knives, a cheese slicer, and even a small hatchet.

Eating and reading are a natural combo, which is why snacks are a popular bookmark. We’re talking Cheetos (mostly crumbled), a pickle slice, a Pop-Tart, a Kraft Single (still wrapped), and even whole strips of bacon (both cooked and raw).

One library once found a single page typewritten informational sheet from the 1940s from the United States Secret Service about how to recognize counterfeit banknotes tucked inside a book from the 1990s about the Secret Service. A Korean war army supply list for a company of soldiers was once discovered. Important paperwork is often found being used as bookmarks. Lease agreements, medical information, bills, a copy of a death certificate, a boy’s tube sock.

Here is an interesting piece of letter/note: “Dear so-and-so, I’ve always felt that God was leading me toward a close friendship with you. As a fellow man of God, I know you will forgive me for waiting so long to follow through. And now that we’re friends, I have a favor to ask.” It ended before he got to what the favor was.

One of the least pleasant experiences has to be a full set of toenail clippings found in a book. But then there were the Cheetos smashed inside a book. All interesting bookmarks, but rather not discovered.

The NICEST thing found AT the Library is the beautiful rose the Garden Club gifted us to celebrate National Garden Club Week. What wonderful ladies. If you see one of these wonderful ladies about town, thank them immensely. They have planted their lovely barrels of flowers to brighten up our town and make it ever so special. They do such a great job and deserve a lot of praise for their efforts. More power to you!!

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Adventure Begins At Your Library

Schools out!! YAAAAA! Now for a long boring summer Right? Well it doesn’t have to be. Because Adventure Begins At Your Library right near you.

Wedsworth Library invites young readers to travel around the world, explore the jungles of Africa, solve the deep mystery of who stole the lunch room’s spoons, or how to raise the perfect garden, train your dog or enjoy tons of other adventures that can be found for free at your local library. All for just opening a book one can immerse oneself in the greatest adventures of your life without leaving your chair.

So why participate in as Summer reading program? You’re done with school for the summer, you wanna relax. The Library gets it. But then again…………

The summer break has been known to cause a pronounced dip or ‘slide’ in the reading skills. A solid summer of reading is a fantastic way to help prevent any learning losses due to inactivity and also provide a little bit of fun educational activity.

To starve off those summer blahs why not set a few goals, not a lot – just a few. Find a bit of time to read every day; read 10 books; choose all your books from adventure, mystery, science fiction, a bit of history, or just the really fun books of ‘Captain Under Pants”. Any reading is better than none.

Did you know that by immersing yourself in a book you can enhance your concentration abilities? Reading necessitates extended periods of focus to follow your hero on his journey through the night to find the elusive night raider.

So on June 10th Wedsworth Library opens the doors to all the adventures your heart desires. We will offer a sack full of goodies to fill a few of those BORING moments when you have nothing to do.

You will have access to games, a free book, highlight magazines, puzzles, stickers, even some fun educational stuff, and a host of other fun stuff too many to mention.

To add a bit more of fun. Wedsworth Library would like to challenge our young patrons. A challenge that could mean a bit of a prize at the end if you are successful.

Every time you come into the library your name will be put in the hat. If you check out a book, your name gets added. There are two age levels: six years to 12 and five years and younger with prizes appropriate for that age level. At the end of the summer a name will be drawn out of the hat for each age level.

We will draw for prizes the 1st week of the month to keep everyone motivated and final prizes the 1st week of the month to keep everyone motivated and final prizes will be awarded August 26th and will be on display at the Library just to entice your get up and go reading. You never know what fun you will find at your library this summer. Stop on by for a tattoo or a sucker, but be sure you pick up your Summer Reading bag to begin the first step of your Summer Reading Adventure.

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May, May flies

May seems to have just began but then May flies!

It is May, and time for mayflowers, mayapples and mayflies! Spring is a season bursting with cherry blossoms, the scent of lilacs, and the landscape devoid of winter white. Just like the mayfly, we are emerging from the depths of winter and able to move into the light.

Mayflies are said to have been around before dinosaurs. “After more than 350 million years of evolution, they have perfected the art of life.” They start as an egg, turn into a naiad (water nymph!), emerge from the water, fully mature into adults to reproduce, and then start a family of at least 400 (wow).

Mayflies are nuisance pests and cannot bite or sting. They are, however, very attracted to light. And of course, this often results in massive swarms around buildings at night and piles of dead flies below lights and windows in the morning. In areas that see large swarms, mayflies can affect driving conditions and visibility. (So shut the outside light off at night!)

As we all know, mayflies start “hatching” from their water-larva state in May (at least now we know why the Name!), and continue to do so throughout spring and summer. So, next time you see a swarm of these flying pesky critters, it’s a sign that life’s getting a little brighter and winter has left the building.

Some species emerge on the stream bottom and swim to the surface, some crawl onto dry rocks or vegetation to emerge, and yet others emerge at or near the water’s surface. Water temperature is the most important factor in determining when hatches will occur.

Mayflies have an incredibly short lifespan. After the larva stage, female mayflies usually live less than five minutes, while males can live a whopping two days! But they don’t waste a single minute, spending that short period of time mating and reproducing.

They go by many aliases. In some parts of the United States, mayflies are known as Canadian Soldiers, while in Canada they are called shadflies. And, of course, the British came up with the most creative name of all – the up-winged fly.

Believe it or not, mayflies have abs. All have an abdomen consisting of 10 segments. Some of the segments actually have operculate gills on them. (For those not well acquainted with a mayflies’ anatomy, operculated gills means bony flap covering the gills). Knew you all knew that though. After all doesn’t everyone know that??

They’re an important part of the eco-system as they are a crucial source of food. As most fly fishermen know, often their favorite fly to fish with is – a mayfly fly. (say that 10 times fast). When hatching season begins, fishermen generally start using homemade flies resembling this glorious insect. They are a popular entree for many fish species such as trout, bass, and perch. But dragonflies, water beetles, birds and frogs also find them pretty dog gone delicious.

Humans even like consuming mayflies for their high protein content. In the country of Malawi, mayflies are baked into cakes. I expect all will be lookin for that recipe.

Mayflies don’t have mouths. Every minute is reserved for reproduction and feeding fish. They don’t have time to eat, so they never develop functional mouths. Although, in the larva state, mayflies have fully developed mouths, but their diet strictly consists of algae.

Mayflies do have a few babies, well actually a lot. And we mean LOTS of babies. The average female mayfly lays anywhere from 400 to 3,000 eggs. Typically, they are dropped on top of the water to develop into larva.

Unfortunately, mayflies are now under a bit of a threat. Mayfly eggs are extremely sensitive to pollution. Even modest levels of water pollution can kill up to 80 percent of their eggs. Scientists sometimes use the presence of mayfly eggs to quickly determine the purity of the water.

Mayflies have been famous through time. “These prehistoric insects were born to live in the limelight. Aristotle mentions the mayfly in his “History of Animals.” The poet George Crabbe used the mayfly as a symbol for the brevity of life.” Many people gather to witness the swarms that occur during hatching season. In some regions, the number of insects is so expansive that they show up on the local weather radar.”

Mayflies are harmless little buggers, but when it comes to malevolent pests that could spoil your next backyard shindig, they rate top of the list.

There is still much to be learned about these magnificent creatures, but one can say that Mayflies live life to the fullest. They sorta exemplify the phrase, “live fast, die young.” And they do it all in less than two days. Living life to the fullest.

The Library is living life to the fullest by providing an official notice of summer. Summer is finally here. We officially proclaim there will be no more snow. (At least for a day or two). It officially will be summer at the library the day after Memorial Day. Times R a changing. Don’t forgot to change to Summer Hours for the Library.

Just a reminder: Wedsworth library will be changing to summer hours on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Hours are: Monday 9-1; 2-6; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9-1.

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If You are Here and We are Not

The Library is providing an official notice of summer. Summer is finally here. We officially proclaim there will be no more snow. (At least for a day or two). It officially became summer at the library the day after Memorial Day. Times R a changing. Don’t forgot to change to Summer Hours for the Library.

Just a reminder: Wedsworth library changed to summer hours on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Hours are: Monday 9-1; 2-6; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9-1.

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2024 Memorial Day

We all love the holidays. And one more is coming up. Many think of it as a time of fun and frolicking or great sales. Memorial Day tends to mark the unofficial start of summer.

This day is a solemn occasion and needs to be remembered with respect, dedicated to honoring the men and women who have died while serving their country. Take a moment to learn the true meaning of Memorial Day. It’s also important to recognize the difference between this day and Veterans Day (especially for vets). Learn why it was originally called Decoration Day, why the red poppy is a symbol, and when/how to fly the flag.

Memorial Day commemorates the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces, chiefly those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle. In other words, the purpose of Memorial Day is to memorialize the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Veterans Day is the day set aside to thank and honor ALL who served in the United States Armed Forces—in wartime or peacetime—regardless of whether they died or survived.

Memorial Day originated in the aftermath of the Civil War; which remains the deadliest conflict in U.S. history. It started as an event to honor Union soldiers who had died during the Civil War. It was inspired by the way “Southern states decorated the graves of both Confederate and Union soldiers with flowers, wreaths, and flags.”

It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, when General John A. Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called for “a nationwide day of remembrance for over 620,000 soldiers killed in the civil conflict.” It was known as Decoration Day, a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Over time, the observance was expanded to honor all Americans who have died in military service.

After World War I, Decoration Day included all fallen soldiers, not just those from the Civil War, and the term ‘Memorial Day’ started being used. By World War II, Memorial Day became the term across states who adopted resolutions to make it an official holiday. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day.

Flag etiquette on Memorial Day is unique. At sunrise, flags are to be raised to full staff briskly, and then lowered to a half-staff position, where they remain until noon. Memorial Day is the only holiday on which flags are placed on the graves of those who served their country, whether they fell in battle or retired after 20 years of faithful military service.

And why is the poppy a symbol of Memorial Day? In the war-torn battlefields of Europe, the common red field poppy was one of the first plants to reappear. Its seeds scattered in the wind and sat dormant in the ground, only germinating when the ground was disturbed—as it was by the very brutal fighting of World War I.

John McCrae, a Canadian soldier and physician, witnessed the war firsthand and was inspired to write the now-famous poem “In Flanders Fields” in 1915. He saw the poppies scattered throughout the battlefield surrounding his artillery position in Belgium.

“The opening line refers directly to the sight Lt. Col. McCrae witnessed as he, a physician, walked among the crosses laid out to mark the site of so many who died for their counties. While the poppies grew among the graves, they are also a resilient flower. The poppy is able to lay dormant for many years in the soil only to reappear in great numbers, covering fields which had lay bare for many years previously.

This also held significance for Lt. Col. McCrae as he wrote of the heroes who appeared in great numbers to come to the aid of others against oppression and tyranny during this Great War, and who would lie dormant until their call was heard again.”

The poppy was traditionally worn on Memorial Day in the United States, but the symbolism has evolved to encompass all veterans, living and deceased, so that poppies are often worn on Veterans Day as well. Not long after the custom began, it was adopted by other Allied nations, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

Arlington National Cemetery offers a humble formal Ceremony to honor Memorial Day. “Just before Memorial Day weekend, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (the “Old Guard”) honors America’s fallen heroes by placing American flags at gravesites for service members buried at Arlington National Cemetery and the U.S. Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery.

This tradition, known as “Flags In,” has taken place annually since the Old Guard was designated as the Army’s official ceremonial unit in 1948. Every available soldier in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment participates, placing small American flags in front of more than 228,000 headstones and at the bottom of about 7,000 niche rows in the cemetery’s Columbarium Courts and Niche Wall. Each flag is inserted into the ground, exactly one boot length from the headstone’s base.

At the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Sentinels (who are members of the Old Guard) place flags to honor the Unknowns. Army chaplains place flags in front of the headstones and four memorials located on Chaplains’ Hill in Section 2. All flags are removed after Memorial Day, before the cemetery opens to the public.”

So on this day we honor those men and women who paid the ultimate price. “Memorial Day 2024 provides an opportunity for Americans to come together in gratitude for those who have given their lives in service to their country. It serves as a reminder of the cost of freedom and the duty to cherish and protect it for future generations. As we enjoy the freedoms secured by their ultimate sacrifice, engaging in commemorative activities fosters a deeper appreciation and respect for those who have served and sacrificed.”

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It is now SUMMER!

Wedsworth Library declares it is now SUMMER!!!!!!!! Ya well our seasons run a bit different than Mother Nature. But then again Mother Nature seems to be confused a lot lately. So be assured the library will soon be celebrating Summer.

Wedsworth Library will change to summer hours, day after Memorial Day. NEW HOURS will be: Monday 9-1; 2-6; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9-1.

Once again a reminder – It will officially be summer at the library the day after Memorial Day. Times R a changing. Wedsworth library will be changing to summer hours on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Hours are: Monday 9-1; 2-6; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9-1. Did you hear about the our Summer hours??

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I’ve been to a lot of places

I’ve been to a lot of places, but I’ve never been in Cahoots. Apparently, you can’t go alone, you have to be in Cahoots with someone. I’ve also never been in Cognito, either. I hear no one recognizes you there. I have, however been in Sane. They don’t have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips.

Ever heard the phrase “the real McCoy”? It refers to a ground-breaking inventor who revolutionized the railroad industry. Elijah McCoy was born to parents who fled slavery on the Underground Railroad. Elijah trained as a mechanical engineer in Scotland. When McCoy moved back to the U.S. in 1866, he couldn’t find a job in his field. The Railroads would only hire him on as a laborer, not an engineer.

However, McCoy’s hands-on experience led him to invent a lubrication device that saved time and kept the steam engines operating longer. Soon every locomotive had McCoy’s “oil drip cup”.

Imitators and rivals tried to build copies or knockoffs but none worked as well or match the “real McCoy”. After laboring for decades, McCoy was final able to raise enough money to start his own company. He began manufacturing his own inventions. In the early 20^th century, McCoy was the Black inventor with the most patents to his name. this was a major accomplishment during the Jim Crow era.

(Jim Crow laws were any state or local laws that enforced or legalized racial segregation. These laws lasted for almost 100 years, from the post-Civil War era until around 1968, and their main purpose was to legalize the marginalization of African Americans.)

I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I’m not too much on physical activity anymore. So far, I haven’t been in Continent; but my travel agent says I’ll be going soon. May have been in Continent, but I don’t remember what country I was in.

I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often. I’ve been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.

Sometimes I’m in Capable, and I go there more often as I’m getting older. One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenaline flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!

And, sometimes I think I am in Vincible but life shows me I am not. People keep telling me I’m in Denial but I’m positive I’ve never been there before!

And more and more I think of the Hereafter — several times a day, in fact. I enter a room and think “What am I here after?” Denial – It’s not just a river in Egypt!

Understand paranoid people better by following them around. It’s funny how opportunity knocks just once, but temptation leans on the door bell, calls on the phone and sets off the fire alarm.

We’ve all heard and said ‘close but no cigar’. It brings to mind old fair games and that’s where it originated. You could toss a ring on a peg or knock down a milk bottle and win a cigar. But if you missed, you came close – so close, but no cigar. The first recorded use dates back to 1935 when a movie about Annie Oakley said, “Close, Colonel, but no cigar!” It soon began to pop up in jokes. In 1949 an Ohio cigar store almost burned down in a fire and the local newspaper titled its story “Close But No Cigar!”

A guy died and went to heaven. When he got to the pearly gate, Saint Peter told that new rules were in effect due to the advances in education on earth. To gain admittance, a prospective heavenly soul must answer three questions: 1. Name two day of the week that begin with T. 2. How many seconds are in a year? 3. What is God’s first name?

The guy thought for a few minutes and answered: 1. The two days of the week that begin with T are today and tomorrow. 2. There are twelve seconds of each month in a year. 3. God has two first names, and they are Andy and Howard.

Saint Peter said, “Okay, I’ll buy the today and tomorrow, even though it’s not the answer I expected. So your answer is correct. But how did you get twelve seconds in a year, and why did you ever think that God’s first name was either Andy or Howard?

The guy replied, “Well, January second, February second, March second, etcetera.

“Okay, I give,” said Saint Peter. “But what about the God’s first name stuff?”

The guy said, “Well, from the song ‘Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me, Andy tells me I am his own’ and the prayer ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, Howard be thy name.” Saint Peter let him in without another word.

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Those Kissable, Huggable, Loveables

Is the world getting you down? Do you need something cute and fluffy to cuddle? Try one of these for your Kissable, Huggable, Loveable moments.

Bichons are a member of the clan of little white dogs formally known as Barbichon types. Theories have it that this ancient breed came from Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands. They are a member of the Non-sporting Group of dog breeds in the U.S., and a member of the Toy dog Group in the United Kingdom. The Bichon type arose from the water dogs, and is descended from the poodle-type dogs and either the Barbet or one of the water spaniel class of breeds.

With their black eyes and fluffy white coat, the Bichon looks almost like a child’s toy. These adorable little dogs are small, but cheerful with a love of mischief and a lot of love to give. They are lovers, not fighters, and operate under the assumption that there are no strangers, just friends they haven’t met yet. Bichons are super playful and intelligent, so they need plenty of playtime and activity. They don’t care for being left home alone for long hours of the day. They relish being the center of attention. Lots of hugs there!

Then again you could try something different with the White Silkie Hen. The Silkie is a breed of chicken named for its unusual fluffy plumage, which is said to feel like silk and satin. Silkies have been called fluff-balls, aliens from another world, teddy bears and many other things in between.

Their strange appearance, friendliness and mothering skills are surely what endears them to many folks. The Silkie is a very old breed, probably of Chinese origin. It is believed by some that the Silkie dates back as far as the Chinese Han Dynasty, in 206BC.

They were first mentioned by Marco Polo (around 1290-1300) on his journey across Europe and the Far East. Although he did not see the bird, it was reported to him by a fellow traveler and he reported it in his journal as “a furry chicken”. The Silkie made its way westward either by the Silk Road or by the maritime routes, some think both.

When the Silkie was first introduced to the European public it was alleged to be the offspring of a chicken and a rabbit – a not so unbelievable thing back in the 1800s. Many unscrupulous sellers sold Silkies to gullible folks for curiosity and it was used as a ‘freak show’ item in travelling side shows and exhibited as a ‘bird-mammal’.

Silkies have oval shaped turquoise blue earlobes and dark colored wattles and black eyes. They have five toes instead of the usual four with the outer two toes feathered. The feathers lack barbicels (the hooks that hold the feathers together), hence the fluffy appearance. The main feathering looks just like the under-down of regular chickens. Because the feathers do not hold together; Silkies cannot fly. The feathering is not waterproofed so a wet Silkie is a pathetic sight to see. They loved to be towel dried or blow dried tho.

Underneath all that fluff, the Silkie has black skin and bones. This makes them a food delicacy in parts of the Far East. The meat is used in Chinese medicine as an anti-aging ingredient, since it contains twice as much carnitine as other chicken meat.

Silkies are poor performers in the egg laying department. If you get 120 eggs in a year you are doing well. This equates to about 3 eggs each week. Silkies are known to be calm, friendly and docile. A Silkie is the ultimate in kids’ chickens. They are cuddly, fluffy and tolerant, love sitting in your lap and even enjoy cuddles. They’ll follow you around and ‘talk’ to you.

The Silkie chicken always brings a smile to peoples’ faces. All in all, these funny little birds are a joy to have and give much pleasure to their owners. So, is it hug a chicken today?

Then we have the Koalas. They are so cute; doesn’t everyone want to hug one? They aren’t as sweet as they look tho. Koala experts say the creatures’ behavior most often varies between mildly cranky to downright bad-tempered.

Koalas look soft, but their fur feels like the coarse wool of a sheep. They may seem cuddly, but koalas aren’t tame, and don’t make good pets.

Koalas live in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and a small area in South Australia. Most of these areas don’t allow you to hold one. Only trained accredited rangers are allowed to hold a koala. This is actually pretty sensible because it protects the koalas from being stressed when a human wants to give it a hug. Koalas are wild animals and have a natural fear of humans, especially humans who they don’t know.

They have strong, razor-sharp claws that can cause severe injuries and can bite tremendously hard. Although they may appear docile, they are capable of lashing out very quickly when threatened.

“The koala’s enduring popularity indicates that, as in our love lives, good looks can blind us to severe personality flaws.” You just might be better off hugging the stuffed Koala Bear for Hugs & Love or just giving yourself a hug.

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Rebirth, Inspiration And Excitement

If April showers bring May flowers what do May flowers bring? The Pilgrims! A bit roll your eyes’ humor but funny in its own way.

So what does May bring? The month of May marks the beginning of summer. It comes with longer days, more sunlight, and more time to enjoy outdoors. Besides the weather, May has a lot to offer.

It’s the month of Taurus and Gemini, which explains why you may feel calm and energized at the same time. It’s also the best month for those who love food. You have every reason to love this month when you enjoy National Truffle Day, Chocolate Chip Day, Cinco de Mayo, and National Eat What You Want Day (yep, that’s a thing) all packed into this delicious month.

Are you ready to embrace a bit of summer fun? May is pure magic, ready to serve up plenty of perfect days of sunshine and blooming flowers. It allows us to look forward to a long, relaxing summer.

“May is the perfect time to take a breath of fresh air and enjoy the beauty of spring.” – Debasish Mridha

It is a season of new beginnings and growth. Spring has arrived, bringing with it a burst of vibrant colors, sweet fragrances, and a refreshing sense of renewal. It emerges as the month of blooming exquisiteness, when nature displays the first of her enchanting seasons. The world awakens in May and we find ourselves inspired by the wonders.

“It opens the door to our summer, blooming with the full splendor of spring and radiating with an energy that encourages us to relish every blossoming tree and bright, sunny day!”

All things seem possible in May.” – Edwin Way Teale” “May, queen of blossoms, and fulfilling flowers, what pretty music shall we charm the hours?” – Lord Edward Thurlow

Some may remember the May Day celebrations of dancing round the Maypole. Down through the centuries May Day has been associated with fun, revelry and fertility. The Day was marked with village folk, the selection of the May Queen and the dancing figure of the Jack-in-the-Green at the head of the procession. May Day is “Lei Day” in Hawaii.

A dry May and a leaking June Make the farmer whistle a merry tune.

In a bit of history long forgotten. May Day commemorated the historic struggles and gains made by workers and the labor movement. In 1889 an international federation of socialist groups and trade unions designated May 1st as a day in support of workers, in commemoration of the 1886 Haymarket Riot in Chicago. “Five years later, U.S. Pres. Grover Cleveland, uneasy with the socialist origins of Workers’ Day, signed legislation to make Labor Day—already held in some states on the first Monday of September—the official U.S. holiday in honor of workers.”

May be a sign of hope and a witness to the beauty of the first blossoms, but it can be terrifying. On May 26 in 1917, tornadoes struck central Illinois, killing 101 people. Originally thought to be just one tornado that wreaked havoc along a 293-mile-long path, the outbreak was later determined to be four to eight tornadoes. One tornado lasted 4 hours and followed a track 155 miles long (including the distance traveled while in the air). Mattoon and Charleston were especially hard hit by an F4 tornado (original Fujita scale). In Mattoon, almost 500 houses were destroyed.

The race to settle the west began when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act on May 20, 1862 to open millions of acres of government owned land in the West to “homesteaders”. Homesteaders could acquire up to 160 acres by living on the land and cultivating it for five years, paying just $1.25 per acre.

On the morning of May 16, 1874, the first recorded dam disaster happened. The Mill River Dam collapsed killing 139 and wiping out 4 Massachusetts factory villages in an hour. The huge earthen dam held back 100-acre waterpower reservoir three miles above Williamsburg on the East Branch of the Mill River.

Over 2,300 persons were killed in the Johnstown flood in Pennsylvania on May 31, 1889. Heavy rains throughout May caused the Connemaugh River Dam to burst sending a wall of water 75 feet high pouring down upon the city.

The Wall Street Crash of 1893 began on May 5 when stock prices fell dramatically. By the end of the year, 600 banks closed and several big railroads were in receivership. Another 15,000 businesses went bankrupt amid 20 percent unemployment. It was the worst economic crisis in U.S. history up to that time.

A German U-boat sank the British ocean liner Lusitania on May 7, 1915, resulting in the deaths of 1,198 people. Since 128 of those killed were Americans, the Lusitania’s sinking indirectly contributed to the United States’ entering World War I two years later.

On May 6, 1937 the Hindenburg burst into flames while landing in Lakehurst, New Jersey. The explosion killed 36 of the 97 people aboard the dirigible.

Alan Shepard became the first American in space on May 5, 1961. He piloted the spacecraft Freedom 7 during a 15-minute 28-second suborbital flight that reached an altitude of 116 miles.

Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. “The eruption was one of the greatest volcanic explosions ever recorded in North America, killing 57 people and destroying the mountain’s volcanic cone.”

“May is the month of expectation, the month of wishes, the month of hope.” – Emily Brontë May never begins or ends on the same day of the week as every other month. AND, May is Get Caught Reading Month. We caught ya!!

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Volunteers

We always need volunteers. Volunteers keep the lights on. They cement the community together. Volunteers often help keep the doors open and enable organizations to deliver vital programs and services. They lend their expertise, to fundraising campaigns and special events.

Volunteering for a good cause changes lives and doesn’t just benefit the people you’re helping. Beyond the obvious benefits of helping out in the community and making a difference, volunteering can both further a career and improve your life. Everybody wins.

Did you hear about the knife thrower who started using volunteers as a part of his show? Yea they’re a part of his target audience

Volunteering can provide a healthy boost to your self-confidence, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. You are doing good for others and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment. Your role as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity.

By volunteering, you’ll meet people you otherwise never would have met. The bonds formed between volunteers are strong, and friendships quickly form. These friendships could be a big benefit by expanding your network of contacts. It’s a nice side effect of the work you’ll be doing. What do you call an elderly person who volunteers their time? A dentured servant.

Unemployed volunteers are more likely to find work than non-volunteers. Volunteers have a 27 percent better chance of being hired than people who don’t volunteer, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service.

A LinkedIn survey found 41 percent of hiring managers view volunteer work as equal to a paid job. This is especially beneficial to anyone who has been unemployed but volunteered while searching for a job. What do you call a volunteer bricklayer? A freemason.

Every new skill you pick up is a chance to improve and expand your personal branding. You won’t be paid, but you’ll receive valuable hands-on experience that you can take ownership in.

Volunteering makes most people happier in life and improves their mental health. A study found volunteers have a 20 percent lower risk of death than people who don’t volunteer. Being happier in life can have a huge impact in your “real” job and ensure you don’t get burned out.

Your disposition and energy levels will improve, while the risk of burnout decreases. Happiness makes the day-to-day work more enjoyable.

Self-confidence goes a long way in furthering your career, and volunteering provides the outlet to improve this valuable trait. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing as long as it gives you a sense of purpose and satisfaction.

A man buys a paint factory in a small town. He visits the local volunteer fire department to see for himself if they’d be able to handle a fire at his plant. What he finds convinces him they could not…the whole fire department consists of one old pumper truck and a bunch of volunteers he finds less than reliable. He tells them “Boys, I’m sorry to tell you this but I’m not confident you could handle a fire at my plant. I’m going to contract with the nearby big-city fire department”.

A few months later the unthinkable happens and the plant catches fire. The owner calls the big-city fire department, and when they show up the fire chief decides that it’s just too dangerous to approach the plant. He decides to set up a roadblock to prevent anyone from going near it, and they begin to wait it out. Just then the local boys come barreling down the road, fire bell clanging and siren blaring. The driver is waving his arms to get the big-city firemen to move out of the way, and crashes right through the barricades. They smash through an overhead door into the plant, set up a few hoses and start fighting the fire. The guys without hoses grab shovels and start flinging dirt onto the fire.

The big-city fire chief sees this and shouts “C’mon boys, let’s get in there and help ’em out!” After a few hours their efforts pay off, and they manage to save a large portion of the plant. The owner is happy as he can be, and tells the local fire chief “That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen! Thank you! I’m going to write you a check and donate $10,000 to your fire department! Do you have any idea how you’re going to spend it?” The local chief thinks for a moment and says:

“Well, I don’t know what we’re going to do with the rest, but first thing tomorrow morning that fire engine is getting new brakes!”

Did you know that over 1 billion people volunteer worldwide? The number of volunteers exceeds the number of unemployed people in six out of ten of the world’s largest countries. Moreover, it’s three times the number of people employed in financial services or mining industries. The effect of their labor is equal to over 109 million full-time workers.

One in four Americans volunteer. People in the States spend an average of 52 hours a year volunteering. Women are more likely than men to volunteer. And Baby Boomers are more likely to be volunteers than any other generation.

Covid caused 11% of volunteer organizations in the US to cease operations. Almost 75% of Americans think that volunteering will be more important after the pandemic. In the US, 15% of people support hunger and homelessness causes. Most volunteers in the States are between 35 and 44 years old.

Volunteers are crucial for charities and nonprofits, many of which would not survive without their volunteer staff’s dedication. Beyond nonprofits, many other organizations also benefit from volunteer work, including schools, nursing homes, medical care facilities, prisons, and government programs like animal shelters.

My wife volunteers every week as a school crossing guard. I tell everyone she’s into human trafficking.

In the US and Canada, 38% of people donate between $101 and $999. The next largest segment is the $1,000–$4,999 range, with 35% of people donating this amount. Moreover, 18% of people give more than $5,000, with 11% giving between $5,000 and $9,999 and 7% giving more than $10,000. On the other hand, approximately 9% of people donate $100 or less.

Don’t ever question the value of volunteers. Noah’s Ark was built by volunteers; the Titanic was built by professionals.” ~Dave Gynn.

70% of volunteer work is done informally. One of the major global volunteering trends is that most volunteer work happens outside of organized charities or businesses. It’s usually driven by people’s involvement in religious, social, or political groups. In non-industrialized countries, the gap between formal and informal volunteering is even bigger.

Volunteer time in the States is currently valued at $28.54 per hour. This calculation is based on hourly earnings released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. It’s estimated that volunteers contribute nearly $200 billion in value to US communities. The value of volunteer time in 2020 was up 4.9% from 2019.

“Here’s to all volunteers, those dedicated people who believe in all work and no-pay.” ~ Robert Orben, speech and comedy writer.

Around 30.3% of Americans volunteer. Approximately one-third of adult Americans formally volunteer at least once a year. Moreover, 35.97% of the time spent volunteering is dedicated to fundraising. Finally, 34.22% of volunteering activity goes to collecting, prepping, or distributing food (34.22%).

In the US, 15% of people support hunger and homelessness causes. Hunger and homelessness causes are the most supported in the US. The next leading cause for volunteers is health and wellness, with 13% of Americans donating to those causes. According to volunteering statistics, other top causes are religion-based and charities for animals and wildlife, with 12% and 10% of Americans supporting them, respectively.

Help celebrate Volunteer Recognition Day on April 20. “There are three kinds of people: Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who say, ‘what happened?'” ~ Casey Stengel.

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Listen, my children, and you shall hear

“Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year.”

The poem was Longfellow’s embodiment of Revere as the courage and determination of the ordinary citizens in the Revolutionary War. Overall, Paul Revere was just a cog in an elaborate warning system.

In 1774 and 1775, the Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Massachusetts Committee of Safety employed Paul Revere as an express rider to carry news, messages, and copies of important documents as far away as New York and Philadelphia.

On the evening of April 18, 1775, Dr. Joseph Warren summoned Paul Revere and gave him the task of riding to Lexington, Massachusetts with the news that British soldiers stationed in Boston were about to march into the countryside northwest of the town.

At the time it was thought that the troops planned to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock, two leaders of the Sons of Liberty. Then the troops would then continue on to Concord, to capture or destroy military stores, gunpowder, ammunition, and several cannons that had been stockpiled there. In reality the British troops had no orders to arrest anyone.

Revere contacted a friend and instructed him to hold two lit lanterns in the tower of Christ Church (now called the Old North Church) as a signal to fellow Sons of Liberty across the Charles River in case Revere was unable to leave town.

The two lanterns were a predetermined signal stating that the British troops planned to row “by sea” across the Charles River to Cambridge, rather than march “by land” out Boston Neck.

After informing Colonel Conant and other local Sons of Liberty about recent events in Boston and verifying that they had seen his signals in the North Church tower, Revere borrowed a horse from John Larkin, a Charlestown merchant and a patriot sympathizer. A member of the Committee of Safety named Richard Devens warned Revere that there were a number of British patrols in the area who might try to intercept him.

At about eleven o’clock Revere set off on horseback. After narrowly avoiding capture just outside of Charlestown, Revere changed his planned route and rode through Medford, where he alarmed Isaac Hall, the captain of the local militia, and informed him of the British movements. He then alarmed almost all the houses from Medford, through Menotomy (today’s Arlington) and arrived in Lexington sometime after midnight.

In Lexington he delivered the message that the regulars were coming. Later that night William Dawes, who had traveled the longer land route out of Boston Neck, arrived in Lexington carrying the same message. Both continued on to Concord to verify that the military stores were properly dispersed and hidden away.

Outside of Lexington, they were overtaken by Dr. Samuel Prescott, a fellow “high Son of Liberty.” A short time later, the British intercepted all three. Prescott and Dawes escaped. Revere was held and questioned but let go. However, his horse was confiscated to replace the tired mount of a British sergeant. Revere returned to Lexington on foot in time to witness the latter part of the battle on Lexington Green.

The opening lines of “Paul Revere’s Ride” are perhaps the best-known words today of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The poem takes the reader through Paul Revere’s urgent ride on the eve of the battle of Lexington and Concord with its galloping measure and steady rhyme.

Longfellow worked on the poem over several months. It was published in the Boston Evening Transcript and Atlantic Monthly in December 1860. Three years later it was included in Longfellow’s book Tales of a Wayside Inn.

Longfellow’s poem took significant poetic license with the historic facts. The triggering event of writing the poem seems to have been a tour of Boston on April 5, 1860, when he recorded in his journal: “Go with [George] Sumner to Mr. Having, of the North End, who acts as our guide to the “Little Britian” of Boston. Go to the Copp’s Hill burial ground and see the tomb of Cotton Mather, his father and his son; then to the old North Church, which looks like a parish church in London. Climb the tower to the Chime of Bells, now the home of innumerable pigeons. From this tower were hung the lanterns as a signal that the British troops had left Boston for Concord.”

Longfellow began writing the poem the next day. The signal lanterns were immortalized in his phrase, “One, if by land, and two, if by sea.” He used his trip up the Old North Church tower to paint a vivid picture of Revere’s friend preparing to hold up the lanterns.

The poem should be read as a tale, not as a historical account. The lanterns were a fallback plan in case he could not get out of Boston. Revere never arrived in Concord. Revere did not ride alone that night. He was one of two riders to leave Boston, and one of many messengers spreading the alarm.

The omission of other riders was a particularly sore point for some. Henry Ware Holland, a descendant of William Dawes, self-published a history in 1878 titled ‘William Dawes and His Ride with Paul Revere’. He sent a copy to Longfellow, “who wryly remarked that it was “a very handsome book… in which he convicts me of high historic crimes and misdemeanors.”

Longfellow wrote “Paul Revere’s Ride” in 1860, in the midst of a national crisis that broke out into war a year later. He was a pacifist and an abolitionist. In earlier decades, Longfellow used his poetry to speak out against slavery in seven “Poems on Slavery”, against war in “The Arsenal at Springfield”, and for the strength of the union in “The Building of the Ship”.

In March 1861, only three months after the poem’s publication, Abraham Lincoln made a similar appeal in his inaugural address: “The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

“Because of Longfellow’s portrayal, Paul Revere and his ride became icons of patriotism and the American Revolution. Even Longfellow’s critic Holland admitted that the scene of Revere waiting for the signal lights was “one of the finest in our colonial annals,” though he added that it “is pure fiction.”

The poem’s fame led to the preservation of the Paul Revere House in 1901 and the erection of an equestrian statue of Revere in the shadow of the Old North Church. In 1967, Martin Luther King summoned Longfellow’s iconic messenger, saying, “We still need some Paul Revere of conscience to alert every hamlet and every village of America that revolution is still at hand.” Thus, the “midnight message” of Paul Revere and Henry Longfellow echoes to this day.

“So through the night rode Paul Revere; And so through the night went his cry of alarm To every Middlesex village and farm,— A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door, And a word that shall echo forevermore! … Through all our history, to the last, In the hour of darkness and peril and need, The people will waken and listen to hear The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed, And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

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A hummin and a Buzzin

And a kazoo to you too. Remember an instrument that produces a buzzing sound when played and consists of a small metal or plastic tube with a side hole covered by a thin membrane? Bet many have tried to play one. It was a real humdinger!

A kazoo is a handheld, novelty instrument usually made of tin or plastic. It creates a buzzing sound when played. The tone quality of a kazoo is determined by the quality of the membrane or resonator. You don’t’ blow into a kazoo to create the desired sound; you have to hum into it.

A popular anecdote suggests that Alabama Vest, a formerly enslaved person residing in Macon, Georgia, designed the modern kazoo in 1840 in collaboration with German clock manufacturer Thaddeus Von Clegg.

It was first presented to the world at the Georgia State Fair in 1852 as the “Down South Submarine”. The kazoo was formally named the “Clegghorn.” Because the pair introduced their musical invention at the fair in ‘52, the kazoo is considered an American invention, despite its African origins. Do U Kazoo?

After the Georgia State Fair, salesmen Emil Sorg and Michael McIntyre came across the kazoo and decided to launch The Original American Kazoo Company, the first kazoo mass-production endeavor. McIntyre patented the kazoo in 1923, and business boomed.

The factory is now called The Kazoo Factory and Museum. It still operates and is open to the public for tours. In 2010, The Kazoo Museum opened in Beaufort, South Carolina with exhibits on kazoo history. The Kazoo Factory and Museum produces around 1.5 million kazoos each year and is the only manufacturer of metal kazoos in North America.

Voice-changing and vibrating instruments, much like the kazoo, have been played for hundreds of years for ceremonial purposes in Africa. They were called mirlitons, or “onion flutes.”

The name kazoo comes from a variation on the 1800s slang term ‘bazoo,’ meaning trumpet. Kazoos in the U.K. were originally called ‘Timmy Talkers’ or “onion flutes.”

Porcupines! Believe it or not porcupines, in addition to having antibiotics in their skin, also developed the ability to make kazoo noises.

The kazoo was used in popular songs like the Beatles’ Lovely Rita and Crosstown Traffic by Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix played a homemade kazoo on “Crosstown Traffic”. To achieve the right buzzing effect, he doubled the guitar line by blowing through a kazoo constructed from a comb and cellophane.

Frank Zappa is also known to have favored the kazoo in his work. If you build it, they will hum. Patient: Doctor, I was playing my kazoo and I swallowed it! Doctor: Thank goodness you’re not a tuba player

Ever wonder how does a kazoo works? The kazoo is one of the easiest musical instruments to play. It is a type of mirliton—a woodwind-type instrument that produces music similar to when you blow on a comb and paper for a buzzing sound. When a player hums into the kazoo, an inner membrane vibrates.

Many kazoo enthusiasts have continuously petitioned to make the kazoo the National Instrument of the United States, though in 1885, the Telegraph referred to the kazoo as a “new nondescript musical instrument of torture.”

According to Julius Greve & Sascha Pöhlmann, kazoos have never been considered respectable instruments, but rather, “toy-like sound-producers for the common man, woman, and above all, child,” namely because the kazoo is “figured out in the hands of the learner and not at the advice of a teacher.” What do you say when a kazoo sneezes? Kazoontite

The kazoo has long reigned as one of the funniest musical instruments of all time. The buzzing, duck-like sound certainly adds a humorous quality to the human voice, and so kazoos have become a tool for spreading positivity and laughter. Famously, the video game Yoshi’s New Island includes kazoos in its soundtrack, as does the film Chicken Run, composed by John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams.

However, in addition to jug bands and toy stores, the kazoo has been featured in countless professional ensembles worldwide. Jesse Fuller’s 1962 San Francisco Bay Blues played by Tracy features a kazoo solo.

In 2011, the audience of BBC in Royal Albert Hall performed Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries and the Dambusters March on kazoos, setting a world record for the largest kazoo ensemble: 5,190 kazooists.

“Kazooist Barbara Stewart performed on The Tonight Show, as well as at Carnegie Hall. Indeed, when it comes to the kazoo, anything is possible — and that is a fact worth celebrating.”

Kazoos are played in jug bands and comedy music everywhere, from amateurs to professionals. Popular songs featuring the kazoo include Del Shannon’s “So Long Baby,” Ringo Starr’s “You’re Sixteen,” and the Grateful Dead’s “Alligator.”

During a Jerry Garcia tribute night at a 2010 San Francisco Giants game, about 9,000 kazoo players performed ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game’.

The Kazoo has also become a staple in various children’s educational programs. “Studies have shown that introducing young children to music at an early age can enhance their cognitive development, and the kazoo plays a crucial role in this process. Its simplicity allows children to engage with and explore the world of music in a playful and accessible manner.”

So grab a kazoo, hum a bit and enjoy the unique amusing sounds it produces. Start a trend. We be a hummin and a buzzin.

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Ready, Set, Library! Woh-who-ey!! Huzzah!!

Race to discover the possibilities at your library during National Library Week, April 7 – 13. Race to discover April10th. Libraries give a green light to something truly special: a place to connect with others, learn new skills, and focus on what matters most. Find some life pleasures at our library’s author talks, musical entertainers, and book clubs. Enjoy the scenic route through the stacks to find your new favorite story. Or take a look at our library’s website: https://cascademtwedsworthlibrary.org. for up-to-date library news, historical info, access to our online catalogue and a whole lot more.

No matter where you find yourself on the roadmap through life’s journey—preparing for a new career, launching a business, or raising a family—your library provides an inclusive and supportive community where everyone belongs.

Research revealed that by the mid-1950s, Americans were spending significant amounts of time listening to the radio, watching TV and playing musical instruments. Through concern that people were not reading enough, in 1954 a non-profit book committee was established by the American Library Association (ALA) and the American Book Publishers. National Library Week was first sponsored in 1958, and the weeklong event was developed with the intent to motivate people to read as well as to support and show appreciation to their local libraries.

The yearly affair is also sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) who decided that this week be observed every April. National Library Week is a week-long celebration highlighting the importance of libraries and encouraging people to read. Each year, the National Book Committee sponsors the event to give thanks to the hard-working librarians and library workers who work (often voluntarily) to keep libraries open and available.

Get ready to explore, become inspired, and connect with your library this National Library Week. Libraries are there for you, all the way to the finish line. From Harry Potter and Matilda, to Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, we’re sure at some point you’ve dashed to the library to borrow your favorite book or audio book.

Do you remember that feeling of getting a brand-new library card – of whipping it out when you borrowed a mountain of DVD’s? Of course, times have changed. Libraries are pivotal to society and to schools. Celebrating libraries means celebrating silent reading, our communities and the shear fun of adventures through reading. This year let’s look back on our love for the smell inside an old book and wholeheartedly thank our local public libraries.

According to the American Literary Association, libraries are places where people can connect away from the pressures of technology and share a combined love for literature. The joy of reading is something that libraries encourage, with millions of books gracing shelves in libraries across America, from fiction to fact. With exciting new worlds and endless stories to be discovered, libraries often act as the gateway to a reader’s next great adventure.

National Library Week Theme: “Ready, Set, Library!” is the theme for National Library Week 2024 that resonates with the fast-paced world we live in, reminding us that libraries are the go-to destination for something extraordinary. They provide a space to connect, learn, and focus on what truly matters.

This year come celebrate at Wedsworth Library with Tim De Roche on Wednesday, April 10th at 6:00 p.m. Tim heralds from Ulm and loves to tell stories. He has a love for Country Swing Dancing and the Civil War.

Tim De Roche is an Amateur Civil War historian. He’s lived in eight states, including Virginia twice and Texas. His hobby is visiting battlefields and he has visited alot of ‘em. His best hobby is reading extensively about the Civil War.

In addition to reading, Tim has been a Civil War reenactor and a retired federal executive. He has a MBA, UCLA, BS from Colorado State University and the United States Army Officer Candidate School.

He spent 8 years as a State Director of The Back Country Horsemen of Montana and was twice Chapter Chairman (President). Along with that was 7 summers as a volunteer at the C.M. Russell Museum, 6 years as a member of the Ulm Volunteer Fire Department, and a 4-year member of the Great Falls Tribune (When it existed) on the Reader’s Panel. Tim has lived in Montana for 18 years, returning home after his retirement.

Tim is all charged up to educate us on the direct Civil War connections to Montana’s history and the unique historical facts about the conflict. And he loves questions.

As Tim will ask – “if you were alive in 1861, which side would you support? If you were a Southerner, or if you were a Northerner? How would you have chosen if you had lived in the other regional area of America? Or would you choose not to participate? Interesting questions to consider. All three answers were given by people who eventually relocated to Montana, and it affected their interaction in the decades after the war.”

Tim will provide an interesting and fairly short presentation that will include original Mini-ball bullets and a partial Canon ball from an Actual Maryland battlefield. Imagine these flying at you in massive numbers.!! Maybe Tim’ll dance a way into your love of history and books.

And don’t forget the absolutely delicious treats sponsored by our WONDERFUL Cascade Women’s Club. We can hardly wait to eat our way through this rowdy delicious excitement.

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Have You Heard Spring?

Spring is in the air! You know spring has sprung when wildflowers carpet the hills with color, windows are opened for fresh air, snow melts, streams swell with water and when T-shirts and flip flops become the norm.

Have you been looking for the signs of spring: blossoms blooming, buzzing bees, longer days, and the melody of birds? We often describe spring as a time of rebirth, renewal and awakening. Trees are blossoming and early flowers are pushing through the earth. Things are coming to life! But what does spring sound like?

Spring is a chorus of wildlife calls, including meadowlark, bison, prairie dogs, and more. Spring brings new sounds; like bird songs at dawn, frog croaks by ponds, crickets and dripping icicles.

Ponds are full of frogspawn and the nightly chorale of frogs! They hibernate during the winter, but when spring comes around, they’re awake and raring to go with their full throttle of their croaking variations.

There’s that high-pitched, chirping noise that can drive you crazy. Crickets late at night. Feeling the warm weather, crickets appear to begin singing and mating. It’s our little April Chirper, sounding off months before the other singing insects are heard.

The plip, plop, plink, plunk, drip, pitter-patter, splash! Listen to the sounds of spring. Melting ice can emit a surprising variety of sounds. From the steady drip of sun-warmed icicles to the groans and cracks of thawing lakes. The sound of melting ice layers shifting from the spring thaws. Water bodies awaking from their winter state with new sounds of life.

There’s the tinkling stream. The calming sound of water flowing from the soft melting snow. We hear the streams as they burble along in their creek bed, bubbling over rocks and branches.

Watersheds’ trickles change to surging channels from driving rain and snowmelt into creeks, streams, and rivers. The roar of creeks and rivers as they reawaken. Waterfalls thawing and thundering over cliffs or erupting from the side of a steep canyon wall. April showers softly caressing then building in intensity with low rumbles of thunder.

The wind rustling through the new emerging leaves. A gentle spring breeze lightly tickling the leaves and branches of trees to softly graze against the other. Or Spring winds with powerful force of whistling howls to blustering gales.

Bees buzzing. Taking a moment to listen to the bees’ hum from flower to flower, collecting their pollen and nectar can be one of life’s simple pleasures. Or the angry buzz when defending themselves or their hives.

Red winged blackbirds, Baltimore orioles and American robins herald the arrival of spring. The ‘dawn chorus’ of birds. The nightingale in the evening, and the voices of night birds. The melody of birds is one of the loveliest sounds in nature. Their songs can be loud and lively or cooing. We spring to Life when we hear the sweet sweet sound of our fellow meadowlark or Robin.

Bird sounds provide a natural soundtrack for our lives. Among other things, they give voice to the spring, sweeten the sunrise, and add mystery to the night. “Celebrated by poets and renowned as one of nature’s greatest singers, the Wood Thrush occupies a class of its own. This tireless singer is one of the first birds to be heard in the morning and one of the last to quit in the evening.”

The Yellow Warbler’s sweet, cheerful song lasting just a second. Tho it’s shared again and again. The song something of a spring and early-summer anthem. Song Sparrows offer listeners a repertoire of songs and put a “signature touch adding unique interludes of varying tempo between standard song phrases.”

Male Bobolinks belt out gurgling, metallic-sounding songs that last about 3.5 seconds each. Songs that woo females, delineate territory, and, for appreciative human listeners, enliven fallow fields, meadows, and prairies in spring.

The sweet whistles of the Western Meadowlark grace fields and farms with rich, flute-like songs span a wide range of notes. Golden-crowned Sparrows with clear whistles, sliding downward in a melancholy phrase to sing a sad song. Often adding a trill to the end.

The sound of sandhill cranes fill the air with a peculiar blend of high-pitched purrs, ratcheting honks, and low moans. House Finches share their exquisite songs, taking to high perches, to sing with gusto for extended periods. Their fast-paced song bounces up and down.

The Canyon Wren found mainly among cliffs and canyons offers a cascading song, formed of a distinctive series of liquid-sounding whistles bouncing and amplified, from rock face to rock face.

It might look demure, but the bush stone-curlew has a call that would make just about anyone’s blood run cold. “Nicknamed the ‘screaming woman bird’, their high-pitched, drawn-out shrieks can be heard across the night as they try to contact each other.”

The eerie howling of wolves can be both haunting and captivating. The call of the coyote echoing against the hillsides. Or the harsh, loud shrieks called “the vixen’s scream” of the red fox.

Whether it’s the wind through the trees, the chatter of animals, the movement of water, or the noise of nothingness that just seems to exist naturally; these sounds make up nature’s white noise.

Not only do we have the sweet warbles of the delightful song bird but the male grouse and prairie chickens start their spectacular courtship dancing display. The prairie chicken’s boom, the Ruffed Grouse drum. Listen to the chatter, stomping feet, and hiccups that fill the air with the dancing of Sharp-tailed Grouse. There’s something about the rhythmic drumroll of feathered feet, guttural ‘hiccupy’ call, and the flash of violet.

The sounds of Spring. Listen. Immerse yourself in the tranquil sounds of the great outdoors. Hear Spring this year.

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Eating our Way Through March

March is a very lively month. We can celebrate all month long. It’s a month for major holidays and food!

We begin to see the first signs of Spring and the added daylight hours when Daylight Savings Time begins. March can be seen as a month of new beginnings. Mother Nature has been known to begin showing off her colors in lively blooms, especially those lovely daffodils, the crocus, irises and then the tulips who round out the end of the month.

The Ides of March (March 15) became notorious as the date of the assassination of Julius Caesar, which made it a turning point in Roman history. Originally the Ides were supposed to be determined by the full moon, reflecting the lunar origin of the Roman calendar. It has long been associated with misfortune and doom. Later it was further immortalized in the tragedy Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare.

We’ve celebrated that lively day of St. Pats and look forward to the egg hunting at end of the month. Through the entire month though, we can eat our way towards all that Easter candy by celebrating March 18 as National Sloppy Joe Day. We all know there are plenty of variations out there, but your basic Sloppy Joe sauce has a few main ingredients: tomato, brown sugar, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce. After that, the options are endless. What are your options?

It’s not clear, exactly, when Sloppy Joes came into being. Sandwiches like Sloppy Joes have been a staple of Midwest cooking since the early 20th century. And some think it may have come from there. Others believe it may have been invented in a bar in Cuba, in 1917. Apparently Earnest Hemmingway loved the sandwich so much there, he convinced a friend in Key West to rename his bar “Sloppy Joe’s” and start selling the sandwiches. Either way, the sandwich became a sensation, and American institution.

March 21 brings us California Strawberry Day and French Bread Day. California Strawberry Day kicks off the strawberry season in California. The celebration takes place annually on March 21st, the first full day of spring. It’s an ideal time to rejuvenate our taste buds and get excited about fresh fruit dishes. Strawberries are often thought of as the flavor of “paradise speckled with a bit of sunshine and whimsy.”

Let us also not forget that there are few things more tantalizing than slice of French bread. Its length and its crisp crust define it. Known as a baguette to the French, French law eventually established what is and what not a baguette is. In 1920, a labor law prevented bakers from starting their day before 4 a.m. When the law limited their day, the bakers knew their product so well they adjusted by re-shaping their loaves of bread. The long, narrow loaves baked more quickly and evenly. As a result, patrons found the new loaves more convenient for slicing and storing.

Because they ‘must’ be eaten fresh, French people typically purchase baguettes twice a day: one in the morning on their way to work, and one in the evening on the way home. It is estimated by the Observatoire du Pain (The French Bread Observatory) that “French people consume 320 baguettes every second of each day!”

In fact, access to bread is so vital that, “until 2014, Paris lawmakers prohibited certain community bakeries from closing for summer holidays at the same time, lest the entire neighborhood be tragically without bread! National French Bread Day is a great opportunity to indulge in a classic comfort food at its finest, while also learning a little bit about French culture.”

Fortunately we have March 22 as National Goof Off Day so we can prepare ourselves for even more eating and gives everyone the opportunity to have a little extra fun. Monica (Moeller) Dufour of Davidson, MI founded National Goof Off Day. According to official records, the first celebration took place in 1976. We propose letting any goofy idea pop into your head for a day to relax and enjoy. So we suggest all stop, take a break, and find something different! So if you see us sleeping or our feet up on the desk, we are only honoring a fundamental holiday.

Then we eat on down to March 28^th. This delightful day recognizes a decadent and delicious dessert on National Black Forest Cake Day. Black Forest cake is the English name for the German dessert Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte, meaning “Black Forest cherry torte.” The cake is named after the specialty liquor (Schwarzwalder Kirschwasser) of the region of the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) mountain range in southwestern Germany.

Bakers layer chocolate cake with whipped cream and cherries between each layer. Then decorate the outside with whipped cream, maraschino cherries, and chocolate shavings. Some traditional recipes call for sour cherries between the layers and a Kirschwasser (a clear liquor distilled from tart cherries) to be added. In the U.S. bakers don’t use alcohol. In Germany, liqueur is a mandatory ingredient. Otherwise, the cake can’t legally be sold under the Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte name.

If you’re full by now, Easter could vey well be a challenge for you. So why do we have Easter eggs at Easter? Eggs represent new life and rebirth, and it’s thought that this ancient custom became a part of Easter celebrations. In the medieval period, eating eggs was forbidden during Lent (the 40 days before Easter) so on Easter Sunday, tucking into an egg was a real treat!

According to some sources, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its colored eggs.

Less we forget the other baskets of delightful treats. German immigrants originated the edible Easter egg, which was first made of sugar and pastry in the 1800s. By the late 1800s, U.S. candy makers were offering both hollow and filled chocolate eggs and eggs of unique flavors.

16 billion jelly beans are made exclusively for Easter! “That is enough jelly beans to fill a plastic egg the size of a nine story building! 90 million chocolate bunnies are made for Easter every year. 76% of Americans prefer to bite off the ears first, while 5% eat the feet first, and 4% eat the tail first.”

So is April a month for dieting???

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Educating the Bear

Join the bears at Wedsworth Memorial Library for some general bear education as well as assorted specifics on safety. Want to know some quick interesting facts about grizzly bears, just in case you didn’t know? Their Eating Habits Vary by Season. They’re at the Top of the Food Chain. They Eat a Lot. They Have Competition. They’re Fast Runners. Their Hump is Actually a Muscle. They Have Large Claws. They May Nurse for Three Years.

Chad White, Bear Management Specialist and Ali Marschner, Bear Management Technician in Choteau for MT Fish Wildlife and Parks will be here to listen to you and host a bit of in-depth discussion about the preventative measures everyone can take to avoid encouraging bears to be near their homes, ranches, dwellings etc. The FWP Bear Team will explain how they are able to help, but also what you can do on your own to keep all safe.

Reducing human-bear conflict is the goal of this presentation. Chad and Ali hope to provide some great information on how to avoid conflict with a bear. The MFWP wants everyone to know that the more one knows about bears and bear behavior, the more successful one will be in avoiding a bear conflict. “It is important to bear in mind the following when it comes to reducing human-grizzly bear conflict: 1. Bears can be anywhere (assume their presence and learn how to identify their sign). Preventing a conflict is easier than resolving a conflict. 3. Keep food and other attractants away from bears. 4. Be prepared to handle bear encounters and carry bear spray.”

The FWP realizes that to “effectively prevent grizzly bears from coming into conflict with people, biologists must work closely with local communities and residents of bear country. Bears are naturally curious problem solvers, adept at finding new food sources in order to survive. People recreating or living in bear habitat can attract grizzlies with unnatural foods, garbage, or other odors. Garbage, camping foods, dog food, bird seed, grain spills, livestock carcasses, and small animals such as poultry, rabbits, and sheep (and their foods), are all bear attractants. A hungry or curious grizzly may damage property.

One of the most significant and successful solutions to human bear conflict has also been one of the simplest: proper storage of human food and garbage. Bears are opportunists. If new food sources become available, the grizzly is quick to locate them. This includes dead livestock, human refuse, grain spills, and beehives. Bear managers frequently respond to conflict by helping landowners remove or secure whatever food source was bringing the bears.

For example, managers on the East Front regularly clean up spilled grain to prevent bears from coming near farms. Biologists often use aversive conditioning techniques to reduce human-grizzly conflicts. These techniques include rubber bullets, paintball markers, cracker shells, specially trained dogs, scare devices, and propane guns These techniques are used to create an unpleasant experience when the bear is engaged in undesirable behavior. Ideally, these techniques result in the bear creating a strong connection between humans and the aversive techniques.”

Believe it or not, pulling one bear’s tooth can yield information about a whole bear population. New layers of “cementum” grow on a bear’s tooth every year, producing annual growth rings that, under a microscope, look like the rings of a tree trunk. The number of rings reveals the bear’s age. Knowing the age structure of a population is important for monitoring that population.

Bear researchers usually pull the first premolar from each newly captured grizzly that is at least 2 years old. Pulling the first premolar, which is small and insignificant, does not leave a gap in the animal’s jaw or affect the bear’s ability to eat.

As Chad and Ali know and will expound on, “Avoiding a conflict is easier than dealing with a conflict. You can minimize the chance of an encounter, or at least surprise encounters, by understanding bear behavior when you recreate outdoors. Bears like to travel on game trails, human trails, and along water. They often rest in cool, dark, thick forests or brush. Often bears are resting during the mid-day when humans are most active.”

There will always be times when bears and humans encounter each other. “The bear’s response will be determined by the situation and its previous experience with humans. The human’s response will be determined by the situation, previous experience with bears, and what he or she has learned about bears and bear behavior.” Chad and Ali will provide some great advice on how to handle unexpected encounters and prevent some of those encounters.

The FWP knows “there is no single universal recipe being used by wildlife agencies” for bear safety. For example, an encounter with a grizzly bear while hiking in the forest is much different than an encounter with a grizzly bear on private property where people are working and living with grizzlies. Ultimately, as bear and human presence expands in Montana, we need to apply tools that are most effective in these areas.

“More and more of the conflicts are happening outside demographic monitoring areas where there is more private land. Educating people remains the best tool for reducing bear-human conflict. State, federal and tribal agencies, schools, even some towns have programs about bears and how to be safe in bear country. The more people know about bears, the better they will be able to live and recreate in bear country.”

Some up-to-date bear safety methods will be on display to keep your property safer from the bears. Agricultural producers face many challenges when it comes to living and working with grizzlies. There are precautions to prevent conflicts between bears, hunters and anglers. If you have any questions or concerns now is the time for the FWP Bear Team to hear them!

Join us Thursday, March 7 at 6:00 in the Library to become Bear educated. Of Course, there will be a few bites to sample. Not sure if we have to provide the honey though? The Bears will receive their education later this spring! So remember March 7 at 6:00 p.m. for an electrifying experience!!

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Educating the Fuzzy Adorable Bear

The library is offering some bear education. Are we educating the bears?? Well, as that might be a good course of action, it might be more productive not to try and educate the bears, as they seem to do their own thing and keep on learning how to open those doors. So let us offer some education to us humans who also like to ignore common sense and do our own thing which often leads into interesting situations.

Bears are fuzzy, adorable, but can be crazy terrifying. Bears of course, have been seen right here in our own backyards. And while your chances of being injured by a bear are approximately 1 in 2.7 million, according to the National Park Service, the thought of a bear in your yard can send shivers down the spine. What would bears be without bees? Ears!

The best solution we can offer? Make jokes! Herein, we’ve rounded up a few of the best bear puns that will help add a sense of levity. And if you’re expecting them to be un-bear-able, well, you’re prob-bear-ly right. What’s a bears favorite shoe? They prefer to go bear foot!

To be a bit more serious, we do have to think in reality. So what to do when faced with a bear challenge? We offer some theories from some so called experts (not advice on our part). When a bear charges you, it’s usually for one of two reasons.

One is Bluff charging. Bluff charges are the most common type as they are trying to scare or intimidate you. Its head and ears will be facing forward and up. A bears will puff itself up to look bigger, move in big, bounding leaps toward you, but will stop short or veer off at the last minute. It may make loud noises afterward.

If you think a bluff charge is about to happen, make yourself big, wave your arms, and talk calmly to the bear. When the bear starts charging, stand your ground and stay calm. When the bear finishes charging, back away slowly while talking to the bear calmly. You want to let it know that you’re human.

Never run away when a bear is bluff charging since it may trigger an attack. However, you should be prepared to defend yourself in case the attack isn’t a bluff and the bear turns aggressive. What do you call a bear without any teeth? A gummy bear!

Then there is Aggressive charging. A bear who is aggressively charging is very dangerous. Signs of an impending aggressive charge include: pounding front paws on the ground, huffing, yawning or clacking their teeth, head down and ears pointed back, or running straight at you, full-speed. Do not run. Running can “activate” the bear, making them think you are prey.

If you see these signs, prepare to defend yourself. This is where the bear safety rhyme has some merit. Ever hear the color-coded aphorism about how to behave during a bear encounter: “If it’s black, fight back; if it’s brown, lie down; if it’s white, say good night – (which is to say, if you have some sort of an encounter with a polar bear, you’re probably a goner)?

Although the bear safety rhyme sounds like good advice, you have to know why a bear is attacking you before you can decide the best way to respond. If a black bear attacks you, according to the saying – fight back. Don’t play dead. Punch and kick at the bear’s face. Use weapons such as rocks, sticks, or bear spray.

If a brown bear or also known as a grizzly bear, attacks you, get on the ground immediately, play dead. Don’t fight back as that makes the attack worse. Cover your head with your hands and leave your backpack on to help protect yourself. Lie flat on your stomach with your legs outspread keeping your elbows on the ground to keep the bear from rolling you over and exposing your stomach. As difficult as it may be, don’t make any noise and be as still as possible. You want to convince the bear you’re not a threat. Resistance will provoke the bear. Hopefully, the bear will see you’re immobilized and go away.

If the bear quits attacking you, continue to lie still for several minutes in case it’s still in the area. Don’t move until you’re sure the bear is gone. If the bear continues to attack you, you may have no choice but to fight back. If you have to fight, fight it as hard as you can with any weapons you can find.

Unlike brown and black bears, polar bears rarely bluff charge. If a polar bear is charging you, be ready to defend yourself and fight it off. Try to hit it in any sensitive areas such as the face, eyes, and nose. Fortunately, we don’t see many around here. Why did the bear need to take a break? He just likes to paws and reflect sometimes!

Remember – a bear-on-human attack is less frequent than a lightning strike. Bears can be anywhere. Assume their presence. Avoiding a conflict is easier than dealing with one.

The bottom line – you need to be aware of your surroundings. That means always keeping an eye on the area around you, keeping your dog leashed and being on the lookout for animal carcasses, which a bear could be protecting as a food source.

Always keep a safe distance from wildlife. Never intentionally get close to a bear. Stay alert and look for bear activity, especially where visibility or hearing is limited. NO delay to take a selfie or video.

Always carry Bear spray, a stronger version of pepper spray. But having it buried in your backpack isn’t really helpful if you suddenly encounter a charging bear. Keep it within reach, and know how to use it, especially if you can’t see beyond about 40 feet.

Try to travel and hike in groups of two to five. Groups of people are usually noisier and less likely to surprise bears. Most importantly, if you see a bear from a distance, detour as much as possible. Do not try to get closer to take a picture. Anyone moving quickly (i.e., mountain biker, trail runner) is at a higher risk of surprising a bear.

If the bear sees you, move slowly. If you happen upon a bear at close range − especially a mom with cubs − don’t make sudden movements. Back away slowly, while observing behavior. If it’s huffing and puffing, waving its claws or pawing at the ground, those are all signs of aggression. It’s warning you and once again forget about taking that picture or video of the encounter.

But what can we do to be safe around your home? Do not litter or leave food out, especially when you’re hiking or camping. Food and garbage are the No. 1 attractants to a bear.

Upgrade your trash can to bear resistant. This is an investment in both your safety and the wildlife surrounding you. Clean your grill after every use. After using the grill, put it in your garage or a place that a bear cannot get to it. If cooking over an open fire, remove any unburned food or scraps from the fire pit.

Remove bird feeders when bears are most active, mid- March to mid-November. At a minimum, make feeders unavailable by hanging them at least 10 feet from the ground and four feet from any supporting post or tree trunk.

Keep your lawn mowed and weeded. Grasses, dandelions and clover are natural bear foods. Keep the landscape open in the area surrounding your house.

Consider electric fencing if you have a garden. Vegetable gardens, especially those containing potatoes and root vegetables such as carrots and beets, attract bears. Flower gardens are not as attractive to bears as long as they don’t contain sweet vetch, dandelions or clover. Never use blood meal as a fertilizer or deer repellent in any type of garden.

Don’t leave pets unattended outside at night or when a bear is known to be in the area. Store pet food inside. Consider feeding pets (and livestock) at midday so they are finished eating before dusk. Bring pet food bowls inside as soon as pets are finished eating. Don’t leave bones and scented chew toys laying around your yard.

What did the bear say when he fell down the stairs? “Oh, how embearassing!”

Bear safety is mainly proactive. The best way to stay safe around bears is to proactively avoid negative bear encounters whether on the trail or around home.

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Wedsworth Library Board Trustee Vacancy – Town of Cascade

The Wedsworth Memorial Library in Cascade is looking to fill a vacancy on its Board of Trustees as a Town of Cascade representative. If you would like to apply for this volunteer position, please stop by Wedsworth Memorial Library at 13 North Front Street Cascade, MT to obtain an application. The application may be returned to the Wedsworth Library or mailed to Board of Trustees, P.O. Box 526, Cascade, MT 59421 to be received by Saturday April 01, 2024. This term will begin July 1, 2024 and end June 30, 2029. For further information please contact current board members, Jo Ann Eisenzimer 406-868 -4166, Melody Skogley 406-468-9380, Kelsey Harland 406-231-8537, Nada Cummings 406-468-2539 or Norm Davis 406-253-2663 or inquire at Wedsworth Library.

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The Heists That Made ‘Em Famous

Art Napping: the stealing of paintings, sculptures, or other forms of visual art from galleries, museums or other public and private locations. The history of art is marked by the theft of works, from Leonardo da Vinci’s “Gioconda” stolen from the Louvre in 1911 and then recovered years later, or even the famous work “America” by Maurizio Cattelan taken away from Blenheim Palace in 2019, 103 kg of solid gold in the shape of a toilet, never found again. Stolen art is often resold or used by criminals as collateral to secure loans.

In 1473, Polish pirates boarded a ship that was en route to Florence. They walked the plank with Hans Memling’s The Last Judgement (1467–71), and hauled it back to their homeland. This is now considered the first recorded art heist. The painting today resides at the National Museum in Gdańsk, Poland, and Italians have been seeking its recovery ever since.

The Memling heist is a significant example of how theft can transform an artwork’s history forever. It is not the only piece that has altered history in this way. Even though technology has gotten more sophisticated and the means by which heists are committed have changed, burglaries of the world’s greatest artworks continue to be executed.

So, from the first heist to one of the biggest art heists in history (which remains unsolved to this day). In 1990 thieves struck the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Over the next 81 minutes, they swiped 13 masterpieces. The FBI said the value of the stolen art topped half a billion dollars. And the crime remains unsolved.

So how did the criminal get away with it? They showed up at the museum late at night dressed as police officers. The museum’s security guard buzzed them in after the thieves claimed they were responding to a disturbance. Then the thieves handcuffed the security guard and methodically stole the most famous works held in the gallery.

The stolen art included famous pieces by Rembrandt and Vermeer. The thieves also took works by Degas and Manet. As the years have passed it is apparent that the FBI will probably never solve the case. But the museum has yet to give up hope – they are still offering a $10 million reward for any information that leads to the recovery of the art. It’s the largest reward ever offered by a private museum.

Pablo Picasso is one of the most famous artists in history. But before he made it big, the artist was accused of one of the greatest crimes in art history: stealing the Mona Lisa.

The art theft took place in 1911, when a thief walked out of the Louvre Art Museum with Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous portrait. Police instantly tried to track down the thief, but the trail went cold. Until they heard Picasso’s name.

A tipster pointed police towards Picasso. Apparently, the young artist had Iberian sculptures in his possession that had recently been in the Louvre before they went missing.

Police interrogated Picasso and demanded the truth. Did Picasso steal the Mona Lisa? It turns out that the tipster himself had stolen the statues and fenced them to Picasso before turning on his buyer. Since no other evidence tied Picasso to the bigger theft, the police had to release him.

It took over two years to recover the Mona Lisa. In 1913 the painting appeared in Florence and the truth came out. An Italian had stolen the painting because he didn’t want Italy’s great Renaissance art in a French museum.

While most heists take place in the wee hours of the morning, when institutions are closed, there are the bold. This particular heist unfolded in broad view of the general public in 2004. Amid tourists ogling nearby masterpieces in the Munch Museum in Oslo, thieves took The Scream (1910) and Madonna (1894) by the Norwegian Expressionist.

It wasn’t the first time a version of The Scream had been stolen, but it was, in some ways, more daring because of the throngs of people that were around when the thieves held guards at gunpoint and then departed in a black station wagon. Rumors swirled about what then happened. Were the paintings burned? Was the mob involved? In the end, the paintings were recovered in 2006. Six arrests were made, and the works went back to the Munch Museum.

The Guinness Book of World Records labeled Rembrandt’s 1632 painting Jacob de Gheyn III the “Takeaway Rembrandt” because it had been stolen so many times. Before it was taken in 1973, 1981, and 1983, Jacob de Gheyn was taken in 1966 from the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London by thieves who also removed works by Peter Paul Rubens, Gerard Dou, and Adam Elsheimer, and two Rembrandts. The thieves had hoped to sell the work on the black market, but police soon recovered it and the painting returned to the museum.

Real life does imitate TV at times. It was the setup of a Hollywood thriller. At 2 a.m. the Skylight Caper took place the morning of September 4, 1972. Thieves entered the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, one of Canada’s most important museums, through a skylight, and bound and gagged three guards.

Shortly after, they made off with 39 jewelry objects and 18 paintings, including ones by Delacroix, Rubens, and Rembrandt. The museum had been doing repairs on the skylight, which meant that thieves had been studying the museum, looking for an entry point. In 1972 the stolen art was valued at $2 million. None was ever recovered. The Rembrandt alone was worth $1 million. In 2003, the Globe and Mail estimated that the Rembrandt painting was worth 20 times that sum and suggested that the Montreal mafia may have been involved.

Art thief Vjeran Tomic earned the nickname “Spider-Man” by climbing into Parisian apartments and museums to steal valuable jewelry and artworks. Tomic and two accomplices were arrested for stealing a Matisse, a Picasso, a Braque, a Léger, and a Modigliani from the Musée d’Art Moderne in 2010.

While most heists take place at museums, a few have involved private collectors. This occurred in Madrid in 2015, when thieves broke into the house of José Capelo, who owned several paintings by his friend, the British artist Francis Bacon. While Capelo was away in London, the thieves stole five Bacon paintings worth $33.3 million. Seven people were arrested and police recovered three of the five paintings in 2017. Even though Spanish police have kept most the details of the theft private, El País dubbed it “the greatest contemporary art heist in recent Spanish history.”

Covid-19 lockdowns were beginning around the world. Major museums in Europe and North America were closing their doors to visitors. Thieves however were taking advantage of the eerie stillness. In March 2020 the Singer Laren Museum in the Netherlands suffered a heist.

Thieves walked off with a priceless early Vincent van Gogh painting. The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring (1884), which had been on loan from another Dutch institution, the Groninger Museum. The van Gogh was removed by thieves who broke into the museum using a sledgehammer and bypassing various layers of security. As of 2021, the van Gogh painting yet to be recovered.

History is alive with art heists. The world’s greatest living art thief is likely a 52-year-old Frenchman named Stéphane Breitwieser, who has stolen from some 200 museums, taking art worth an estimated total of $2 billion.

The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel explores Breitwieser’s strange world. Unlike most thieves, he never stole for money, keeping all his treasures in a single room where he alone could admire them. Stop by the library and meet the greatest art thief of all time in the book The Art Thief.

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USS Nevada (BB-36)

There is no greater symbol of a country’s determination to defend its freedom than a warship. USS Nevada was named after the 36th state. Launched in 1914, Nevada was a leap forward in dreadnought technology. Every subsequent US battleship included triple gun turrets, oil in place of coal for fuel, geared steam turbines for greater range, and the “all or nothing” armor principle. These features made Nevada, alongside sister ship Oklahoma, the first US Navy “standard-type” battleships.

Nevada’s construction was authorized by an Act of Congress on March 4, 1911. The contract went to Fore River Shipbuilding Company on January 22, 1912 for a total of $5,895,000 and construction was originally to be 36 months.

Nevada had maximum armor over critical areas, such as magazines and engines, and none over less important places. This radical change became known as the “all or nothing” principle, which most major navies later adopted for their own battleships.

As the first second-generation battleship in the US Navy, Nevada was described as “revolutionary”. At the ship’s completion in 1916, The New York Times pronounced the new warship “the greatest [battleship] afloat” because she was so much larger than other contemporary American battleships.”

During the last months of World War I, Nevada was based in Bantry Bay, Ireland. Along with Utah and sister Oklahoma, the three were nicknamed the “Bantry Bay Squadron”. The three operated from the bay escorting large and valuable convoys bound for the British Isles to ensure no German heavy surface ships could slip past the British Grand Fleet and annihilate the merchant ships and their weak escorts of older cruisers. The war ended on November 11, 1918 with Nevada not getting a chance to engage an enemy during the war.

In December, Nevada, 10 battleships and 28 destroyers escorted the ocean liner George Washington with president Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference in Brest, France.

Nevada and battleship Arizona, represented the U. S. at the Peruvian Centennial Exposition in July 1921. A year later in company with Maryland this time, Nevada returned to South America as an escort to the steamer Pan America with Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes to attend the Centennial of Brazilian Independence.

Nevada took part in the US Fleet’s “goodwill cruise” to Australia and New Zealand, from July–September 1925. This demonstrated to allies and Japan that the US Navy had the ability to conduct transpacific operations and meet the Imperial Japanese Navy in their home waters, where both Japanese and American War Plans expected the “decisive battle” to be fought.

After the cruise, Nevada put into Norfolk Navy Yard to be modernized. Nevada then served in the Pacific Fleet for the next eleven years (1930-1941).

In World War II, she was one of the battleships trapped when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Nevada was the only battleship to get underway during the attack, making the ship “the only bright spot in an otherwise dismal and depressing morning” for the United States.

Aft of Arizona during the attack, Nevada was not moored alongside another battleship off Ford Island, and therefore was able to maneuver, unlike the other seven battleships. As Nevada’s gunners opened fire and her engineers started to raise steam, a single 18-inch torpedo exploded about 14 ft above the keel. Seconds later, the bomber that dropped the torpedo was shot down by Nevada’s gunners. The torpedo bulkhead held, but leaking joints caused flooding of port side compartments below the first platform deck and a list of 4–5°. Her damage control crew corrected the list by counter-flooding and Nevada got underway at 0840 with her gunners already having shot down four planes.

Heading down the channel toward the Navy Yard, Nevada became a prime target for Japanese dive bombers. The Japanese intended to sink her in the channel to block the harbor.

She was hit and near-missed repeatedly, causing more leaks, starting gasoline fires forward and other blazes in her superstructure and midships area. Now in serious trouble, Nevada was run aground on the Navy Yard side of the channel, just south of Ford Island.

The gasoline fires that flared up might have caused more critical damage if the main magazines had not been empty. For several days prior to the attack, all battleships had been replacing their standard-weight battery projectiles with a new heavier projectile. All of the older projectiles and powder charges had been removed from Nevada’s magazines.

Her old structure proved but watertight. The ship eventually slid off the ledge and sank to the harbor floor. There she was to remain for over two months. She was the first of Pearl Harbor’s many salvage projects. Of USS Nevada’s crew of nearly 1500, 50-60 officers and men were killed and 109 wounded during the Pearl Harbor raid.

Two more men died during salvage operations in February 1942 when they were overcome by hydrogen sulfide gas from decomposing paper and meat. The ship suffered a minimum of six bomb hits and one torpedo hit, but “it is possible that as many as ten bomb hits may have been received, as certain damaged areas [were] of sufficient size to indicate that they were struck by more than one bomb.”

On February 12, 1942, Nevada was refloated and underwent temporary repairs at Pearl Harbor so she could get to Puget Sound Navy Yard for major repairs and modernization. Nevada later served as a convoy escort in the Atlantic and as a fire-support ship in five amphibious assaults (the invasions of Attu, Normandy, Southern France, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa).

She was chosen as Rear Admiral Morton Deyo’s flagship for the Normandy operation. During the invasion, Nevada supported forces ashore from June 6–17, and again on June 25. During this time, she employed her guns against shore defenses on the Cherbourg Peninsula. Shells from her guns ranged as far as 20 miles inland in attempts to break up German concentrations and counterattacks, despite being straddled by barrage of counter-battery fire 27 times.

Nevada was later praised for her “incredibly accurate” fire in support of beleaguered troops, as some of the targets she hit were just 600 yds from the front line. Nevada was the only battleship present at both Pearl Harbor and the Normandy landings.

After D-Day, Nevada headed to Toulon for another amphibious assault, codenamed Operation Dragoon, to bombard shore targets in Southern France. Nevada supported this operation from August 15 to September 25, 1944, “dueling with “Big Willie”: a heavily reinforced fortress with guns that had a range of nearly 19 nautical miles and commanded every approach to the port of Toulon.” On the 23rd, a bombardment force headed by Nevada struck the “most damaging” blow to the fort during a 6.5-hour battle, which saw 354 salvos fired by Nevada. Toulon fell on the 25th.

In March 1945, Nevada joined the “Fire Support Force” off Okinawa as bombardment began prior to the invasion of Okinawa. During the invasion, she moved within 600 yds from shore to provide maximum firepower for the troops that were advancing.

Along with the force, Nevada shelled Japanese airfields, shore defenses, supply dumps, and troop concentrations. Dawn “came up like thunder” when seven kamikazes attacked the force while it was without air cover. One plane, hit by antiaircraft fire crashed onto the main deck of Nevada, killing 11 and wounding 49; knocking out both 14-inch guns in that turret and three 20 mm anti-aircraft weapons. Another two men were lost to fire from a shore battery on April 5. Though damaged by the suicide plane and artillery shell on April 5, Nevada remained in action off Okinawa until June 1945.

She spent the remaining months of World War II in the Western Pacific, preparing for the invasion of Japan. With the coming of peace, Nevada returned to Pearl Harbor.

Deemed too old for retention in the post-war fleet at 32⅓ years, she was assigned to serve as a target during the July 1946 atomic bomb tests at Bikini in the Marshall Islands (Operation Crossroads).

The ship was hit by the blast from atomic bomb Able, and was left heavily damaged and radioactive. Unfit for further service, Nevada was decommissioned on August 29, 1946 and sunk by naval gunfire practice on July 31, 1948.

In May 2020, it was announced that a joint expedition by Ocean Infinity and operations center of SEARCH Inc., discovered Nevada’s wreck at a depth of 15,400 feet off the coast of Hawaii and about 65 nautical miles southwest of Pearl Harbor. The wreck lies upside down. Nearby is a large debris field with the turrets and the bow and stern, portions of the bridge, sections of deck and superstructure, and one of four tanks, an M26 Pershing, placed on the deck for the atomic bomb tests.

One of Nevada’s Arizona guns is paired with a gun formerly on the Missouri at the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza just east of the Arizona State Capitol complex in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. It is part of a memorial representing the start and end of the Pacific War for the United States. A large model of the ship built for the 1970 film, Tora! Tora! Tora!, survives today in Los Angeles and often appears at local parades.

A hero’s ship, battered and bruised, albeit beautiful, possibly deserved a more fitting end. It was not just another ship. Instead, it lived up to its noble mission. She will be remembered as “the only bright spot in an otherwise dismal and depressing morning” and a ship who refused to end her days.

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A Different Perception

Food plays an integral, but routine part in our day-to-day lives and we don’t think much about it except what to eat at our next meal or- how bout that snack.

However, in the past, food was once thought of as noble and in a different aspect of what we might think of today. Onions. We rarely consider them as anything more than culinary devices, items to be sliced, diced, and tossed into a hot pan to serve as an aromatic backbone of a savory dish.

Today, you would probably think of sending or bringing flowers to a funeral. Things were done a mite differently in ancient Egypt. Mourners brought onions. Yes, onions.

Egyptians considered the onion a noble vegetable. The shape reminded them of eternity, so the Egyptians worshiped the onion. Onions were incorporated into many aspects of their lives – especially religious ceremonies and funerals. They became a common funeral offering.

Archaeologists have discovered paintings of onions in the pyramids and images showing priests holding up onions during religious ceremonies. The mummification process even used onions. When preparing the bodies for mummification the ancient Egyptians would cover the body in onions. The humble onion of today was believed to be a powerful object in the afterlife for Egyptians. Some even believed that an onion could bring the dead back to life.

The unassuming onion also proved quite controversial. Its bulbous form came from bringing the dead back to life to the unlikely epicenter of a financial drama and producing a tear induced hangover. Onions became a hot commodity in 1955. A run on onion futures in 1955 created a fiasco that shook the stock market back then and changed the stock market forever after.

It was and still is a common practice for buyers at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to lock in prices for commodities like wheat, corn, soy etc. This is investing in the futures market. Futures are when investors can purchase a commodity to be received at some point in the future for a price set at the present moment.

Buyers can also try and corner the market. That’s when you get control of the supply of some commodities so you can charge any price you want. You have the market in a corner. The great onion financial debacle occurred in 1955 when two men named Vincent Kosuga and Sam Seigel devised a plan for making a fortune off of onion futures and cornering the market.

In 1955 onions made up around 20% of the trades. Vincent and Sam decided to gamble on onions. They bought up all the onions on the market plus onion futures. At the end of the year they owned 30 million pounds of onions and controlled 98% of onions on the market. Of course, some of their onions were still in the ground.

So now these enterprising young men decided to rig the market since they had a definite monopoly on onions. They chose to set the price very, very high. And they made a lot of money. But they didn’t stop there. They knew that not only could they make the onion price go up; they could make it go down.

“And there’s a way in the futures market to profit off of that, to make a bet about prices falling. In January, you say, I’ll sell you a bag of onions in March for $3. If in March the price is only $2, you get to keep the extra dollar.” Vince and Sam made of lot of these bets. And then in March of 1956, they sprung the final trap.

They shorted the market by flooding it with onions and crashing the market prices. Suddenly 50 pounds of onions cost less than the price of the mesh bag they were sold in.

Traders who did business with the onion ‘kings’ found themselves stuck with tons and tons of onions that nobody wanted to buy. You couldn’t even give ‘em away. The Chicago River soon became a dumping ground for onion crops. The ‘onion kings’ made millions as a result of this debacle. Farmers went broke. Congress was flooded with complaints. A new law was passed.

Unfortunately, the new law made life harder for farmers and for the onion buying public. Without a futures market, onion farmers have a harder time planning out their crops. Onions end up costing just a little bit more. Now you can blame Vince and Sam for this, or you can blame Congress. But what you can’t do is buy or sell a futures contract in onions. To this day onions are the only agricultural product in the U.S. that can’t be traded on the futures market – all because of an onion disaster created by a little bit of greed.

But there is a light. Well, a light in a lighthouse symbol. The Statue of Liberty is one of the most famous symbols in the world. Very few remember that it used to be a working lighthouse.

The Statue of Liberty’s torch originally functioned as an actual lighthouse. President Grover Cleveland ordered the Lighthouse Board to manage the statue’s torch. Adding lights to the statue required some modification. The original design didn’t have gaps in the torch so windows were added by cutting into the torch.

Starting in 1886 the statue was outfitted with nearly 30 lamps. It was the first lighthouse in the country to run on electricity instead of kerosene lamps. Albert Littlefield was the only lighthouse keeper for the Statue of Liberty. An expert in electricity, Littlefield kept the torch burning for 15 years.

Use as a lighthouse didn’t last long. In 1901 President Teddy Roosevelt shut down the lamps. It was declared that the lights were too dim for navigation safety. Fans of the Statue as a lighthouse declared the torch could be seen for 24 miles. However, people standing in lower Manhattan could barely see the light a few miles away. So history can lend a tear or two, a light, or just go dim.

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Proverbs, Idioms, and Sayings

We’ve all heard ‘em. We’ve all said a lot of them, but do you know the meaning behind ‘em or what the difference is between a proverb and idiom?

What is the difference between a proverb and an idiom? A proverb is a short, popular piece of advice or an observation that is generally held to be true. Examples of proverbs that give advice: Don’t count your chickens before they’ve hatched. Never bite the hand that feeds you.

Examples of proverbs that are observations: Rome was not built in a day. A penny saved is a penny earned. Often, these popular observations are intended as advice. For example, “Rome was not built in a day” means “be patient,” and “a penny saved is a penny earned” means “save your money.”

An idiom is a popular saying whose meaning is not apparent from its words. In other words, the literal words of an idiom do not help with understanding the meaning. For example: “the apple of my eye” (meaning: someone cherished above all others); “the bee’s knees” (meaning: something excellent); “to buy a lemon” (meaning: to buy something worth far less than you paid).

So proverbs that do not employ literal words are also idioms. The term “all bark and no bite” means threatening, but not willing to engage in a fight. This idiom is a metaphor for someone who talks a lot but does not act. It fits best when it relates to words of a threatening nature as it suggests the threat will not happen. The saying, which suggests a dog, but doesn’t mention one, came into common use around the start of the 19th century.

To be as mad as a hatter means to be crazy or to behave unpredictably. The term comes from the hat-making industry in the middle ages, which used the highly toxic mercury nitrate in the hat’s rim. The people who made these hats would often suffer poisoning which would make them act oddly. Therefore, many hatters were assumed to be crazy.

Ever heard of the saying “To Carry Coals to Newcastle”? To carry coals to Newcastle means to do something pointless and superfluous. Newcastle England was a well-known coal-mining area and the United Kingdom’s first coal exporting port. With so much coal already in Newcastle, taking more there was pointless.

Then we have the saying “Dog Days of Summer”. The term “dog days of summer” means the hottest days of the summer season. In the Northern Hemisphere, they run from July to August. The saying “dog days of summer” has nothing to do with dogs lazing around on a hot summer’s day. It has nothing to do with dogs at all. The term has its origins in ancient Rome, when hot summer days were called “dog days”. The name derives from the star Sirius, which, being the brightest star in Canis Major (Large Dog) constellation, was known as the “Dog Star.”

As we know “Get Down to Brass Tacks” means to focus only on the basic facts. This idiom originates from the cabinet-making industry and refers to the practice of stripping back a piece of upholstered furniture to the brass tacks that hold the fabric in place. Once a furniture restorer got down to the brass tacks, they were looking at the basic frame of the furniture or dealing with just the bits that matter.

There is a competing theory that “Get down to the brass tacks” comes from the haberdashery trade, where, for centuries, brass tacks have been nailed along the counter to help with measuring the length of cloth accurately. When measuring cloth, a measurement down to a brass tack would be accurate as opposed to being guessed. It is a short leap from this notion to the idea of dealing with the actual facts and therefore just the key facts.

Then there is another theory that the term “brass tacks” is Cockney Rhyming Slang for “the facts.” (Cockney Rhyming Slang was invented by the London criminal fraternity to prevent eavesdropping from the police or informers. Other examples are “apples and pears (stairs)” and “trouble and strife (wife).” So pick your theory on this one.

Do you have any “Skeleton in the Cupboard”? Of course we all know this means to have hidden away a shameful or embarrassing secret. The term skeleton in the cupboard originates from the legalization of human body dissections. Grave diggers would present corpses to doctors to dissect and, because of the controversy; the doctors would hide away their secrets in a locked cupboard.

Have you ever “Worn Your Heart on Your Sleeve”? The term “wear your heart on your sleeve” means to express your emotions openly of course. This idiom originates from jousting tournaments by medieval knights, probably around the 14th century. Back then, it was customary for a knight to dedicate his performance to a specific lady. To show he was her “champion,” the knight would wear a personal item (usually a scarf) around his arm. This would be a public display of his romantic intentions towards the lady. This is why “sleeve” is chosen in the proverb. As for “heart,” the heart has long been a symbol of emotion, particularly love.

The term was popularized by William Shakespeare’s villainous character Iago (a senior officer in the Venetian army under the command of General Othello): “I will wear my heart upon my sleeve.” (From the tragedy “Othello”)

The origin of the saying “The Whole (Full) Nine Yards” is another disputed item. The ammunition belt for the Supermarine Spitfire was nine yards in length. Therefore, a pilot who stated that he had given the enemy aircraft the whole nine yards was claiming that he had fired every single round at his adversary. Going the whole/full nine yards came to mean doing as much as possible.

However some claim that the term “the whole nine yards” predates the Supermarine Spitfire. According to them, the term probably refers to the amount of cloth needed to make a traditional kilt. Of note, there is no evidence that “the whole/full nine yards” was in regular use before the 1940s according to research.

Our language is full of these idioms and sayings. After all there are hundreds of them. Unfortunately they are slowly going by the wayside. Many of the younger generations no longer use them, have heard of them, and don’t know what they mean. Perhaps there is also a communication gap between the generations. How many families have conversations anymore? What is evident, you hear fewer and fewer of these lost sayings in today’s conversations.

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Heavens to Mergatroyd!

What the heck is a Jalopy?” Have you never heard the word jalopy? Well, I hope you are Hunky Dory when you read this and chuckle.

Some old expressions have become obsolete due to the march of technology. Some of these phrases include: Don’t touch that dial; Carbon copy; You sound like a broken record; and Hung out to dry.

Back in the olden days we had a lot of moxie. We’d put on our best bib and tucker, to straighten up and fly right. How many remember Heavens to Betsy! Gee whillikers! Jumping Jehoshaphat! Holy Moley!

We were in like Flynn and living the life of Riley; and even a regular guy couldn’t accuse us of being a knucklehead, a nincompoop or a pill. Not for all the tea in China!

Back in the olden days, “life used to be swell, but when’s the last time anything was swell? Swell has gone the way of beehives, pageboys and the D.A.; of spats, knickers, fedoras, poodle skirts, saddle shoes, and pedal pushers.”

Oh, my aching back! Kilroy was here, but he isn’t anymore. We wake up from what surely has been just a short nap, and before we can say, “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!” Or, “This is a fine kettle of fish!” We discover that the words we grew up with, the words that seemed universal, as oxygen, have vanished with scarcely a notice from our tongues and our pens and our keyboards.

Poof, go the words of our youth. Where have all those great phrases gone? Long gone: Pshaw, The milkman did it. Hey! It’s your nickel. Don’t forget to pull the chain. Knee high to a grasshopper.

Well, Fiddlesticks! Going like sixty. I’ll see you in the funny papers. Don’t take any wooden nickels. Wake up and smell the roses. It turns out there are more of these lost words and expressions than Carter has liver pills. This can be disturbing stuff! (Carter’s Little Liver Pills are gone too!)

Can we no longer be hip or groovy? Did you tremble or become intimidated if you were offered a knuckle sandwich? Were you the guy that was cruisin’ for a bruisin’ or just knew the guy? Bread was hard to come by especially if you were almost out. Maybe you tried to borrow a little bit. Did you have any extra bread? Hopefully you never did the five-finger discount.

Did you ever get Hornswoggled? Hopefully you never knew the inside of the Hoosegow. Then again maybe you were the cat’s pajamas or cat’s meow or knew someone who was. Hopefully things you had it made in the shade.

Did you ever burn a little rubber to show ‘em what that hot rod could do?? Or was yours just a hunk of junk? Maybe you just punched it cause you were late for the show.

Dude, you don’t have to yell at me! What’s your bag?” Lay it on me man, lay it on me. Things just got heavy. Oh, man, that movie was heavy. Did you make the scene downtown?

And didn’t we all bust a gut at sometime or another? Because weren’t things far out or ought of sight man? Then again things could be a bummer. Can ya dig it? Did you ever just hang loose instead of doin what ya oughta? “You gotta make it to my party tonight. It’s gonna be a gas.”

Maybe you were just square or was your party a shindig because it was so groovy? If you were a fink you probably didn’t get invited! Boogie on down and maybe do me a solid. Did the man keep you down or did you just spaz out? Maybe you needed to take a chill pill.

Leaves us to wonder where Superman will find a phone booth. See ya later, alligator! After a while crocodile. Oki-Doki artichokey! Catch you on the flip-side!

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2023 Tax Filing Info

WASHINGTON — With the nation’s tax season rapidly approaching, the Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers there are important steps they can take now to help “get ready” to file their 2023 federal tax return.

A little advance work now can help people have the paperwork and information ready to file their tax returns quickly and accurately. As part of this education effort, the IRS has a special page outlining items taxpayers can look into now to get ready to file their 2023 tax returns (https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-ready-to-file-your-taxes).

When comparing tax year 2022 to 2023, there was a big adjustment to the federal income tax brackets, according to experts. For 2023, the standard deduction increased to $27,700 for married couples filing jointly, up from $25,900 in 2022. Single filers may claim $13,850 for 2023, an increase from $12,950. Enacted via the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the higher standard deduction is slated to sunset in 2026, along with lower tax rates

If you purchased a vehicle in 2023 or made energy improvements to your home, you could qualify for tax breaks, according to the IRS. The clean vehicle tax credit caps the break at $7,500, while eligible eco-friendly home improvements could be worth thousands more. With more complicated tax breaks, it’s critical to “have your ducks in a row” prior to meeting with a tax preparer, Jastrem said.

The good news is that the majority of tax filers typically get a refund. And the IRS usually issues them within 21 days of accepting your return. The agency notes, however, that if you are claiming an Earned Income Tax Credit, the IRS cannot by law issue the EITC-related refund before mid-February and estimates that those funds will be available for filers starting February 27.

The maximum tax credit per qualifying child is $2,000 for children under 17. For the refundable portion of the credit (or the additional child tax credit), you may receive up to $1,600 per qualifying child

Last year, from the more than 160 million returns filed, the IRS issued nearly 105 million refunds. The average refund was $3,054, according to IRS filing statistics.

IRS will start accepting 2023 tax returns on January 29. To find out how quickly you are likely to get your refund once you have submitted your return, you can use the agency’s Where’s My Refund tool.

For Montana under SB 399, taxpayers will have to use the same filing status for their state and federal returns. Most notably, that means married couples won’t be able to file separately for Montana if they file jointly on the federal return.

In addition, the state taxable income will be tied to federal taxable income – a change that means thousands of lower-income Montanans won’t have to pay any state income taxes, because of the higher federal standard deduction.

SB 399 also eliminated a number of tax deductions and credits. Many of those changes have already been implemented.

Please be aware this is a synopsis of tax info. Complete info, forms, and instructions can be found at https://app.mt.gov/myrevenue for Montana Tax filing and https://www.irs.gov/ for Federal tax filing.

Wedsworth Library has printed off State and Federal forms that can be copied. We also have most of the schedules ready to copy that might possibly be used. Unfortunately, due to the cost of everything going up, we will have to charge a small fee for any copies made. Stop on by and we will do our best to help you get that wonderful paperwork you have been looking forward to all year.

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Things You Might Not Have Known

Well, now……here’s something I bet you never knew before, and now that it is known, it is important to send it on to the more intelligent in the hope that they, too, will feel enlightened.

Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured English soldiers. Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore they would be incapable of fighting in the future. This famous English longbow was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of drawing the longbow was known as ‘plucking the yew’ (or ‘pluck yew’).

Much to the bewilderment of the French, the English won a major upset and they began mocking the French by waving their middle fingers at the defeated French, saying, See, we can still pluck yew! Since ‘pluck yew’ is rather difficult to say, the difficult consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually changed to a “labiodentalfricative ‘F’”, and thus the words often used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute! It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows used with the longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as ‘giving the bird.’ And yew thought yew knew every plucking thing. Didn’t yew?

Did you know that there is an early literacy connection to incarceration? The governments are overwhelmed by criminal activities. “The Department of Justice states, “The link between academic failure and delinquency, violence, and crime is welded to reading failure. Over 70% of inmates in America’s prisons cannot read above a fourth-grade level.”

According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 2/3 of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of the fourth grade will end up in jail or on welfare.”

A low level of literacy is not a direct determinant of a person’s probability to be convicted on criminal charges, but correctional and judicial professionals have long recognized a connection between poor literacy, dropout rates, and crime.

85% of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally low literate. Juvenile incarceration reduces the probability of high school completion and increases the probability of incarceration later in life.

Students who dropout of high school are 5 times more likely than high school graduates to be arrested in their lifetime. Students who dropout of high school are 63% more likely to be incarcerated than their peers with four-year college degrees.

Did you know that a Major Space Shuttle Design Was Over 2 thousand years old? The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That’s an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used?

Well, because that’s the way they built them in England, and English engineers designed the first US railroads. Why did the English build them like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the wagon tramways, and that’s the gauge they used.

So, why did ‘they’ use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they had used for building wagons, which used that same wheel spacing.

Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break more often on some of the old, long-distance roads in England.

You see, that’s the spacing of the wheel ruts. So, who built those old rutted roads? Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (including England) for their legions. Those roads have been used ever since.

And what about the ruts in the roads? Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match or run the risk of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing.

Therefore, the United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot. Bureaucracies live forever. So, the next time you are handed a specification/procedure/process and wonder ‘What horse’s behind came up with this?’, you may be exactly right. Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses.

Now, the twist to the story: When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs.

The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory in Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site.

The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains, and the SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses’ behinds.

So, a major Space Shuttle design feature, of what is arguably the world’s most advanced transportation system, was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse’s behind. And you thought a horse’s behind just meant a stupid or incompetent person. And you thought Rome was just history and didn’t have anything to do with today.

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Library Trivia

Library trivia that is smart, strange, silly, and spooky. A variety of library facts to expand your mind and impress your friends and family!

If you stumble across a forgotten library book that’s been hiding on your shelf for weeks, month, or even years, don’t be afraid to return it. In 2015, a former student at Wakefield High School in Virginia sent back a copy of the ‘The Underside of the Leaf’. It was borrowed in 1981 and accidentally mixed in with the student’s family collection.

In 2016, the granddaughter of a man who had taken out ‘The Microscope and Its Revelations’ from Hereford Cathedral School in the UK returned the title 120 years after it had been “borrowed”.

Among the more popular genres in prison libraries: paranormal romance, young adult titles, and the ‘Left Behind’ series.

Some Libraries went to extraordinary lengths to make sure their titles remained on the shelves. At Marsh’s Library in Dublin, Ireland visitors hoping to peruse rare books in the 18^th century were locked in cages until they were done reading.

Texas is home to a gigantic Walmart-turned-Library. The McAllen Public Library in McAllen, Texas is housed in a converted Walmart location and might be the largest single-story library location in the country. The 124,000 square-foot space has a computer lab, a café, and a 180-seat auditorium.

Not all libraries require silence. The Tikkurila Library in Vantaa, Finland installed a karaoke room in 2016 with thousands of songs for guests to perform. (Finland is home to a lot of karaoke-loving citizens.) Fortunately, all that warbling doesn’t rise to the level of a disruption: THE ROOM IS SOUNDPROOF.

There is a library in Alaska that once had a taxidermy collection. Patrons of the Alaska Resources Library and Information Services in Anchorage could borrow from the site’s collection of taxidermy items; including animals, bones, and furs. Now all requests are handled through the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

A Yale University Library allowed stressed-out students to borrow a therapy dog. The Lillian Goldman Law Library at Yale University used to allow patrons to check out General Montgomery, a.k.a. Monty, a terrier mix certified therapy dog for 30 minutes of companionship. Sadly, Monty has since passed away.

Library books can be full of surprises and covered in them, too. If you’re wondering how dirty library books can become after passing through many hands the answer is: pretty dirty. Everything from traces of cocaine to the herpes virus to bud bugs has been found on sampled pages. But don’t worry, because while there have been plenty of instances in history where people feared that books spread disease, there’s never been a documented case of anyone catching anything from a library book. This included COVID. Study after study was completed and they could find no instance of COVID being transmitted by books.

Vermont is home to a library that stretches across the U.S. Border to Canada. The Haskell Free Library and Opera House sits directly on the border between the United States and Canada. Both Americans and Canadians can enter and use the library, even crossing over the (literal) border line running through the building, but can only leave the library back into their country of citizenship, or risk fines.

Bats dig libraries too. The Joanina Library at the University of Coimbra in Portugal has a number of bats in residence, but no one is calling for an exterminator. The bats prey on insects that could damage book pages. Staff drapes tables with coverings overnight and clean up the guano in the morning.

The New York Public Library offers up more than just books. Members can borrow accessories like neckties and briefcases, making it ideal for people looking to complete an ensemble for a job interview.

Then again, not all libraries institute late fees. In an attempt to get back lost books and encourage residents to visit more often, New York’s public library systems announced in October 2021 that they would be eliminating all late fees – a move which subsequently boosted visitor rates and resulted in thousands of overdue or lost items being returned.

You can learn a lot from a library. Now you know more about libraries.

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The Brooklyn Bridge and Emily

Imagine the Brooklyn bridge being famous because a rooster was one of the first to cross! When the Brooklyn Bridge was completed after fourteen years of construction, the first to cross was Emily Warren Roebling by carriage. She carried a live rooster as a sign of victory.

So why did Emily Roebling carry a rooster across the Brooklyn Bridge? Emily considered that moment of being the first person to cross the bridge as her ‘Ruby Shoe Moment.’ She laughed as “she looked down at the white rooster in her lap. She was riding across the Brooklyn Bridge – the first person to ever do. The rooster was a traditional symbol of victory, but she just hoped it didn’t peck her or try to get out of the open-air carriage!”

Emily Warren was born in Cold Spring, New York on September 23, 1843. As a teenager, she attended the Georgetown Academy of the Visitation in Washington, DC, where she studied history, astronomy, and algebra, among needlework and housekeeping.

“In 1864, she met her future husband, Washington, who was serving as an engineering officer on the staff of her brother, General G. K. Warren, during the Civil War. Washington was the son of John Roebling, an eminent German-American civil engineer who was in the process of designing what he called “the greatest bridge in existence” — the future Brooklyn Bridge.”

The couple were married in 1865, and soon left for Europe to study caissons, the watertight structures filled with compressed air that would allow workers to dig under the East River and plant the bridge’s footings. They returned to America in 1868, just before John Roebling died.

John A. Roebling designed the Brooklyn Bridge, but died of tetanus in 1869, following an accident at the bridge site. His son, Washington Roebling was then assigned as chief engineer of the bridge’s construction.

As he immersed himself in the project, Washington developed decompression sickness, which was known at the time as “caisson disease”, by going to underwater depths to study the placement of caissons and not rising at the proper speed. He soon was unable to carry out his duties as he became severely debilitated and bedridden due to decompression sickness.

Emily then stepped in to become the first female field engineer in history and supervised the bridge’s construction for over ten years until it was successfully completed. Her husband, Washington, however, was still the chief engineer during construction.

As the only person to visit her husband during his sickness, Emily Roebling relayed information from Washington to his assistants and reported to him the progress of work on the bridge. “She developed an extensive knowledge of strength of materials, stress analysis, cable construction, and calculating catenary curves through Washington’s teachings. She complemented her knowledge by her prior interest in and study of the bridge’s construction when her husband had been appointed as chief engineer.”

Emily became dedicated to the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge. She “dealt with politicians, competing engineers, and all those associated with work on the bridge, to the point where people believed she was behind the bridge’s design.”

As the New York Times reported at the time, “Mrs. Roebling applied herself to the study of engineering, and she succeeded so well that in a short time she was able to assume the duties of chief engineer.”

In 1882, Washington’s title of chief engineer was in jeopardy because of his extended illness. To allow him to retain his position, Emily lobbied for him in meetings with engineers and politicians to defend her husband’s work. To the Roeblings’ relief, the politicians responded well and permitted Washington to remain chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge.

The Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883. At the opening ceremony, U.S. Congressman Abram Stevens Hewitt saluted her in a speech: “The name of Emily Warren Roebling will… be inseparably associated with all that is admirable in human nature and all that is wonderful in the constructive world of art.” He proclaimed, that the Brooklyn Bridge would be “an everlasting monument to the sacrificing devotion of a woman and of her capacity for that higher education from which she has been too long disbarred.”

Over the course of the bridge’s construction, over one hundred workers were killed or left severely impaired by the decompression sickness, including Washington, who eventually became partially paralyzed, blind, deaf and mute. Unfortunately, a tragedy occurred almost immediately after the bridge’s opening. On May 30, 1883, six days after the opening, a woman falling down a stairway at the Brooklyn approach caused a stampede which resulted in at least twelve people being crushed and killed. In subsequent lawsuits, the Brooklyn Bridge Company was acquitted of negligence.

After the Brooklyn Bridge was completed, Emily devoted herself to many women’s and humanitarian causes, and wrote an award-winning essay, ‘A Wife’s Disabilities’. The essay criticized the laws that discriminated against women. She traveled widely, and fulfilled her dream of receiving a law certificate from New York University in 1899. In the years following the Brooklyn Bridge’s construction, her contributions were largely forgotten, as most historians focused on the accomplishments of her husband or father-in-law.

In recent years her role as de facto chief engineer has received recognition, and, “based on a letter to her son that she wrote in 1898, Roebling herself never doubted how essential she was to its success: “I have more brains, common sense and know-how generally than have any two engineers, civil or uncivil, and but for me the Brooklyn Bridge would never have had the name Roebling in any way connected with it!”

While few remember her name, a plaque still stands on the Brooklyn Bridge, dedicating it to the memory of her father-in-law, her husband — and Emily Roebling herself.

Why is Brooklyn Bridge so famous? Considered a brilliant feat of 19th-century engineering, the Brooklyn Bridge was a bridge of many firsts. It was the first suspension bridge to use steel for its cable wire. It was the first bridge to use explosives in a dangerous underwater device called a caisson. And the first to have Emily in charge of building it.

And now it is the first month of the year to enjoy all that we have!

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Did you Let the Cat Out of the Bag?

Have you been guilty of letting the cat out of the bag? Or did you spill the beans? How many have turned a blind eye to something? Well-known phrases baffle some, especially the young who don’t hear them that often anymore. There are fascinating stories behind many ever day phrases.

We all know that turning a blind eye means pretending not to see something. Generally, we think of terms of wrongdoing when we turn a blind eye. But where did this phrase come from? Research finds it dates back to 1801.

Admiral Horatio Nelson sailed into battle as the commander of a British naval ship. Staring down a much larger enemy fleet, Nelson’s commanding officer ordered him to withdraw. But Nelson refused to walk away.

Instead, he is said to hold up a telescope to his blinded eye and declare, “I really do not see the signal.” In the end Nelson won the battle and thereby giving us a new phrase.

Nelson’s 1809 biography brought the witticism to light when it phrased Nelson’s reply this way: “You know Foley, I have only one eye and I have a right to be blind sometimes… I really do not see the signal.”

The first time the use of the phrase ‘turn a blind eye’ appears in print is 1823. Irish diarist Martha Wilmont wrote, “Turn a blind eye and a deaf ear every now and then, and we get on marvelously.”

We all do our best not to let the cat out of the bag about any surprise party. But how did cats come into the picture? The phrase dates back to Medieval England and customers browsing market stalls looking for piglets. Piglets were sold in a sack at the time. However, unscrupulous sells would often sway out the piglet for a cat.

So if you bought a bag that contained a cat instead of a piglet, you’d know you’d been conned. The first printed use of the phrase comes in 1760 when a magazine wrote, “We could have wished that the author… had not let the cat out of the bag.”

One wonders why everyone didn’t just take a quick peek into the bag to see what they were buying. This relates to the phrase ‘a pig in a poke’. A poke was a type of bag so the phrase warned people not to buy something until they actually saw what they were buying or ‘buyer beware’.

Every so often you might have a great idea but somebody jumps ahead and steals your idea for themselves. Or they stole your thunder. Can’t hardly believe this relates to a real thunderstorm. Actually it dates back to the theater and it really does relate to thunder.

Back in 1704 a literary critic John Dennis attempted playwriting. His play ‘Appius and Virginia wasn’t a hit. However, he found a marvelous method for making thunder rattle the theater. After the play closed a competitor literally stole his thunder. The innovation brought the heath of Scotland to life in Macbeth.

Dennis was furious. He reportedly roared, ‘Damn them! They will not let my play run, but they steal my thunder.”

Ever hear the phrase “the real McCoy”? It refers to an inventor who revolutionized the railroad industry, even though the railroad companies refused to hire him as an engineer.

Elijah McCoy was born to parents who fled slavery on the Underground Railroad. McCoy trained in Scotland as a mechanical engineer. When he moved to the U.S. in 1866, he couldn’t find a job in his field. Railroads would only hire him as a laborer.

His hands-on experience led him to invent a lubrication device that saved time and kept steam engines operating longer. Soon, every locomotive had McCoy’s ‘oil drip cup’. Rivals tried to duplicate the cup but none matched “the real McCoy’. Eventually McCoy was able to save enough money to start his own company and began manufacturing his inventions.

Hopefully you have the real McCoy and haven’t let the cat out of the bag lately. Do your best not steal anyone else’s thunder.

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The Zany History of Miniature Golf

Wedsworth Library is celebrating Miniature Golf this month. Stop on by and view our miniature course. Whether you call it “minigolf,” “putt-putt,” or “a cheap date,” the miniaturized sport has been popular since the 19th century. The game began in the early 1900’s as “Golf in Miniature” or a short game of regulation golf.

The oldest mini golf course in existence can actually be found in Scotland. The Ladies’ Putting Club of St. Andrews was formed in 1867 as a members-only green for women golfers. The club was a result of the customs of the era that decreed it improper for a lady to “take the club back past their shoulder.” There may not have been any windmills or loop-the-loop obstacles on this course, but the green was and remains one of the most prestigious miniature courses to this day.

The courses were built to emulate the regulation courses complete with country club atmosphere and lush greens. Miniature golf was one of the first sports to be played in the evening – they were strategically built under lights of billboards or other areas brightly lit to allow evening play. It became “the thing” to do in the evenings after attending balls and galas. It was common to find these courses open until 4 a.m.

Once the Great Depression hit, regulation miniature golf courses were too expensive for most to afford, so “rinkie-dink” courses sprang up. These courses included obstacles scrounged from whatever was around: tires, rain gutters, barrels, and pipes. Eventually, the crazy obstacles became so popular that they became a regular feature in courses all over the U.S.

Pinehurst, North Carolina introduced the Thistle Dhu as the first official standardized mini golf course in 1916. The Pinehurst mini golf course is also credited as being the first official mini golf course in America. Tom Thumb Golf was the first trade name developed and patented for miniature golf. These courses were in demand nationwide and resulted in the 1930’s Miniature Golf Gold Rush.

Unbelievably, in the 1930’s, there were approximately 30,000 courses in the country with over 150 rooftop courses in New York City. It was a popular game in America – a leisurely game that could be enjoyed by any gender, at any age, without concern for athletic ability or handicap, much as it is enjoyed today.

You can stop by and view the library’s miniature course, OR you can live the life on Cascade’s first and only top of the Town course. This also allows you the perfect opportunity to participate in history.

The Town sponsors a Mini Golf event at Wedsworth Hall. Not only do you get to have a fantastic night on the town with your family and friends; this golfing extravaganza provides a perfect opportunity to let your hair down and get to know other people of the community that you haven’t met.

And if for no other reason, a night out golfing means you get to stay warm and dry at this time of the year. Just think you can sink that hole in one without worrying about the WIND!!! Golfing also keeps the little ones -young and old – out of trouble!

The world record on one round of minigolf is 18 strokes on 18 holes. More than a thousand players have officially achieved this score. As a perfect round of 18 holes-in-one is extremely rare one has never been scored in an official tournament. Try your hand of becoming one of the elite.

But the biggest benefit of playing Mini golf at the hall, is that you are helping support the Wedsworth Trust and the life of Wedsworth Hall. Augustus Wedsworth wanted a place for the youth of the community to have a place to go for community events and sports. It costs an exorbitant amount of money to heat that big old building. Electricity costs for all of us have gone out of the roof. Can you imagine what it costs for the electrical bill for the Hall? Ya- a lot.

Then there is insurance and general up keep and the janitorial services. The boiler is a bit long in the tooth and needs replacing soon at no small cost. All the money the Trust makes from rental goes right back into daily expenses. So, take a night off and find out how good of a mini golfer you are.

Then there are some excellent benefits of playing a round or two of Mini Golf. The kids and you, perhaps, will burn off excess energy, and (How About This?) burn a few calories! Mini-golf is definitely there to be helpful for a variety of gross motor skills. A round will have children strengthening hand-eye coordination, balance, and physical depth perception. Might not be so bad for the Bigger children at heart too!

Mini Golf is A Hole Lot of Love. Here are a few reasons mini golf makes an amazing date spot: “Casual and Fun Atmosphere: Mini golf provides a relaxed and lighthearted environment, making it easier for couples to interact and get to know each other without the pressure of a formal dinner or movie date.”

The most prize money in a Miniature Golf tournament is paid in the United States, where the winner of a major competition may earn up to $5,000. In mainland Europe the prize money generally quite low, and in many cases, honor is the only thing at stake in the competition. International championships usually award no prize money at all. Are you going to be the next Tourney champion?

Time to pony up – who is better the kids or Mom and Dad? And lest we forget maybe those Grandparents can shoot a better game. Challenge someone to the best score. Take it to the next level – whoever winds up winning or losing or BOTH! Adds a bit to the kitty of keeping Wedsworth Hall up and running. You won’t win that big pot of money, but you will win a fantastic time with people you enjoy and experience a lot of laughs. It will definitely put a smile on your face.

“As we conclude our journey, let’s remember that mini golf isn’t just about sinking putts; it’s about embracing the unexpected, unleashing our inner artist (child) on the course, and reveling in the joy of laughter with friends and family.”

See ya on the 16^th!!!!!!!!!!

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The Panic of 1893

Silver was king. It was until 1893. The spring of 1893 saw the nation suffer a horrifying economic collapse. Banks closed and millions of ordinary people lost their entire life savings. The economic depression lasted years, but was called the Panic of 1893. The Panic of 1893 was one of the most severe financial crises in the history of the United States.

In response to the panic, Congress repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act late in 1893. The repeal of this act caused a steep decline in the value of silver and gold. This led to the closing of silver mines and financial losses.

The nation suffered, but it was worse in Montana. The state of depression brought towns and the state to their knees. The federal government decided to stop minting silver coins in the fall of 1893 (the repeal of Sherman Silver Purchase Act). The government no longer bought millions of ounces of silver every year to mint the silver coins. Montana’s silver mines closed. Silver towns like Wickes and Granite became ghost towns overnight.

The mining community of Granite sprang up in 1875 after silver was discovered and $40 million worth came out of the ground over the next two decades. More than 3,000 people called Granite home. It was complete with its own red-light district, Chinatown, and newspaper. Hundreds of silver-mine workers clogged the streets in Granite in 1890.

When the panic hit, Banks locked their doors. Nearly one-third of Montana workers lost their jobs. Over 20,000 people became jobless and most homeless overnight. It became a ghost town almost overnight. As many as 3,000 people are estimated to have left the mining town in one day.

Helena was another city that suffered. “The city was dependent on banking, most of which originated back East. There were forty-one banks in Montana in 1893 and after the panic there were only nineteen, a failure rate of 53%. All banking activity fell off by a third that year and would drop even further in 1897.”

The panic and absence of help from the government created outrage among the working people. The wealthy were able to protect themselves from the worst of the depression by buying gold. The working class, unable to buy the gold, suffered desperately. Montanans switched to the Populist Party. They elected 16 Populist representatives and senators to the state legislature.

William Hogan, an unemployed worker from Butte, staged a spectacular demonstration of the people’s outrage. Hogan organized The Montana contingent of Coxey’s Army in Butte. His lieutenants, William Cunningham and John Edwards, were unemployed miners. During the winter of 1893-94, nearly 20,000 Montanans were out of work. Butte’s copper meant that the impact in Butte was less than it might have been, but silver mining was devastated.

Hogan heard the Populists across the country were organizing a big march on ‘Washington, DC. Jacob Coxey, Populist leader of Coxey’s Army, demanded unemployment relief from the government. Hogan’s army gathered in Butte in April 1894 and camped at the Northern Pacific railroad yards.

The financial crisis had driven the Northern Pacific to declare bankruptcy, but the railroad was the only way Hogan and his hundreds of followers would be able to get to Washington D.C. The five hundred men encamped in Butte were actively supported by both the local population, who donated food, and the local government, which supported Hogan’s plea for use of a special Northern Pacific train.

The Northern Pacific wasn’t in a position to grant anything, since the bankrupt company was in the hands of a federal receiver. Fearing Hogan’s followers might simply commandeer a train, the Northern Pacific sought and received an injunction to restrain the Coxleyites, even though most rank-and-file Northern Pacific workers supported Hogan.

Hogan’s followers included railroad men who took control of a Northern Pacific engine in Butte on April 24, 1894 and barreled eastward across the state. A car for provisions, and coal cars for men to ride in were attached and the “wild train” – unscheduled, for which all others must clear the track – headed east. At every stop the Hoganites were cheered. People flooded the tracks in support as the train headed through Bozeman, Livingston and Billings.

Ultimately a chase train and delaying tactics by Northern Pacific executives, together with federal troops dispatched west from Fort Keogh at Miles City, and State militia stopped and arrested most of Hogan’s men at Forsyth.

One man was killed by a federal deputy in an altercation at the Billings train station, but otherwise Hogan’s run had been remarkably peaceful. When they were arrested, the band had three guns, two of which were inoperable, and 43 bibles.

Hogan was arrested and served six months in jail. Many Montanans supported Hogan and the group for trying to gain attention for the plight of the unemployed.

“Following a trial for contempt that freed hundreds of the Hoganites (Hogan himself got a 6-month term in the Lewis & Clark County Jail), about 250 men made their way to Ft. Benton in late May and took boats as far as Omaha, where they joined other Coxleyites heading east.” But by then the protest had effectively ended, with no useful result. Coxley himself was arrested for “walking on the grass” at the U.S. Capitol.

Hogan apparently regained his job in Butte by 1895, when he was listed again as a teamster for the Moulton Mining Company. Butte rebounded from the Panic of 1893 and its boom years would be pretty much continuous until the end of World War I.

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The Devil’s Tool, Gold, and Searching for Punt

The ‘Tool of the Devil’? Found in every home at one time. However, before around 1500, the tool was uncommon in Europe. Most ate with their hands and only used knives to cut and spoons for liquids. Medieval tables didn’t have a clue about forks.

Around the 15^th century in Venice that all changed. Thanks to the connection to the Byzantines and the East, Venetians began using forks before anyone else. The earliest European forks were mainly used to held meat in place when cutting with just 2 tines.

Eventually the Italians carried the fork to other parts of Europe. Catherine de’ Medici, Queen of France, introduced the use of the fork to her country. French aristocrats initially scoffed and declared that God gave men hands to eat. Fork use was foolish and immoral. It was the Devil’s tool. The nobility, unable to properly manipulate the fork, moaned and grumbled. Half the food fell off on the journey from plate to mouth.

Even Queen Elizabeth eventually went back to eating by hand because she was unable to achieve success with the new contraption. She considered “spearing an uncouth action.”

Eventually the 2 tines gave way to 3 and 4 tines. And aristocrats finally learned how to eat with a fork. King Charles I declared in the 1630’s “It is decent to use a fork!”

Where is Waldo? Well, where is Punt? Long, long ago in the land of Punt. No not a fairy tale. There really was a Land of Punt. Just nobody really knows where it was. It is known that Punt was an ancient African civilization that flourished around the time the building of the pyramids. Ancient Egyptians believed that Punt was even wealthier than their lands.

Egyptians called Punt the “Land of the Gods” because it was known for gold, ebony, and exotic animals. For centuries Egyptians sent trading caravans to Punt to bring back luxury items.

But no one knows where it was. Where was the rich civilization that impressed ancient Egyptians so much? To this day scholars disagree on where Punt was located. Based on Egyptian records, Punt was to the south, but there’s a lot of Africa south of Egypt.

Through time, one theory claimed Punt was on the Arabian Peninsula. Another claimed it might have been in the Levant north of Egypt. Recent research points to someplace else. In 2010 researchers recovered a mummified baboon that the rulers of Punt gifted to an Egyptian pharaoh. They discovered that the baboon’s DNA most closely matched living baboons from modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea. So the search for Punt continues. They are trying to focus on East Africa and the land around the Red Sea.

We all know about the ‘Gold Rush’. Right? We think about the hills of California and Alaska’s Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon. Closer to home we visualize the placer gold deposits in Montana, which some say were richer than anywhere else on Earth.

All right and good, BUT the first gold rush in U.S. history happened in a little ole creek down in North Carolina in the early 1800’s. The story starts with 12-year-old – Conrad Reed. One day he found this strange rock while playing in the creek next to his home. So he hauled the 17-pound strange rock home and used it as a doorstop.

A few years later the Reeds took the rock to a local jeweler. Instantly the jeweler identified the rock as pure gold. Conning the family, the jeweler bought the gold for a trivial sum. Reed soon learned of the con and went back to the creek on his property to find more gold. There he found an even larger chunk – a 28-pound door stop.

The gold rush began. Local farmers scoured the land for gold until they stripped the creeks clean. North Carolina’s gold rush couldn’t compete with California’s, but it sent millions of dollars of gold to the new federal mint. So much for that door stop.

The Olympics have changed through the years. Different sports have come and gone. Some rather unusual. Strangest might be the tug-of-war that premiered in the Paris 1900 Olympics. Each country fielded a team of 5 or 6 to pull their way to an Olympic medal.

Most countries formed their teams with athletes already competing in other events. Unfortunately, the U.S. had to withdraw because 3 members had to compete in the hammer throw at the same time. But they came back from the St. Louis 1904 Olympics with a Gold, silver, and bronze medal.

By 1908, the tug-of-war teams grew in size to 8 members. Host Great Britain won the medals that year with the Liverpool Police and city of London Police teams on the podium.

The Liverpool team sparked controversy when teams complained they rigged the game. Apparently, they “were wearing enormous shoes, so heavy in fact that it was only with great effort that they could lift their feet from the ground.”

The last Olympic tug-of-war competitions took place in 1920 when Great Britain again won gold. Wonder how heavy those shoes were? After that it was decided to cut back on the number of events and the tug-of-war was cut.

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First Thanksgiving in Gold Country

The first recorded Thanksgiving in what became Montana took place in the isolated mining town of Bannack in 1863, shortly after President Abraham Lincoln had established it as a national observance.

Edgerton was the newly appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Idaho Territory, which then included present-day Montana. Their host offered the invitation well in advance.

Q: What do you get if you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by its diameter? A: Pumpkin pi.

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Idaho Sues Montana Over Stolen Land

Have you ever wondered why Montana looks the way it is?? Why do we have that funny western border? Then Idaho looks a bit weird in itself. Why that panhandle? Some maintain that Montana stole part of Idaho way back when.

In 1863 President Lincoln sent well-respected lawyer Sidney Edgerton to the Idaho Territory as Chief Justice. He immediately recognized that the remote gold fields would be extremely valuable to the Union and the gold camps needed their own territorial government. He convinced Congress in May of 1864 to create the Montana Territory through the Organic Act. President Lincoln immediately appointed Sidney Edgerton as the first governor of the Montana Territory. Now to divide the territories.

According to some the first congress drew the western boundary of the Montana Territory along the Rocky Mountains. But Sidney Edgerton knew that the Bitterroot Mountains were impassable in the wintertime. He coaxed Congress to move the Border 130 miles west to the crest of the Bitterroot Mountains so the Bitterroot and Deer Lodge Valleys could be closer to territorial government. Idaho protested, but Edgerton and the settlers got their way. Edgerton theorized that giving Western Montana on the East side of the Rocky Mountains to Idaho would not make a lot of sense, as they would have basically been isolated from the rest of the State of Idaho.

Now, zoom in on the spot the border splits from the Continental Divide and the Panhandle. According to the records of the Idaho State Historical Society, “The standing myth is that originally that the Montana-Idaho border was supposed to be along the Continental Divide instead of the Bitterroot Range where the state line is located today. The surveyors in charge of surveying the Montana-Idaho border got lost. The Bitterroot Range is so rugged that when the surveying team finally reached the Canadian border, they team said heck with it and weren’t going to go back and correct their mistake. Their mistake resulted in Idaho being only forty-five miles in length along the Canadian border.”

There are variations on the myth of the misguided surveyors getting lost. Some say the team got drunk and didn’t know where they were. Others say that they were bribed by Montana’s less upstanding citizens. Then there’s – they got gold fever so bad that they couldn’t focus on their job. More forgiving theories suggest that the surveying team had faulty equipment. However, no matter how you look at it, looks like Montana took a bite out of Idaho which left Idaho a much smaller state.

Sanger in 1866 states: “However, in looking at the 38th congress, the very congress that commissioned Montana as its own territory, the original location of the Montana-Idaho border was the Bitterroot Mountain Range not the Continental Divide as it states in the myth. As stated by the 38th congress, the western boundary of Montana territory would be, ‘following the crest of the Rocky Mountains northward till its intersection with the Bitter Root Mountains; thence northward along the crest of said Bitter Root Mountains to its intersection with the thirty-ninth degree of longitude west of Washington; thence along said thirty-ninth degree of longitude northward to the boundary line of the British possessions.’ This boundary would later on become the Montana-Idaho state border. “

Other historians write that the 45th Parallel was important in the northern boundary set. The Oregon Treaty stipulated that the boundary between the two nations would follow the 49th parallel of latitude from the Rocky Mountains to the Strait of Georgia in the Pacific Ocean. However, due to surveying inaccuracies, the border was shifted slightly south to the 45th parallel, which is approximately halfway between the equator and the North Pole.

After the treaty was ratified, the U.S. government dispatched surveyors to establish the precise location of the boundary. In the late 19th century, official survey teams were tasked with mapping and marking the border. They erected markers, known as boundary monuments, at regular intervals along the 45th parallel to define the boundary.

Over the years, there have been minor adjustments to the Idaho-Montana border. These adjustments were primarily made to correct surveying errors and ensure the border aligned with the intended latitude line. The most notable adjustment occurred in 1900, when the border was shifted slightly north near the Bitterroot Valley to match the 45th parallel more accurately.

“Today, the Idaho-Montana border remains an important geographical and administrative division between the two states. It spans approximately 600 miles and passes through diverse landscapes, including mountains, forests, and prairies.”

While it is fun to say that a bunch of drunken surveyors is the reason the state boundary exists in such an odd shape, many maintain “that the Montana-Idaho border is truly the result of politics and represents the power of a ticked off congressional representative with a suitcase full of gold and very influential friends.”

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Strange BUT True!! And Some Sticky

Well we’ve heard of floods but this was one sticky wicky place. Believe it or not but just after the lunch crowd, a massive flood of molasses drenched Boston. Talk about a fly trap. How Sweeeeet!!!

The Great Molasses Flood, also known as the Boston Molasses Disaster, was a disaster that occurred on January 15, 1919, in the North End neighborhood of Boston. A large storage tank filled with 2.3 million gallons of molasses, (enough to fill three and half Olympic sized swimming pools) and weighing approximately 13,000 tons burst open. The resultant wave of molasses rushed through the streets at an estimated 35 miles per hour faster than any human could run. It killed 21 people and several horses and injured 150. The event entered local folklore and residents claimed for decades that the area smelled of molasses on hot summer days.

A steel tank holding over 2 million gallons failed because the walls weren’t thick enough. The citizens knew the tank leaked. The kids stopped by for their daily cup of molasses and households enjoyed their supply.

On January 15, temperatures in Boston rose above 40 degrees, climbing rapidly from the frigid temperatures of the preceding days. ‘Witnesses reported that they felt the ground shake and heard a roar as it collapsed, a long rumble similar to the passing of an elevated train; others reported a tremendous crashing, a deep growling, “a thunderclap-like bang!”, and a sound like a machine gun as the rivets shot out of the tank.’

The wave was of sufficient force to drive steel panels of the burst tank against the girders of the adjacent Boston Elevated Railway’s Atlantic Avenue structure and tip a streetcar momentarily off the El’s tracks. Stephen Puleo described how nearby buildings were swept off their foundations and crushed. Several blocks were flooded to a depth of 2 to 3 ft. Puleo quotes a Boston Post report:

‘Molasses, waist deep, covered the street and swirled and bubbled about the wreckage … Here and there struggled a form—whether it was animal or human being was impossible to tell. Only an upheaval, a thrashing about in the sticky mass, showed where any life was. Horses died like so many flies on sticky fly-paper. The more they struggled, the deeper in the mess they were ensnared. Human beings—men and women—suffered likewise.

The Boston Globe reported that people “were picked up by a rush of air and hurled many feet”. Others had debris hurled at them from the rush of sweet-smelling air. A truck was picked up and hurled into Boston Harbor. After the initial wave, the molasses became viscous, exacerbated by the cold temperatures, trapping those caught in the wave and making it even more difficult to rescue them. Some were crushed and drowned by the molasses or by the debris that it carried within. The wounded included people, horses, and dogs; coughing fits became one of the most common ailments after the initial blast.’

First to the scene were 116 cadets from USS Nantucket, a training ship of the Massachusetts Nautical School. The cadets entered the knee-deep flood of molasses to pull out the survivors, while others worked to keep onlookers from getting in the way. Red Cross nurses dived into the molasses, while others tended to the injured, keeping them warm and feeding the exhausted workers. Many worked through the night. The injured were so numerous that a makeshift hospital was set up in a nearby building. Rescuers found it difficult to make their way through the syrup to help the victims, and four days elapsed before they stopped searching. Many of the dead were so glazed over in molasses that they were hard to recognize. Other victims were swept into Boston Harbor and were found three to four months after the disaster.

Cleanup crews used salt water from a fireboat to wash away the molasses and sand to absorb it, and the harbor was brown with molasses until summer. The cleanup in the immediate area took weeks, with several hundred people contributing to the effort. It took longer to clean the rest of Greater Boston and its suburbs. Rescue workers, cleanup crews, and sight-seers had tracked molasses through the streets and spread it to subway platforms, to the seats inside trains and streetcars, to pay telephone handsets, into homes, and to countless other places. It was reported that “Everything that a Bostonian touched was sticky.”

Then across the sea. The Eiffel Tower in Barcelona. But for a quirk of fate. We all see the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but it almost ended up in Barcelona. Gustave Eiffel, the man who designed the Eiffel Tower pitched the idea of placing the structure in Barcelona. The city turned it down.

At first Parisians hated the Eiffel Tower. Built for the 1889 International Exposition, the Tower was supposed to be torn down and sold for scrap. The French army however, requested to keep the tower standing. With its lofty height, it was the perfect communications tower. On the turn of a (vote) dime history could be different.

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Food for Thought with a Little Bonnet on Top

Question – what is the most stolen food in the world? Place your bets – alcohol, meat, sea food. A chocoholic would vote for chocolate. You just went bust. The top stolen food is cheese. 4% of cheese made is stolen.

Why would it be the top stolen item? Well, it’s easy to hide and available everywhere in any store. It doesn’t carry security tags like the expensive electronics. And packaged cheese is a hot item on the black market so it’s easy to resell.

508 million pounds of cheese are stolen every year. How heavy is that, exactly? If the weight of an average car is roughly 4,000 pounds (via the Environmental Protection Agency), then cheese thieves steal the equivalent of 127,000 cars worth a year. That’s a lot of cheese.

As it turns out, most cheese is stolen in large quantities for resale to other markets and restaurants. “Take the time in 2017 when Italian police undertook “Operation Wine and Cheese” and succeeded in capturing 10 masterminds behind the theft of 168 wheels (or $110,000 worth) of Parmesan.”

Simply put, cheese is expensive. And despite the numerous health conditions associated with eating tons of cheese regularly, the average per capita consumption of cheese in the United States is up to about 40 pounds a year. It’s safe to say we can expect more cheese heists in the future.

According to mashed.com, the easiest way to steal cheese may be to have an inside man. In October 2019, Dairy Herd reported that police had captured two men who stole $50,000 worth of cheese from Leprino Foods between 2017 and 2019. One of the thieves reportedly worked at the California plant, which happens to the world’s largest manufacturer of mozzarella cheese. Police were eventually able to identify the cheese based on the serial numbers blocked on to it.

Various sources relate that one of the easiest ways to steal the cheese is just by asking for it. In 2011, two women walked into an Oregon Whole Foods and requested a box full of cheese. While one went to the register, the other walked out the door. What was in the box? $300 worth of Gouda and $270 worth of blue cheese.

Finally, you can steal it the old-fashioned way by planning and executing a heist from the outside. In 2018 French thieves took off with 700 blocks (the equivalent of $11,000) of Saint-Nectaire. In 2019 a Canadian thief, posing as a delivery man, successfully stole $137,000 worth of cheese from Saputo Dairy Products in Ontario. As local constable, Ed Sanchuk noted, that’s “quite a large amount of cheese to get rid of.” Maybe Jerry is behind all this mob cheese activity? Tom needs to up his game time.

Fashion fads come and go. Seldom do they create riots. Actually, you would think it is the female in the fashion world that would create the chaos. But those darn ole men just gotta break that unwritten rule.

In 1922 an 8-day riot broke out in New York City. Don’t laugh – it was over straw hats. And the men started it. In the 1920s men agreed straw hats were acceptable in the summer. However, when autumn came, those hats had to go right back into their hat boxes. So, when some rebels decided that they would refuse to box up those straw hats in September, there was bedlam in the streets.

Admittedly the straw hat rule was a fashion thing, no legal law. But if someone violated that unwritten rule, hat bashing would ensue. In 1922 a gang of teens began roving the streets looking for those straw hats. They enjoyed knocking the hats off and stomping on them as a sign of public ridicule.

Then they picked on the wrong crowd. When a group of dock workers were attacked, the workers hit back. The ensuing brawl shut down the Manhattan Bridge which brought in the police to break it up.

It didn’t stop there. More gangs searched for straw hats to destroy. The mob eventually swelled to over 1,000 teens. Police swarmed the streets, arresting the ‘hat attackers’.

Fortunately, annual straw hat riots didn’t become a thing. Straw hats gradually fell out of fashion and it became more acceptable to wear them year around.

It’s that time of the year when you are still looking for something to cool down with. Ask a kid and they will tell you how great this invention was. Do you know who is recognized as being the inventor of Popsicles? It turns out an 11-year-old boy created that mixture. He accidentally invented this treat on a cold night in 1905.

He mixed up his favorite soda powder and water and left it out overnight. By morning it was frozen and to his delight – delicious. Frank Epperson called it an Epsicle for Epperson plus icicle.

Frank started selling his treat to other kids in the neighborhood. The Epsicle was so popular he took ‘em to a local amusement park. By 1924 Frank took out a patent on his ice pop, including instructions of the best materials for the Popsicle stick.

Eventually, his kids had some improved ideas. They had always called the treat Pop’s ‘sicle. They encouraged Frank to change the name from Epsicle to Popsicle. Soon the Popsicle became an international sensation and today we enjoy 2 Billion popsicles a year. Hopefully you don’t eat that many a year by yourself. So enjoy a popsicle while wearing your straw hat.

Did you hear about the gloomy jack-o’-lantern? It needed to lighten up

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National Friends of Libraries Week.

National Friends of Libraries Week promotes groups who support libraries across the country. The observance provides the opportunity for groups to increase awareness about membership opportunities, their goals, projects and more.

Library friends’ groups help support local libraries in a variety of ways. As a volunteer organization, their programs raise money for library needs. The week celebrates the contributions of friends’ groups across the nation. Their dedication to their local libraries leaves a lasting and positive impact on their libraries and their communities. In fact, some libraries were established through the efforts of friends’ groups. Not only do friends groups support local libraries, but they also contribute to growing academic and scientific libraries. Since 2005, the American Library Association has promoted National Friends of Library Week to recognize the dedication of friends’ groups across the nation.

The Friends of Wedsworth Memorial Library has raised money that enabled our library to move from good to great — providing the resources for our wonderful addition, additional programming, much needed equipment, support for children’s summer reading, and special events throughout the year, especially our annual book sale. Why did the ghost keep coming back to the library? She went through her books too quickly.

The work of the Friends highlights on an on-going basis, the fact that our library is the cornerstone of the community providing opportunities for all to engage in the joy of life-long learning and connect with the thoughts and ideas of others from ages past to the present. The Friends understand the critical importance of well-funded libraries and advocate to ensure that our library gets the resources it needs to provide a wide variety of services to all ages including access to print and electronic materials, along with expert assistance in research, readers’ advisory, and children’s services.

The Friends’ gift of their time and commitment to the library sets an example for all in how volunteerism leads to positive civic engagement and the betterment of our community. Where does the library keep books about Big Foot? The large-print section.

Wedsworth Memorial Library urges everyone to join the Friends of the Library and thank them for all they do to make our library and community so much better.

Our library would be much poorer without the Friends. The funds they have raised definitely put the icing on the cake. I think most patrons would be surprised to learn how many of the services and programs they enjoy are supported by the Friends. Why did Dracula go to the library? He wanted to sink his teeth into a good book.

National Friends of Libraries Week is coordinated by United for Libraries, a division of the American Library Association with approximately 4,000 personal and group members representing hundreds of thousands of library supporters. United for Libraries supports those who govern, promote, advocate, and fundraise for libraries, and brings together library trustees, advocates, friends, and foundations into a partnership that creates a powerful force for libraries in the 21st century. For more information, visit www.ala.org/united. So thank a Friend. Ours have worked hard to better our community.

Where was the librarian when the lights went out? In the dark!

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Old Farmers Day

Old Farmers Day honors the hard labor of farmers throughout American history. It is a re-enactment of the way our forefathers lived, worked and enjoyed life. Agriculture and farming today is largely mechanized and very scientific, but these developments wouldn’t have been possible without the wisdom and hard work of old farmers.

Early American culture was definitely a farming culture. Early settlers cleared fields and woods to farm the rich land. They brought seeds and farming methods with them from across the sea. They found new seeds, and learned new methods over time. Many new farming methods came from Native Americans, who were already farming the land. Most notably, was the concept of hilling, or mounding soil.

The month of October is a very appropriate month to celebrate and honor farmers. At this time, the harvest is largely complete. It means farmers can take a break from their labors, to enjoy this celebration. Old Farmer’s Day is celebrated as a throwback to sustainable farming and farming practices of the old days.

Farming and agriculture have a long and varied history. Despite differences on what is grown, how farming is done or changed over the years, and what materials are used; one thing remains universal to all ag societies – the farmer. Farmers are the lifeline of agriculture – they tend to the agricultural product from the time of sowing to when it reaches the market. It is because of hardworking farmers around the world, that we have food on our tables every day.

A farmers’ work is long and hard. It certainly doesn’t make a person rich. It has its good years, and its bad ones. There is no guarantee of a good crop. Weather, pests, and disease problems often prove disastrous. But, through it all, farmers persevere. And, their ceaseless hard work has set an example for all.

Perhaps Paul Harvey said it the best: “And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, “I need a caretaker.” So God made a farmer.

God said, “I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper and then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board.” So God made a farmer.

“I need somebody with arms strong enough to rustle a calf and yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild. Somebody to call hogs, tame cantankerous machinery, come home hungry, have to wait lunch until his wife’s done feeding visiting ladies and tell the ladies to be sure and come back real soon — and mean it.” So God made a farmer.

God said, “I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt. And watch it die. Then dry his eyes and say, ‘Maybe next year.’ I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from a persimmon sprout, shoe a horse with a hunk of car tire, who can make harness out of haywire, feed sacks and shoe scraps. And who, planting time and harvest season, will finish his forty-hour week by Tuesday noon, then, pain’n from ‘tractor back,’ put in another seventy-two hours.” So God made a farmer.

God had to have somebody willing to ride the ruts at double speed to get the hay in ahead of the rain clouds and yet stop in mid-field and race to help when he sees the first smoke from a neighbor’s place. So God made a farmer.

God said, “I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bales, yet gentle enough to tame lambs and wean pigs and tend the pink-combed pullets, who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the broken leg of a meadow lark. It had to be somebody who’d plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed and rake and disc and plow and plant and tie the fleece and strain the milk and replenish the self-feeder and finish a hard week’s work with a five-mile drive to church.

“Somebody who’d bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh and then sigh, and then reply, with smiling eyes, when his son says he wants to spend his life ‘doing what dad does.'” So God made a farmer.

As Americans, we need to tip our hat to all farmers for their contributions to American culture, values, society, and the economy. Happy Old Farmers Day!

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A Huge thank you to the community for supporting the Library

The Friends of the Library and Wedsworth Memorial Library’s book sale was a magnificent success due to our dedicated volunteers and supporters. Wedsworth Library would like to thank the volunteers that helped orchestrate this annual Book Sale and everyone who came to support our efforts.

Whether it was unloading the trailer, sorting, boxing books, reloading the trailer, setting up tables, returning tables and chairs to their proper spot, sweeping floors, cleaning the kitchen, or overseeing the kitchen; thank you thank you thank you. Believe us, your help was more than appreciated.

There is also a big thank you to everyone who arrived with all the goodies, whether they be cookies, soup, bread or whatever. If you missed this delicious food, you missed a splendid feast.

Lest not we forget, where would we be if it wasn’t for the Friends of the Library helping out? Their support is invaluable to maintain our library services. At this time we also want to thank the Wedsworth Trust and the Town of Cascade because their financial and overall support allows the library to keep their doors open. Without them our future might be a tad uncertain.

We try to be there for you to the best of our abilities. In order for us to provide the services we currently do and want to provide in the future, we depend on the generosity of our patrons. Donations and the book sale money allow us to bring in special speakers or entertainers; buy things like the Solar Eclipse glasses; supports the Summer Reading Program; all the extras outside our basic budget; and of course the treats you love.

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Stages of an Annular Solar Eclipse

For some this will be the last time! You don’t see ‘em often, but when you do – time to take advantage. Next week Montana will be privileged to view the last viewable Eclipse from Montana for many a year. On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will be visible from Texas to Maine. The next opportunities to experience a total solar eclipse over the United States will be in 2044 (in North Dakota and Montana) and 2045 (as it crosses from California to Florida).

What causes a solar eclipse? The first thing to understand about solar eclipses is that they occur because of a remarkable cosmic coincidence: the Sun is about the same apparent size in our sky as the Moon. While the Sun is actually about 400 times larger in diameter than the Moon, the Moon is also about 400 times closer than the Sun. Therefore, the Sun and the Moon appear to be about the same size in our sky.

This single fact explains why we see total solar eclipses – the Moon has an apparent size that just barely covers the Sun completely, yet is not too large that the Sun’s atmosphere, its corona, is eclipsed as well. We on Earth occupy a celestial sweet spot to witness this sight. We are the beneficiaries of a wonderful cosmic coincidence, lined up like a cosmic billiard shot.

It was not always so. When the Moon first formed around our Earth over 4 billion years ago, it was much closer to the Earth and appeared much larger in our sky. So total solar eclipses in the early epochs of our Earth did block the Sun but also most of the corona. Over the eons, the Moon has been gradually receding from the Earth due to the friction from the tides. At present, the distance from the Earth to the Moon increases by about an inch per year. In some distant future epoch, the Moon’s disk will become smaller such that no more total solar eclipses will be visible from Earth.

Not every eclipse of the Sun is a total eclipse. Sometimes, the Moon is too small to cover the entire Sun’s disk. The Moon’s orbit around Earth not perfectly round but is oval or elliptical in shape. As the Moon orbits our planet, its distance varies from about 221,000 to 252,000 miles. This 13% variation in the Moon’s distance makes the Moon’s apparent size in our sky vary by the same amount. When the Moon is on the near side of its orbit, the Moon appears larger than the Sun. If an eclipse occurs at that time, it will be a total eclipse. However, if an eclipse occurs while the Moon is on the far side of its orbit, the Moon appears smaller than the Sun and can’t completely cover it.

There are 5 distinct stages of an annular solar eclipse: 1st contact—partial eclipse begins: The Moon’s silhouette starts becoming visible in front of the Sun’s disk. The Sun looks as if a bite has been taken from it.

2nd contact—full eclipse, or annularity, starts: The ring of fire appears. For a few seconds just as the annularity begins, Baily’s beads, which look like beads of light, can sometimes be seen at the edge of the Moon’s silhouette.

Maximum eclipse: The Moon covers the center of the Sun’s disk.

3rd contact—annularity ends: The Moon starts moving away from the disk of the Sun. Once again, Baily’s beads may be visible along the Moon’s leading edge.

4th contact—partial eclipse ends: The Moon stops overlapping the Sun’s disk. The eclipse ends at this stage.

Annular eclipses can last over 3 hours in locations where annularity is visible. From start to finish, the total duration of annular eclipses can be over 6 hours but not in a single location. The annularity, when only a ring of fire is visible in the sky, can range from less than a second to over 12 minutes.

Cascade’s eclipse will be visible on October 14 beginning around 9:12:21 a.m. The Partial solar eclipse will be visible at 68.21% coverage of the Sun. The Duration will be 2 hours, 37 minutes, and 48 seconds or ending at 11:50:09 am.

The Library will be hosting a program with solar eclipse glasses free to the public and access to a solar eclipse telescope. Our program will begin at 8:00 a.m. and run throughout the eclipse activity Saturday October 14 in front of the Library. We will have water and refreshments available. Feel free to stop by for a minute or for the whole shebang.

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It’s Treatment Time for the Bookaholics

You might be a Bookaholic If: When you are Cold, you buy a book. You’ll still be cold but you’ll have books! The picture window in your wallet displays your library card instead of your driver’s license.

You might be a Bookaholic If: You’re incapable of going by a book sale without buying something. You buy more books even if you have a stack of books that haven’t been read. I’m a bookaholic on the road to recovery. Just kidding. I’m on the road to the Wedsworth book sale.

We are holding our annual book sale at Wedsworth Hall Saturday October the 7th from 9:00-4:00; and Sunday October the 8th from 10:00-2:00. And don’t forget the goodies!!!!!!!! Remember all who come can enjoy homemade soup, cookies, bread and refreshments on Saturday, October 7th and cookies and refreshments on Sunday, October 8th.

Calling all volunteers. Calling all volunteers who are willing and able and would love to see a unique parade. On October 5th at 9 a.m. you will be able to see a parade of books heading into Wedsworth Hall. If you would like to be part of this parade, volunteer to help haul books for the Library’s annual book sale and help set up the books for the sale.

We can use volunteers on Thursday October the 5^th and Friday, October the 6th at 9:00 a.m. to help display the books for the book sale and on Sunday, October the 9th to box the books up once the sale is over. The Hall will be a beehive of activity for all those busy worker bees arranging this fabulous selection of books. If you would like to volunteer to be a worker bee show up at Wedsworth Hall any time after 9:00 a.m. on Thursday October the 5^th and Friday, October the 6th or Sunday October 8th at 2:00 p.m.

It will be a Jim Dandy of a sale! This rousing event raises money in support of our library. Lookin forward to seeing you on Saturday October the 7th from 9:00-4:00; and Sunday October the 8th.

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Friends of the Library and Wedsworth Library Book Sale

As Dory would say ‘I need to stop buying books. Oh!! Look a Book Sale!!!!

Yep, Dory has found another great deal. The Friends of the Library and Wedsworth Library are having their annual book sale on Saturday October the 7th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for your first chance or Sunday the 8th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for your last chance to obtain the special item you have been hoping to squirrel away for this winter’s reading when the snows a swirling round your front door. Looks to be a long cold winter, you might wanna have a big supply on hand.

Don’t forget, on Saturday you can enjoy homemade soup, cookies and bread while sorting through the fabulous Book Sale buys! This rousing event raises money in support of our library.

In this day and age, the Library depends heavily on the money this sale brings in. Because the Census saw a drop of population for our service area, the Library lost money. We are one of two libraries in the state that saw reduced income because of the Census. We are paid for each and every resident in our service area. So, we lost money two ways. One – because of the drop of population and second, we lost money because we did not see the increase in population that we should have. Over ten years this results in a considerable sum, not only what we don’t see year to year.

Our expenses never decrease, so we are trying to do the same, if not more with less fixed income. Our only salvation and wiggle room is the donations we receive and the income from the book sale. This allows us to continue to serve our patrons with the best services they deserve.

Remember if you are willing to help with the book sale in any way shape or form, please give us a call. We can still use volunteers on Thursday October 5th and Friday October 6th at 9:00 a.m. to help display the books for the book sale. Then we need all hands-on deck on October 8th to box the books up once the sale is over. Looking forward to seeing you on October 7th and 8th. It will be a Jim Dandy of a sale!

Even if you don’t need a book, stop by and see us, have some soup or just visit with that long-lost neighbor you haven’t seen all summer or just meet some new!

On a further note – The Library will be hosting a program Saturday October 14 in front of the Library with solar eclipse glasses free to the public and access to a solar eclipse telescope. Our program will begin at 8:00 a.m. and run throughout the eclipse activity. We will have water and refreshments available. Feel free to stop by for a minute or for the whole shebang.

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Back-to-Back American Solar Eclipses!

In less than a year’s time, there will be 2 amazing eclipse-viewing opportunities! An annular eclipse on Saturday, October 14th, 2023 and a total eclipse on April 8th, 2024. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045. We are all ecstatic to be able to bring you programs, solar sun glasses and be a part of your thrilling experience.

Do you remember the total solar eclipse that crossed the continental United States from coast to coast on August 21, 2017? We hope you were in the 70-mile-wide path of totality, where the Moon completely blocked the Sun’s bright face and turned day into night for a few minutes. The 2017 total solar eclipse was the first to touch the “Lower 48” since 1979 and the first to span the U.S. from coast to coast since 1918.

Can you believe it – another solar eclipse is coming on October 14? The Moon will again pass directly between Earth and the Sun — but this time it will not quite completely cover the solar disk, instead turning it into a thin “ring of fire.” The Sun is never completely blocked by the Moon during an annular solar eclipse.

This annular eclipse will be visible within a roughly 125-mile-wide path from Oregon to Texas and on into Mexico and northern South America. The annular solar eclipse begins in Oregon at 9:13 a.m. PDT and ends in Texas at 12:03 p.m. CDT. All 49 continental U.S. states will experience at least a partial eclipse.

Cascade’s eclipse will be visible on Saturday, October 14 beginning approximately at 9:12:21 a.m. The Maximum eclipse will be visible at 10:28:01. The Partial then ends at 11:50:11. We will see a 68.24% coverage of the Sun.

We’ll have a different type of solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. This time the Moon’s dark central shadow, about 115 miles wide, will cross Mexico, sweep northeast from Texas to Maine, and then darken the Canadian Maritimes. A partial solar eclipse will again be visible to nearly everyone in North America fortunate to have cloud-free skies.

During a partial or annular (ring) solar eclipse, such as the one on October 14, 2023, there is no time when it is safe to look directly at the Sun without using a special-purpose solar filter that complies with the transmittance requirements of the ISO 12312-2 international standard. So, stop on by the Library and obtain your very own Solar Eclipse Sun Glasses.

Once again Cascade’s eclipse will be visible on Saturday, October 14 beginning approximately at 9:12:21 a.m. The Maximum eclipse will be visible at 10:28:01. The Partial then ends at 11:50:11. We will see approximately 68.24% coverage of the Sun.

And Don’t Forget our annual Booksale with the Friends of the Library on October 7 and 8 with all the delicious soup you can eat!!!!!!!

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Food for Thought with a Little Bonnet on Top

Various sources relate that one of the easiest way to steal the cheese is just by asking for it. In 2011, two women walked into an Oregon Whole Foods and requested a box full of cheese. While one went to the register, the other walked out the door. What was in the box? $300 worth of Gouda and $270 worth of blue cheese.

Finally, you can steal it the old fashioned way by planning and executing a heist from the outside. In 2018 French thieves took off with 700 blocks (the equivalent of $11,000) of Saint-Nectaire. In 2019 a Canadian thief, posing as a delivery man, successfully stole $137,000 worth of cheese from Saputo Dairy Products in Ontario. As local constable, Ed Sanchuk noted, that’s “quite a large amount of cheese to get rid of.” Maybe Jerry is behind all this mob cheese activity? Tom needs to up his game time.

Fashion fads come and go. Seldom do they create riots. Actually you would think it is the female in the fashion world that would create the chaos. But those darn ol men just gotta break that unwritten rule.

Then they picked on the wrong crowd. When a group of dock workers were attacked, the workers hit back. The ensuing brawl shut down the Manhattan Bridge which brought in the police to break it up.

It didn’t stop there. More gangs searched for straw hats to destroy. The mob eventually swelled to over 1,000 teens. Police swarmed the streets, arresting the ‘hat attackers’.

Fortunately, annual straw hat riots didn’t become a thing. Straw hats gradually fell out of fashion and it became more acceptable to wear them year around.

It’s that time of the year when you are still looking for something to cool down with. Ask a kid and they will tell you how great this invention was. Do you know who is recognized as being the inventor of Popsicles? It turns out an 11 year old boy created that mixture. He accidentally invented this treat on a cold night in 1905.

He mixed up his favorite soda powder and water and left it out overnight. By morning it was frozen and to his delight – delicious. Frank Epperson called it an Epsicle for Epperson plus icicle.

Remember you can enjoy the solar eclipse better if you pick up glasses at the library. Look for more info about the Solar Eclipse program on October 14 as time gets closer. Drop off those books for the book sale October 7 & 8! We need to kick start our Story Hour. Let us know how you would like to contribute or your preferred hours.

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Tiny, Mighty, Remembrance and Change

Just because something is small doesn’t mean it isn’t strong, mighty, or determined. Animals are no different! Small animals can be just as tough as big ones! In fact, many small animals have near superpowers!

The bee hummingbird is found only in Cuba, the smallest bird in the world with a lifespan of 7 years. It isn’t only tiny, weighing less than a U.S. penny, it’s spectacular to watch. Bee hummingbirds flap their wings at a rate of 80 beats per second and can fly upside down and backwards. During a courtship flight, they beat up to 200 times per second! Even their heart rates are fascinating. Bee hummingbirds heart rates can reach 1,260 beats per minute. Bee hummingbirds are fast. They are capable of flying at 25–30 mph.

The Bee Hummingbird is an absolute miniature, even among hummingbirds. It measures a mere two and a quarter inches long. They are often mistaken for bees. It acts like one by helping plants reproduce by transferring pollen as it flits from flower-to-flower sipping nectar every 10 minutes. The female builds a nest barely an inch across with 2 eggs about the size of a coffee bean.

The male has a green pileum (the top of the head from the bill to the nape) and blazing red feathers that point like spikes down the sides of the breast. He is smaller than the female. Female bee hummingbirds are bluish green with a pale gray underside. The tips of their tail feathers have white spots. Compared to other small hummingbirds, which often have a slender appearance, the bee hummingbird looks rounded and plump.

The brilliant, iridescent colors of the bee hummingbird’s feathers make the bird seem like a tiny jewel. The iridescence isn’t always noticeable, but depends on the viewing angle. The bird’s slender, pointed bill is adapted for probing deep into flowers and transfers pollen when flying from flower to flower. In one day, the bee hummingbird may visit 1,500 flowers, so plays an important role in plant reproduction. They occasionally eat insects and spiders. In a typical day, bee hummingbirds will consume up to half their body weight in food.

The bee hummingbird’s breeding season is March–June. Males court females with sound from tail‐feathers, which flutter during display dives. The bee hummingbird interaction with the flowers that supply nectar is a notable example of bird–plant coevolution with its primary food source.

Water bears aren’t really bears at all, but they are tough and mighty! These tiny animals are less than 1mm long and are found everywhere there is water. They can be found almost anywhere on Earth, from the top of the Himalaya Mountain range to the bottom of the sea, from icy Antarctica to bubbling hot springs. These microscopic crawlers look a bit stout, like a bear, but they have eight short little legs with little claws on each leg.

They can survive temperatures colder than -328 Fahrenheit by going dormant. They can last a century in this dormant state. On the flip side, they can survive in the desert at temperatures over 302 degrees Fahrenheit. They can go without food, air, and water and can survive radiation. Water bears have even been sent to the moon!

Sea cucumbers are small animals that live on the ocean floor. They eat algae and microscopic animals and even waste. But they have a very interesting superpower!

When a sea cucumber is threatened, it instantly tightens all its muscles and shoots some of its organs out of its body at the predator. But that’s not all – when the sea cucumber has escaped its untimely death it can quickly regenerate the missing organs and continue its peaceful existence.

They’re tiny and cute, and live in Indonesia. The Slow Loris is so small it can fit in the palm of your hand. But there is an ugly surprise if you pick one up. The Slow Loris produces a toxin near their elbow. When they lick their bodies, the toxin gets transferred to their mouths. If they bite you, you’ll experience painful swelling. In addition, people subjected to slow loris bites often experience a potentially fatal allergic reaction to the toxin. The slow loris will transfer this toxin to their babies as a means of protection so they can go and hunt.

Lest we forget. The enduring power of the Sept. 11 attacks is clear: An overwhelming share of Americans are old enough to recall the day, remember where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news. Yet an ever-growing number of Americans have no personal memory of that day, either because they were too young or not yet born. Shock, sadness, fear, anger: The 9/11 attacks inflicted a devastating emotional toll on Americans. As horrible as the events of that day were, a 63% majority of Americans said they couldn’t stop watching news coverage of the attacks. More than two decades later, Sept. 11 remains a point for reflection on the hijacked-plane attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

Let us not forget: Christine Lee Hanson was on her way to Disneyland when she became the youngest 9/11 victim. Betty Ong, the flight attendant who made first 9/11 alert. Richard, who worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 17 years, was on his way home from his grandmother’s 100th birthday party and was aboard United Airlines Flight 93 when it crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

343 firefighters died, lost in the collapse of buildings, from smoke inhalation that day. Since then, another 306 firefighters, emergency service technicians, officers and paramedics have died from diseases they contracted from working the smoking pile of metal, glass and rubble at the World Trade Center site, according to the Uniformed Firefighters Association. The September 11 attacks of 2001 caused the deaths of 2,977 victims. There are still more than 1,100 victims, at least 40% of those who died on 9/11, that remain unidentified.

The collapse of two 110-story buildings created piles of rubble multiple stories high and extending seven stories belowground. Nearly 100 dogs worked at the Trade Center. During the chaos of the 9/11 attacks, loyal search and rescue dogs & their owners scoured Ground Zero for survivors. Bretagne remained the only living 9/11 search and rescue dog until June 6, 2016, when she was laid to rest just shy of 17 years old. They, along with human rescuers, suffered lasting health problems that were tied to their heroic efforts.

We need to remember how the country came together as one. Maybe at this time of turmoil in our country we should vividly remember. Remember the horror yes, but remember the solidarity our citizens and the world displayed to one and all. We should take a moment on the morning of 9/11 and remember.

“Where were you when the world stopped turnin’ That September day? Did you weep for the children, they lost their dear loved ones; Pray for the ones who don’t know? Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble And sob for the ones left below? Did you burst out with pride for the red, white, and blue And the heroes who died just doin’ what they do? Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer And look at yourself and what really matters? And I remember this from when I was young. Faith, hope, and love are some good things He gave us and the greatest is love.”

Remember you can’t enjoy the Library if you don’t remember we changed to winter hours: Monday 9-1; 2-6, Tuesday 9-1; 3-5, Wednesday – Friday 2-5. Our heroes are also readers. Stop by and pick up your solar eclipse glasses.

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Pets, Star Trek and Wi-Fi

Picture a presidential pet. You probably think of a dog or cat. The most popular pet of the White House has been a dog, owned by 30 of the 45 presidents. But there have been a few more unusual pets residing there. Andrew Jackson’s parrot was kicked out of Jackson’s funeral for swearing.

John Quincy Adams and Herbert Hoover both kept alligators in the White House. Was that part of the security team? Adams even let his alligator live in the White House bathroom. He loved to surprise guests that way!

In the country’s early years, foreign dignitaries often gifted exotic animals to the president. When the Sultan of Oman gave Martin Van Buren a pair of tiger cubs Congress stepped in and made the president send the cubs to a zoo, much to the displeasure of Van Buren.

An entire menagerie sometimes grew at the White House. Teddy Roosevelt had a collection that included a zebra, bears and a lion. Roosevelt’s daughter, Alice, also kept a garter snake named Emily Spinach as a pet.

James Buchanan opened his home to an eagle. To cut lawn-cutting costs in the White House during World War I, President Woodrow Wilson brought in a flock of sheep to graze the lawns and keep the grass trim. Among them, was a tobacco chewing ram called Old Ike.

Coolidge’s collection was a bit more than Rebecca the Raccoon. He also had two lion cubs and an exotic wallaby, plus a pygmy hippo named Billy. Pauline Wayne, the cow, belonged to President William Taft. Pauline Wayne grazed the White House lawn during Taft’s presidency from 1909 to 1913 and provided milk and butter for the first family.

John F. Kennedy brought pet hamsters Debbie and Billie; a gray cat-Tom Kitten; and a canary-Robin, to the White House. Eventually, pony Macaroni (who belonged to President Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline) and pony Tex arrived. Pushinka was a dog gifted by the Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev; Welsh terrier Charley; German shepherd Clipper; cocker spaniel Shannon; parakeets Maybelle and Bluebell; and Wolf, an Irish wolfhound, would come and go. Wow! What a houseful! More recent presidents tend to stick with cats and dogs.

In the 1950s Lucille Ball was an unstoppable comedic force. As a star of her own television show, she also pioneered the idea of reruns. Her company – Desilu Productions invented and syndicated reruns.

Lucy was always looking for the next trend in television. Her studio launched hits like “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “The Andy Griffith Show”. By the 1960s Lucille Ball was head of Desilu Productions after buying out Desi Arnaz. This made her one of the most powerful women in Hollywood. In 1963 Ball recognized the next big hits – “Mission: Impossible” and “Star Trek”.

Desilu’s Board of Directors told Lucy that “Star Trek” would be a huge flop. It would be too expensive thanks to all the space technology. But Lucy overruled the objections and pushed for a pilot. The pilot tanked, but Lucy funded a reshoot that ended up launching the massive franchise. Star Trek exists today because Lucille Ball believed in herself and the story.

Hedy Lamarr is noted for being a star of the silver screen in the 1940s. Few know of her patent that provided the Allies an edge during World War II. Born in early 20th Century Vienna, Lamarr broke into movies in the 30s. When war threatened, she fled to London where she met Louis B. Mayer, one of the founders of MGM Studios. Mayer quickly recognized her potential and transformed her into a Hollywood star.

A chance connection with Howard Hughes changed history. Both loved science. Hughes gifted Lamarr equipment to develop inventions and along the way provided a tour of his airplane factories. Hughes mentioned he wanted to make his planes faster. Based on her study of fish and birds, Lamarr sketched a new wing design for Hughes’ airplanes. Hughes thought her new design was genius and Phenomenal!

Lamarr’s greatest invention was yet to come. Hedy Lamarr collaborated with composer George Antheil to create a new guidance system for torpedoes that they hoped would provide the Allies an edge during the War. Some sources state Hedy received a patent for this innovation. Other sources state Hedy Lamarr was left off the patent for the frequency-hopping device because she was not a U.S. citizen.

Frequency hopping is used in wireless communications of today like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Lamarr and Antheil found a way for the radio guidance transmitter and the torpedo’s receiver to jump simultaneously from frequency to frequency, making it impossible for the enemy to locate and block a message before it had moved to another frequency.

Sadly, the U.S. Navy dismissed Lamarr’s contribution, telling her she’d be more useful selling war bonds. Wanting to help in any way she could, she agreed, raising 25 million dollars. Fortunately, her invention didn’t go to waste.

The US Navy initially pretended to be uninterested in her creation, but then inevitably stole it and by the 1960s it had been incorporated into their weapon systems. It was one of the key communication systems used during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Lamarr was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014 for the development of her frequency hopping technology. Such achievement has led movie stat Hedy Lamarr to be dubbed “the Mother of Wi-Fi” and other wireless communications like GPS and Bluetooth.

Times R a changing. Just a reminder: Wedsworth library changes to winter hours on Tuesday, September 5. Hours are: Monday 9-1; 2-6, Tuesday 9-1; 3-5, Wednesday – Friday 2-5.

Start looking for Dory. She’ll lead you to amazing people and exciting adventures.

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Harvest Dinner

Fall Tree Branch Clip Art. Snowjet.co

Sunday August 27 @ 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm

The Town of Cascade and Wedsworth Library

would like to invite you to the Annual Harvest Dinner!

Potluck…Bring a dish made with food from your garden

or your favorite recipe! Meat will be provided

Tables will be set up at Wedsworth Hall for everyone to come

meet others in the community Bring your guitar, fiddle, keyboards…play in the park!

Donations will go to the Wedsworth Library and Wedsworth Estate

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Enjoying Life In The Slow Lane

Or slow and steady wins the race? In a world filled with fast-paced living and bustling schedules, sloths symbolize a contrasting approach to life.

While cheetahs’ live life in the fast lane, sloths just take their own sweet time. On average, sloths travel 41 yards per day, less than half the length of a football field.

Sloths have a unique diet that consists mostly of leaves. And these leaves are not the energy powerhouses you’d expect. They’re more like leafy snacks with little nutritional value.

As a result, their metabolic rate is incredibly slow. In fact, sloths have the slowest metabolic rates of any mammal. While humans burn anywhere from 1,200 to 2,400 calories a day, sloths get by on a modest 40 to 140 calories.

A recent study in Peer Journal found that sloths can even press pause on their metabolism; which means they are the only mammal known to be capable of temporarily shutting down their metabolism without entering into a state of inactivity similar to hibernation.

Moving at a sloth’s pace is a survival strategy to conserve the little energy they get from their diet. It is kind of like if your car was low on gas, you would be slowly coasting your way to the next gas station.

Cold climates would definitely not be their thing. They’d burn way too much energy trying to keep warm. Their energy-saving ways are like a lizard sunbathing on a rock.

Sloths really like savoring a meal and have a specialized digestive system that breaks down the tough carbohydrates in the leaves they consume. It typically takes humans about a day to digest a meal; Sloth’s can take up to a month.

But don’t let this slow-moving life fool you into thinking sloths have little muscle mass. Sloths may not be winning any drag races, but they’re the undisputed pull-up champions. Thanks to their long arms and special shoulder joints, sloths effortlessly hang and support their entire body weight. They are three times stronger than your average human.

Sloths can spend 90% of their lives hanging upside down. Studies show this is possible because their organs are attached to their rib cage, therefore the organs don’t weigh down on the lungs. As a result, sloths can hang upside down without anything affecting their breathing.

Their slow and steady movements come in handy when dodging predators. A sloth’s algae-covered fur helps to camouflage them and their slow movements don’t tip off predators like jaguars and eagles.

Sloths call tall trees their home in Central and South America. There are two types of sloths, the two-toed and three-toed. This is confusing in a way, as both types have three claws, or ‘toes,’ on their hind limbs. So, the difference is found on their front limbs.

Sloths’ long claws make walking on land difficult, but they can move up to three times faster when they swim. They can also hold their breath for an impressive 40 minutes. They accomplish this by suppressing their metabolism to slow their heart rate to a third of its average speed.

Sloths possess a symbiotic relationship with the algae that grows on their fur. While the sloth provides the algae with shelter and water (as sloth fur is highly absorbent), the algae provide the sloth with camouflage and extra nutrients through the sloth’s skin.

The modern sloth is usually around the size of a medium-sized dog. Ancient sloths of a ‘few years ago’, known as ‘Megatherium,’ could grow as large as an Asian elephant! These giant sloths sometimes featured areas of small bone discs that would act as ‘armor plating’ for protection. They became extinct around 10,000 years ago.

Sloths have extra vertebrae at the base of their neck which allows them to turn their head on a 270° axis. They can obtain almost a 360° view of their surroundings, which is a highly beneficial defense mechanism. Sloths typically live quiet, sleepy lives. They sleep 8- 9 hours a day

So, next time you’re feeling a need for speed, our sloth friends remind us that slow and steady wins the race.

The season is upon us. No, not shopping for Christmas, but the season of the ‘Changing Of The Hours’. Sounds like the title of a good book. Just a reminder: Wedsworth library is changing to winter hours on Tuesday, September 5. Hours are: Monday 9-1; 2-6, Tuesday 9-1; 3-5, Wednesday – Friday 2-5.

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Rediscovering Your Local Library

Through the course of Life many of us have discovered a great many things: the post office key doesn’t work in the car and vice versa; things do not cook very well if the oven’s not on; coffee tastes better when you add the coffee; and clothes come out cleaner if you put them in the washing machine before running through all the cycles. Life is a journey of Discovery.

So add one more trail to this journey, come discover your library. Every child deserves a best beginning and lifetime of discovering. Every child deserves a life of reading and a lifetime of imagination. Reading opens a world of possibilities and help ignites their imagination. Every child deserves access to books and to have an adult in their lives who cares enough to teach them how to read.

Come discover how to help impaired vision or other sight disability? In addition, Montana Talking Book Library is a personalized library service for those unable to read standard print. These are free services to serve adults with conditions that make it difficult to read standard print. We have the information to access these services.

Researching family history? Wedsworth Library has data on all the cemeteries in the county and birth stats dating back to the 1800’s. There is this and so much more to discover at your local library.

Do you want to know what happened in the area 20 or 30 or a 150 years ago? Take a peek at the Cascade Courier on Microfilm. Many a fine story has been discovered by browsing through the files.

Need to know where to access free legal forms? Stop on by. W.M.L. has phone numbers and information on the Court Help Program which explains what the Self Help Law Centers can do for you.

Need a place to meet or hold a zoom meeting? Then the library meeting room is the place to be. It is open 24/7. And it is free. Actually almost all the services at your wonderful local library are free.

Take your internet with you on the road. Check out a Mobile Hot Spot and you have instant internet in your pocket wherever there is cell service. Need to veg out and put the world on hold. Stop by and check out one of our movies: Let the adventures begin! Join Disney’s Ian and Barley in their magical quest in Onward and discover the super powers of the DC Super Pets. Travel on a journey and experience the adventure with Disney’s Dinosaur. The Windermere Children is based on a true story about the rehabilitation of child survivors of the Holocaust. The Windtalkers provides insight on the difficult, but close friendship between the bodyguards assigned to protect the Navajo code talkers and the code talkers during World War II. Or discover life as a Code Talker in the movie Navajo Code Talkers.

Have you ever sat down and thought about just how important our local library is? “Montana libraries have an impact on their patrons and communities. Montanans across the state are improving their lives, achieving their life-long learning goals, furthering their communities, and connecting with family and friends at their public libraries,” said Jennie Stapp, our Montana State Librarian.

Whether you pop in because your computer is on the fritz, make copies, grab a book, find a DVD, or check your email; we are here when you need us. In this day and age of decreasing funding, remember how important your library is to the community.

We will be hosting some programs linked to the October Solar Eclipse. As a matter of fact – starting in September we will be giving away Solar Sunglasses to whoever walks in our door. That way you will be a lot safer viewing the Eclipse. So, stop by pick up some glasses and be on the watch for a program or two in the future. A hint – we will be hosting a program on October 14 with our own Solar Telescope to view a closeup of the eclipse. So be aware.

There’s lots to find at the library. All you gotta do is stop by and take a peek. Sit under our tree and have some tea to finish the task. Plans are in the works to revamping our Story Hour so please stay tuned.

Story Hour has a very long history with Libraries and has become synonymous with them. You hear the word and you think of Libraries. You might say we invented them and continue to be proud of offering the program. Anne Carroll Moore at the Pratt Institute Free Library introduced a story hour at the Pratt Institute as early as 1896, and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh started a weekly story hour in 1900 under Francis Jenkins Olcott.

Wedsworth Library will be holding their annual AAA treatment program for Bookaholics. Wedsworth Hall will be the site of a rare, but delightful experience on October 7th and 8th. Everyone stopping by Wedsworth Hall will have the opportunity to become acquainted with famous authors and actors from around the world. Treasure hunters can experience all the fantastic adventures offered by these eminent individuals.

Wedsworth Memorial Library and Friends of the Library are holding their annual book sale at Wedsworth Hall Saturday, October 7th from 9:00-4:00; and Sunday, October 8th from 10:00-2:00.

Stop on by. We have a lot to offer you and our community.

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Inventors of the Unbreakable Code

In the heat of battle, it is imperative that messages are delivered and received as quickly as possible. It is even more crucial that the messages are encoded so the enemy isn’t forewarned.

In World War II it was determined that there was a crucial need for an unbreakable code that would help the U.S. military communicate while protecting their operational plans. The Germans and Japanese were master codebreakers.

The idea for using the Navajo language as a military code came from Philip Johnston. In 1942 Philip Johnston read a newspaper article about an armored division in Louisiana attempting to come up with a code using Native American languages. Johnston knew the perfect Native American language for the new, unbreakable code.

The Navajo language was unwritten and understood only by those who lived with the Navajos. As a child, Johnston spent most of his childhood on a Navajo reservation and grew up learning the Navajo language and customs. He believed that the Navajo language could be used as the basis for an unbreakable code.

However, World War II wasn’t the first time a Native American language was used to create a code. The idea of using American Indians who were fluent in both their tribal language and English to send secret strategic messages in battle was first put to the test in World War I with the Choctaw Telephone Squad and other Native communications experts and messengers. It was instrumental in a successful surprise attack against the Germans.

After World War I, Germany and Japan sent students to the United States to study Native American languages and cultures, such as Cherokee, Choctaw, and Comanche. Because of this, many members of the U.S. military services were uneasy about using Code Talkers during World War II. They were afraid the code would be cracked. That was before they learned about the complexity of Navajo.

In spite of security concerns of a code based on a Native American language; it was decided to give Johnston’s idea a try. A pilot project was approved with 30 Navajos and Johnston to participate in the program.

As most know a code talker is the name given to American Indians who used their tribal language to send secret communications on the battlefield. In addition to the Navajo there were at least 14 other Native nations, including the Cherokee and Comanche, that served as code talkers in both the Pacific and Europe.

In 1940 the US Army was the first branch of the military that began recruiting code talkers from places like Oklahoma. Other branches, such as the US Marines and Navy followed. The first 29 recruited Navajos (one dropped out) arrived at Camp Elliott near San Diego in May 1942.

One of the first tasks for these men was to develop and memorize a unique military code using their mostly unwritten language. They were placed in a guarded room until this task was completed. During the course of the war, about 400 Navajos participated in the code talker program.

“The first type of code they created, Type 1 code, consisted of 26 Navajo terms that stood for individual English letters that could be used to spell out a word. “For instance, the Navajo word for “ant,” wo-la-chee, was used to represent the letter “a” in English.”

“Type 2 code contained words that could be directly translated from English into Navajo. A dictionary of 211 terms (later expanded to 411) for military words and names that didn’t exist in the Navajo language was developed. For example, the names of different birds were used to stand for different kinds of planes; for “submarine,” the code talkers agreed to use the term besh-lo, which translates to “iron fish.” This system enabled the Code Talkers to translate three lines of English in 20 seconds, not the 30 minutes common with existing code-breaking machines.

A skeptical lieutenant decided to test their skills and the code before trusting them to deliver actual combat messages. The Code Talkers successfully translated, transmitted and re-translated a test message in two and a half minutes. Without the Navajo code, it would have taken hours for a soldier to complete the same task.

Most code talkers were assigned in pairs. During battle, one person would operate the portable radio while the second person would relay and receive messages in the Native language and translate them into English. The Code Talkers were a small elite group; they recognized and knew each other during transmissions. As a result, the enemy couldn’t decipher the code and impersonate the Code Talkers.

Their work was highly dangerous because Japanese soldiers would deliberately target officers, medics, and radiomen. Code talkers had to keep moving while transmitting messages.

The work of hundreds of code talkers was essential to Allied war efforts. They were present and critical to the victories at important battles, including Utah Beach during the D-Day invasion, and Iwo Jima. In fact, 5th Marine Division signal officer Major Howard Connor stated, “Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima.”

Approximately 461 Navajo served as code talkers, with 13 killed in action. Since the codes that they developed remained unbroken, the US military wanted to keep the program classified in case the code talkers were needed again in future wars. Upon their discharge, the code talkers swore to never reveal their role in case the code would be needed again.

The hard work of the Navajo Code Talkers was not recognized until after the declassification of the operation in 1968. President Ronald Reagan gave the Code Talkers a Certificate of Recognition and declared August 14 “Navajo Code Talkers Day” in 1982. In 2000, President Bill Clinton signed a law which awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the original 29 Code Talkers.

President George W. Bush presented the medals to the four surviving Code Talkers at a ceremony held in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington in July 2001.

The Navajo Code is the only military code, in modern history, never broken by an enemy.

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Yummy Status Symbols

Symbols have always been used to signal one’s status. Status symbols come in all shapes and sizes. Some rate diamonds or diamond tiaras as status symbols. Others desire the luxury cars, multiple homes, art objects, family signet rings, heirloom watches, or other multiple material objects.

But what about food? Did you ever consider food as a status symbol? Here comes that sweet deal from across the seas. The country’s must-have accessory came to grace the tables of the very richest aristocrats’ social gatherings. The status symbol of the 1700s was a sweet tropical fruit – enter the pineapple. Europeans hadn’t seen a pineapple before the 16^th century. Soon, the aristocrats carried around a pineapple.

Yes, carried those sweet, tart tropical around and not eating them. The fruits were considered too expensive to just eat it. With a cost of thousands of pounds the fruit was a luxury available only to royalty and aristocrats.

It was also associated with royalty because of the top. Often called the King Pine or Queen Pine because of the top. The pineapple’s “exotic appearance” gave it a mythical quality, which was “enhanced by its golden crown, viewed as the symbolic manifestation of the divine right of king”.

Pineapples became such powerful status symbols, they sprouted a new trade. You heard of renting a power tool, but how about pineapple rental centers? The fruit appeared as rental centerpieces on lavish tables, not to be eaten but admired. Up-and-comers could rent a pineapple to show off at a swanky party or carry around a stroll. When others saw the fancy fruit, its status would rub off on the bearer of the pineapple.

Pineapple crime waves appeared. One man stole seven pineapples in 1807. This earned him a seven-year sentence in Australia. Nervous aristocrats hired security guards to keep an eye on their plants. The pineapple fad even affected interior design. Wedgwood porcelain pineapple teapots filled the shops. Paintings, bookends and cravings became the fad.

By the 1770s, “a pineapple of the finest flavour” became a phrase used for anything that was the best of the best. It’s played upon in Sheridan’s 1775 play The Rivals, when Mrs. Malaprop confuses the word with “pinnacle” and exclaims: “He is the very pineapple of politeness!”

“Charles’ son and successor Charles II was so taken with pineapples that he commissioned a portrait of himself being presented with one – it was purported to be the very first to be grown in England, at Dorney Court in Berkshire, but it’s now thought to have been imported as a juvenile and merely ripened on home soil.”

In a television adaptation of Jane Austen’s unfinished Regency novel Sanditon, Lady Denham’s grand luncheon has a pineapple in pride of place – although it is cut to reveal the inside is full of maggots, demonstrating the vast wealth of the character but also the transitory nature of the status symbol.

Eventually the craze ended when faster shipping meant cheaper prices for all tropical fruits. Once it became more affordable and the middle class could afford a pineapple; aristocrats shunned them and they no longer were a status symbol. And it wasn’t just the middle classes who could afford a pineapple, but – horror of horrors – the working classes could too.

And you can thank the Dutch to change that highly cultivated carrot to orange. Yes! At one time, before the 17^th century all carrots were purple.

More than 3,000 years ago carrots were used as ancient medicinal treatments in Asia. At that time they were wild crops that were typically purple or yellow. They were first cultivated as a crop around 900 BC in Afghanistan.

Around 1300, carrots reached Europe, but by the 1600s Dutch farmers selectively grew the rare mutation of orange carrots, not the purple ones. It isn’t known for sure why they preferred orange. It is theorized it was because they were honoring the House of Orange that ruled the independent Dutch Republic after they fought off Spanish rule. Others suggest that purple might have fallen out of favor because they tend to leach a dark pigment onto whatever they’re cooked with.

When the Pilgrim left Holland for the New World, they carried the orange carrot seeds and therefore spread orange carrots across North America. Food affecting history.

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A Peek at Cascade’s History

Cascade has evolved over time. Buildings have come and gone. Buildings have changed ownership or morphed from one business to another. As most know the Homestead/Canyon Life Church used to be the Sportsman Bar. But did you know at one time a Mexican restaurant filled that slot? Mike DiAngelis has a picture of Central Avenue from the river’s viewpoint towards the ‘old’ school – ya know the one that was 3 stories tall. This picture according to Mike has a perfect picture of a sign hangin outside the building of what became the Sportsman Bar naming it a Mexican Restaurant.

Then we have the F. N. Askew Livery Stables, later to become the City Stables (at some point in time) on the Southwest corner Central Avenue and First Street. The original stables were built in 1905 by H.W. Ludwig. Over the years it was owned/managed by H.W. Ludwig beginning in 1905; then in 1908 -Arthur F. Atkinson. In 1910 H.F. Wellhouser took over; to be replaced by Fred Askew in 1911. In 1914 W.S. Ora and E.O. Simmons came into the picture with E.O. Simmons and Fred Turnbow becoming owners in 1916. Fred bowed out and in 1918 Or and E.O. Simmons became owners.

The Livery stables were torn down at some point and the Continental Oil Company built what we think was a Conoco station on that corner which was managed by Earl Watson. It is said by some that at some point it was turned into a restaurant and drive-in.

The Indian Hammer Vet Office with Dr. Bill Patten and Dr. Frank Ferrell moved into the building in 1976. In January of 2005 Dr. Cale Bjornstad took over the Indian Hammer. The Indian Hammer closed (we aren’t sure what year). Then about 2018 Mike DiAngelis bought the building. He advertises as United Electric. He remodeled the place and made it into living quarters.

There was a dentist office run by Earl Munroe at some point but we aren’t sure where in town or when. The Hong Chong’s Café sat on North Front Street next to the Hughes Brothers.

The Jail is an interesting little item. At one time it sat in vicinity of Ray Pier’s Machine Shop across Central. We just aren’t sure just where Ray’s Machine Shop was though. Then in May of 1912 it was moved to be more centrally located next to home of Ed Hilt south of the Bridge. But in December of 1973 the jail was moved to Ronnie Maxwells North of Cascade. There are stories in the archives of interesting tidbits about the jail’s history.

One occupant didn’t particularly like being housed there, so he thought he would extricate himself by starting the jail on fire. As it was essentially a wooden structure it might have eventually worked. Unfortunately things didn’t go as planned and the fellow almost died from the smoke before he was rescued.

Marvin Green’s Gent Furnishings originated in 1912 at 14 Central Avenue from the old J. W. Johnson blacksmith shop. As is apparent it sold men’s furnishings.

The Oddfellows Lodge stood at the Northwest corner of Central Avenue and Front Street. It was erected in the 1890’s. The Main floor housed the Shepherd and Flinn Mercantile Store. The Second floor contained the Lodge Hall and a Recreation center. In March of 1906 it burned down.

This address appears to be the same as the Lorang Building which housed a meat Processing business. We aren’t sure when the Lorang Building was built or by who exactly. It was later sold to Steve & Tina Crow who sold the business to Lyle & Carolyn Yoder in November of 2022.

The Warner Hotel was the first Hotel built in Cascade between bridge and the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Pierre. It was built by Frank Warner and operated by Mr. and Mrs. Warner until 1903. It was then sold to Mrs. Ela Williams who operated it until it burned down in 1906.

There are many interesting tidbits in the archives of Cascade. If you have some corrections to the above, let the Library know. If you have more details of what you have read, let us know.

We are still looking for more information on the building of what now houses Judy’s Mop Shop; the Buckhorn operated by Fred Aten; and Rowe’s Garage on the North side of Central Avenue west of the bridge that was erected by Melvin Rowe and eventually torn down. We also have Briscoe Hardware on the south side of Central Avenue between the Charles Pierre home and the river. In 1909 Alfred Briscoe erected a brick store that dealt in hardware and farm machinery. In 1923 it closed and stood empty till it was torn down during the late 1930’s. We are hoping someone might have a more confirmed location. So is Charles’ last name Pierre or Perrine?? We have seen it spelt both ways. OR are these two separate people? What about the Masonic building?? Lots of interesting history.

For those who would like to join our Book Discussion once a month on Monday nights – stop by and check out the next discussion book.

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Weird But Unique Birds

What bird wears a long gray coat and black knee pants? Well, not really, but the bird’s long gray tail feathers look like a coat and the black leg feathers resemble pants.

No one is quite sure where the Secretary birds got their name. There are a few theories, including that it was named by Dutch Settlers because of its resemblance to 19th Century Lawyers’ Secretaries. Another theory suggests that the name is a corruption of an originally Arabic word, meaning “hunter bird”.

They can fly, but rarely do. They move around on foot most of the time looking for small animals or bugs. They generally only take to the air to reach their nests or for courtship displays.

The Secretary Bird’s scientific name means “the archer of snakes”. This is because they love to hunt snakes, but do hunt insects and small mammals. They are an African bird of prey and are related to birds like vultures, hawks, and harriers. It has the body of an eagle, but the legs of a crane.

They are one of just two birds of prey that hunt on the ground (the other – caracaras). Secretary birds preferred habitat is open savannas or grasslands in sub-Saharan areas. They roost in tall trees at night to sleep.

They have one of the strongest and fastest kicks in the animal kingdom. They can kick with a force 5-6 times their body weight. It happens fast. In 15 milliseconds the foot can go from still to making contact.

These long legs make it tall, sometimes over 4 feet and can walk up to 20 miles per day. They have a wingspan of about 6.6 feet and use their wings while hunting to distract their prey and during mating rituals.

They hunt in pairs, whether as a monogamous pair or as mates. Sometimes familiar groups will hunt together. Secretary birds peck at their prey to kill it or stomp on it with their feet. They use their large wingspan and puff their feathers out to distract the snake, while their scaly legs prevent snake bites. The snakes often appear to bite the feathers instead of the bird. They have been spotted hunting juvenile big cats by using their stomping technique to kill juvenile cheetahs, and also baby gazelles.

They have an elaborate mating display. Even though they mate for life, they still perform their elaborate mating displays yearly. They will perform “pendulum flights”, swooping up and down again. And on the ground, they dance together.

Secretary birds have large territories. Pairs of secretary birds will inhabit, and defend, areas of up to 30 miles. However, many can be spotted together around important resources, such as watering holes.

Couples work together to make their nests on the top of thorny trees. This is almost always in an acacia tree. The nests are large, platform-like and often softened with grass and dung. The nests are made from sticks, leaves, animal fur, poop and feathers. They use the same nest year after year.

2-3 blue-green egg that are a few inches long are laid each summer and hatch after 45 days of incubation. When the eggs hatch, the parents feed the babies mashed up insects.

They live 10-15 years in the wild and up to 19 in captivity. These beautiful birds are endangered because their grassland habitats are being cleared and used for cattle.

Then we come to the Kiwi. The Kiwi is truly unique. It has tiny wings, but cannot fly due to their small wings and underdeveloped breast bone. It has loose feathers that are more like fur and unlike other birds, the feathers molt throughout the year. It is nocturnal and only lives in New Zealand.

Kiwi have very small eyes and their visual fields are the smallest that have been recorded in any bird. They also have the smallest beaks in the world and are the only bird with nostrils at the end of its beak. Its sense of smell is second to none with excellent hearing.

Kiwi lack tails but have strong, muscular legs that make up nearly a third of their body weight. They can run quickly and use their legs and claws during fights. On each foot there are three forward-facing toes, one backward-facing toe, and a small spur on the back. Their fleshy foot pads allow them to walk almost silently through the forest.

There are five types of kiwi: Brown Kiwi, Great Spotted Kiwi, Little Spotted Kiwi, Rowi and Tokoeka. The Rowi is the rarest type of kiwi, with only 450 still alive in New Zealand today.

Kiwi are related to emu and the extinct moa. Their closest relative is the elephant bird from Madagascar. The smallest adult measures 14-18 inches and weighs 2 – 4 pounds – about the size of a chicken. Whereas the largest is 20-25 inches tall and weighs 3-10 pounds. They live in burrows and dens on the forest floor.

They’re named after a sound they make – a shrieky half-scream, half whistle call that sounds like “kee-wee, kee-wee.” This sound helps them keep track of each other at night, when they’re active. Kiwi can also grunt, snort, snuffle, and hiss.

Kiwi birds are monogamous. The male kiwi will follow the female around, grunting at her until she notices him. Kiwi mate 2-3 times per night during the peak of the breeding season for 3 weeks until an egg is made. It has the second largest egg for the body size of any bird. The egg is an average of 15 percent of their body weight, compared to 2 percent in the ostrich.

The males actually sit on the egg until it hatches. Once the female kiwi lays her egg, the male takes over so the female can forage for food. Because the egg has taken up so much room in her body and her stomach has shrunk so much, she desperately needs to refuel.

Brown Kiwi are forced to leave the nest at 4-6 weeks old, so the burrow can be readied for another egg. Great Spotted Kiwi may stay in the nest for a year or longer, and Rowi and Stewart Island tokoeka can remain with their parents for up to seven years.

How kiwi reached New Zealand is still a mystery. There are three main debates; the first, is that kiwi’s ancestor was already around when New Zealand broke away from Antarctica and Australia 60 million years ago. The second debate is that as the land broke away, kiwi walked from island to island as the land rose and fell, eventually arriving in New Zealand. The third is that the kiwi’s ancestor flew from island to island to reach New Zealand. There is evidence to suggest this is possible, however, the truth still remains a mystery.

Before people populated the land, kiwi lived without land-mammal predators or competitors. The lifespan of kiwi both in the wild and in captivity can be up to 60 years. The wild population is declining at a rate of approximately 5.8 percent a year. Today, invasive species such as dogs, cats and stoats (a type of weasel) have devastated populations of all five kiwi species. Nearly 90 percent of brown kiwi chicks are killed by stoats and cats in unprotected areas.

In 1975, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo became the first organization outside of New Zealand to hatch a brown kiwi. Today only five zoos outside of New Zealand have successfully bred kiwis.

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Who Are You?

Or better yet – what label do you place on that person next to you? Labels. Social trends of today seem obsessed with labels. Many of us growing up didn’t really address labels. It was ‘the kids down the block’; the ‘cascade kids, (to make it relevant to this community); ‘the Simms kids’; ‘’Ulm kids’; the ‘country kids’ or to kids the ‘old people’ (which was everyone older than them).

Media now appears to place labels on EVERYONE! And they have definitions. Not one to pay much attention to these labels, the definitions and labels themselves are often confusing and plainly an unknown topic. While you may not use the generational names in everyday conversation, it’s helpful to know the difference between (for example) Baby Boomers and Gen X’ers or who is that GenY.?

Historians generally agree that generational naming began in the 20th century. It was American writer Gertrude Stein who coined the term “Lost Generation”. She bestowed this title on those born around the turn of the 20th century who devoted their lives to service during World War I.

We can trace this new wave back to Karl Manheim, a German sociologist who defined a social generation “as a group of people of a similar age who have experienced significant historical events during their youth. Manheim explained that, because they were exposed to such events at a young age, this group of people will have a distinct perspective on life when they become adults.”

When we think of a difference of opinion as being caused by a “generation gap” we are, indirectly, referring to Manheim’s work. And the fact that we consider it natural for a 60-year-old person to have a different worldview than, say, a 30-year-old person, speaks to how engrained this theory is.

Labels are often started by advertising companies or journalists. Advertising theorizes that by labeling generations they are able to reach specific groups of people better. Labels gain popularity and then stick. Labeling has been used to help understand trends in purchasing, core ideas and beliefs of a generation, political participation and preferences in the workplace.

But what are the labels based on or created from? It depends. Birth-rates “booming” after the end of World War II were the reason that group was nicknamed “baby-boomers”; while the term “Generation X” became widely adopted after novelist Douglas Coupland published a book with that name. “He said he used the letter X because he wanted to capture the generation’s desire not to be defined, referring to the mathematical use of X as an unknown variable.”

The terms we use to describe generations originated from multiple circumstances. First, we have the ‘Greatest Generation’, those born 1901-1924. These folks were permanently impacted by the Great Depression, which molded their children in regards to frugality. This group was also representative of the majority of soldiers in World War II.

Then came the Silent Generation, those born 1925-1945. This is the smallest group, due to consequences from the Great Depression and World War II. They earned their name because of the size of the population and their hesitancy to speak out against social issues due to the McCarthy era of government. The Silent Generation is the oldest group still alive offering mentorship to younger generations. They value loyalty and make an effort to help others.

The Baby Boomer Generation was born from 1946-1964. Baby boomers, along with Millennials, are one of the most misunderstood and mislabeled groups. The baby boomers are one of the most relevant groups in modern society as they were integral and present for many of the technology advances in the last 50 years. They have been more adaptable to modern growth and learning how to function in today’s technological age.

Previously the largest generation, Baby Boomers are hardworking individuals who are more likely to value an established hierarchy of responsibility and authority. This generation could be envied because they experienced all that young people would have wanted to at that time. They saw how John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr came together to form The Beatles in 1962. They experienced the landing of a man on the Moon (1969), the soccer players Pelé and Maradona at their best and the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9,1989.

They went through the entire period of technological evolution and the rise and development of the media, as well as enjoying stability in terms of both work and family and being active both physically and mentally.

Generation X – born 1965-1979. As with Baby Boomers, Gen X’ers are the most relevant generation of modern times, in relation to technology. They serve as a bridge from older populations to younger ones. They were present for the inception of the internet, video games, artificial intelligence and is the population that has created many of these advances.

Gen Xers are independents and value more relaxed flexible environments. The name comes from a novel by Douglas Coupland, ‘Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture’, published in 1991. Gen X is also referred to as the “latchkey generation” as they were often left unsupervised at home after school until their parents came home from work.

Millennials or Generation Y were born 1980-1994. Millennials are greatly misunderstood and often mislabeled. Older folks tend to name anyone younger a “Millennial” when they don’t understand old time values and hold the same views. True Millennials are between the ages of 28 and 42. They are the first to have grown up in the age of being tech savvy. In the late 1990s, authors William Strauss and Neil Howe coined the term “Millennials” to describe the generation coming of age at the beginning of the 21st century.

Generation Z was born in 1995-2012. This group is interesting. They have been exposed to social media, and were the first population to cope with cyber-bullying and other internet related issues. It was also during this time that school related violence and climate crisis became more prevalent.

Gen Z tends to have a more global mindset. They grew up on things that relied on technology which made them more adaptive to change. But why is Gen Z named after the last letter? In many ways, it’s symbolic that Generation Z is named after the last letter in the alphabet because their arrival marks the end of clearly defined roles, traditions, and experiences. After all, Gen Z is coming of age on the heels of what has been referred to as the most disruptive decade of the last century.

Gen Alpha, born between 2013 – 2025 are the youngest and the first to be born in the 21st century. They are the first generation to be born to parents who grew up with the internet, cell phones, tablets and social media. They are also inclined to be the most racially diverse and the most technologically adept. Generation Alpha has always known social media. Their technology skills are extremely sharp. They appear to be the most diverse of any generation.

This provides food for thought. Maybe ruminate on the definitions to gain a better understanding of the different generations. One might ask a question or two. Are we labeling too much? Are we placing a label and expecting everyone under that label to act the same? Society appears to need labels, but do labels limit us? Do labels prevent us from seeing the person as a person or just as someone under a label. Do labels prevent us from reaching our full potential or allowing the other person from reaching their full potential? Can a person be labeled one thing but in reality, be a combination of several definitions, because of who they are as a person? One could get pretty philosophical at this point.

We can be more than one ‘label’. Is it important to not stereotype people under their generation? As one wise person stated – labels are a personal opinion. Labels don’t provide a true identity. Instead of reading labels look behind the labels to see who the person is in reality.

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New Changes at Library

Please be aware that As of July1, 2023 new policies will be in effect regarding new patrons obtaining a library card and overdue items. The Library will be tightening up the application of their current policies regarding fines of overdue materials and lost items.

As of July 1, 2023 New Patrons must submit physical verification of physical address. New Patrons must submit a copy of a driver’s license or government ID with photo. Patrons under 15 must have application signed by a parent or legal guardian and include documentation of parent/parents’ or legal guardian’s physical verification of physical address and a copy of a driver’s license or government ID with photo. New patrons must submit a personal working phone number and a working phone number of place/places of employment. They have to provide an out of household reference with working phone and up-to-date addresses, preferably someone in the community.

Obtaining a library card from Wedsworth Memorial Library means that the patron can be charged fines for overdue materials; can have their information sent to a collection bureau for nonreturned library materials; and can be charged with felony theft Per MT Code Annotated: 22-1-506. Liability for injury to books or failure to return. A person who defaces, tears, or otherwise injures any book or other work or who fails to return any book taken by the person is liable to the state in three times the value of the book if the book is not replaced by a new one or another book of identical title, in good order and condition. A statute of limitations may not ever be effective against the claim of the state under this section.

Per federal statutes, any person who shall steal, wrongfully deface, injure, mutilate, tear, or destroy Library materials, or any portion thereof, hall be punished by affine of not more than $2,000 or imprisoned not more than 3 years, or both (18USC 1361; 18USC 2071; and 22D.C. Code 3306).

We will be filing theft charges with local law enforcement against several patrons in the very near future. Please be aware, the Library aggressively protects the privacy of our patrons. Once theft has occurred that privacy flies out the window to recover stolen items. If necessary, we will enforce our policy on fines.

Please if you have ANY items checked out from Wedsworth Library and they are overdue, return them. Return them now. You are not only hurting the Library, but you are hurting yourself and other patrons. Remember there is no statute of limitations for these theft charges.

We really hate to become so aggressive in our policies but due to patrons’ irresponsible and indifference attitudes towards library policies lately, library policies have changed and will be enforced. Our budget cannot continue to take the hit by constantly replacing items.

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A Little Naked Patriotism

In this day of unrest and controversy, maybe we need to all take a step back and help us rethink our times and realize what our country has stood for over the years and who we are in the ups and downs of history.

‘A Little Naked Patriotism’ by Baxter Black might help put things in perspective. Baxter Black carries a powerful message.

“With your permission I would like to indulge in a little naked patriotism on this week of celebrating our nation’s independence.

The United States of America, during my lifetime has become a nation like none other on earth. Not because it is the most powerful nation on earth, but because we, more times than I can count, have taken the side of the oppressed with no intention to conquer, rule or pillage.

In the act of offering our assistance, we have sacrificed blood, money and lives. We have beat ourselves up. We have questioned our motives. Our leaders have engaged in heated debate about the hows and whys, but we continue to be the single brightest light for the world’s mistreated. We will take on the schoolyard bully.

In spite of all our mistakes, missteps, misjudgments and misgivings, the world today would be a completely different place if our country; conservative, liberal, black, white, rich, poor, north, south, Manhattan, New York, or Manhattan, Kansas, Americans all, had turned our back on the injustices and inhumanities that relentlessly stalk the globe.

Supporting the troops and their families on the front lines in the war on terror is not a partisan act. It is an act of pride, compassion, love, concern, anguish and hope.

They carry our colors into harm’s way, and have since 1776. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Flag That flew over Valley Forge. Was torn in two by the gray and the blue And bled through two world wars.

I give you the flag that burned in the street In protest, in anger and shame, The very same flag that covered the men Who died defending her name.

We now stand together, Americans all, Either by choice or by birth To honor the flag that’s flown on the moon And changed the face of the earth.

History will show this flag stood a friend To the hungry, the homeless and lost. That a mixture of men as common as clay Valued one thing beyond cost. And they’ve signed it in blood from Bunker Hill To Saigon, Kuwait, Bosnia Kabul, Baghdad, Syria and Toko Ri.

I give you the flag that says to the world Each man has a right to be free.”

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A Little Bit of June and History Tidbits

If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? June bugs

Knock, knock, Who’s there? Noah, Noah, who? Noah good joke about June?

For our fun stuff – The Superman Comic was published June 1, 1938. PT Barnum’s circus begins its first tour of the U.S. on June 2, 1835. On June 3, 1969 we all watched the last episode of the original Star Trek television series on NBC. ‘Beam me up Scotty’ ‘I’m giving her all she’s got, Captain! She cannae take anymore!’ (and make sure you read that with the right accent.)

Robert F. Kennedy was shot and mortally wounded on June 5, 1968 while leaving the Hotel Ambassador in Los Angeles. The shooting occurred after a celebration of Kennedy’s victory in the California presidential primary.

The first drive-in theater opened in Camden, New Jersey on June 6, 1933. Many of us will miss those days of warm summer nights under the stars or under a warm blanket when the night cooled. A time of freedom.

Disney’s Donald Duck made his debut to entertain us with his antics on June 9, 1934. More fun came our way when the first roller coaster ride opened at Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY on June 13, 1884. It cost 5 cents a ride.

Lest we all forget June 14 is Flag Day to celebrate the adoption of the Stars and Stripes as our flag on June 14, 1777. The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote, was passed by Congress in 1919.

Why do pirates hate May, June July and August? Because they don’t have Arrrrrs in them!

It goes without saying that Montanans are proud of their state. And when it comes to the history of Montana, most of us know our stuff. Still, there is always something to learn, and a few of these facts might actually surprise you.

When Great Falls High School was built in the 1890s, herds of sheep were used to compact the earth around the foundation. In 1903 the Bozeman Carnegie Library was (intentionally!) built across the street from the red-light district and opium dens. They hoped it was an incentive to improve those ‘disreputable’ surroundings.

You’ve probably seen the Gideon Bible inside the nightstand drawer of your hotel room. That trend originated in Montana. The first placement was made by Archie Bailey at the Superior Hotel.

In 1867 the US Congress annulled all legislation passed by the second and third assemblies of the Montana territory, which was an unprecedented act in American history.

In 1892, Walter H. Peck established a post office on his ranch, requesting the name “Ray” in honor of a relative. Someone in Washington D.C. misread the application and returned it with the name “Roy.” And that’s how Roy, Montana got its name.

Montana certainly has had its share of strong women. Helena’s Chicago Joe, a clever business woman and madame, established Helena’s first “house of ill repute” at the age of 23. Chicago Joe managed to evade all attempts to destroy her business. She remained a professional success until the economic collapse of the 1890s.

Montana has more bookstores per capita than any other state. We also have international ties. The Montana Yogo Sapphire is included in the Crown Jewels of England.

In 2015, a black bear decided to walk the halls of Bozeman High School. The bear entered the school through an open garage door in the back of the building in the morning before school started. Luckily, there were no interactions with humans, and the bear escaped unharmed (and uncaptured). Guess he graduated early!

We extend a big thank you to the Dearborn Garden Club for their beautiful barrels of flowers. They always go the extra mile and we thank them for their hard work. If you see one of these motivated ladies be sure and thank them for all the hard work they do to beautify the community. The town is so bright and cheery.

We would also like to take this time to thank Del and his helpers for always being so prompt with flying the flags through town. It is a wonderful sight to behold.

Volunteer and support our wonderful free activities around the 4th, whether they be the softball games or the fireworks display. Beee a hero – read.

Several notes of interest. July 1, 1862 – President Abraham Lincoln signed the first income tax bill, levying a 3% income tax on annual incomes of $600-$10,000 and a 5% tax on incomes over $10,000. Also on this day, the Bureau of Internal Revenue was established by an Act of Congress (wonder how many agents they hired LOL). July 23rd is Vanilla Ice Cream Day. Pure and simple, it is the ultimate comfort food in hot weather. According to ice cream lore, an ice cream vendor created and served the first ice cream cone during the St. Louis World’s Fair, on July 23, 1904. Enjoy.

If you have to schedule a meeting with a person or people you would rather avoid, here are some days to tell them, no matter what year. February 30th, April 31st, June 31st, September 31st, and November 31st. Have a warm, happy and safe summer.

We appreciate the patience our patrons have shown this last month when we had no phone or internet.

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June in Montana

The fabulous month of June, where it could be summer, sometimes a little bit of spring and hopefully no winter. A lot of different events have happened in June over the years. Let’s explore.

On June 1, 1959 the Anaconda Company sold its 5 Montana newspapers (in Billings, Butte, Helena, Livingston, and Missoula) to Lee Enterprises. In those years the Anaconda Company was considered to promote pro-mining and pro Butte which earned it the name “Copper Collar”.

The Anaconda Company seldom if ever printed articles about mine accidents and worker’s strikes. The journalists couldn’t write anything that clashed with the company’s business enterprises. They had a tendency to not print articles about candidates who opposed the Anaconda Company, unless they were arrested or engaged in embarrassing activity. A perfect example of this bias was when a pro Anaconda Montana governor was arrested for drunkenness in New Orleans. Other Montana papers printed the story, but the story remained invisible in the 5 papers owned by the Anaconda Company.

Lee was a relatively small newspaper company at the time of acquiring the Anaconda Company’s papers. They owned 10 papers. Today it owns and has a stake in approximately 45 newspapers that have a combined circulation of 1.1 million daily and 1.2 million Sunday papers.

The 18th amendment was passed on June 16, 1920. Federal authorities stated in June of 1921 that Butte led the nation in per capita consumption of illicit liquor. The rum-runners of the early 1920s were rugged individuals, driving liquor across Montana’s long border with Canada. Liquor revenues in Canada increased fourfold. It appears that Butte residents didn’t care how the hooch got to town, they just loved it. Things are done big in Montana!

The first steamship to navigate the Upper Missouri arrived at Fort Union on June 19, 1832. The ship was 120 feet long and 20 feet in the beam. There were 22 crew members. The ship’s boiler burned 10 cords of wood each day with 18-foot diameter paddle wheels. Lots of splitting there.

Smallpox made its appearance in June of 1838 at Fort Union when a steamboat arrived with supplies. Every single one of the women at the Fort caught smallpox. Later on in the 1860s Fort Union was disassembled and reassembled 2 miles downstream as Fort Buford. Today a replica of Fort Union stands in the original spot. The Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site has a library holding rare first editions and a wealth of information on the Northwest fur trade.

Lewis & Clark arrived at the Falls on June 13, 1805. Lewis called the five cascades the “grandest sight I ever beheld.” He dwelt on the magnificent sight for some time. Daydreaming came to an end when a grizzly chased him into the river. The 18-mile portage around the falls cost the Corps of Discovery more than two weeks. Encounters with rattlesnakes, 3 bull buffalos, a mountain lion and of course the prickly pear cactus took their toll on the group. (Gee no selfies with the buffalos!)

On June 21, 2001 Carroll O’Connor, the man who played Archie Bunker died. Fame and fortune allowed him to donate more than a million dollars to the University of Montana. O’Connor was not a native Montanan. His father worked for the mafia during the Great Depression. Fortunately for U of M, his wife’s family was from Missoula.

Once again Butte showed its aggressive history. On June 23, 1914 the Miners Union Hall in Butte was dynamited. All night long, 26 charges ignited one after the other, leaving nothing but ruble. The bombing was the result of a conflict between miner’s groups.

The Western Federation of Miners (local Butte Miners’ Union) supported the Anaconda Copper Company. The opposing group was the miners dissatisfied with the WFM. The miners demanded that the union stand up for the rights of its workers, such as negotiating fair pay. The miners felt their union (WFM) was not doing this.

During the annual Miners’ Union Day parade on June 13, 1914, rioting broke out and the Butte Miners’ Union Hall was ransacked. Four men were injured and one man was killed during the riot.

The Butte miners quickly voted to secede from the WFM Union by a vote of 6,348 to 245. A new independent union under local control was organized. They were anti-Anaconda and wanted better working conditions.

The defeated Western Federation of Miners refused to relinquish control. The national WFM sent its president to Butte in a last ditch effort to maintain jurisdiction. President Moyer called a meeting of loyal BMU/WFM members in the Butte Miners’ Hall on June 23. Approximately 100 members entered the Hall, while an emotionally charged crowd of thousands packed the streets.

At 7:30 p.m., pistol shots came from inside the Hall. The WFM members escaped through a back door. The crowd panicked, but didn’t disperse. Dynamite was stolen from the nearby Steward Mine and used to dynamite the Hall. The destruction of the Butte Miners’ Union Hall symbolized the eviction of the once mighty BMU/WFM from Butte.

On August 30, a dynamite explosion blew up an office of the Anaconda Mining Company. The next day, the governor declared martial law in Butte. As a result the former union stronghold of Butte became an open-shop district, and the mine owners recognized no union from 1914 until 1934.

On a lighter note, the U S and Canada created the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park on June 18, 1932. The Peace Park is the union of Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada and Glacier National Park in the United States. It straddles the northern Rocky Mountains along the border between the United States and Canada. It is the world’s first “international peace park,” encompassing snowcapped mountains, high-altitude lakes, and rivers cascading from glaciers.

On June 22 of 1864 President Abraham Lincoln appointed Sidney Edgerton the first Governor of the Territory of Montana. Then on June 20^th in 1921, 11.5 inches of rain fell in Circle to set a state record.

The “Olympian Flyer” express train crashed in Montana June 19th in 1938, killing 47. The Custer Creek train wreck is considered the worst rail disaster in Montana history. It occurred when a bridge, its foundations washed away by a flash flood, collapsed beneath Milwaukee Road’s Olympian as it crossed Custer Creek, near Saugus, Montana, south-west of Terry.

Many will remember these next times and series of events. 13 of the Montana Freemen surrendered after an 81-day standoff with FBI agents on June 14 of 1996. 81 days brought a lot of notoriety (not all good) to Montana. But it was interesting times that still do exist today in that part of Montana.

So June is a bit of an oddity month. No other month in the year begins on the same day of the week as June. So enjoy the oddity of the month and all its history.

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The Few Make It Difficult

Over the past year patrons have taken severe advantage of your library’s policies. New patrons have signed up for a Wedsworth Library card and destroyed the faith Library staff has developed in their patrons over the years concerning overdue and lost items.

Indifferent, ignoring, and lack of response to communication attempts to recall and reclaim library materials has ruffled the feathers of library staff. As a result of patrons’ irresponsible attitudes towards library policies, library policies will be changed and enforced.

As of July1, 2023 new policies will be in effect regarding new patrons obtaining a library card and overdue items. The Library will be tightening up the application of their current policies regarding fines of overdue materials and lost items.

The library has been lax in enforcing their policies in this area because we have had faith that our patrons would do the right thing and return all items checked out. Over the years we have worked with patrons to allow them time to find lost items. We have been gentle in fines and cost of replacement items. The current attitude of patrons appears to be that they don’t have to return items. As a result, everyone will suffer.

Library staff has no desire to punish everyone, but unfortunately the few are forcing changes. The library can not afford to continue to lose the number of items that have essentially been stolen from the library in the past year. If necessary, we will limit the number of items each patron can check out and no new items will be checked out if there are items still checked out to the patron.

Please be aware Per MT Code Annotated: 22-1-506. Liability for injury to books or failure to return. A person who defaces, tears, or otherwise injures any book or other work or who fails to return any book taken by the person is liable to the state in three times the value of the book if the book is not replaced by a new one or another book of identical title, in good order and condition. A statute of limitations may not ever be effective against the claim of the state under this section.

We have filed theft charges in the past. We are currently on the verge of filing several theft charges with local law enforcement. Please be aware, the Library aggressively protects the privacy of our patrons. Once theft has occurred that privacy flies out the window to recover stolen items.

Most people would find it horrible to steal food from a grocery store or clothing from a clothing store. Why do they feel the need to steal from a library?? We allow you to check out items for free. We aren’t charging you to read a book or watch a movie. We just can’t afford to keep replacing stolen items.

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Oceans of Possibilities

All Together Now Seas your Summer Reading opportunity. Wedsworth Library likes to do things a bit differently here. Instead of several programs to take up a bit of your time, we are offering a chance to fill up your whole summer and catch the reading bug!

The library is offering a bag full of goodies. These bags are filled full of fun stuff, a book, and various crafts to help ease those empty hours that happen from time to time during the summer.

Why is summer reading at the library important? Children who participated in their public library’s summer reading program scored higher on standardized tests than those who did not participate.

Children who participate in their public library’s summer reading program score higher on assessment tests at the beginning of the school year than those who do not participate.

By the end of third grade, children who participated in their public library’s summer reading program have better reading scores than those who did not participate

So stop on by the library and dive into your summer reading. Along the way you can check out a book or two. Caus Books are always here. Summer are here and Summer are there.

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The Talented Marksman

Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Moses) on August 13, 1860 was an American sharpshooter who starred in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. Annie came from humble beginnings. At the age of 8 or 9, Annie went to live with Superintendent Edington’s family at the Darke County Infirmary, which housed the elderly, the orphaned, and the mentally ill. In exchange for helping with the children, Annie received an education and learned the skill of sewing from Mrs. Edington, which she would later use to make her own costumes.

Her family finances were marginal so Annie used her father’s old Kentucky rifle to hunt small game for the Katzenberger Brother’s grocery store in Greenville, Ohio, who resold it to hotels and restaurants in Cincinnati, 80 miles away. Annie was so successful at hunting that she was able to pay the $200 mortgage on her mother’s house with the money she earned. She was 15 years old.

Her noted shooting ability brought an invitation from Jack Frost, a hotel owner in Cincinnati, to participate in a shooting contest against a well-known marksman, Frank E. Butler.

Butler was on tour with several other marksmen. While on the road, he typically offered challenges to local shooters. Annie won the match with twenty-five shots out of twenty-five attempts. Butler missed one of his shots. This amazing girl entranced Butler, and the two shooters began a courtship that resulted in marriage on August 23, 1876.

Annie and Frank Butler first appeared in a show together May 1, 1882. Butler’s usual partner was ill and Annie filled in by holding objects for Frank to shoot at, and doing some of her own shooting. It was at this time that Annie adopted the stage name of Oakley. Off stage, she was always Mrs. Frank Butler. For the next few years, the Butlers traveled across the country giving shooting exhibitions with their dog, George, as an integral part of the act.

At a March 1884 performance in St. Paul, Minnesota, Annie befriended the Lakota leader Sitting Bull. The victor over George Armstrong Custer at the 1876 Battle of Little Big Horn, Sitting Bull was impressed with Oakley’s shooting, her modest appearance, and her self-assured manner. Although Sitting Bull was still a political prisoner at Fort Yates, he was in town for an appearance, and had arranged to meet Oakley. They became fast friends. It was Sitting Bull who dubbed her “Little Sure Shot.”

In 1884, the Butlers joined the Sells Brothers Circus as “champion rifle shots,” but only stayed with the circus for one season. After a brief period on their own, Butler and Oakley joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West in 1885 where Oakley became the star.

It was her name on the advertising posters as “Champion Markswoman.” Butler happily accepted the position as her manager and assistant. Oakley and Butler prospered with the Wild West and remained with the show for seventeen years.

Oakley and Butler’s desire for less extensive traveling, as well as a serious train accident that injured her back, caused them to leave the show in 1901. However, she continued to perform and eventually joined another wild west show, “The Young Buffalo Show,” in 1911.

Finally, in 1913, the couple retired from the arena and settled down in Cambridge, Maryland. Throughout her career, it is believed that Oakley taught more than 15,000 women how to use a gun. Oakley believed strongly that it was crucial for women to learn how to use a gun, as not only a form of physical and mental exercise, but also to defend themselves.

In 1926, after fifty happy years of marriage, the Butlers died. Annie Oakley died on November 3 and Frank Butler died November 21, within three weeks of each other. Both died of natural causes after a long and adventuresome life.

From her humble roots as Phoebe Ann Moses to taking center stage as “Annie Oakley—champion shooter and star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West—this remarkable woman is remembered as a western folk hero, American legend, and icon.” Throughout her career, Oakley maintained her dignity and propriety while quietly proving that she was superior to most men on the shooting range.

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Genealogy Tree Assistance

The Cascade Community and Senior Center, Cascade Museum and Wedsworth Memorial Library are working together to develop a Cascade Community Genealogy Tree for the buildings of the Town. We are asking for help to fill in some gaps of knowledge, actually our brains have big holes in them. We know we might have some inaccurate stats.

This is not a history of a business. We are collecting history on the buildings. For example: the building that housed ‘Cash Exchange’ was located at No. 10 East Central Avenue in the vicinity of Ray Pier’s Machine Shop around 1902. Not sure where Ray Pier’s Machine Shop stood.

Then again, we have the ‘Harvey D. Hall Livery Stable’ on the Northwest corner of Central Avenue and First Street erected 1891 by Walter Gorham that was rebuilt and established as Hi-Way Garage. Is this the Meat Market now sold? We would like to know the year the vet shop took ownership across the street, what was originally standing there a long time ago, and then the year Mike took ownership.

There are gaps all over. We would love it if someone would come in and try and fill in some of the gaps. For example, what year was Kitsons store built?? What year did Tom Klock build Tom’s (now the 406)?? What year was the Mormon Church built? Do we have some of our information wrong? We would love some physical addresses for some of the buildings and the year, and approximately at least, when the buildings were built or burnt down.

It has been a journey to collect some of the info we have. Once again, we are not researching the business, we want the history of the building. The current Trout Shop was several restaurants after being the Post Office. What years were some of those in operation? There was a Catholic Church parsonage. Where was it at? What happened to it?

We hope to eventually develop a Platt of each block with the business buildings in place through history so you can see where each building was and how each block has evolved. Everyone is always asking where was the Chinese Café, the jail, Occidental Hotel???? And so on and so on. Well, our long-term goal is to have a Platt you can actually look at and see what buildings were on which block through the Town’s history.

These are just a small tiny bit of lack of knowledge we have. Stop by the library and help us go through the documents we have. Make suggestions. Provide some knowledge. Stop by and find out where the Q & L Saloon was or Ludwig’s Dope. We could be the first community in the state to develop this genealogy history. So be part of history, help us out.

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Wild Wild West

The Wild West is comin to Town!! Annie Oakley will be aridin into town to livin things up and share a fascinating part of American history. We’ll be a whoopin and a hollerin here at the Library.

Not only will you witness the most famous woman sharpshooter but a few historic figures who crossed her path, including Buffalo Bill Cody, Chief Sitting Bull and famous newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst might just be makin their appearance too.

Annie Oakley is the subject of a living presentation by Cheryl Heser of Forsyth. After teaching English, Spanish, Journalism and Library at Rosebud, Cheryl was the Director of Rosebud County Library in Forsyth for 17 years. She won a Media Award from the Montana Library Association for a radio program called Library Connections and was the 2014 Librarian of the Year.

Cheryl is the author of Walking at the Speed of Light: Reflections for Following Jesus in Grief and Joy, a book written to help people deal with grief. For three years in the mid 2000’s, Cheryl performed living history throughout the state of Montana as Dolly Madison and now has been sharing Annie Oakley with school and community groups.

After conductin thorough research, Cheryl enacts a presentation for students in schools and Summer Reading Programs as well as adults with an interest in authentic American history. All ages from 10 on up across Montana have been responding to this program, which includes Annie Oakley’s inspiring views on strong women and the development of skills and expertise.

The public is invited to the half hour performance at the Wedsworth Public Library on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at 6 p.m.

Annie Oakley was a legend thru history and never failed to delight her audiences. Her feats of marksmanship were truly incredible. At 30 paces she could split a playing card held edge-on, she hit dimes tossed into the air, she shot cigarettes from her husband’s lips, and, a playing card being thrown into the air, she riddled it before it touched the ground.

So stop by the Library on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at 6 p.m. to see if Cheryl is going to repeat some of Annie’s feats of marksmanship. Join us here at the library for a little bit of a western hoedown.

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Things You Might Not Have Known About History

Over 2,400 years ago a Greek writer named Herodotus collected and reported eye-witness accounts of battles and other past events. He then analyzed their causes and effects. This essentially marked him as the world’s first true historian. Herodotus journeyed across Greece and the Mediterranean collecting all kinds of info, such as local customs and culture.

In 440 BC, Herodotus ‘published’ his work by reading aloud to spectators at the Olympic Games. He called this work ‘Histories’ which means ‘inquiry’ in ancient Greek. His work tells us a lot about life in ancient times, but not all of his stories are reliable. For example, he described one-eyed men from northern Europe who fought griffins or dragons for gold.

So what is history and its best definition? One source defines “History is the study of change over time, and it covers all aspects of human society. Political, social, economic, scientific, technological, medical, cultural, intellectual, religious and military developments are all part of history.” Another: “the study of past events, particularly in human affairs. The whole series of past events connected with someone or something.”

History is a way of finding out about the past, but the past can get lost on the way to the present so historians have to be like detective, examining evidence or the source to find out what really happened. Evidence consists of tools, archaeological finds, human remains, diaries, letters, books, or anything they can use to find out what happened. The most important rule of history is never trust a single source to tell the whole story.

So we all know that history did not begin at year one. There’s lots of stuff that happened before that – wars, famine, crime, fashion, exploring, politics (of course) and stuff. Early Christian historians made the year of Jesus Christ’s birth ‘Year One’, as we know of course. The first writer to use the initial AD for the years after the birth of Jesus was an English monk named Bede who wrote the ‘Ecclesiastical History of the English People’. AD is Latin for Anno Domini. We all remember that right?

A Scythian monk calculated the birth year of Jesus as Year One, but today’s historians think Jesus was actually born up to seven years before that. However, today many prefer CE and BCE instead of AD and BC. And boy does this get confusing when trying to understand dates. CE stands for ‘in the Common Era’ and ‘Before Common Era’. Then there is ‘c’’. This stands for the Latin word ‘circa’ meaning ‘around’ and goes in front of dates of which historians are unsure.

Ever wonder why purple was considered the epitome of royalty? For thousands of years, the only way to get purple dye was from the decomposing bodies of sea snails, called murex, once plentiful on the Mediterranean coast. It was produced almost exclusively by Phoenicians living on the east coast of the Mediterranean. Phoenicians began making the dye in around 1500 BC. There were many murex pits in Tyre, the main port of Phoenicia. To produce the dye, snails were left to rot in the pits. It took 12,000 rotten murex snails to produce enough dye to cover a handkerchief-sized piece of fabric. The dye was definitely worth its weight in silver. Only wealthy people could afford to wear clothes with purple trim, and only the wealthiest of all dressed entirely in purple. No wonder Purple is the essence of royalty.

See those pretty spring flowers – the first of all blooming plants to emerge after the long winter season? They used to cost more than mansions. In the early 17th century, tulips were new to Europe and very rare. Meanwhile the United Provinces (now called Netherlands) had become the richest country in Europe. With more cash to splash, the Dutch began buying tulip bulbs and the prices began to rise. This was the start of ‘tulip mania’. At different times during tulip mania, one bulb cost the same as: 34 barrels of ale; or 1,000 pounds of cheese; 12 fat sheep, the cost of feeding a crew on a ship for a year; or 1 extravagant mansion with a coach house. Talk about GOLD! But sadly, or fortunately for us, in February 1637, the price collapsed because too many bulbs had been imported. Buyers began to refuse to pay the high prices. Tulip mania was over.

So did you realize the New World shaped the design of axes? The axes that the first settlers brought from Europe were based on a pattern that hadn’t changed for centuries. They had short straight handles with a big round eye and a long blade which resulted in an unstable swing. Over time the settlers developed a new improved design to better chop down their trees. This new design had a long, curving handle, a narrow triangular eye and a short blade balanced by a heavy poll. This allowed them to chop down trees three times faster and is still used around the world.

During the 2nd World War, the German Air Force sent unmanned flying bombs, known as V-1s, over the sea to explode in British cities. British fighter pilots discovered a dangerous but reliable way to stop the bombs – literally nudging them with their wings. Pilots would fly alongside the bomb, match its speed, and then flip the bomb’s wings from underneath. This knocked the bomb into a spin, so most bombs were sent crashing into the sea or into empty fields. This was preferable to shooting at the bombs, which risked the pilots getting caught in the resulting explosion.

A game of cricket was the first ever sports match between two nations. On September 24, 1844, St. George’s cricket club in Manhattan hosted a two-day match between the USA and Canada. This match is the oldest recorded sporting contest played by teams representing rival countries. Around 5,000 people gathered to watch the match. Between them, they bet over $100,000 on the outcome. In the end, Canada won by 23 runs. Of course cricket is no longer popular in Canada or the U.S. A new game raised its head that is faster and requires less equipment. Baseball became the sport to play in the late 19th century. The things you can learn from a book.

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This and That in May

We have received a number of new audio books, so if you are traveling this summer, stop on by to hear the best book in the library. Remember you also have access to Montanalibrary2Go e-books. All you need is your library card number.

If you find that you can no longer access your MTLIbrary2Go account because the patron number does not work, please contact the Library. Under Montana State Library Standards we are required to delete patrons who have not checked out items in our Library for three years. As we are charged a fee for every patron in our system for some of our technology, it is in the best fiscal interest of the Library to remove patrons’ numbers who no longer use our services.

Unfortunately, this means if you only use our system for e-books, then we do not have record of you using our system. We love the fact that you might be using our Library for your e-books, but if we have no record you are using our in-house system, then you might have been deleted. If you only use your number for e-books, please give us a call so we do not inadvertently delete you.

Don’t forget to visit cascademtwedsworthlibrary.wordpress.com (long name but worth the hunt) to keep up on the current events or learn a bit about the library.

Summer is finally headed our way. Now is the time to find one of our new books and relax a bit. What better way to relax than to sit in the shade with a good book? We have many new movies make an appearance at the Library. Come enjoy a night of free entertainment with your family. We do not charge a fee to check out a movie or a book.

And we still have more to come this summer. The Eclipse in October promises some once in a life time excitement. The library will be sponsoring a program or two to educate all. Be on the lookout for those. We also have those very special Solar Eclipse Sunglasses on hand. So stop on by this summer to a pick up a pair or two or twenty. Sunglasses WILL NOT work guys for the eclipse. They will only damage your eyes. YOU NEED OUR NASA APPROVED SUNGLASSES TO VIEW THE SOLAR ECLIPSE IN October. THEY ARE FREE! So stop on by.

We received great news from the State Library. The funding for our Hot Spots will be renewed for two more fiscal years. The program had been scheduled to end this fall.

Remember if you need a place for a quick or long meeting head on down to the Library. We have a fabulous meeting room that can be had for free 24/7. Just fill out a Meeting Room confirmation form and it’s yours.

And another note. Through the year a few patrons have checked out books. Notes have been mailed, but there are still some items out. Could you please check the school bag, the lockers, under the bed, under the car seat, behind the couch, in the dog cage, in the frig and freezer, in the garage, on top of the garage; wherever that sneaky hidden book might be. Part of the problem at times, is the book was checked out to someone and then they left it at someone’s house or lent it to someone else or left it in someone’s car and have forgotten about it. I will have to start sending out notices for patrons to pay for these books. Unfortunately, that can get rather expensive. So please take the time and look. Items may be placed in our book drop that is open 24/7 no questions asked.

Why are baseball stadium seats so cold? Because they have fans in them!

Your community library has been able to succeed because of the generosity of our patrons, the Friends of the Library, the Wedsworth Trust who so generously supports us, the help we receive from the Town of Cascade, and the sage advice of our wonderful Library Board members and last but not least our volunteers who keep our programs running. At some point thank our volunteer board members – Jo Ann Eisenzimer, Norm Davis, Nada Cummings, Melody Skogley, and Mary Mortag for all the hours they put in every month so you can have the advantage of the services our library is able to provide.

The library would like to thank Mary Mortag for her service on the Library Board. We welcome Kelsey Harland as our newest Board member come July. Wedsworth Memorial thanks all who have provided our wonderful rain of good luck.

What runs around the field but never wins? A fence!

Memorial Day is coming up to honor and mourn the military personnel who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. In war-torn battlefields, the red field poppy was one of the first plants to grow. Wearing poppies to commemorate our military personnel was inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields”, written in 1915 by Canadian soldier John McCrae. “Struck by the sight of bright red blooms on broken ground, McCrae wrote the poem, ‘In Flanders Field’ in which he channeled the voice of the fallen soldiers buried under those hardy poppies.”

‘Beneath Flanders Fields’ is a fascinating tale of a little-known era of World War I history. “While the war raged across Flanders fields, an equally horrifying and more dangerous battle was taking place underground” called the Tunnellers’ War. The Tunnellers’ secret war is one of the most unknown and mystifying conflicts of the Great War. “Specialist miners were employed to dig tunnels under No Man’s Land. The main objective was to place mines beneath enemy defensive positions.” Come explore the harsh world of the Tunnellers who crafted cookhouses, hospitals and living quarters underground. This book explores a part of history very few know about. There are excellent diagrams and pictures to provide that in depth exploration. The Tunnellers’ War played a crucial part in World War I.

What happens when baseball players get old? They get batty. Does it take longer to run from first base to second base or from second base to third base? From second base to third, because there’s a shortstop in the middle.

The book discussion wound up their year with a delightful party. Everyone appeared to have a great time this past year. This will be our last discussion until August. It was great to see everyone this past year. We are looking forward to next fall. If you would love to join the parties and delightful conversation and be part of the group, give us a call.

Why did the bee keeper quit his job? He kept getting hives. (Joke courtesy of Jack and Isaac from Jack and I Farms.) Thank you guys. We sure loved ‘em at the Library. We’re always lookin for laughs and giggles. Honey Days is a comin!

Remember the hours for Summer: Monday 9-1; 2-6; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9-1.

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If You are Here and We are Not

The Library is providing an official notice of summer. Summer is finally here. We officially proclaim there will be no more snow. (At least for a day or two). It officially will be summer at the library the day after Memorial Day. Times R a changing. Don’t forgot to change to Summer Hours for the Library.

Just a reminder: Wedsworth library will be changing to summer hours on Tuesday, May 29, 2023. Hours are: Monday 9-1; 2-6; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9-1.

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The Lifeblood of a Community

Did you hear about the knife thrower who started using volunteers as a part of his show? Yea, they’re a part of his target audience.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of a community. It can be said that volunteers keep the lights on in a community. They enable organizations to deliver vital programs and services to help keep all doors open. They lend their expertise to fundraising campaigns and special events. They cement the community together.

Volunteering for a good cause changes lives and doesn’t just benefit the people you’re helping. Beyond the obvious benefits of helping out in the community and making a difference, volunteering can further a career and improve your life. Everybody wins.

Volunteering can provide a healthy boost to your self-confidence, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. You are doing good for others and the community, which provides a sense of accomplishment. Your role as a volunteer can give you a sense of pride and identity.

By volunteering, you’ll meet people you otherwise never would have met. The bonds formed between volunteers often are strong. These friendships expand your network of contacts. It’s a nice side effect.

What do you call an elderly person who volunteers their time? A dentured servant.

What do you call a volunteer bricklayer? A freemason.

Volunteering makes most people happier and improves their mental health. Being happier has a huge impact in your “real” job and help ensures you don’t get burned out. Happiness makes the day-to-day work more enjoyable. A study found volunteers have a 20 percent lower risk of death than people who don’t volunteer.

Self-confidence goes a long way in furthering your career and volunteering provides the outlet to improve this valuable quality. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing as long as it provides you with a sense of purpose and satisfaction in your life.

“Well, I don’t know what we’re going to do with the rest, but first thing tomorrow morning that fire engine is getting new brakes!”

My wife volunteers every week as a school crossing guard. I tell everyone she’s into human trafficking. Don’t ever question the value of volunteers. Noah’s Ark was built by volunteers; the Titanic was built by professionals.” ~Dave Gynn.

Around 30.3% of Americans volunteer. Moreover, 35.97% of the time spent volunteering is dedicated to fundraising. Finally, 34.22% of volunteering activity goes to collecting, prepping, or distributing food (34.22%).

“There are three kinds of people: Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who say, ‘what happened?'” ~ Casey Stengel.

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Poet – Folklorist Lance Dubois

Old Bossy roamed the meadow fair. Old Roan stomped the saddle bare and in the sty the cowboy glared while Grandpa sat his rockin chair and laughter split the frosty air.

Okay, Okay I’m not a great poet and you now know it. However, April is National Library Week and National Poetry Month and low and behold, it also celebrates Cowboy Poetry week. Cowboy Poetry Week is celebrated each April in the U.S. and Canada. Cowboy poetry is a form of poetry which grew out of tall tales and folk songs delivered around a campfire after a long day’s work. It is still being recited today and includes the western lifestyle, many humorous anecdotes, and the tales of ranch work and those who live it.

Wedsworth Library is proud to introduce local folklorist and cowboy poet, Lance DuBois, a fifth generation Montanan. Lance DuBois, is a knife-maker, western sculptor, painter, cowboy poet, and fifth generation Montanan and all around good guy! He was born in Great Falls, Montana, and he attended college at MSU, where he received a BA in Fine Arts. Lance currently resides on the Sun River, in the Great Falls area. Previous to the Cascade area, Lance lived in the Dearborn area on the old Gary Cooper Ranch and in Bozeman where he worked as a welder and metal chasier in the bronze foundry business. Lance’s poetry is focused “around his experiences growing up in Montana, its cowboy lifestyle and depicts the legends, humor and romance of the west.”

Wedsworth Library will be observing National Library Week April 23-29, 2023. This year’s theme is “There’s More to the Story.” Libraries are full of stories in a variety of formats from picture books to large print, audiobooks to eBooks, and more. But there’s so much more to the story. National Library Week reminds all Americans that libraries are always transforming to help you and your family discover a new and exciting world at the library, which can make a better life for you and the community.

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. In the mid-1950s, research showed that Americans were spending less on books and more on radios, televisions and musical instruments. Concerned that Americans were reading less, the ALA and the American Book Publishers formed a nonprofit citizen’s organization called the National Book Committee. The committee’s goals ranged from “encouraging people to read in their increasing leisure time” to “improving incomes and health” and “developing strong and happy family life.” National Library Week is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use.

Lance DuBois will help Wedsworth Library celebrate National Library Week with a meet and greet on Tuesday, April 25^th at 6:00 p.m. in the library’s meeting room. The fabulous Women’s Club will be providing all those delicious treats we enjoy at our Author Meet & Greets. Come and meet a delightful talented conversationalist and listen to all the wonderful cowboy tales Lance has to offer.

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Pullin Your Leg

Have you ever read a story that you just knew was pulling your leg? The truth can be stretched in all different ways when yarns or ‘Tall Tales’ make an appearance. A tall tale is a story or a part of a story with unbelievable elements to it that are told as if they are true. Yarns are told to make an impression, for example, “a gust of wind that was so strong it almost blew the house down.” Tall tales are deeply rooted in American history. The frontier was a rough and competitive place; making the most out of exploits became important for those who settled the West

The WPA Montana Writer’s Project collected a few tales and Anecdotes for our enjoyment. Here are a few from An Ornery Bunch just to liven up the day.

A Very Narrow Escape: During the summer, the story is often told of the camper up in the hills who went in swimming. That year being an unusually wet year the mosquitoes had grown to an abnormally large size, many of them being about the size of hawks, with long spiked bills.

As the camper emerged from the stream a large flock of the hungry mosquitoes swooped down upon him. The unlucky camper looked wildly about for some protection from the hungry horde and seeing a large iron kettle near the camp fire he turned it upside down and crawled under it. He was kneeling there in the darkness under the big iron kettle hoping against hope that the mosquitoes would soon forget all about him, when suddenly he felt something poke him in the back. He looked up and saw to his dismay that the mosquitoes were drilling through the iron kettle to get at him. In desperation he picked up a rock that happened to be lying under the kettle and began clinching the stingers as fast as each mosquito would drill through the kettle. Finally, just as the last mosquito was firmly clinched to the kettle the swarm flew away with the kettle leaving the camper with no proof of his very narrow escape. Elmer Baird of Roundup, Montana

Outrunning A Storm: This rancher had a team of unusually fast horses and one summer afternoon drove this team to town hitched to a wagon. The wagon had a spring seat up in front and so, of course, the man rode sitting on the spring seat while his dog rode in the wagon box behind. Well anyhow, that afternoon while the man was on his way home from town there came up a big black storm cloud and it began to rain off in the distance behind a mile or so. He looked back and seeing that it was going to be a regular downpour and having no raincoat with him and having an unusually fast team, he whipped up his horses and gave them their head to see if he could outrun the storm, But the storm gained quite a bit on him before the horses got into their stride. He could hear the raindrops pattering into the wagon box behind him. He had to give all his attention to guiding the horses down the right trail and could not look back. The horses ran their best and he pulled up at his ranch house congratulating himself that he had escaped the storm, when, looking around, to his amazement he found that the storm had followed him so close that the wagon box was half full of water and his poor dog had had to swim all the way home! Elmer Baird of Roundup, Montana

Frozen Solid: Mr. O’Donnell is a human tome of Montana history and with especial emphasis on the Yellowstone Valley. When asked for a “Tall Tale” from his fund of western experiences, he replied as follows:

I know one or two. This story was told to me by “Teddy” Blue. Blue was walking across some of the range he owned when a blizzard came up suddenly. The cold penetrated his heavy clothing with apparent ease. He looked around for some shelter or cabin where he could get warm. He spied down in a coulee a man squatting near a fire and warming his hands. Blue walked toward the joyous sight of the fire in anticipation of warming himself. As he arrived at the fire, he thought he’d give the stranger a playful kick. “Howdy Pardner,” he said, but he retrieved his foot in a hurry for the man was froze as solid as a rock. He thought then that he would warm himself anyway. His disappointment was only aggravated greater for he found that the flames of the fire were frozen solid. Ignatius D. “Bud” O’Donnell

Old – Loggers’ Home Remedies: The Old-time loggers had many home remedies. Here are some of them: Fat bacon around your neck with dirty woolen sock was good for colds. Bunkhouses were always closed tight at night because the night air brought many diseases. Never change your clothes when you get wet. Let them dry on you or you’ll catch cold. Put your underwear on in the fall and leave it on until spring. If you change it, you’ll catch cold. Put a chew of tobacco on any wound to prevent infection. This very good to prevent lockjaw. Fay G. Clark

Dog Lore: Blue-eyed or marble-eyed dogs are thought to be the smartest dogs for working stock. Black collies are believed to be better workers than tan or yellow collies. Hair-faced doges are believed to be better sheep dogs than open- faced dogs. Police dogs are never trusted with livestock and there seems to be a strong dislike for police dogs of all descriptions. In the Musselshell Valley many people even go so far as to dislike the owner of the dog. Elmer Baird of Roundup, Montana

Skyscraper Barn: Tom Halbert built a structure several years ago. He was short of money and timber was scarce. He used willow posts for corner posts and sides, setting them in the ground in a vertical position. The following season he found that the posts had roots and were growing rapidly. That fall, the floor of the barn, which had before been on the ground, was three feet above the ground level. A year later, the barn was on stilts nine feet high and the owner placed another story underneath to conserve space and make entrance easier, making the original one-story barn a two-story structure. Another story has been added this season and the owner had to put in an elevator to take the stock up to the hay. It is only a question of time until the cupola will be looking down over the Snowies into Lewistown. The proprietor contemplates turning the growing structure into a sanitarium. It is certainly one of the strangest freaks that ever developed on Montana soil. Evelyn Rhoden rewrote this tale from a piece printed in the Hedgeville Herald.

If you have a sense of humor or adventure, maybe you can add a few of your own tall tales.

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Spring Has Arrived

For many Spring means gentle rains, the flush of tulips and daffodils, sharp April breezes, small green buds peeping out from the ends of lilacs and trees and more warm sunshine; especially after the long gray and chill winter. Spring is a hopeful season. Hope that the rains come for better crops, hope for warmer temps, time for vacations, long summer nights and better roads!

There are those who have waited for this time of year since the last fallen leaf. They have sat and eagerly counted the days, warmed up the stiff arms, reaffirmed their faith in the future and blotted out the disappointments of last year. They wait for the hot dogs, Cracker Jacks, and the first ‘Play Ball’!

Montanans love baseball. They play it on the playground, sandlots, streets, 4^th of July, as little leaguers and family picnics. Baseball players have long been heroes. Their cards collected and traded, stats quoted and memorized. To quote Pat Williams, “Baseball has marked the time. It’s part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good and can be again.”

Montana has maintained a deep connection to the national pastime. Montana leagues weren’t very big, but they contained hall of famers along with the brawlers and players who weren’t the best athletes, but loved the game. Games were played in all kinds of weather and all kinds of ‘atmosphere’. Games were called and decided by forfeit because of the amount of fisticuffs that would end up ruling the field.

No one knows for sure when they heard the first ‘Play Ball’ in the first organized baseball game in Montana. The ‘Montana Post’ of Virginia city reported on May 26 in 1866 the locals organized a team. A week later, they reported “with players tough as hickory and ardent as a burning glass, the nine players captained by F.G. Heldt won 121-88.”

Teams began to pop up all over the state. Virginia City, Helena, Bozeman, Diamond City, Barker, Sun River, Fort Shaw just to name a few. According to the ‘Sun River Sun’, Glendive was the ‘proud possessor of a female baseball club’ as of June 1884.

The ‘Mineral Argus’ reported June 26, 1884 that the game between Cottonwood and Lewistown featured “one broken bat, one broken finger and more than one broken beer bottle”.

Fights, booze, cheating and gambling fueled the state’s official state foundational professional league in 1892. Cheating was rampant, fights were common and sportsmanship was a little unknown entity if known at all. They were professionals, they just weren’t very well-behaved professionals. Six teams started the season, two dropped out and Butte won the championship only after Helena forfeited over complaints about money and umpiring.

And as we all know weather plays a pretty large part in all our activities. In Montana it was alive and well In October of 1924, “The Brooklyn Dodgers played in Cascade County and there was snow on the field during the game, but they played anyway. The Dodgers won by one run over Cascade. So, who, exactly, was on the Cascade Country team that the Brooklyn Dodgers defeated by one whole point? “It was a collection of all-stars from the area – local town guys”.

The first Montanan to reach the majors made a large impact on baseball. He did so in a different role many do not recognize or think of. Frank James Burke or more often known as ‘Brownie’ from Marysville stood 4’7” and served as a mascot. He was known as hardworking, loyal and was respected by all who knew him. Three different presidents (Teddy Roosevelt, Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson) considered him a friend.

Burke was the first Montanan to reach the majors, but Cascade’s Rees “Steamboat” Williams was the first to debut on the playing field. Steamboat Williams (Rees Gephardt Williams) was a talented young Cascade baseball player. Born in Cascade, he batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was 5 ft. 11 in. and weighed 170 pounds. Drafted from the Great Falls Electrics, Rees became a Major League baseball player in 1914 and 1916 for the St. Louis Cardinals as a pitcher. He went on to appear in 41 career games over two seasons.

Future Hall of Famer 21-year-old Clark Griffith from the folded Pacific Northwest League headed east in 1892. He landed in Missoula and pitched so well fans showered him with five-dollar gold coins after the game. “He joked he made more money that one game than during his entire stint in Tacoma.” He insists he invented the screwball. Griffith went on to a rewarding career pitching in Chicago and New York. He enjoyed his time in Montana so much that he bought a ranch north of Helena and lived there during the off-season. Griffith went on to manage numerous teams. An opportunity opened for him to become part-owner of the Washington Senators, so he mortgaged his Montana ranch for a small percentage of the team. Later he mortgaged his ranch again to obtain 80 percent. Griffith’s name became synonymous with baseball and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in1946.

The ‘Pretty Boy’ arrived in Great Falls as an unproven 19-year-old infielder. Sold from Denver to the Great Falls Indians in 1900 and then to Helena, Joe Tinker led his team to the state championship. From there he launched a career that would lead to his plaque in the Hall of Fame. His tenure with the Chicago Orphans in 1902 lead to anchoring what’s been regarded as one of the best defenses in baseball history and to what is considered one of baseball’s best double-play combinations (immortalized in the poem, “Baseball’s Sad Lexicon,” or “Tinker to Evers to Chance”).

Jim Thorpe, who many regard as the ‘The World’s Greatest Athlete’, played baseball for the Shelby Seals in 1926.

“Nick Mariana served as the general manager of the Great Falls Electrics when, on Aug. 15, 1950, he and his secretary, Virginia Raunig, noticed two silver discs hovering in the sky. Mariana ran to his car to fetch a 16mm movie camera and captured the objects in a 15-second reel that went on to garner worldwide attention. UFO aficionados still debate the authenticity of Mariana’s footage and, in 2008, Great Falls officially changed its name to “Voyagers” in honor of the event.”

Widely regarded as the most accomplished and best professional athlete ever from Montana, Dave McNally deserves his list of achievements. The left-handed pitcher from Billings pitched in the majors from 1962 to 1975, spending all except one season with the Baltimore Orioles.

“Baseball historian Bill James called his curveball the best of his era. He won at least 20 games in four consecutive years, was named an All-Star three times, and helped the Orioles win two World Series. Even when his career ended, McNally influenced the game. His petition against the league in 1975, filed after he retired midseason amid a contract dispute with the Montreal Expos, directly led to the start of baseball’s free agent era.”

One accomplishment keeps McNally at the top of the record books. “During Baltimore’s second championship run, in 1970, he became the first—and still only—pitcher to hit a World Series grand slam. As if that shot wasn’t enough, he also earned the win after pitching a complete game.”

Perhaps the most famous person to ever play ball in Montana never made it the majors. Charley Pride, best known as a country singer, had two brief stints in the Pioneer League and played for the semi-pro East Helena Smelterites.

Montana baseball stories don’t always end up on the pages of ‘Sports Illustrated’, “but like the state itself they tend to reveal overlooked or underappreciated treasures.” The stories help “create the fabric of the game and provide a window into not only the history of baseball but the state of Montana itself.” Montana is far from the center of major league of talent as its ball fields are generally under feet of snow when spring training opens, but it has sent 22 to the Big Leagues over the last 143 years.

And we’re still sending ‘em. With the start of the 2022 Major League Baseball season, Chicago Cubs pitcher Codi Heuer is on an active roster. Codi Heuer is from Missoula and was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 6th round of the 2018 draft and quickly rose through the minor league system. “2021 was Codi’s first season in the majors and became a reliable reliever for the White Sox. Then halfway through the year, he was traded across town to the Chicago Cubs. “

We still hear the crack of the bat, pop of the mitt, and strrriiiike you’re out!

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Green Thumbs Are A Comin

Are you overwhelmed by the plants in your house? Are they taking over your house? Do you wonder how to trim those out-of-control plants? Are you too scared to pick up that scissor and start a whackin? Have you thought about starting some plants, but are not sure what to do? Do you keep killing your houseplants? Do you have a graveyard of houseplants you just couldn’t keep alive?

Have no fear Green Thumbs are comin! Our master green thumber will be here to set you on the right path. We have a home growin girl willin to set us all straight on how to clip that plant, dig that hole, water that plant, and pot your plant. Be prepared to learn how to generate healthier plants, how to keep your indoor plants alive, and foster a green thumb with expert tips about caring for plants.

Rose Malisani, MSU Cascade County Extension Ag Agent of Agriculture and Natural Resources is here to save the day for us. Rose is prepared to offer participants a sense of accomplishment and intellectual stimulation on Monday April 17 at 6:00 at the library. She will help us understand the basics of plant care and how to listen to your plants when they tell you or show you what they need. Be prepared to turn that black thumb green.

One might wonder what benefits you can gain from having plants in your life. Not only do indoor plants make for beautiful home decor, they boost your health and well-being, and are an easy way to bring nature into your home. They improve air quality by replacing carbon dioxide with fresh oxygen.

Plants reduce stress. “Interacting with plants helped suppress sympathetic nervous system activity and diastolic blood pressure. Participants reported feelings of comfort when working with plants versus working on a computer.”

Rose and the Cascade County Extension Office is proud to provide consumers with up-to-date reliable information on a variety of subjects, including financial literacy, 4-H club, agriculture and natural resources, economic development, horticulture, community and school gardens, family health, food safety and nutrition

Whether you are a beginning, novice or master gardener there is always more to learn about your soil, your plants and your garden plan. So, join us at Wedsworth Library on April 17 at 6:00 p.m. to learn a little bit about plant care and gain that confidence to snip that plant.

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Talling It Like it Was

Yep it’s been a bit breezy around lately, but according to John Melrude of Alma, Montana you ain’t seen nothing yet. John’s ‘Tale of A Windy Day.’ “Sure it’s windy today. Not too bad at that. Say, back in twenty-four there really as wind. Not a breeze just like now. I remember, spring of twenty-four it blowed so hard it started to lift rocks up off the ground. I was breakin’ a forty of prairie that was rocky, and I had a tough time. Had to keep my arm in front of my face. At that, I had black eyes from them danged rocks all spring.”

Thomas Polly of Billings relates a tale about Charlie Russell and the Tenderfoots. “I worked for a while on a ranch in the Judith Basin country. There’s where I met and worked with Charley Russell, the artist. After a roundup, a bucking contest, branding, or most anything that happened on the range, you would see Charley in the bunkhouse that evening with some wrapping paper and a pencil a-drawin what took place. Most everybody remarked when they observed his drawings that were very true to life.

What I wanted to tell you was what a jobber Charley was. There was a tenderfoot came to the ranch one day, and he was crazy to learn to ride hoses. He took to Charley right away. Russell took great care in explaining everything about the West to the novice from the East. The principle worry to the tenderfoot was if he should get bucked off, what could he do to stick to the saddle.

“Wells,” drawls Charley, “we have a method we always use for you fellas and it works every time.” “What is it?” eagerly asked the tenderfoot.

“We generally use molasses. Smear some on the saddle seat. You know, it’ll hold you in the saddle when the horse wants to throw you out.” “Where can I get some?” “Oh, from the cook at the chuckwagon. But I think he’s about out of it. Better run over and see.”

With that the tenderfoot would be off like a flash. I and the rest of the boys were wise to Charley’s tricks and knew he’d put something over on the newcomer sooner or later. We’d work right along with him. Of course, it was all we could do to keep from laughing right out loud.

The tenderfoot came back with the can of molasses and went through the prescribed course. Naturally, he’d get throwed. Sometimes we would substitute Charley’s best saddle for the old one he had on the horse. This was jobbing Charley, and if he caught it in good time, he would suddenly order the tenderfoot not to use molasses for it wasn’t so good after all.”

Guy Rader collected the following story. ‘Kid Curry Meets Brother Van’ “Years ago, when Kid Curry and his gang held up the Great Northern train at Exeter Siding, four miles west of Malta, there was one passenger who left the scene a richer man.

On the train was W.A. Van Orsdel, an old-time Methodist preacher known to all and sundry as Brother Van. He viewed with interest the businesslike manner in which the collection was taken up by Curry as, hat in one hand and six-gun in the other, the out-law sauntered down the aisle. At last, the Kid shoved his hat in front of Brother Van for the latter to “shell out.”

The preacher complied with the request but the result was discouraging. Curry looked puzzled at the loose change that clinked into the hat and inquired, “How come?” A man traveling on the railroad would naturally have more money than that.

“I’m a preacher,” explained Brother Van. “You are?” exclaimed Curry, beginning to understand. “What kind of a preacher?” “I’m a Methodist.”

A twinkle appeared in the eye of the famous outlaw. “I’m sort of a Methodist myself,” he grinned as he handed Brother Van a five’-dollar bill.”

Old timers always had a cure for everything and a remedy for every ache and pain or illness. So a few cures for snakebites from the ‘Jugoslavian Doctor Book’. ‘Cures for Snakebites’ “For rattlesnake bit, kill a chicken and put fresh meat of chicken on the bite. For snakebite, chop off the head of the snake, pound the head of the snake to pulp with a rock, place smashed head over the snakebite. Or, pound the bones of snake to a powder. Put powder of snake bones on the snakebite.

Russian people put live frogs’ stomach over the bite of the snake – put a different frog on every ten minutes. May need four or five frogs. The first frog jumps quite a bit, the next one less and less and the fifth one very little.”

Glendolin Wagner recounted the following tale. ‘Bucky, the Biggest Liar in Montana Territory’ “Bucky was one those cowboys. He ran 30 Mile Ranch and was reputedly the biggest liar in Montana territory, although many others unsuccessfully boasted of that distinction. One day Bucky was riding range many miles from any humans, when his horse chanced to stumble into a prairie dog hole and fell, pinning Bucky securely underneath. For a time, he lay there gazing up into a blazing sky not conscious of any suffering until the first numbness wore off and then acute sickening pains began to shoot through him and Bucky knew that his leg was broken.

He tried grimly to wriggle free of the dead weight of his horse but every cautious movement sent agonizing stabs of pain through him. He was in a serious predicament. He shouted, doubtless cursed energetically, smoked and shouted, cursed and waited, anxious eyes searching the plains for a passing rider. Night fell and a chill wind crept over the silent prairie and still no one came to the rescue. By this time Bucky had reached this dramatic moment in the story and he had thoroughly impressed his listeners with the gravity of the situation. One of them who should have known better broke out, “What did you do Bucky?”

“Me?” answered Bucky. “Why I finally had to walk eight miles to find a pole with which to pry that darned hoss off my leg.”

If you’ve liked some of these Tall Tales that were once told around the campfire at night or on a cold winter night when the dark night seemed to go on forever; stop by the library and ask for the Ornery Bunch. (And no, we’re not talkin about the staff people!)

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A Little Cowboy Philosophy

Every so often we find a piece of gold at our annual Book Sale. For many of you out there, you have never heard of Baxter Black. But if you’ve ever wrangled a cow or horse, or even a pig, sheep or goat, his stories often ring true to life. We found a few memorable pieces in a Baxter Black book that will make sense to those who grew up in Cowboy Time. Hopefully you can find the humor Baxter Black prescribed in his dose of best medicine with the wit of a salty sagebrush Shakespeare.

‘January, February, MUD” March comes in like a lion and goes out like a flatbed full of wet carpet. The most I can say about March is, it is a month of change. If March were a person, it would be an old man, cracked and weathered and cantankerous. Occasionally bearable but bent on maintaining his reputation for orneriness. The kid that won’t turn up his hearing aid or zip his fly.

In the Deep South, March is pleasant. Matter of fact they even look forward to it. But for most of cow country, the Deep South might as well be on the back side of the moon, The March rain up here is not a gentle, life-giving shower from Heaven to be savored and sniffed. It’s more like the angels hosing out their hog-confinement shed!

And the gentle breezes that whisper through the Houston pine trees aren’t even a distant relative to the steady, bone-chilling twenty-mile-an-hour wind that whistles across eastern Idaho.

Even the word March is harsh and conjures up a tough, unforgiving image. Not like light and airy April or comfortable, short February. If I was asked to rename March, I would call it Mud. January, February, Mud… Mud 7, 1992… the Ides of Mud. Doesn’t sound much different, does it?

Mud is a busy time of the year: feedlots are full, calvin’ has started, and the lambin’ crew is getting the jugs ready. Cowboys are still wearin’ their winter long johns and five-buckle overshoes. It’s too soon to take the mud and snows off the pickup. The days are getting’ longer but nobody knows why.

The horses still have their hairy side out. It is usually the last month you can stick a tractor up to the axle. What most people do in March is look forward to April. Well, one good thing about this miserable wind is it’ll help dry up the mud. We’ll be able to get into the field next month. The bulk of the calvin’ will be over in three or four weeks. It seems I ought to have somethin’ good to say about March. It’s good and cold, good and windy, and good and long. Is that good enough? I only knew one cowman who liked March: McQuilken. He said when it was over at least he still wouldn’t have the whole winter to go through. He was just glad it didn’t come in November!

Do you wonder what to call people or things nowadays? With all the Political Correctness these days, you never quite know what to say. We open our mouths and words we used to say are now Forbidden! All that ‘Political Correctness’ seems to be getting more and more confusing. So here is a bit of Political Correctness in the Animal Kingdom straight from Baxter Black: I have conferred with those fervent homogenizers of the once-colorful and descriptive English language to formulate the following list:

Stray Dog: Both words are unacceptable. They imply that a four-legged mongrel is subsisting as a vagrant. We have chosen the term Misdirected Wagamorph.

Mustang: “Definitely out! Associated too much with a greedy automotive corporation. We are going to protect them into extinction. They shall henceforth be called Adoptable Equine Derivatives.

Killer Whales: Need I say more? The name suggests that these beautiful creatures would rather kill and eat living things than down a kelp burger in the shape of a baby seal. We’re calling them the Masked Cetacea.

Fat Steers: Entirely out. No slur shall be made about their weight or their sexual predicament. Each cattle buyer will now deal in Ready Edibles. No, that won’t work either, can’t mention bulls. How ‘bout Ripened Ruminants?

Quarter horse: No chance. The hypersensitive could interpret that to mean he’s three-quarters something else. I’ve coined the term Dollar Horse.

Polled Hereford: Come on, now! Wouldn’t it be less discriminatory to rename them the Unhorned Himherford?

Too many of our creatures were named by that original chauvinist, Adam, with unconscious patronizing to sex, gender, race, religion, size, handicap, mental state, congenital deformity, or odd behavior.

Consider how insensitive we are to call something a nanny goat, a laying hen, a preying mantis, a peafowl, a woodpecker, a short-nosed sucker, or a turkey. I admit I’ve been called a turkey, but I thought it was a step up from a dodo.

But if we are truly worried about the Political Correctness fad, what are we gonna call a cowboy? A Two-Legged Ungulate Overperson? Why not? “Git along, little Disenfranchised Mobile Nurture Seeder.”

Hopefully Baxter Black has cleared up a few things for you and offered you a bit of humor to get through March – O! I mean MUD!!

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Birthday Celebration with Lucy

Lucy Pettapiece 97 Birthday party(004)

Wedsworth Library’s Book Discussion helped Lucy celebrate her 97th birthday. She was the Queen of the day.

Lucy PettapieceBirthday party at Book Discussion- 3-2023

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The Irish Whales

You’ve heard of the Irish and their place in the nation’s history. You have even seen, read about and loved the whales – the Humpback whale, the Beluga whale, Blue whale and the Sperm whale. But what do you know about the Irish Whales? Must be a kinda new one huh that floats around in the ocean??

Actually, the Irish Whales were America’s “gluttonous, English-hating, gold-medal-winning Olympic heroes of the early 20th century.” The story of the Irish Whales is the very embodiment of the American Dream and exemplifies the triumph of many Irish emigrants in the New World. It is an untold story of Irish American athletes who competed with unparalleled distinction for the United States.

“The Whales” was a nickname given to a group of Irish, Irish-American and Irish-Canadian athletes who dominated weight-throwing events in the first two decades of the 20th century. “This group dominated the field events, particularly throwing events, at the Amateur Athletic Union national championships and at the Olympic Games between 1896 and 1924.” They were known for their fiery spirits, showmanship, and were the first Olympic heroes of the modern era.

The men were nicknamed ‘The Whales’ because of their stature or athletic prowess, physical size, and their reputation for having an enormous appetite. “Allegedly the men ate a dozen whole boiled eggs with the shell still on, oysters by the hundreds and were partial to eating 3 T-bone steaks each, all at one sitting! It is said that the nickname came about after a waiter on their voyage by boat to the 1912 Games in Stockholm commented “it’s whales they are, not men”. “

Some of the Whales most famous members included: John Flanagan, Simon Gillis, James Mitchell, Pat McDonald, Paddy Ryan, Martin Sheridan, Matt McGrath, Con Walsh and honorary member Pat O’Callaghan. Almost all distinguished are by their membership in the Irish American Athletic Club of New York (IAAC) and as members of the New York City Police Department. They set the bar with their records

P.J. Conway, from Limerick, is attributed with the creation of the Irish American Athletic Club (IAAC). The IAAC was setup because the Irish experienced difficulties in joining the existing sporting clubs of the time. Although the membership of the club was primarily Irish American, the club had an open-door policy to athletes from all races and religions. It was home to some of the top Jewish athletes, such as Able Kiviat and Myer Prinstein, and the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal, John Baxter Taylor Jr.

James Sarsfield “Jim” Mitchell (1864-1921) was from Tipperary. His list of achievements is staggering. From 1879 to 1896 he won eight successive USA hammer titles. He held the 56-pound weight title from 1891 to 1897 and went on to win another four at various intervals. He won bronze in the 56-lb weight throw at the 1904 St. Louis Games. He broke the world hammer throw record 11 times and extended the hammer record he set in 1886 of 119 feet, 5 inches to 145 feet, .75 of an inch in 1892.

When the term ‘Irish Whales’ came into vogue to describe the Irish American athletes who dominated the world stage in throwing events for three decades, Mitchell was considered the fist. He came to be revered as the eminent authority on weight-throwing. He published a training manual for aspiring throwers which became the bible for future weight throwers. The forerunner of the sport of hammer-throwing, the arrival of John Flanagan from Kilbreedy, County Limerick brought a whole new level of competition.

John J. Flannagan (1873-1938) was small for a hammer thrower at only 5 foot 9.5 inches. He was able to perfect the three-turn technique first used by Alfred Plaw to technical efficiency. He won three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the hammer throw in 1900, 1904 and 1908. In 1908, he threw for an Olympic record of 170′ 4-1/4″ on his last throw. Between 1896 and 1909, Flanagan broke the world record 15 times. His last record in 1909 was 184′ 4″; more than 37′ longer than his first record. This made him the oldest world record breaker in the history of athletics at 41 years and 196 days old. Flanagan returned to Ireland in 1911, and was instrumental in helping Ireland win its first Olympic gold medal.

Martin J. Sheridan (1881-1918) was the smallest in stature of all the Whales at 6 ft 3 inches and 194 lbs. Sheridan won 9 Olympic medals, including five gold medals in jumping and discus events in 1904, 1906, and 1908. He was considered the best all-around athlete of the Irish American Athletic Club, and like many of the other Whales, served with the New York City Police Department. Sheridan was so well respected in the NYPD, that he served as the Governor’s personal bodyguard when the governor was in New York City.

Matthew J. McGrath (1878-1941) was from Nenagh County Tipperary. “He was built like a wedge. He was a six-footer, and weighed 248 pounds.” In his prime, he was known as “one of the world’s greatest weight throwers.” McGrath made his Olympic debut in 1908 when he won silver in the hammer. He set his second world record in 1911 at 187′ 4″. In 1920, he finished fifth after injuring his knee and then took another silver in 1924 becoming the oldest American medalist ever at age 47.

He won seven AAU hammer throw championships, won seven more in the little-contested 56-pound weight throw, and set two hammer throw world records. His lifetime best throw was the second of those records, 187′ 4″. He remained in the world’s top ten up to the age of 50, making his career one of the longest and most consistent in the history of the sport. In 1912 McGrath won with the shortest of his six throws over 15 feet longer than any other competitor’s best throw to set an Olympic record that stood for 24 years.

Pat “Babe” McDonald (1878-1954) was from Doonbeg in County Clare at 6′ 5″ and 300 lb. He won a gold medal in the shot put with a throw of 50′ 4″ and a silver medal in the two-handed competition with a total of 87′ 2″ in 1912. At the 1920 Antwerp Games, he won the 56-pound weight toss with 36′ 11″.

Patrick J. “Paddy” Ryan (1887-1964) was from Pallasgreen in County Limerick. In 1912, he set the official IAAF world record with a hammer throw of 189′ 6-1/2″. This mark stood as the world record for 25 years and as the U.S. record for 40 years until 1953. In 1920 at age 33, he stood 6′ 3″, weighed 265 lbs. and won the Olympic hammer throw “with a toss of 173′ 5-3/4″ with the largest margin of victory ever by 14’-1/2”.

Cornelius E. Walsh (April 24, 1881-1942) was born in County Cork, Ireland. He was an Irish Canadian athlete who represented Canada at the 1908 Summer Olympics and won a bronze medal in the hammer throw.

Simon Gillis was the only ‘Whale’ not born in Ireland. He was born in Nova Scotia of Irish parents; was 6′2″ and 240 lbs. He competed in weight throwing events in the 1904, 1908 and 1912 Summer Olympics.

The Whales won a total of 23 medals in 5 Olympic Games under the flags of the USA and Canada. This success, coupled with the legendary stories away from the track, captured the hearts of the American public.

The 1908 Olympics in London became the Irish Whales’ greatest triumph. There were countless diplomatic failures at the games, such as the missing United States amongst all the other nations’ flags, money was stolen from several American athletes, and disagreement on allowing an athlete to participate.

These Olympics had a tremendous impact on flag ceremonies. When the parade of national teams began, one by one, they marched and dipped their flags to the King of England. Then came the Americans, including the world-record hammer thrower and New York City cop, Matthew J. McGrath.

As they approached the royal box, the County Tipperary-born McGrath, “a human bull of a man”, stepped beside the team’s flag bearer and is rumored to have said, “Dip that banner and you’re in hospital tonight.” Old Glory went unbowed past the King of England.

The English were left in shock. Veteran Olympian and world-record discus thrower Martin J. Sheridan, another New York City cop, spoke of “Mighty Matt” McGrath and the other American team members when he answered the English by pointing to the flag and saying, “This flag dips to no earthly king.” The precedent had been set.

“To this day the United States does not dip its flag at Olympic ceremonies. The Irish Whales forever changed the Olympics, and inspired Irish and American athletes for years to come. They raised the standards of competition in track and field and gave Irish people around the world a sense of pride and encouragement that would help embolden Ireland to fight for freedom and independence. These mighty men will forever be our Irish Whales.”

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Cute, Cuddly, and Lovable

What do you think of when you think of cuddly and lovable? Most think – cuddly ‘little’ bear, or the Giant Panda Bear that is one of the cutest, most loved animals on the planet. It has long been the favorite stuffed animal of kids and a few adults. So, it makes perfect sense that a holiday on March 16 exists in their honor.

So, giant pandas or red pandas? Must be pretty similar, right? I mean they’re both “pandas,” both eat bamboo, both are cute and furry; they even share habitat! “Panda” means ‘bamboo-eater’. But there are many differences between these two adorable creatures.

The red panda is not related to the giant panda. The giant panda belongs to the Bear family and red pandas are the only living members of their taxonomic family – Ailuridae. However, both share characteristics and a common ancestor. This is called “convergent evolution.”

The red panda is the “original panda”. The giant panda was discovered later and only called a panda because of the anatomical features both species share.

The red panda and giant panda habitats overlap in Sichuan, China; otherwise, nearly 50 percent of the red panda’s habitat is in the Eastern Himalayas, including Nepal, Tibet, India, Bhutan, and Myanmar. The giant panda inhabits the six major mountain ranges in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces of China.

Both climb trees and eat bamboo, and a lot of it. The average giant panda eats as much as 20 to 45 pounds of bamboo shoots a day, whereas the red panda eats only 2 to 4 pounds of bamboo shoots and leaves each day and eat fruits, insects, bird eggs, and sometimes small animals. Both have an enlarged wrist bone, (often known as a false thumb) to hold bamboo stems while they eat.

Habitat destruction has led to food shortages. Pandas need over 300 species of bamboo to survive. They feed on varieties of bamboo that bloom at different times of the year. If one type of bamboo is destroyed by development, it can leave the pandas with nothing to eat during the time it normally blooms, increasing the risk of starvation.

The red panda is an endangered species whereas the giant panda is now classified as vulnerable. Both of these adorable animals are struggling to survive due to habitat loss and degradation and now rely on conservation interventions to ensure their survival.

Zoos worldwide have banded together to offer an environment to preserve the species and ensure long-term survival. The red panda breeds pretty successfully under zoo conditions. The World Association of Zoos and Aquaria (WAZA) coordinate the breeding programs for red pandas protected in zoos around the world.

Unfortunately, both the giant panda and the red panda are hunted and poached for their fur. Poaching of the giant panda has declined due to strict laws and greater public awareness of the panda’s protected status; the red panda is still poached for its pelt and for the black-market pet trade.

Popular and distinctive, known for their kitten-like faces and ruddy coats, the red panda lives in high mountain forests in China, Myanmar, and Nepal. It has a white face with a red-brown stripe running from each eye to the corners of the mouth, thick reddish-brown fur and a long, bushy tail like a raccoon’s. It only grows to about 20 to 26 inches long, not including the tail and weighs about 6 to 10 pounds.

They travel in pairs or small family groups. They feed on the ground at night and sleep in trees during the day. There are fewer than 10,000 red pandas left in the wild. The ones in the Indian subcontinent are different from the Chinese breeds.

Red pandas behave in the same funny, slow, and clumsy way that giant pandas do. When they walk, their gait and posture are similar. Like giant pandas, they are curious and seemingly intelligent. About 30 red pandas equal 1 giant panda! International Red Panda Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of September.

In the early 20th century, wildlife researchers and taxonomists discovered the giant pandas in China and thought they were related to the red pandas in Nepal since they both eat bamboo and share similar anatomical features. To differentiate, they added “giant” to panda. Previously, giant pandas were called “mottled bears” because it was thought that they were a species of bear. The word “mottled” describes their white and black coloring.

As a result of farming, deforestation, and other development, the giant panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived. Now they live high in the dense bamboo forests in cool, wet, remote mountainous forests. Only about 1,500 of these black-and-white bears survive in the wild.

Giant pandas eat fast and a lot. They spend up to 14 hours a day eating leaves, stems, and roots and a bit of fruit. Overall, bamboo is not very nutritious and they digest only about a fifth of what they eat. To stay healthy, they have to eat up to 15 percent of their body weight in 12 hours—so fast eaters. They can chomp on bamboo up to one-and-a-half inches thick.

When on all fours, giant pandas average between 2-3 feet tall at the shoulder and between 4-6 feet long. An adult female giant panda weighs 200 pounds while males can grow up to about 300 pounds.

These bears are excellent tree climbers despite their bulk. They can climb as high as 13,000 feet and are very good swimmers. Sometimes males relax by doing handstands against trees. Pandas are shy; they don’t venture into areas where people live, which restricts them.

Molecular studies indicate the giant panda is a true bear, part of the family Ursidae. These studies show it diverged about 19 million years ago from the common ancestor of the Ursidae and is the most fundamental member of the family and equidistant from all other existing bear species. The giant panda has been referred to as a living fossil.

The giant panda’s tail, measuring 4 to 6 inches, is the second-longest in the bear family, behind the sloth bear. The giant panda typically lives 15-20 years in the wild and up to 30 years in captivity. A female named Jia Jia was the oldest giant panda ever in captivity, born in 1978 and died at an age of 38 on October 16, 2016.

Pandas communicate through vocalization and scent marking such as clawing trees or spraying urine. They climb and take shelter in hollow trees or rock crevices and do not establish permanent dens. Their thick hair keeps them warm in the cool, wet mountains. Giant pandas do not hibernate, but move to elevations with warmer temperatures. Pandas have been known to cover themselves in horse manure to protect against cold temperatures.

When pandas are between 4-8 years of age, they reach maturity and can reproduce. Giant pandas are loners, except during the mating season. Females are only able to become pregnant for 2-3 days each spring. In this small window of time, male and female pandas find each other through scents and calls similar to that of goats or sheep. They do not roar like other bears.

After mating, the female chases away the male and raises the cubs by herself. Between 95 and 160 days of becoming pregnant, the female panda will give birth. A newborn cub is blind, hairless, and about the size of a stick of butter—about 1/900th the size of its mother. Completely helpless, the cub cannot move much on its own for nearly 3 months. In turn, the mother is very protective and careful in tending to her cub during this time. Due to the fact that pandas reproduce so infrequently, it is very difficult for their population to recover.

A Panda On My Veranda. There’s a panda on my veranda. It’s been there most of the night. I don’t think I would have believed it, But it’s there in black and white…© Terry Flood

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Wedsworth Library Board of Trustee Vacancy Ad

The Wedsworth Memorial Library in Cascade is looking to fill a vacancy on its Board of Trustees as a Cascade County representative. If you would like to apply for this volunteer position, please stop by Wedsworth Memorial Library at 13 North Front Street Cascade, MT to obtain an application. The application may be returned to the Wedsworth Library or mailed to Board of Trustees, P.O. Box 526, Cascade, MT 59421 to be received by Saturday April 01, 2023. This term will begin July 1, 2023 and end June 30, 2028. For further information please contact current board members, Jo Ann Eisenzimer 406-868 -4166, Melody Skogley 406-468-9380, Mary Mortag 406-836-0992, Nada Cummings 406-468-2539 or Norm Davis 406-253-2663 or inquire at Wedsworth Library.

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Ira Hayes

Now we come to end of the Flag-Raisers and their chronicles. Ira Hamilton Hayes was an Akimel O’odham Native American with the nickname(s) of “Chief Falling Cloud”, or “Chief”. He was born January 12, 1923 in Sacaton, Arizona. He died January 24, 1955 at age 32 in Bapchule, Arizona.

Hayes was an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community, located in Pinal and Maricopa counties in Arizona. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve on August 26, 1942, and, after recruit training, volunteered to become a Paramarine.

A Corporal in United States Marine Corps from 1941–1945, he saw action in Vella Lavella; the Bougainville Campaign; Consolidation of the Northern Solomons; and the Battle of Iwo Jima. He was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat “V” and the Combat Action Ribbon.

After the war, Hayes suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. On November 10, 1954, he attended the dedication of the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, which was modeled after the photograph of Hayes and five other Marines raising the second flag on Iwo Jima. After a night of heavy drinking on January 23–24, 1955, he died of exposure to cold and alcohol poisoning. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on February 2, 1955.

Hayes was commemorated in art and film, before and after his death. “In 1949, he portrayed himself raising the flag in the movie ‘Sands of Iwo Jima’, starring John Wayne. He was the subject of an article by journalist William Bradford Huie, which was adapted for the feature film The Outsider (1961), starring Tony Curtis as Hayes. The movie inspired songwriter Peter La Farge to write “The Ballad of Ira Hayes,” which became popular nationwide in 1964 after being recorded by Johnny Cash. In 2006, Hayes was portrayed by Adam Beach in the World War II movie ‘Flags of Our Fathers’, directed by Clint Eastwood.”

Ira Hayes was the eldest of six children. Hayes was remembered as being a shy and sensitive child. “Ira Hayes was a very quiet man; he would go days without saying anything unless you spoke to him first. He was quiet, and somewhat distant. Ira didn’t speak unless spoken to. Hayes was a precocious child who displayed an impressive grasp of the English language, a language that many Pima never learned to speak. He learned to read and write by the age of four and was a voracious reader.”

Ira Hayes was working as a carpenter during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. “He confided to his classmate Eleanor Pasquale after the Japanese attack that he was determined to serve in the United States Marine Corps.”

Hayes enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve on August 26, 1942 and became the “first Pima in history to receive his paratrooper wings, to which he received the codename of Chief Falling Cloud. On November 30, he graduated from the Parachute Training School and received his silver “jump wings”.”

Hayes in Easy Company of the 5th Marine Division landed on Iwo Jima on February 19. Hayes became one of five Marines from his original platoon of forty-five men including their corpsmen that survived Iwo Jima. On February 21, 1946, Hayes was awarded a Navy Commendation from the Marine Corps for meritorious service in combat during World War II.

Hayes attempted to lead a normal civilian life after the war. “I kept getting hundreds of letters. And people would drive through the reservation, walk up to me and ask, ‘Are you the Indian who raised the flag on Iwo Jima?’ Although Hayes rarely spoke about the flag raising, he talked more generally about his service in the Marine Corps with great pride.”

“In 1946, after his service in the Marine Corps, he was instrumental in revealing the correct identity of one of the Marines in the photograph. Hayes seemed to be disturbed that Harlon Block was still being misrepresented publicly as “Hank” Hansen. In May 1946, Hayes walked and hitchhiked 1,300 miles from the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona to Edward Frederick Block, Sr.’s farm in Weslaco, Texas, to reveal the truth to Block’s parents about their son Harlon being in Rosenthal’s flag raising photograph. He was instrumental in having the mistaken second flag-raiser controversy resolved by the Marine Corps in January 1947.”

Hayes was unable to hold onto a steady job for long, as he had become an alcoholic. “He was arrested 52 times for alcohol intoxication in public at various places in the country, including Chicago in October 1953. He held a variety of jobs, including being a chauffeur to Elizabeth Martin, former wife of Dean Martin, where he lived in her Beverly Hills home for several months but couldn’t stop drinking.”

Referring to his alcoholism, he once said: “I was sick. I guess I was about to crack up thinking about all my good buddies. They were better men than me and they’re not coming back. Much less back to the White House, like me.” Hayes was sober while attending the Marine Corps War Memorial dedication on November 10, 1954. Hayes met President Dwight D. Eisenhower who lauded him as a hero. A reporter there approached Hayes and asked him, “How do you like the pomp and circumstance?” Hayes hung his head and said, “I don’t.”

On the morning of January 24, 1955, Hayes was found dead lying near an abandoned adobe hut near where he lived in Sacaton, Arizona. He had been drinking and playing cards on the reservation with his friends and brothers Vernon and Kenneth. “An altercation ensued between Hayes and a Pima Indian named Henry Setoyant, and all left except Hayes and Setoyant. The Pinal County coroner concluded that Hayes’s death was caused by exposure and alcohol poisoning. However, his brother Kenneth, a Korean War veteran, believed that the death resulted from the altercation with Setoyant. The reservation police did not conduct an investigation into Hayes’s death, and Setoyant denied any allegations of fighting with Hayes. There was no autopsy.”

Hayes’ funeral was held in the C.H. Cook Memorial Church in Sacaton, Arizona. On February 2, 1955, Hayes was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. At the funeral, Rene Gagnon (incorrectly thought to be a flag raiser, when it was correctly identified as Harold Keller later) said of him: “Let’s say he had a little dream in his heart that someday the Indian would be like the white man — be able to walk all over the United States.”

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Schultz, Harold Keller, & Gagnon

Harold Henry Schultz (January 28, 1925 – May 16, 1995), a United States Marine corporal, was wounded in action during the Battle of Iwo Jima. He was a member of the patrol that captured the top of Mount Suribachi and raised the first U.S. flag on Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945. He is one of the six Marines who raised the larger replacement flag on the mountaintop as shown in the iconic photograph ‘Raising the Flag’ on Iwo Jima.

Schultz was not recognized as one of the second flag-raisers until the Marine Corps announced on June 23, 2016 that he was in the historic photograph which was taken by combat photographer Joe Rosenthal. The Marine Corps stated that Schultz was incorrectly identified as Private First-Class Franklin Sousley in the photograph. Sousley himself was also incorrectly identified as Navy corpsman John Bradley, who they determined is not in the photo. Schultz is one of the three Marines in the photograph who were not originally identified as flag raisers.

Harold Schultz was born and raised in Detroit. He attended Southwestern High School, where he was a classmate of Stan Lopata. Schultz entered the Marine Corps Reserve on December 23, 1943. He was a member of Easy (E) Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division. On February 23, together with five Marines, he helped raise the second and larger flag atop Mount Suribachi that day along with Private First-Class Harold Keller. On March 13, Pfc. Schultz was wounded in action and was evacuated off the island. He was honorably discharged with the rank of corporal on October 17, 1945.

After being discharged from the Marines, he moved to Los Angeles and worked as a mail sorter for the U.S. Postal Service until retiring in 1981. Schultz never had children. In his youth he lost a fiancée named Mary to a brain tumor, and did not marry until his 60s, when he wed his neighbor Rita Reyes.

Schultz never publicly stated that he was one of the flag-raisers in the photograph during his lifetime. Analysts believe that he must have known he was in the famed image but chose not to talk about it. His stepdaughter claimed “that during a family dinner in the early 1990s, when her mother was distracted, he told her that he was one of the flag raisers on Iwo Jima, and never spoke of it again.”

Harold Paul Keller (August 3, 1921 – March 13, 1979), a United States Marine corporal. During the Battle of Iwo Jima, he was a member of the patrol that captured the top of Mount Suribachi and raised the first U.S. flag on Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945. He is one of the six Marines who raised the larger replacement flag on the mountaintop.

Harold Keller was born in Brooklyn, Iowa and graduated from Brooklyn High School. On January 2, 1942, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. Keller was assigned to the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, was present for the Battle of Midway and took part in the fighting at Guadalcanal. In 1943, Keller was shot through his right shoulder at Bougainville.

In February 1944, the Marine Raiders were disbanded. Keller was next assigned to Easy (E) Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division which was activated at Camp Pendleton in 1944. In January 1945, the division left Hawaii and sailed for Iwo Jima. On February 23, he was part of the 40-man patrol that ascended Mount Suribachi and raised the Second Battalion’s flag (the 1^st flag). Later that day, he was one of the six Marines that raised the second and larger flag on top.

Harold Keller survived the war and returned to Iowa. “Though Keller virtually never spoke of the war, Marine researchers found evidence that he acknowledged the fact that he was one of the second flag raisers at least twice: first, in a letter to his wife Ruby written from Iwo Jima in February or March 1945; and decades later, circa 1977, in a newsletter of his employer (a company called Surge) in which his participation is stated unambiguously. Additionally, Keller’s private scrapbook contained a strongly-worded letter from Major General Philip H. Torrey, dated 17 September 1945, which suggests that Keller might have attempted to correct the record but was silenced.”

Keller worked a series of jobs in his hometown and was also a member of the volunteer fire department in Brooklyn for 30 years, eventually becoming the fire chief. He died of a heart attack on March 13, 1979 and was buried in the Brooklyn Memorial Cemetery.

René Arthur Gagnon (March 7, 1925 – October 12, 1979), a United States Marine Corps corporal, was generally known as being one of the Marines who raised the second U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, as depicted in the iconic photograph ‘Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima’ by photographer Joe Rosenthal.

Gagnon was born March 7, 1925, in Manchester, New Hampshire, the only child of French-Canadian immigrants He grew up without a father. When he was old enough, he worked alongside his mother at a local shoe factory and as a bicycle messenger boy for the local Western Union.

Gagnon was inducted into the United States Marine Corps Reserve on May 6, 1943. The 5th Division trained there to prepare for the assault on Iwo Jima by three Marine divisions of the V Amphibious Corps (code named “Operation Detachment”).

On February 19, 1945, Pfc. Gagnon landed on the southeast side of Iwo Jima with E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, on “Green Beach 1”, the closest landing beach to Mount Suribachi. “On February 23, Pfc. Gagnon, battalion runner (messenger) for Easy Company, became a part of what was most likely the most celebrated American flag raising in U.S. history.”

The Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial) in Arlington, Virginia, was dedicated on November 10, 1954. The monument was sculptured by Felix de Weldon. Gagnon personally posed for the sculptor.

After the war René Gagnon, Sr. opened a travel agency and did accounting work, and in his last job, he worked as head of maintenance at an apartment complex in Manchester. On February 19, 1965, while working as an airline sales representative for Delta Air Lines, Gagnon visited Mount Suribachi with his wife and son.

According to the book Flags of Our Fathers “in his later years Gagnon only participated in events that were at his wife’s urging, events praising the U.S. flag raising on Iwo Jima. She enjoyed the limelight, whereas he, by that time, no longer did.”

“At the age of 53, he bitterly inventoried his lost “connections” — the jobs promised him by government people when he had been at the height of his fame, jobs that never materialized. “I’m pretty well known in Manchester,” he told a reporter. “When someone who doesn’t know me is introduced to me, they say ‘That was you in The Photograph?’ What the hell are you doing working here? If I were you, I’d have a good job and lots of money.'”

Gagnon died on October 12, 1979, at age 54, in Manchester, New Hampshire of a heart attack in the boiler room. He was buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Manchester. “At the request of his widow, a government waiver was granted on April 16, 1981, and his remains were re-interred in Arlington National Cemetery on July 7. Inscribed on the back of his Arlington headstone are the words: ‘For God and his country he raised our flag in battle And showed a measure of his pride at a place called Iwo Jima Where courage never died’.”

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Immortalized But Forgotten 2

We viewed the battle of Iwo Jima and the famous ‘Flag-Raising’, but what about the men immortalized by ‘Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima’ by photographer Joe Rosenthal. Being a momentary hero seldom leads to a contented and happy life. They were famous for a second, but who were they before and what happened after that famous second?

Remember the flag raisers in the famed picture were originally listed as: Cpl. Harlon Block, Navy Pharmacist’s Mate John Bradley, Cpl. Rene Gagnon, PFC Franklin Sousley, Sgt. Michael Strank, and Cpl. Ira Hayes.

Private first-class Gagnon had returned to Camp Tarawa in Hawaii when he was ordered to report to Marine Corps headquarters at Washington, D.C. He arrived on April 7, and was questioned by a lieutenant colonel at the Marine Corps public information office concerning the identities of those in the photo. On April 8, the Marine Corps gave a press release of the names of the six flag raisers in the Rosenthal photograph given by Gagnon: Marines Michael Strank (KIA), Henry Hansen (KIA), Franklin Sousley (KIA), Ira Hayes, Navy corpsman John Bradley, and himself. After Gagnon gave the names of the flag raisers, Bradley and Hayes were ordered to report to Marine Corps headquarters.

Bradley was recovering from his wounds at Oakland Naval Hospital in Oakland, California and was transferred to Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, where he was shown Rosenthal’s flag-raising photograph and was told he was in it.

Hayes also arrived from Hawaii on April 19. Both men were questioned separately by the same Marine officer that Gagnon met with concerning the identities of the six flag-raisers in the Rosenthal photograph. Bradley agreed with all six names of the flag raisers in the photo given by Gagnon including his own.

Hayes agreed with all the names too including his own except he said the man identified as Sergeant Hansen at the base of the flagstaff in the photo was really Corporal Harlon Block. “The Marine interviewer then told Hayes that a list of the names of the six flag-raisers in the photo were already released publicly and besides Block and Hansen were both killed in action (during the Marine Corps investigation in 1946, the lieutenant colonel denied Hayes ever mentioned Block’s name to him).”

After the interview, it was requested that Private First-Class Gagnon, Private First-Class Hayes, and Bradley participate in the Seventh War Loan drive. On April 20, Gagnon, Hayes, and Bradley met President Truman at the White House and each showed him their positions in the flag-raising poster that was on display there for the coming bond tour that they would participate in.

Bradley was medically discharged from the Navy in November 1945. Bradley married, settled in Antigo, had eight children, and was active in numerous civic clubs, rarely taking part in ceremonies celebrating the flag-raising — and by the 1960s avoiding them altogether. He subsequently purchased and managed a funeral parlor.

Bradley’s wife later said he was tormented by memories of the war, wept in his sleep for the first four years of their marriage and kept a large knife in a dresser drawer for “protection”. He had flashbacks of his best friend Iggy, Ralph Ignatowski, who was captured and tortured by Japanese soldiers. Bradley could not forgive himself for not being there to try and save his friend’s life.

The Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial) in Arlington, Virginia, was dedicated on November 10, 1954. The monument was sculptured by Felix de Weldon from the image of the second flag raising on Mount Suribachi. Until June 23, 2016, John Bradley was incorrectly depicted on the memorial as the third bronze figure from the base of the flagstaff with the 32-foot bronze figures of the other five flag-raisers depicted on the monument; Franklin Sousley is now depicted instead of Bradley as the third bronze figure from the base of the flagstaff, and Harold Schultz in place of Sousley is now depicted as the fifth figure.

Inscribed on the memorial are the following words “In Honor And Memory Of The Men of The United States Marine Corps Who Have Given Their Lives To Their Country Since 10 November 1775”

On January 11, 1994, Bradley died at the age of 70 at a hospital in Antigo, Wisconsin, having suffered a heart attack and subsequently a stroke. He is buried at Queen of Peace Cemetery in Antigo.

“Bradley wrote his parents a letter three days after the flag raising(s) that said he had a little to do with raising the American flag and it was the “happiest moment of my life”. Sergeant Henry Hansen, Private Phil Ward, and he had worked on making the first flagstaff stay vertical in the ground.”

On May 9, 1945, Bradley did an oral interview by a Navy captain about the famous second flag-raising on Mount Suribachi, and said he was in the second flag-raising picture, and when questioned about the first flag-raising, he said “Platoon Sgt. Ernest Thomas raised that flag.”

Bradley was reluctant to talk about the flag-raising. He rarely did an interview about the flag-raising for the newspapers and avoided reporters as much as possible.

In 1985, he did another interview about the flag-raising at the urging of his wife, who had told him to do it for the sake of their grandchildren. “During that interview, Bradley said that he would not have raised the flag if he had known how famous the photo would become. He stated that he did not want to live with the pressures of the media and desired to live a normal life. He also stated during the interview, that anyone on the island could have raised the flag and that he was just there at the right time.”

“Bradley saw the flag-raising as an insignificant event in a devastating battle. He rarely talked to people about it and spent most of his life trying to escape the attention he drew from allegedly raising it. He stated once that he “just happened to be there”. He spoke to his wife only once about the flag raising during their 47-year marriage. That was on their first date, and he seemed very uninterested with it during the conversation.”

His daughter said, that “Reading a book on Iwo Jima at home would have been like reading a playgirl magazine … it would have been something I had to hide.” “He told his children more than once that the only real heroes on Iwo Jima were those who did not survive.”

His son speculated that his father’s determined silence and discomfort on the subject of his role in the Battle of Iwo Jima was “largely due to his sad memories of his close friend on Iwo Jima who was killed by the Japanese, Marine Ralph “Iggy” Ignatowski. In his own words, and only once, he briefly told his son what happened with “Iggy”:

“I have tried so hard to block this out. To forget it. We could choose a buddy to go in with. My buddy was a guy from Milwaukee. We were pinned down in one area. Someone elsewhere fell injured and I ran to help out, and when I came back my buddy was gone. I couldn’t figure out where he was. I could see all around, but he wasn’t there. And nobody knew where he was. A few days later someone yelled that they’d found his body. They called me over because I was a corpsman. The Japanese had pulled him underground and tortured him. His fingernails … his tongue … it was absolutely terrible. I’ve tried hard to forget all this.”

“Official reports revealed Ignatowski was captured, dragged into a tunnel by Japanese soldiers during the battle, and later found with his eyes, ears, fingernails, and tongue removed, his teeth smashed, the back of his head caved in, multiple bayonet wounds to the abdomen, and his arms broken. Bradley’s recollections of discovering and taking care of Ignatowski’s remains haunted him until his death, and he suffered for many years from post-traumatic stress disorder.”

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Immortalized But Forgotten

We honor the battles, but have forgotten the men behind the battles and their sacrifices. We recapped the battle of Iwo Jima. Now let us see the overview of the famous ‘Flag-Raising’ and its place in history.

Rosenthal took the famous photograph of five Marines and one Navy corpsman raising the flag on Iwo Jima. The flag raisers were originally listed as: Cpl. Harlon Block, Navy Pharmacist’s Mate John Bradley, Cpl. Rene Gagnon, PFC Franklin Sousley, Sgt. Michael Strank, and Cpl. Ira Hayes. You will soon see why history becomes a force of its own and the written word is not always accurate.

On February 23, a combat patrol was ordered to climb, seize, and occupy the top of Mount Suribachi and raise the battalion’s flag to signal it was secure. A 40-man patrol was organized. At 8:30 a.m., the patrol started to climb the east slope of Suribachi which included Navy Pharmacist’s Mate John Bradley.

Less than an hour later, after receiving occasional Japanese sniper fire, the patrol reached the rim of the volcano. After a brief firefight, they captured the summit. They attached the flag to a Japanese steel pipe that they found and took the flagstaff to the highest place on the crater.

At about 10:30 a.m., Lieutenant Schrier, Platoon Sergeant Ernest Thomas, Sergeant Henry Hansen, and Corporal Charles Lindberg raised the flag. “Seeing the raising of the national colors immediately caused loud cheering from the Marines, sailors, and Coast Guardsmen on the beach below and from the men on the ships docked at the beach.” A short time later, as the high winds on top caused the flagstaff to move sideways, Bradley helped make the flagstaff stay in a vertical position.

The men at and around the flagstaff were photographed several times by Staff Sgt. Louis R. Lowery, a photographer with Leatherneck magazine who accompanied the patrol up the mountain. Platoon Sergeant Thomas was killed on Iwo Jima on March 3 and Sgt. Hansen was killed on March 1.

Since the first flag flown over Mount Suribachi was regarded as too small to be seen by the thousands of Marines fighting on the other side of Iwo Jima, it was decided that a larger flag should be flown on the mountain. Marine Sergeant Michael Strank was to ascend Mount Suribachi with three Marines from his squad and raise the replacement flag. He ordered Corporal Harlon Block, Private First-Class Ira Hayes, and Private First-Class Franklin Sousley to go with him up Suribachi. Private First-Class Rene Gagnon the company’s runner was ordered to take the replacement flag up the mountain and return the first flying on top back down to the battalion adjutant.

Once all five Marines were on top, a Japanese steel pipe was found by Hayes and Sousley who carried the pipe to Strank and Block near the first flag. The second flag was attached to the pipe and, as Strank and his three Marines were about to raise the flagstaff, he yelled out to two nearby Marines from Lieutenant Schrier’s patrol to help them raise it. At approximately 1 p.m., Schrier ordered the raising of the second flag and the lowering of the original flag. The second flag was raised by Strank, Block, Hayes, Sousley, Private First-Class Harold Schultz, and Private First-Class Harold Keller.

Joe Rosenthal’s historical black and white photograph of the second flag-raising on February 23, 1945 appeared in Sunday newspapers on February 25. This flag-raising was also filmed in color by Marine sergeant Bill Genaust (killed in action in March) and was used in newsreels.

On March 1, Sergeant Strank and Corporal Block were killed. March 12, Bradley and three Marines received shrapnel wounds from an enemy mortar round explosion. Bradley was wounded in the legs and feet and was evacuated from the combat zone to the battalion aid station. On March 21, Private First Class Sousley was killed. March 26, the battle of Iwo Jima was officially over.

Three of these men, Strank, Sousley, and Block, were killed before the battle for Iwo Jima was over. So, what of the other 3 that were listed?

John Henry “Jack” “Doc” Bradley (July 10, 1923 – January 11, 1994) was a United States Navy Hospital corpsman who was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism while serving with the Marines during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. During the battle, he was a member of the patrol that captured the top of Mount Suribachi.

Bradley was generally known as being one of the men who raised the second U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945. On June 23, 2016, the Marine Corps announced publicly (after an investigation) that Bradley was not in the photograph. The man long thought to have been Bradley was identified as Private First Class Franklin Sousley, who had previously been thought to be in another position in the photograph, and the man who had been originally identified as Sousley was identified as Private First Class Harold Schultz. Bradley is one of three men who were originally identified incorrectly as flag-raisers in the photograph (the others being Hank Hansen and Rene Gagnon).

The first flag raised over Mount Suribachi at the south end of Iwo Jima was deemed too small. Although there were photographs taken of the first flag flying on Mount Suribachi after it was raised that include Bradley holding the flagstaff, there is no photograph of the first flag-raising. The second flag-raising photograph became famous and was widely reproduced. Bradley was photographed near the second flag.

In March 1945, President Roosevelt ordered that the flag raisers in Joe Rosenthal’s photograph be sent to Washington, D.C., to appear as a public morale factor. We follow the flag raisers in the future. Their stories humble.

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February Remembers

Adm. Chester Nimitz spoke the now-immortal praise, “Uncommon valor was a common virtue.” At first glance, the 36-day fight for Iwo Jima seems similar to many other battles that happened in the Pacific War: “American troops fiercely fought their way through booby traps, Banzai charges and surprise attacks while stalwart dug-in Japanese defenders struggled against overwhelming U.S. power in the air, on land and by sea.”

“For the United States Marine Corps, however, the Battle of Iwo Jima was more than one more island in a string of battles in an island-hopping campaign. The Pacific War was one of the most brutal in the history of mankind.”

Iwo Jima is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands lying south of the Bonin Islands. Together with other islands, they form the Ogasawara Archipelago. Iwo Jima is 660 miles south of Tokyo at approximately 2 miles wide by 4 miles long.

The Battle of Iwo Jima, (February 19–March 16, 1945) prepared the way for the last and largest battle in the Pacific: the invasion of Okinawa. After the battle, Iwo Jima served as an emergency landing site for more than 2,200 B-29 bombers, saving the lives of 24,000 U.S. airmen.

Shortly after its attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Japan gained control over much of Southeast Asia and the central Pacific. The Japanese sphere of control extended west to Burma, south to the Dutch East Indies and New Guinea, and east to Wake Island. The U.S. assumed command of Allied forces in the Pacific theatre and mounted a counteroffensive that incorporated a strategic combination of land, air, and naval assaults.

Iwo Jima was part of the Allies’ “Island Hopping” strategy, in which they would invade an island, establish a military base there, and then launch an attack on another island. As such, Iwo Jima was considered a stepping-stone for the invasion of mainland Japan.

Even before the operations to secure the Mariana Islands of Guam, Saipan, and Tinian ended, U.S. Naval construction battalions were already clearing land for air bases suitable for the B-29 “Superfortresses.” These huge bombers had a range capable of reaching the Japanese Home Islands. The first B-29 bombing runs began in October 1944. But a problem became apparent.

Japanese fighters taking off from tiny Iwo Jima were intercepting B29s, as well as attacking the Mariana airfields. The U.S. determined that Iwo Jima had to be captured and mounted an amphibious invasion. It was a costly victory for the U.S., but provided proof of the Japanese military’s willingness to fight to the last man.

Allied forces bombarded Iwo Jima with bombs and heavy gunfire from ships positioned off the coast of the island. The Japanese defenders were dug into bunkers deep within the volcanic rocks and therefore suffered little damage and allowed them to repel the initial attack by the U.S. Marines.

On February 19, 1945, U.S. Marines made an amphibious landing on Iwo Jima and were met immediately with unforeseen challenges. First and foremost, the beaches of the island were made up of steep dunes of soft, gray volcanic ash, which made getting sturdy footing and passage for vehicles difficult.

The Marines were forced to shelter where they could, in shallow foxholes and among the wreckage of burning vehicles. The Americans suffered almost 2,500 casualties on the first day. Nevertheless, 30,000 were able to reach the shore, and over the following few days, the battle concentrated on Mount Suribachi, which the Americans captured on February 23.

Despite the capture of Suribachi, the Americans had taken only the southern part of Iwo Jima. They spent months inching north to conquer the whole island. The Japanese used the rocky terrain to hide and prepare ambushes, which hindered the Marines’ progress. Regiments began to measure their advances in yards. Japanese soldiers battered the Marines with artillery by day, and at night they would slip behind the U.S. rear and plant mines along roads to disrupt enemy movements.

Battles raged on in the northern part of Iwo Jima for four weeks, with the Japanese setting up a garrison in the mountains. On March 25, 1945, 300 of Japanese mounted a final banzai attack.

The American forces sustained a number of casualties, but ultimately quelled the attack. “Although the American military declared Iwo Jima had been captured, American forces spent weeks on end trudging through the island’s jungles, finding and killing or capturing Japanese “holdouts” who refused to surrender and opted to continue fighting.”

The Marines captured 216 Japanese soldiers; the rest were killed in action. Those few Japanese soldiers who survived were often ostracized at home because of their failure to defend the homeland with their lives. Two Japanese holdouts continued to hide in the island’s caves, scavenging food and supplies until they finally surrendered in 1949, almost four years after the end of World War II.

Approximately 70,000 U.S. Marines and 18,000 Japanese soldiers took part in the battle. In thirty-six days of fighting, “the cost of US soldiers who died was staggering. The assault units of the corps—Marines and organic Navy personnel—sustained 24,053 casualties, the highest single-action losses in Marine Corps history. Of the casualties, 6,140 died. Roughly one out of three Marine or corpsman, who landed on Iwo Jima, became a casualty.

The distinguished flag-raising atop Mt. Suribachi took on historical proportions. Marines twice raised the American flag on Suribachi’s summit. The initial flag-raising was not photographed. The second flag-raising was photographed by Pulitzer Prize-winner Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press on February 23, 1945; five days after the battle began and several days after the original flag-raising. The photograph became one of the most famous combat images of World War II.

Rosenthal took the famous photograph of five Marines and one Navy corpsman raising the flag. Initially the flag raisers were listed as Cpl. Harlon Block, Navy Pharmacist’s Mate John Bradley, Cpl. Rene Gagnon, PFC Franklin Sousley, Sgt. Michael Strank, and Cpl. Ira Hayes.

Three of these men, Strank, Sousley, and Block, were killed before the battle for Iwo Jima was over. The photograph was quickly wired around the world and reproduced in newspapers across the United States. The image was used as a model for the Marine Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.

In reality, the picture “has morphed into an all-purpose symbol of American military heroism. And maybe that is as it should be—the photo does accurately convey the bravery and sense of purpose of the flag-raisers.”

Despite the sacrifice, “a large part of the American success on Iwo Jima was due to the heroism of individual soldiers.” Twenty-seven Medals of Honor (our country’s highest military award for bravery) were awarded for action on Iwo Jima—more than any other battle in U.S. history.

The invasion of Iwo Jima had a special meaning for the American public of that time. It was the first soil in the island-hopping campaign that was technically part of Japan. “Because of the brutality of the fighting, and the fact that the battle occurred fairly close to the end of World War II, Iwo Jima—and those who lost their lives trying to capture the island—retain a great deal of significance even today, decades after the fighting stopped.”

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Spokane – Montana’s Greatest Athlete

Montana, known for many things – rowdiness, independence, and the multitude of athletes who have walked our hallowed grounds. But there is one athlete who stands above the crowd; who stands far and above all the talented athletes who have called Montana their home. It is a thousand to one; a million to one long shot, or more, that Montana will ever be able to claim such a talented athlete as one of their own again.

And it all started one chilly day in 1886 near Twin Bridges. Every day, every hour since that innocent moment that was just an ordinary day, an ordinary birth; created an athlete that Montana has never seen before and will likely never see again.

Spokane was a chestnut thoroughbred stallion foaled in 1886. Owned and bred by Noah Armstrong; sired by the Leamington son Hyder Ali and out of the mare Interpose by Intruder. Surviving tragedy and ending in mystery; the chestnut colt captivated generations of Montanans. The barn in which Spokane was born, the Doncaster Round Barn, located about two miles north of Twin Bridges, has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Montana’s biggest news story of 1889 was not statehood. It was the Kentucky Derby triumph of a Montana-raised Thoroughbred horse named Spokane. Spokane is the only horse foaled and trained in Montana to ever win the Kentucky Derby on May 9, 1889.

Spokane was ridden by Tennessee native Tom Kiley and at 16.4:1 odds, Spokane defeated the heavily favored colt, Proctor Knott and set a new Kentucky Derby record for 1½ miles at 2:34.50. This record still stands at the Kentucky Derby for a 3-year-old.

Spokane also won two other important races, the American Derby and the Clark Handicap. He finished second in the Sheridan Stakes and the Peabody Hotel Handicap, and had a third-place finish in the Pelham Bay Handicap.

The details of Spokane’s early years are fairly well documented, but the end portion of his life is a mystery. In Montana folklore, he’s known as the “Spirit Horse of the Rockies.” In the decades that ensued, turf chroniclers romanticized and inspired fantasy of his story. His birthplace was a starting point; his Kentucky Derby win occurred six months prior to the Montana Territory achieving statehood. In Spokane’s day, Montana was still viewed by as the wild, largely untamed West.

In 1951, Horace Wade wrote about Spokane as a yearling on the Montana range, when he “desperately outran the raking claws” of a mountain lion that left wounds and “life-long scars” across his flank. Wade’s article was published in Police Gazette, a periodical not renowned for its accuracy.

Some claimed Spokane’s success came from being fed a steady diet of a mysterious tea made from wildflowers picked by medicine men near the Flathead River, a concoction that helped produce the strongest and healthiest men and the fastest and stoutest horses.

Spokane blazed forth from the western mountains and briefly dominated racing’s 3-year-old division. And when twilight beckoned, he disappeared.

Spokane was a good racehorse – as evidenced by his triumph at Churchill Downs and his victories in his next two starts, the Clark Stakes at Churchill and the American Derby at Washington Park near Chicago.

“His margin of victory in the Kentucky Derby was described by Goodwin’s Official Turf Guide, a manual of record during that era, as “a short neck.” Many in the Churchill crowd, reported in the range of 25,000-30,000, questioned the accuracy of the result. But Frank James (brother of Jesse) wasn’t among those displeased. He cashed for $5,000 with Spokane’s victory.

Proctor Knott, the odds-on choice with the bookmakers, had a one-length lead midway through the Churchill stretch. But jockey Shelby “Pike” Barnes was having immense difficulty controlling the colt. With about a furlong remaining, Proctor Knott suddenly veered on a sharp angle toward the outside.

Meanwhile, Spokane, ridden by Thomas Kiley, was making a late move on the rail and took the lead with a sixteenth of a mile remaining. In essence, Spokane’s path was arrow-straight, while Proctor Knott was forging front and sideways at the same time.”

In those days, the Churchill judges’ stand was on a platform in the infield adjacent to the finish line. Spokane swept under the wire in close proximity to the stand, while Proctor Knott completed the race on the far side of the track’s crown.

“There were no photo-finish cameras, film patrols, or slow-motion television replays to assist in deciding the issue. Five minutes passed, and then the judges put Spokane’s number at the top of the result board. The margin between the top two and the third-place finisher in the field of eight was two lengths. The race had pretty much been Spokane versus Proctor Knott, with the rest providing supporting roles.”

It wasn’t a major upset, but it was surprising, even to a key member of Spokane’s team. Kiley had “wagered $25 to win on Proctor Knott,” which would be a scandalous admission today, but was within the acceptable boundaries of that era.

“Among most on-site bookmakers, Spokane was the 6-1 second choice. At the mutuel windows, he returned $34.80 to win and $6.30 to place. It was also the first year that $2 win wagers were available.

Spokane’s breeder of record and owner, Noah Armstrong, received a winner’s share of $4,880 from the purse of $5,330. A correspondent for the May 18, 1889, edition of Spirit of the Times assessed the race as “the greatest Derby ever run in America.”

At age 2, Spokane was sent to Tennessee to be trained by John Rodegap, who had been conditioning Thoroughbreds for about five years. On October 2, 1888, Spokane won the Maiden Stakes at Latonia. In five starts at age 2, he was twice a winner and thrice unplaced.

His 3-year-old campaign commenced with a second-place effort against older horses in the 1 1/8-mile Peabody Hotel Handicap in Memphis. Fifteen days later, Spokane won the Kentucky Derby.

Luck played a factor. As the Derby field was moving into line, Proctor Knott twice ran off with his rider. Jockey Barnes was aboard more than he could handle that afternoon.

Ability figured in, too. Kiley, whose overall win ratio of 35.6 percent that year easily outdistanced the 29.7 percent achieved by Isaac Murphy, who was riding at the top of his game. And Spokane’s Derby time was just a half-second slower than the North American record for 12 furlongs (1.5 miles), jointly held by Luke Blackburn and Jim Guest.

Five days later, Spokane beat Proctor Knott again, winning the 1 1/4-mile Clark Stakes by two lengths in a time of 2:12 1/5. The following month, Spokane was victorious in the 1 1/2-mile American Derby, with Proctor Knott finishing last in the field of seven.

The American Derby winner’s share of the purse was $15,400 – well more than those of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes combined. Spokane had ascended to star status.

And then the star imploded. On July 4, Proctor Knott defeated Spokane in Washington Park’s Sheridan Stakes. And in three more starts at age 3 and 4 the following year, Spokane never won again.

Spokane was sent to stud duty for a while in Kentucky at Fairhaven Stock Farm; and at Niddervale Stock Farm; and at Elmendorf Farm; and, as late as 1897, at Maxwelton Stock Farm. The fee for his services apparently never exceeded $50, and none of his offspring did much. “If there ever were references in Thoroughbred journals to a “Spokane line,” they elude discovery.”

From there, documentation dwindles. Newspaper articles from the period include unverified accounts that Spokane was shipped back to Montana; that at age 6, Armstrong wanted to return him to racing; that Spokane was fatally stabbed by a farm worker with a pitchfork; that he was mortally injured in a railroad accident; and, more happily, that he died a natural death in Ennis, Montana, at age 30.

Spokane’s gravesite (if he had one) is unknown.

Spokane, like most horses from the American West, was never given much of a chance. “His odds in the Kentucky Derby were 6–1. By contrast, the 1888 3-year-old champion horse Proctor Knott, was the odds-on favorite at 1–2. Proctor Knott was once called “the greatest horse that ever looked through a bridle.” But he would do no better than second place against Spokane, who caught Proctor Knott in the stretch and won the mile-and-a-half race in 2:34.5, a track record that wasn’t broken until the length of the race was shortened to a mile and a quarter.”

“Spokane had defeated the prized (and more expensive) horses from Kentucky breeding operations, and his legend as a superhorse grew after his Derby win. But when Spokane’s owner, the mining magnate Noah Armstrong, had originally sent the horse to his ranch in Montana, it was because he had low hopes for the colt. He thought the horse was “puny” and “out of proportion.” Once there, however, according to one Chicago writer, “the raw-boned brute sniffed the rare air of the Rockies, and was fed the wildflower of the Indians. He grew big and lusty, his sides expanded, his limbs became rock-strong, and turning into his third year the outcast was a thing of equine beauty.”

The medicine men and wild animals of the Montana wilderness never caught on among horse racing’s elite. No other horse raised in Montana has won the Derby, or even made a ripple in the sport. Few training operations exist in Montana; its terrain too rocky and rugged, its weather too cold, its distance from the country’s major race tracks too far. But if you would like to learn more about this great athlete, stop by for Spokane’s biography.

“This, then was the land of 100,000 blooded horses. Days broke brightly. Chestnut muscles rippled in the sunlight. Copper hues reflected a state’s wealth. Spokane belonged to Montana in 1889, another gem for her Treasure Chest.”

“High in the ruby Mountains of Montana sounds the neighing of a spirit horse. His mane blown by the breeze, his head held high, and nostrils flared, he stands ready to race and win. I see him in my mind’s eye, and I feel his proud presence as I stand in the shadow of his home, an imposing round barn just north of Twin Bridges. Spokane, Child of the Sun, Spirit Horse of the Rockies, born to redeem the losses of a noble race.”

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Potpourri

Most of us have done it. You enjoyed it and might have done it almost every day. It got the blood a runnin and sure warmed ya up. You might have done it as a single or double or there might have been more. Some won’t remember hot peppers and sometimes you used a stone and other times nah. Hopscotch and jump rope got ya ajumpin. So we’re goin to jump around a bit to warm ya up.

Moose. Is the plural Meese, or Mooses? As most know, we hope, the plural of Moose is still Moose. Moose derives from Algonquian, a Native American language. It kept the same plural ending it had in its original language instead of adopting the normal s ending of most English plurals.

Did you know that the flap of skin under a moose’s chin is called a bell. Moose are also called rubber-nosed swamp donkeys. Moose calves can outrun a human by the time they’re five days old. A moose can kick in any direction with its front hooves. They have been known to live for up to 20 years.

The moose is the largest animal in the deer family weighing nearly 2,000 pounds. Moose primarily live in areas that have cold, snowy winters. Their wide hooves act like snowshoes to help them walk in the snow or in muddy, marshy ground after the white stuff melt. An adult moose can run up to 35 miles an hour for short distances and 20 miles an hour for longer runs.

Amelia Earhart was born Amelia Mary Earhart on July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas. She disappeared July 2, 1937 at 39 somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, enroute to Howland Island from Lae, Papua New Guinea. She was declared dead in absentia on January 5, 1939 at age 41.

She was known for many early aviation records, including the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She was married to George P. Putnam. Amelia’s Earhart first “flight” was when she was just seven years old. With the help of Muriel and her uncle she made a homemade roller coaster. After crashing dramatically, she told her sister that it “was just like flying”.

The original Ferris Wheel, sometimes also referred to as the Chicago Wheel, was designed and built by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. as the centerpiece of the Midway at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.

According to a 1973 Sesame Street calendar, Rubber Duckie’s Birthday is January 13, so around the country it’s National Rubber Ducky Day! A friend of Ernie and Big Bird, Duckie made his debut in a February 1970 episode.

The rubber ducky (also spelled duckie) has come a long way from his first concept as a chew toy for children. While the origin of the first rubber ducky is uncertain, many rubber molded toys from dolls to those in various animal shapes came about when rubber manufacturing developed in the late 1800s.

The earliest patent for a rubber duck toy was patented in 1928 by Landon Smart Lawrence. His design was for a bath toy which was weighted and when tipped would return to its upright position. The sketch included with the patent was that of a duck.

Sales of the iconic yellow rubber ducky we’ve come to know today soared in Britain in 2001. Why? A British Tabloid, The Sun, reported Queen Elizabeth II had a rubber duck in her bathroom that wore an inflatable crown. The rubber ducky became a Toy Hall of Fame inductee in 2013.

Here are a few observations of things that have happened in January over the years: 500 copies of the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and The Modern Prometheus were published anonymously in London.

Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. The first New Year’s ball drop in New York City started in 1908.

In 1946, the first United States Computer was built in Pennsylvania at the Moore School of Engineering. The History Channel was launched in 1995.

In 1890, the Rose Parade started in Pasadena, California. Today the parade is broadcast in more than 100 countries. In 1959, Alaska became the 49th state of the United States. And Ellis Island opened on January 1st, 1892 allowing more than 20 million immigrants to enter the United States.

January 17 is Benjamin Franklin’s birthday. He was not only a world-renowned statesman, inventor, and scientist, but was also fascinated by agriculture. He is considered the father of almanacs.

January’s Moon is called the Wolf Moon. It is theorized that January’s full Moon came to be known as the Wolf Moon because wolves were more likely to be heard howling at this time. It was traditionally believed that wolves howled due to hunger during winter.

On January 25, 1962 severe winds along the Rocky Mountain Front were blamed for the crash of a National Guard aC-47 near Wolf Creek. Governor Donald Nutter lost his life in the crash.

In 1819 on January 30 the Treaty of 1818 between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland took effect. The treaty called for the joint occupation of the Oregon Country west of the Continental Divide of the Americas, and the 49th parallel north as the international border east of the Continental Divide to the Lake of the Woods. The Continental Divide separates the future State of Montana between the Oregon Country and the Territory of Missouri.

Did ya warm up with all that jumpin around between topics? Anyone up for a game of jump rope or hopscotch? We could liven up the town!! “The journey of a lifetime starts with the turning of a page.” – Rachel Anders

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January – Feisty But Tranquil?

Through the years January has been quite an eventful month for Montana. Looking through history Montana has been noted for its feistiness and rowdiness, but seldom quiet or tranquil.

However, the Helena Daily Independent did report on a very quiet new year. “Not a whistle tooted; not a sound was heard, as the old year expired and 1919 was born.” Montana made it through its first day of Prohibition.

In 1865 January 2 was the day “the Little American Tiger” fought Hugh O’Neil for a thousand dollars. Prize fighting was quite popular in the early days of the Territory. The fight was promoted as “a grudge fight between the forces of teetotaling Con, versus evil, whiskey-drinking Hugh.” Promotional sparring matches were staged to make the fight more magnetic and enticing.

Con Orem was the smaller of the principals, son of an Ohio blacksmith, veteran professional fighter at 29, keeper of the Champion saloon in Virginia City, himself a teetotaler. His opponent was Hugh O’Neil, 34, native of County Antrim, Ireland, a muscular, whisky-drinking barroom brawler and sometime miner.

Bar owner Con Orem fought O’Neil behind one of the saloons on Wallace Street in Virginia City. An 80 ft X 28 ft building was built called J. A. Nelson’s Leviathan Hall. It contained the boxing ring, its own bar plus a ‘Women’s gallery”. Reserved seats cost 10 dollars in gold, but you could sit in the ‘pit’ for 5.

Nelson himself was referee. The crowd gathered early. Shortly after 1:30 p.m. Nelson called the contestants together and went over the London Prize Ring rules. These rules provided for a finish fight and allowed a combination of boxing and wrestling. Fighters were permitted to seize their opponents and throw them down. A knockdown ended the round. The person floored had 30 seconds to “come to the scratch,” that is, to toe a mark in the center of the ring and renew the contest.

O’Neil wore Irish green and Con wore black with one red star. The fight lasted over 3 hours and 185 rounds. Each round was one minute – or until one of the boxers fell. Con fell to his knees 36 times. O’ Neil was 6 inches taller and 50 pounds heavier and was frustrated. Con knocked O’Neil down 18 times and worked on O’Neil’s eyes in the later rounds.

The referee finally ended up stopping the fight to avoid a fatality. He felt both men were “frightfully punished about the head and body.” He zealously stated that “it was the best and gamest fight I ever witnessed.” All bets were off when the fight was stopped and not finished as anticipated. Each man ended up receiving $425, an equal share of gross receipts after expenses, plus half of all the gold-dust ‘pokes’ tossed into the rings.

The Montana Post’s reporter concluded his story with these remarks: “A gamer, harder fight was never contested in the prize ring. As for Con Orem, nothing but temperance, skill, activity and unflinching heroism enabled him to hold out against 52 pounds extra weight, backing a man who was as brave as a lion…. We are sure that no man of Orem’s size or anything like it can be found in America who can whip him in a 24-foot ring…. No harder or more trying contest can ever, we venture to say, be seen here or elsewhere. We sincerely hope that such men may never meet again.”

January 3, 1876 became a historical day for the state. It was the first meeting of Montana’s territorial Legislature in its new and permanent location in Helena. Virginia City had declined in importance by 1876; where Helena was the up-and-comer center of Montana.

It did take 3 elections to designate Helena as the state capital. In the first election in 1867, Virginia City won as the sentimental favorite. The second referendum in 1869 ended with widespread accusations of fraud. Oddly enough, somehow, the ballots taken to the territorial secretary’s office in Virginia City were “accidentally’ destroyed in a fire for this election.

Finally in August of 1874 a new 3rd election was ordered. (This may seem familiar.) With Helena puffing out its chest as the state’s prosperous population center, the election results became a bit contentious. Gallatin County’s ballots were disqualified and Meagher County’s ballots were certified as fraudulent. And then it got messy and rowdy. The lawyers took over.

Eventually the Montana Supreme Court came into the picture (of course). The Court came down on Helena’s side. We’re not done yet. The U.S. Supreme Court became involved and after consideration, let the ruling stand when it refused to hear the case on appeal.

In October of 1935 Helena was hit with 2 devastating earthquakes. The brand new $500,000 high school was partially leveled and left the auditorium a mass of twisted rubble. Damage was estimated at 75 percent. Other Helena schools sustained unoccupiable damage to slight to moderate damage. All schools were shut down for the time.

However, the Northern Pacific and the Great Northern Railroads stepped up to the plate. They offered railroad coaches for high school classrooms. 18 “schools on wheels’ were established and on January 6, 1936 6 day-a-week classes began in these mobile classrooms for the Helena students.

We recently complained, but on January 8, 1887 the blizzard of historical proportions appeared. It snowed for sixteen hours straight at the rate of an inch an hour. Then it stayed 24 below for ten days and then a second blizzard, worse than the first, hit. Temperatures dropped to almost sixty-below.

Charlie Russell replied to 2 wealthy cattlemen living in Helena as to the fate of the herds. “Waiting for a Chinook” became famous. The losses were staggering 362 thousand cattle died that winter. 50 to 75 percent of the cattle on the range died.

January 31, 1964 saw the termination of passenger service to Montana by the Milwaukee Road Railroad. Services between Aberdeen, South Dakota and Deer Lodge were discontinued and 15 RR workers were laid off.

The Milwaukee (Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific RR officially) was the last of 3 major railroads through Montana brought into the state. It promoted homesteading through central Montana. It created railroad towns like Harlowton and helped shape mining communities like White Sulphur Springs and bolstered farming communities.

It was never a money-maker like James Hill’s Great Northern, but struggled along. It underwent 3 bankruptcies until it finally discontinued services in 1980. It was an elegant turn-of-the-century marvel with well-engineered tracks, trestles, tunnels, and Milwaukee Road stations that added a touch of class to the skylines.

Many claim Montana is still untamed, wild and natural. January seems to represent the spirit of Montana.

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COLD January News

There must have been some magic in that Christmas snow as Frosty the Snowman came to life one day and the next day and the next! He led the children through the streets of town right to the Wedsworth Library. He said let’s run, have some fun, and read some books before I melt away. He probably didn’t melt this year!

Wedsworth Library will be celebrating Winnie the Pooh’s January birthday. This day was created to celebrate the birth of A. A. Milne in 1882. He was an author of children’s story books, and created Winnie the Pooh and his friends. Have some fun today. Celebrate Winnie the Pooh Day by reading some storybooks about the adventures of Winnie and his friends. Don’t read them alone. Read them with a child.

Remember Book Discussion members, it’s time to pick up your book to read, please stop in and pick it up for the Book Discussion on Monday, February 13^that 5:00. Our book for February is Where the Crawdads Sing. If you have never attended a session of the book discussion, you are welcome to pick up a copy and join us. We welcome everyone, even drop-ins.

The New Year always brings a chance to examine the year in review. At this time Wedsworth Library would like to take the opportunity to thank the community for its support. The outstanding community support has made possible our ability to upgrade a bit and continue to provide the quality services you demand. You are Making Our Dreams Come True.

And as January 13th is ‘Make Your Dream Come True Day’ it gives you the opportunity to do something to realize your goals and dreams. Whatever your dreams are, they usually don’t come true without some effort on your part. Now is the perfect opportunity to do something about it, anything, to move in the direction of achieving your dreams.

We also have a wonderful well of volunteers that help in so many positions, whether it is the book sale, story hour, Friends of the Library, or the library board members that all volunteer their time to ensure the future of the library. Please thank all volunteers. No organization can survive without them.

Now that the clutter has cleared from the holidays, please take a look around and make sure there are not any books, or DVD’s lying around that belong in the Library. We have a few lost books that are probably hiding under the bed or in the folds of the couch. Or in that bookbag! Here’s a great time to clean up the clutter and get those items back to their snuggly little nest.

We might not be able to warm up the outside, but how about we warm up the ol’ brain cells for Trivia Day? How many lodgepole pine seeds does it take to weigh a pound? How long can a moose keep its head under water? How many grasshoppers can a whooping crane eat in a single hour? John Melcher’s book Watering Hole is about what subject?

Here are a few more Montana trivia bits and questions for you to solve. Henry Plummer was the ‘outlaw’ sheriff of which Montana town? Virginia City, Last Chance Gulch, Nevada City, or Bannack

What year was Henry Plummer elected as sheriff? 1889, 1884, 1886, 1863

How many ‘outlaws’ did the Vigilantes hang in January and February of 1864? 30, 26, 18, 22

Long John Franck and Erastus Yeager did what? Supplied the Vigilantes with names of other supposed gang members; Actively participated in the lynching of ‘outlaws’ as members of the Vigilantes; Robbed a stage coach and were lynched by the Vigilantes; Spoke out against the Vigilantes in editorials to the local newspaper

Who was the original owner of the Anaconda Mining Co? Marcus Daly, Alexander Toole, Henry Plummer, Johnathan Swift

What company did Anaconda merge with in 1899 to become the Amalgamated Copper Mining Co.? Standard Shipping, Union Pacific Railroad, Standard Oil Company, Pullman Associates

168 men were killed in a Butte mine fire in which year? 1917, 1916, 1921, 1906

Who owned the Copper King Mansion? William Clark, John D Rockefeller, Marcus Daly, Henry Plummer

Who found the first gold at Last Chance Gulch? The Three Alabamans, Joe Mazurak, Shorty Kilkenbah, The Four Georgians

Name the trading company that first established a post at what was to become Ft. Benton. The American Fur Co., Western Fur Co., American Trading Co., Bevus and Butthead Inc.

A Jesuit priest opened a mission in what valley in 1841? The Missoula Valley, The Mission Valley, The Bitterroot Valley, The Jocko Valley

Name one of the two founders of Missoula.

Stop in and see us sometime. We would love to see you. Remember we are always receiving new movies and books for your entertainment. Hope to see you soon.

Did you think I wasa gonna leave ya a hangin? MONTANA TRIVIA ANSWERS: It takes 94,000 lodgepole pine seeds to weigh a pound. A moose can keep its head under water for 3 Minutes. A whooping crane can eat 800 grasshoppers in a single hour? John Melcher’s book Watering Hole is about Montana Bars.

Henry Plummer was the ‘outlaw’ sheriff of Bannack. Some research suggests that Henry Plummer (originally spelled Plumer) was not an outlaw at all, but an unfortunate victim of overzealous Vigilantes. It is speculated that one reason for fingering Plummer as the ‘ringleader’ of a now questionable gang of outlaws is that Plummer spoke out against the Vigilantes and in favor of trials and due process.

Henry Plummer was elected in 1863 and hanged in 1864. He was ill at the time of his death and would have eventually died of T.B. if he hadn’t been lynched.

The Vigilantes hung 22’outlaws’ in January and February of 1864. Some of the ‘outlaws’ who were hanged were guilty simply of speaking out against the Vigilantes. This was enough to prove the suspect guilty of being involved in criminal activity.

Long John Franck and Erastus Yeager supplied the Vigilantes with names of other supposed gang members. The method of encouragement used by the Vigilantes was to tie a noose about their necks and string it tight enough to scare them into naming names.

Marcus Daly was the original owner of the Anaconda Mining Co. Anaconda merged with Standard Oil Company in 1899 to become the Amalgamated Copper Mining Co. By 1910, it changed its name to Anaconda Copper Mining Co. This company was such a powerful force in Montana politics and life that until the 1950’s, it owned EVERY newspaper in the state.

168 men were killed in a Butte mine fire in 1917. This is still considered to be the worst mining accident in American history.

William Clark owned the Copper King Mansion. A self-made millionaire, the mansion cost a whopping quarter million to build in the 1880’s.

The Four Georgians found the first gold at Last Chance Gulch.

The American Fur Co. first established a post at what was to become Ft. Benton. It was first named Ft. Lewis, but the name was later changed in honor of a senator from Missouri.

A Jesuit priest opened a mission in the Bitterroot Valley in 1841. The mission was developed near present day Stevensville.

Missoula was first settled by Higgins and Worden in 1860 and the first mayor, Frank Woody was elected on April 19, 1883.

Detective Dashiell Hammett used Butte as his role model in the story ‘Poisonville’. Charlie Russell created about 4,000 works of art, ranging from sketches, drawings, and paintings to sculpture.

The tiny town of Basin, south of Helena, with a population 300 is home of the prestigious Montana Artists Refuge. Charlie Russell was referring to the artist Edgar S. Paxon when he said, “His brush told stories that people like to read”.

Clyde Park was named after Clydesdale horses that were being raised there. A pronghorn can cover 20 feet in a single running stride. A typical large pair of elk antlers weighs 40 pounds. It is sunny in Montana 51 percent of the time compared to 81 percent in Arizona and 23 percent in Alaska. (We musta used up our sunny days this year). Flathead Lake has frozen over seven times in the last 50 years. Wonder if it has frozen this year?

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Winter Wonderland Trivia

It has officially started whether you like it or not. And whether you love it or hate it, winter is one of the most magical times of the year. When you can wrap up warm with a hot chocolate and cuddle up with someone, or when everything glistens in the snow; that’s what winter is all about. Add in winter sports like skiing and snowboarding, building a snowman with the kids, or watching all those winter movies; it can be a heap of fun.

The question therefore is how much do you know about winter? It’s time to test yourself with the ultimate winter trivia. Winter Keeps You Guessing Over and Over and Over again and Over again.

Which zodiac sign runs from November 22 to December 21? A) Aquarius B) Capricorn C) Gemini D) Sagittarius

What are the OFFICIAL months of winter? December, January, February are considered the official months because they are calendar months with the lowest average temperatures. Did you know that snowflakes usually have 6 sides?

“Winter Is Coming” is the motto of which family in Game of Thrones? (We have the DVDs if you don’t know this one!) A) House Baratheon B) House Lannister C) House Stark D) House Tully

What is the shortest day of the year called? A) Coldest day B) Darkest day C) Winter’s Day D) Winter solstice

What phobia is an extreme fear of the snow? A) Chinophobia B) Hydrophobia C) Nephophobia D) Pteromerhanophobia. Winter isn’t the right answer either.

Chamonix, France held the first Winter Olympic Games in 1921. The world’s tallest snowman — snowwoman, actually — was built in Bethel, Maine in 2008. Named Olympia after Maine’s senator Olympia Snowe, the snowwoman towered 122 feet and I inch. It took over a month to build.

What is a chinook? I certainly hope you get this one right. But then again, I’m not sure how often we might see one this winter. A) A blizzard B) A helicopter C) A type of winter wind D) A polar bear

Which fruit has a variety called ‘Winter Banana’? A) Apple B) Banana C) Orange D) Pineapple

In which city would you visit The Winter Palace? (Hint – you can’t name every city in Montana.) A) Amsterdam B) Berlin C) Rome D) St. Petersburg

What color is a snow flower? A) Blue B) Green C) Red D) White This one might throw you. Did you even know there was a snow flower? The snow flower has no chlorophyll; it derives nutrition from fungi underneath the soil. It has a tendency to emerge early in the spring, just after (and occasionally during) snowmelt. The funny part is, it is found in Oregon, California and Nevada, not in an actually ‘winter state’. If you guessed red, you were correct.

On which other planet in the Solar System have scientists observed snow falling? A) Mars B) Jupiter C) Saturn D) Venus

The word ‘winter’ comes from an old germanic word ‘wintar’ meaning Time of water. Believe it or not Alaska is considered the coldest state in the U.S., even though we might feel like it at times.

Know Your Snow Trivia. Snow is considered to be the most beautiful and fun part of winter by ‘some’ who have experienced it. There is ‘snow’ way someone will say it wasn’t love at ‘frost’ sight.

Did you know 80% of the world’s freshwater supply comes from snow and ice? It is possible for snow to fall over a desert. Snowflakes fall from the sky at an average speed of three to four miles per hour. (Some storms feel like a lot more!) Can you imagine a storms of these? The largest width ever recorded of a snowflake was 15 inches.

Believe it or not, countless people wait for the arrival of winter with skis and ice skates in hand. Therefore, our winter questions wouldn’t be complete without some winter sports trivia.

The Nordic Games was the first international winter sports competition to be organized. Speed skating originated in the Netherlands.

Which alpine skier won the men’s Giant Slalom in the Winter Olympics in the years 1988 and 1992? A) Marco Odermatt from Switzerland B) Alberto Tomba of Italy C) Phil Mahre of the U.S. D) Ingemar Stenmark from Sweden

George Geran was the first player to compete in the Winter Olympics after having played in the National Hockey League. Janice Kostelic was the first woman to win four Olympic gold medals in alpine skiing.

Which is the snowiest city in the world? A) Aomori City Japan. B) Juneau Alaska C) Duluth Minnesota D) St. John’s, Newfoundland

With great winter fun, can come great potentially dangerous weather and situations. Remember to teach your kids about winter safety. So, how much do you already know? There is only one way to find out!

Did you know you need at least four inches of ice to skate safely? Dipping fingers in warm water is the first step towards helping a person showing symptoms of frostbite on their fingers. (Actually, my first step is to never go outside in the cold.)

In ‘A Christmas Carol’, who is the antagonist? A) Bob Cratchit B) Tiny Tim C) Ghost of Christmas Past D) Ebenezer Scrooge

What kind of pizza does Kevin dream of having all to himself in ‘Home Alone’? A) Pepperoni Pizza B) BBQ Chicken Pizza C) Cheese Pizza D) Hawaiian Pizza.

Eggnog was first introduced in the United Kingdom. Traditionally, a coin is hidden inside a Christmas pudding.

What does Sam bring back from Alaska to his friend George in Seattle in ‘North To Alaska'(1960)? A) Gold B) George’s fiancé C) Silver D) Title to a Gold mine

The Abominable Snowman is more than an invention of a television Christmas special. While there is no proof that it exists, many people believe that the Yeti, or an abominable snowman, lives in the Himalayas in Nepal. The word Yeti means snow bear, and many people believe the Yeti is related to Bigfoot.

The tiny snowmen created every time Elsa sneezes in Frozen are called Snowgies. The snowmobile was invented by a 15-year-old boy in 1922.

Here’s your ultimate challenge question. Car A and Car B are traveling down ice-glazed roads at the same speed in two different locations. The temperature where Car A is traveling is 30 degrees Fahrenheit; the temperature where Car B is traveling is 0 degrees Fahrenheit. The drivers of both cars hit the brakes at exactly the same moment. If both the cars and the roads they travel are otherwise identical, which car will come to a stop first? (Hint: Hitting a tree doesn’t count.)

Did you think the trivia answers would be here? You need something to do to enjoy these long winter nights and learn a few things along the way. Enjoy the challenge.

“If you go out when it’s snowing And look up at the sky, You’ll feel lots of icy kisses As the snowflakes flutter by.” -by Barbara Vance There’s Snow Thing Like Reading!!

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Things You Didn’t Know About Your Favorite Christmas Songs

The holiday season is perhaps the only season in the year that comes with its own soundtrack. Countless Christmas carols and holiday tunes lead radio airwaves, festive parties and department store speakers. And everyone is also able to cue up the tunes at home to soak up the spirit of the season.

While it may seem that all holiday songs are created equal; with a dash of Santa and a pinch of snow some of the most famous Christmas tunes have fascinating backstories.

From the holiday staple originally sung at Thanksgiving to the breakfast cereal mascot who voiced one of the most famous Christmas tunes ever, here are a few favorite facts about your favorite Christmas songs.

One of the best-loved treasures – “Silent Night” inspired a truce during World War I. On Christmas Eve 1914 —British troops spotted Christmas trees on the German side of the fight. Then they heard soldiers singing “Stille Nacht.” They responded by singing the English lyrics. Eventually, the troops emerged from the trenches to meet, exchange gifts, and even play soccer together. Fighting resumed on December 26. Bing Crosby’s version of “Silent Night” is the third highest-selling single of all time.

“Let It Snow” and “The Christmas Song” were written by Mel Torme. Torme released an entire album of Christmas tunes in the 1990s. “The Christmas Song” (more commonly known as “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire”) was ironically written during a summer heatwave in 1944.

Despite being commonly associated with the Christmas holiday, “Let It Snow” never actually mentions anything religious in its lyrics and never actually mentions Christmas or the holidays in the lyrics. Instead, the song is simply about a big snowstorm and not wanting to go outside.

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is a really old song! It gained popularity in the 18th century, which would make it pretty old today. But its origins are even further back. The song, originally in Latin, was penned around the ninth century.

“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” by Thurl Ravenscroft, the singing voice of the Grinch, was also the voice of the Frosted Flakes cereal mascot, Tony the Tiger, for almost 50 years. That’s Greatttt!

“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “Joy to the World” are two of the oldest English language Christmas hymns, originating in the 1700s. In 1906, a violin solo of “O Holy Night” was the second piece of music to be broadcast on radio.

“Do You Hear What I Hear?” was written in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 as a call for peace. “According to The Atlantic, as Americans nationwide anxiously listened to the radio in fear of an impending nuclear attack, Noël Regney and his then-wife Gloria Shayne Baker wrote the classic Christmas song.” The song evokes a message of peace for “people everywhere,” which makes perfect sense considering the political climate in which it was written.

Irving Berlin originally wrote “White Christmas” for a Broadway musical that was never produced. It was then picked up by Hollywood producers who used it in Holiday Inn, a 1942 film starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.

“White Christmas” was used as a secret military signal during the fall of Saigon in April 1975. On April 29, the American Radio Service announced that the temperature in Saigon was “105 degrees and rising,” another coded message, and played Bing Crosby’s rendition of “White Christmas” over the radio. These signals meant that all Americans and their Vietnamese allies would be immediately evacuated from the city.

According to the Guinness World Records, “White Christmas” has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide since its release in 1942. Berlin hated Elvis Presley’s version so much, he tried to get it banned from the radio. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby is not only the best-selling Christmas/holiday single in the United States, but also the best-selling single of all time, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide.

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” was written in 15 minutes, and Mariah Carey recorded it in August. When Brenda Lee recorded “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in 1958, she was only 13 years old.

“Jingle Bells” is over 150 years old and was originally a Thanksgiving tune. It was published in 1857 and was intended to be a Thanksgiving song, not a Christmas song. It was first performed publicly at a Thanksgiving service in Savannah, Ga., in the 1850s. “According to CBC, the song’s writer, James Pierpont, served as the music director of the Unitarian church in Savannah when, he “led the congregation in a rousing rendition of ‘Jingle Bells.’ They loved it, and he performed it again a month later at Christmas.”

One story notes that Pierpont actually wrote it in in Medford, Mass. in 1850, and it was a drinking song inspired by the sleigh races held in the town. Medford and Savannah both claim ownership of the song, though not of Pierpont, who the story describes as a “jerk.”

If we say “Jingle Bells” is out of this world, we aren’t kidding. The song holds the Guinness World Record as the first song played in space. “On 16 December 1965,” Guinness explains, “it was broadcast during NASA’s Gemini 6A space flight.”

It’s Christmas time in the city. So, begins one of the most famous Christmas songs in the world, “Silver Bells.” However, according to the book ‘America’s Songs: The Stories Behind the Songs of Broadway, Hollywood, and Tin Pan Alley,’ by Philip Furia and Michael Lasser, the name of the song was almost “Tinkle Bell.”

“The book notes that the tune’s writers, Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, wanted to name the song “Tinkle Bell”. When Livingston told his wife about it, she shot down the idea, after she raised the double-meaning of the word “tinkle.”And thus, “Silver Bells” was born.”

The Roman Catholic Church condemned the 1952 song “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”, because they thought it promoted adultery. They backed off after 13-year-old singer Jimmy Boyd explained that “Santa” is really just the kid’s dad.

Most of the early Christmas songs were religious. The first Christmas song to mention Santa Claus was Benjamin Hanby’s “Up On The Housetop,” written in 1864. It was the first Christmas song to tell the story of Saint Nicholas/Santa Claus. Hanby’s song was largely inspired by Clement Moore’s famous 1823 poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas.” Gene Autry is perhaps most famous for covering the song in 1953.

The “The Chipmunk Song” is still the only Christmas song to ever hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Yep, Alvin, Simon and Theodore made history when their 1958 tune “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)” topped the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart that year. It was the first holiday tune to ever do so, while also landing the furry trio three Grammy Awards. For 61 years they were at the top – not bad for three singing chipmunks.

I feel smarter now. We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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Christmas Through The Eyes Of A Child

That first Christmas was long ago. It can be difficult to remember how we once viewed this resplendent season. Have we lost that sense of awe and wonder in our busy lives? To return to that whimsical magic, let us hear Christmas through the eyes of a child.

We’ll visit their perception of what the three wise men brought that holy night.

This young man thought “The wise men brought coconut oil which was made of coconut, some sweets and some gold.” Then we have Jay, five: “The three wise men brought Jesus presents of gold, frankincense, smurr and silver. But I think he would have preferred wrestling toys.”

Daniel, seven, states “I know for his birthday he got money and gold from the wise men but I would have given him a Liverpool kit.”

Dominic, six, admits: “I don’t know what the three wise men brought Jesus but I would have given him a tin of cookies. I think Mary, Joseph and Jesus would have all liked a cookie.”

Wise Rebecca who is five: “They brought Jesus gold and myrrh but I would have brought him a nice warm blanket.”

William, seven, is into what is more important: “I don’t know what presents the wise men brought Jesus but a Lego set would have been better.”

Sympathetic Ellie, five: “The three wise men brought Jesus gold, frankincense and myrrh – no real presents. I feel sorry for him.” But another Ellie, six, had somewhat of an idea of what happened that night: “When he was born three kings brought him gold, coins and a sheep.”

She at least knew what animals might have been there when baby Jesus was born. Matthew, six, however, had a much different version: “There were sheep, horses and a crocodile outside the stable.”

Ruby, six, could even detail all this out: “At his birth there were oxens, a donkey, three camels, three birds – all white – and three cats, all black.” Suppose he had a glimpse into the past?

Hannah, seven, is very practical: “There was a donkey, a sheep and cow there as well as Mary and Joseph. It sounds quite crowded.”

Megan, six, must have been paying attention, sorta: “The animals who were there in the stable were oxens, donkey, cats and a lamb.”

Valente, six, definitely paid attention with a social outlook: “There were camels, donkeys and cows around the stable and the wise men went to the manger to say hello to Jesus.”

It becomes really interesting when you ask more involved questions, such as who was the Angel Gabriel?

Erin, six, definitely has a different perspective: “The Angel Gabriel is a big white fairy. He helped Mary and Joseph look after the baby – kind of like a doctor.”

Jay, five, livens up the scene: “There was also an angel called Gabriel, whose favourite thing was to fly around all day.”

Molly, six, must have some insight or at least we probably know what Angel Gabriel wears in their Christmas play: “Angel Gabriel was also there and he has yellow wings and a white costume.”

Millie, seven, at least is honest: “I don’t know who the angel is but I like Jesus.”

Katherine, nine, could be considered observant and frank: “Gabriel was this herald angel. He was a boy but he’s played by a girl in Christmas plays.”

Hollie, seven, sees perhaps some of the magic: “The Angel Gabriel is a fairy that God sent to help us.”

Now we get closer to who exactly is Jesus. Jay, five: “Jesus was a king and he wore a crown even though he was a baby. It was a really small crown.”

Antonia, seven, knows her stuff: “Jesus is Mary and God’s little boy.”

Molly, six, definitely sees history from a world-wide approach: “Jesus was a newborn king – but there were a lot of newborn kings so he wasn’t the only one.”

Zoe, six, guess has this birthday down pact: “Jesus is really old and his birthday was on Christmas 2007 years ago.”

Sara, seven, must read: “Jesus is a mystery man.” Sarves, seven, has been listening: “Jesus is the God of the Christians.”

Why do we celebrate Christmas? These children bring the reality of Christmas. Ellyshia, nine, definitely has a mind of his own: “I am not really a Christian. I believe in unicorns and pixies.”

Ben, seven, at least believes in part of the spirit of Christmas: “We celebrate Christmas because Santa comes and gives us lots and lots of presents.”

For those who wondered where Jesus was born? Alexie, five: “Baby Jesus was born in a stable made out of hay with string around it.” Then there is Erin, six: “Jesus was born in the stable – it had lots of hairs.”

Daniel, seven, nails it: “He was born in a stable where Mary and Joseph stayed. There were chickens, cows and a donkey. I don’t remember any more.”

Charlie, four, “He was born in a stable a long way away from here in another country. Bethlehem – it’s in England.”

Ellyshia, nine gives us alternatives: “Jesus was born in a barn, a shed or barn anyway. Or it might have been a stable, one of the three.”

Maybe we need to be clearer on who are Jesus’ parents. Charlie, four: “Jesus’s mummy and daddy are called Jovis and Mary.” Ansel, six: ‘Jesus’s parents were Gods.’

And so, it came to pass a long, long, very long time ago — maybe 100 or even 300 years ago, according to the experts in first grade — Jesus was born in a stable with some cows and a sheep …

“And a dog by him when he was born,” said Seth. “There was just a cow and a donkey when baby Jesus was born,” Tom corrected. “And the cow and the donkey were curious about what it was and looked over and saw the little baby and stayed there.”

One class explained that the season revolves around the birth of this baby, which was something people had longed for. “There were people waiting by a window for years and years. And God promised to send a savior. And he sent us Jesus,” Seth said.

But like many theologians, the children debated the nature of Jesus. “Baby Jesus? He’s going to be God,” Anthony said. “Not God,” corrected Azaria. “He is the child of God.” Maybe they have the spirit: God, or son of God, either one, Jesus’ coming brings joy, they agreed.

“Jesus is a very special person to some people,” Seth said. “Because he was the one who made the animals and people. He made all kinds of stuff, and some people are happy about that.”

“The Bible tells us that Jesus loves us,” Seth said. “And that’s important because he loves us more than anything in the world,” Tom said.

“Like today? We were driving from my house, and I saw a dead bunny rabbit,” Seth said. “And that makes God sad because he made that, and it was a special thing.”

So, into this world of dead bunnies and curious cows came Jesus. But he was born in an unusual place for a human baby. “He was born in a stable,” said Jairus Rice. “In Israel, I think,” Seth said. “It was a magical stable.”

And Jesus was born in this magical stable instead of a house because there wasn’t any room left for them anywhere else, said Hannah.

And shepherds came. “To gather ’round,” Anthony said softly. “And angels,” Hannah said. “God sent angels, and angels send messages to people,” Anthony said.

We humans can’t see these angels “because they’re in heaven, and we’re not in heaven yet,” William said. “But they fly down,” Hannah said.

After the birth, the baby had more visitors, they said. “Then guys with camels, saviors, came to see the Baby Jesus,” Jairus said. “And to give him presents,” Anthony said. “Bread and wine,” Carson said. “And a leaf,” Hannah said.

“The Three Wise Men brought gifts to Jesus, so that’s why Santa Claus brings us gifts and toys,” Emily said. “And Santa Claus comes every Christmas — comes down your chimney, or your air vent if you don’t have one.”

Remember the magic. Remember the awe. Become a child at Christmas again.

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Christmas Laughter and Memories

‘OH, the Weather outside is frightful, the fire is so delightful and since we’ve no place to go Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! It doesn’t show signs of stopping so Let Us Read! Let Us Read! Let Us Read!

And while we are enjoying our time in front of the fire, let us also enjoy a memory or two and a rousing Christmas passage or two to keep your spirits bright and bring some laughter to ease that stress of shopping and trying to save those outside lights from that last blast of light breezes.

“You can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.” By Maya Angelou

“One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.” – Andy Rooney

Maybe, if nothing else, what we need to remember is the true meaning of Christmas. It’s the stories we tell again and again that matters most.

Perhaps we should just enjoy Christmas through the eyes of children. Those precious moments are truly special and last such a short time. Children see the magic adults have lost.

Tracy Posillico probably expresses this sentiment so perfectly, “Christmas brings so much joy, excitement and laughter into the lives of these little people. It is simply magical. The way their eyes light up when they see Santa, their happiness as they turn on the Christmas tree lights each day, their enthusiasm when they open gifts. The joy in their hearts is something that we can literally feel. We witness them believing!

Although we are reminded of these special times during Christmas, we often experience it all year if we just take the time to listen, to feel and to believe because these are the memories we will always remember and the moments that make life so special!”

If you have ever witnessed a child during the Christmas season, you can’t help but believe there is nothing so innocent as a child during the Christmas season. Everything seems spectacular to a child. Maybe Larry Wilde had it right when he said, “Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.”

The Christmas tree is the symbol that children know is the exact moment when Christmas starts. They look forward to it every year and their eyes light up as the lights are turned on for the first time to make it a memorable moment each and every season. And they love to light it up every night; and for some it needs to stay lit every day all day long.

The children become so excited to see containers of decorations opened. They pull everything out like it’s a rare gem that needs to be put in just the right place in order for it to shine, whether it is some store-bought ornament that glitters or the homemade ornament they made last year or the year before. Some of these memories of past ornaments are what last a lifetime. Some children are more traditional and like things exactly where they were the year before and others want to change things up a bit, finding a new spot for the decoration. Watching this makes for a great beginning to the season.

Can we forget the Christmas movies? How many of us look forward to watching them every Christmas? They are even more special when we can watch them with a child and see their eyes light up with the magic. Whether you like the traditional of Rudolph, White Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas or the newer Hallmark movies you create everlasting family memories of the family cuddled together enjoying the time together.

Lest we not forget the Christmas play at church that is another exciting part for a child. Here they get to play the part of Mary, Joseph, a cow, or Angels singing. Everyone applauds as they retell the story of the true meaning of Christmas. With a potluck that includes a table full of desserts afterward, the play is a family favorite among the kids.

Christmas cards may not really be on the list of favorites among children, but they lend a sense of closeness between family and friends, no matter the distance. Children often enjoy looking at the pictures on the cards that come. Holiday memories. Isn’t that what Christmas creates?

We also can’t forget that school holiday every child looks forward to which brings each and every child a renewed sense of feeling. What better way to celebrate Christmas than playing in the snow? What could be more relaxing than that? Snow to adults is not the greatest thing in the world but to a child, it’s an ever-growing playground where snow angels and snowman come to life and amazing sledding opportunities bolster the spirits.

“All of these things add to the season, but still, nothing compares to the ultimate reason for Christmas and that’s the day Christ was born. I think that’s when you really get to see Christmas through the eyes of a child. They love that babe in a manger and love to have the story of Christmas read.

It’s not a controversy to them, it’s merely Jesus and his story. A story that so long ago brought us all hope. Sure, they might not understand the entire meaning depending on their age, but they do understand there’s something special about this particular babe who has songs and stories written about him. He’s special and worth celebrating.”

Who can’t enjoy the memories of Christmas songs, caroling and freezing, the hot chocolate or just the background music playing in the background while you shop? How many times have you hummed or sang along with that dearly loved song on the radio? Some of the best memories are the family singing Frosty and Rudolph while they journey the neighborhood to adore those wonderful colorful mesmerizing lights.

Who can be a scrooge when you see the delight in not just a child’s eyes, but the eyes of every adult journeying at night just to view the wonderful Christmas lights and displays? How many family memories have been made because of this nightly journey?

The house all decorated, the lights, songs all add a new energy along with the anticipation of Christmas day but nothing can ever replace the energy or gift we were all given that night. Make your life special tonight and every night this Christmas season. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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The Strangest Sayings in America

If you’ve had a chance to travel, you’ve noticed differences in the way people talk in other places. This is something that anyone who has traveled the U.S. is keenly aware of. The people in Seattle talk differently than New Yorkers, and Texans are a whole other kettle of fish. Even then, we can usually figure out what people mean when they break out a colloquialism or a local version of an idiom. Sometimes, though, we’re left scratching our heads. Here are a few of those strange sayings that will have you wondering if everyone’s still speaking English.

For most of us, “banging” something either means you’re making a big noise, like construction workers hammering nails into a wall or … well, you get the idea. We do use “bang” informally, but nowhere is the verb more informal than in Rhode Island where locals might tell you to “bang a U-ey”. “U-ey” is pretty common slang for a U-turn. When Rhode Islanders tell you this, they just want you to make a U-turn, and there’s no need to make a lot of noise about it. The term might be related to the phrase “bang one out,” which essentially means to do something, but it sure sounds strange nonetheless. If you happen to be told to do this, your Rhode Island tour guide will likely be impressed if you just wheel it around, no questions asked.

The Bluegrass State is known for some of its quirky Southern slang, although it shares much of this lingo with other Southern states. One interesting phrase you might hear only in Kentucky is, “your wig’s a little loose” or “I think your wig’s a little loose.” This is essentially telling someone you think they’re crazy—not exactly a compliment. The phrase is comparable to idioms like “doesn’t have his head on straight” and “I think you have a few screws loose.” Wonder if this phrase got its start in the early days of the Union, when everyone was still wearing powdered wigs?

The Dakotas get a bad rap: the weather isn’t all that great, there’s not much to see or do and the locals are friendly, but perhaps a little strange to many. One thing you’ll quickly notice is that South Dakotans, much like Minnesotans and North Dakotans, have some different turns of phrases. One of the most intriguing is “get a wiggle on,” which essentially means “hurry up.” Others might be familiar with the phrase “get a move on,” which uses the same construct and means the same thing. We’re not entirely sure why South Dakotans want everyone to wiggle to their destination, though maybe it has something to do with keeping warm during the harsh winter weather. Nonetheless, if a South Dakotan acquaintance happens to suggest you should get your wiggle on, you needn’t bust a move like you’re on the dance floor—a bit more spring in your step will do.

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the Golden State has some pretty slangy terminology. While a lot of California idioms have arisen from surf culture and then spread to a wider demographic through the magic of Hollywood, there are still a few turns of phrase that are uniquely Californian. One of those phrases might be “gotta get flat,” which, at first glance, seems pretty obtuse. Why do we need to get flattened out? Is this something to do with earthquakes? Or maybe it’s some new twist on “getting down.” It actually just means “I need to lie down”.

Michigan’s strangest idiom might seem relatively tame or even understandable from some points of view. It’s a sort of mild swear, certainly not as rude as some of the phrases you might find around the world. In some ways, it’s almost cute and it’s definitely Michigan. “Geez-o-Pete!” is an exclamation that’s sort of like “Jesus Mary Mother of God!” with much the same meaning and parallel structure in that it calls on Jesus and St. Peter. If you hear your Michiganian friends shouting this, you know something’s caught them off-guard and not in a good way. It’s just that polite company is forcing them to keep it G-rated—so you don’t hear some other choice words.

“Just because a cat has her kittens in the oven don’t make them biscuits” comes from Vermont. Vermont seems to take the cake with their own colloquialism of local pride of what makes a local a local. They might tell you “just because a cat has her kittens in the oven don’t make them biscuits.” What they’re really saying is that even if you were born in Vermont, you’re not necessarily a Vermonter. Just like putting those kittens in the oven doesn’t make them biscuits. Once an outsider, always an outsider in Vermont, it appears. It apparently takes a couple generations to be considered a real Vermonter.

Georgia’s another Southern state with that peculiar Southern way of speaking. The Peach State has its own lingo, and one of the native phrases is “that dog won’t hunt” or “that dog don’t hunt.” While outsiders might think nothing of this idiom, it’s actually a way of saying something won’t work—much like a dog that won’t hunt. Other versions of the phrase include “that horse isn’t a runner” and the historical predecessor “that cock won’t fight”. Today, if someone from the Peach State tells you the dog won’t hunt, you’d better go back to the drawing board.

Wyoming is a relatively “young” state and this Western state has been decidedly rural throughout most of its history, even before statehood. With a large interest in ranching, it’s little wonder that Wyoming’s slang would take on a distinctly rural flavor. The phrase “looks like 10 miles of dirt road” is an example of that. This phrase is pretty easy to figure out: it means someone looks disheveled or unwell. Dirt roads are often unkempt and bumpy, washed out by storms and rutted—so saying someone looks like 10 miles of that is not a compliment!

At first glance, the phrase “I’m going by your house later” may not seem all that strange. In fact, some of us may have offered someone a ride home from a party or offered to drop something off because we were “going by later.” But in Louisiana, “going by your house later” doesn’t mean someone is just going to drive by. It means they’re actually going to stop in and visit. Whereas people from other places might say, “I’m going to stop in later,” Louisianans like to keep you in suspense by suggesting that they’ll be in the neighborhood, at some point.

Alabama is probably best known for its Southern drawl. Alabamans have a few expressions that set them apart from other Southern states. One of the best and most mystifying is “butter my butt and call me a biscuit!” This is an exclamation expressing delight at discovering something surprising yet pleasant. Just don’t take the suggestion too literally if you’re visiting the Heart of Dixie—nobody actually wants to be buttered and called a biscuit, although they’d surely be surprised if you did!

So you might be from Montana if you know our slang: “Cowboy up”; “Rig”; Borrow Pit; a Crick; Pertinear; outfit; Jockey box; slow elk; and last but not least “When 2 of you are hiking in the woods, and a bear charges, you don’t have to run faster than the bear, just run faster than the other guy.”

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Common Sayings and Their History

We hear ‘em, but do we know where they came from? “Going To Hell In A Handbasket” Have you ever said it or heard it? The origin came from the 19th century where the phrase became associated with the American gold rush of the 1840s when men were lowered by hand in baskets down mining shafts to set explosives which could have deadly consequences.

The phrase “turn a blind eye” is often a willful refusal to acknowledge a particular reality. It dates back to a legendary chapter in the career of the British naval hero Horatio Nelson. During 1801’s Battle of Copenhagen, Nelson’s ships were pitted against a large Danish-Norwegian fleet. When his more conservative superior officer flagged for him to withdraw, the one-eyed Nelson supposedly brought his telescope to his bad eye and blithely proclaimed, “I really do not see the signal.” He went on to score a decisive victory. Some historians have dismissed Nelson’s famous quip as a battlefield myth, but the phrase “turn a blind eye” persists to this day.

Ever seen a white elephant? White elephants were once considered highly sacred creatures in Thailand and graced the national flag until 1917. They were wielded as a subtle form of punishment. According to legend, if an underling or rival angered a Siamese king, the royal might present the unfortunate man with the gift of a white elephant. While ostensibly a reward, the creatures were tremendously expensive to feed and house. Caring for one often drove the recipient into financial ruin. Whether any ruler actually bestowed such a gift is uncertain, but the term has come to refer to any burdensome possession.

“Crocodile tears” is used to describe a display of superficial or false sorrow, but the saying actually derives from a medieval belief that crocodiles shed tears of sadness while they killed and consumed their prey. The myth dates back to the 14th century and comes from a book called “The Travels of Sir John Mandeville.” The book recounts a brave knight’s adventures during his supposed travels through Asia. Among many fabrications, the book includes a description of crocodiles that notes, “These serpents sley men, and eate them weeping…” While inaccurate, Mandeville’s account of weeping reptiles found its way into the works of Shakespeare, and “crocodile tears” became an idiom as early as the 16th century.

While “diehard” typically refers to someone with a strong dedication to a particular set of beliefs, it originally had more literal meanings. In the 1700s, the expression described condemned men who struggled the longest when they were executed by hanging. The phrase became even more popular after 1811’s Battle of Albuera during the Napoleonic Wars. In the midst of the fight, a wounded British officer named William Inglis supposedly urged his unit forward by bellowing “Stand your ground and die hard …!” Inglis’ 57th Regiment suffered 75 percent casualties, and earned the nickname “the Die Hards.”

Resting on your laurel’s dates back to leaders and athletic stars of ancient Greece. In Hellenic times, laurel leaves were tied to Apollo, the god of music, prophecy and poetry. Apollo was depicted with a crown of laurel leaves, so laurel became a symbol of status and achievement. Victorious athletes at the ancient Pythian Games received wreaths made of laurel branches. Romans adopted the practice and presented wreaths to generals who won important battles. Esteemed Greeks and Romans, or “laureates,” were able to “rest on their laurels” by basking in past achievements. Later the phrase took on a negative connotation. Since the 1800s it has been used for those who are satisfied with their achievements and stopped striving for further success.

Today, angry parents might threaten to “read the riot act” to their children. In 18th-century England, the Riot Act was a very real document, and was often recited aloud to angry mobs. Instituted in 1715, the Riot Act gave the British government authority to label a group of more than 12 people a threat to the peace. In these circumstances, a public official would read a small portion of the Riot Act and order the people to “disperse themselves, and peaceably depart to their habitations.” Anyone remaining after one hour was subject to arrest or removal by force. The law was put to the test in 1819 during the infamous Peterloo Massacre, where a cavalry unit attacked a large group of protestors after they appeared to ignore a reading of the Riot Act.

Have you ever “painted the town red”? Most likely the saying owes its origin to one legendary night of drunkenness. In 1837, the Marquis of Waterford, a known mischief maker, led a group of friends on a night of drinking through the English town of Melton Mowbray. The bender culminated in vandalism after Waterford and fellow revelers knocked over flowerpots, pulled knockers off of doors and broke the windows of some of the town’s buildings.

To top it off, the revelers literally painted a tollgate, the doors of several homes and a swan statue with red paint. The marquis and his pranksters later compensated Melton for the damages, but their drunken escapade is likely the reason that “paint the town red” became shorthand for a wild night out. Still another theory suggests the phrase was actually born out of the brothels of the American West, and referred to men behaving as though their whole town were a red-light district.

“Running amok” is commonly used to describe wild or erratic behavior, but the phrase actually began its life as a medical term. The saying was popularized in the 18th and 19th centuries, when European visitors to Malaysia learned of a peculiar mental affliction that caused otherwise normal tribesmen to go on brutal and seemingly random killing sprees.

The Amok were a band of Javanese and Malay warriors, who were known for their penchant for indiscriminate violence. They were a source of morbid fascination for Westerners. The famed explorer Captain James Cook noted in 1772 that “to run amok is to “sally forth from the house, kill the person or persons supposed to have injured the Amok, and any other person that attempts to impede their passage.” Once thought to be the result of possession by evil spirits, the phenomenon found its way into psychiatric manuals and remains a diagnosable mental condition to this day.

Many everyday phrases are nautical in origin. “Taken aback,” “loose cannon” and “high and dry” all originated at sea, but perhaps the most surprising example is the common saying “by and large.” In the 16th century, the word “large” was used to mean that a ship was sailing with the wind at its back. While, “by,” or “full and by,” meant the vessel was traveling into the wind. So, for mariners, “by and large” referred to trawling the seas in any and all directions relative to the wind. Today, the phrase is used as a synonym for “all things considered” or “for the most part.”

There are several tales about the origin of “the third degree,” a saying used for long or arduous interrogations. One theory proposes the phrase relates to the various degrees of murder in the criminal code; yet others credit it to Thomas F. Byrnes, a 19th-century New York City policeman who used the pun “Third Degree Byrnes” when describing his hardnosed questioning style. Another theory suggests it is derived from the Freemasons, whose members undergo rigorous questioning and examinations before becoming “third degree” members, or “master masons.” History seems to always follow us into our lives.

Make sure you follow a Women’s Club member to obtain those raffle basket tickets.

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Pilgrim Oddities You Probably Didn’t Know

Thanksgiving is generally filled with memories of a lazy day, stuffing, and football and a pie or two. Turkey in the oven by 5:00 am and the house smelling heavenly as we watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. We have all that thanks to the Pilgrims, like it or not.

Without the Pilgrims, we probably wouldn’t have a day dedicated to eating turkey and pumpkin pie and giving thanks. But did you know the Pilgrims didn’t actually eat turkey and pumpkin pie? Here are a few facts you probably didn’t know about the Pilgrims.

The Mayflower didn’t land in Plymouth first. The Mayflower first landed at the tip of Cape Cod, in what is now Provincetown. They had hoped to make it to the mouth of the Hudson River and find fertile farmland north of present-day New York City, but bad weather forced them to change their plans. They wanted to try for the Hudson River again, but winter set in and low supplies caused them to continue on across Cape Cod Bay to Plymouth with 102 passengers.

Plymouth, Massachusetts wasn’t named for Plymouth, England. The Pilgrims departed from Plymouth, England, but aren’t responsible for naming Plymouth, Massachusetts. It had been named that, years earlier by explorers in the regions and was marked as Plymouth – or Plimoth (spellings varied) – on maps. It’s just an odd coincidence that the Mayflower sailed from and landed in a town called Plymouth.

Some of the Mayflower’s passengers had been to America before. Several of the Mayflower’s crew had made the passage before, on either fishing or exploration trips. One of them, Stephen Hopkins, tried to settle at Jamestown 10 years earlier. On his way to join the settlement, his ship wrecked off the coast of Bermuda. Hopkins eventually returned to England and joined the Mayflower as a member of the sympathetic group of supporters from London.

The pilgrims dwindled – and then flourished. Nearly half of the Mayflower passengers and crew died during the harsh winter of 1621. To hide their dwindling numbers from the Native Americans, they buried their dead at night in unmarked graves. Ultimately, the pilgrims flourished. Over the next 70 years, the colony grew to more than 3,000 people. Today, more than 35 million people are direct descendants of the pilgrims, including the likes of John Adams, Franklin Roosevelt, Marilyn Monroe, and Clint Eastwood.

The Pilgrims didn’t wear just black clothes. They wore many different colors. Contrary to the traditional images, the pilgrims did not wear tall, black hats with buckles on them, nor did they have buckles on their shoes. The Pilgrims used muskets, not blunderbusses. Blunderbusses weren’t developed until nearly 30 years later. Pilgrims would not have eaten potatoes because Europeans believed they were poisonous at the time

As we all know the first Thanksgiving meal wasn’t “traditional.” The first Thanksgiving feast didn’t look anything like today’s meal. It included foods like venison, sea bass, cod, clams, lobster, eel, mussels, ground nuts, squashes, beans and berries. They thought that deer meat tasted better than turkey. However, there is some disagreement on whether Pilgrims ate lobsters. Some historians suggest that the Pilgrims refused to eat lobster because they considered the multi-appendaged creatures to be insects.

The pilgrims didn’t use forks, but used a knife, spoon, and their fingers to eat. They shared plates and cups, which led to the spread of disease. The whole meal was purportedly prepared by only four women and two girls. Do you suppose they also did the clean up?

The Mayflower was only one of many 17th-Century ships with that name, and the ship itself was just an ordinary trading vessel. The Plymouth settler’s Mayflower sailed until 1624 before being broken up and recycled into a barn back in England.

When the Pilgrims landed in 1620, Native Americans in the area were already familiar with English: some were escaped slaves, and others had been trading with other settlements. The first Native American to make contact with them, Samoset, asked for beer! The first homes the Pilgrims built were in the style of Native American wigwams, huts built from bark, thatch, and mud.

A Pilgrim woman who reached the age of 25 without being married was considered an “ancient maid”. A father who broke off his daughter’s engagement could be legally sued by the jilted fiancé. Ouch. Young Pilgrim couples courted in the presence of the girl’s family by exchange of endorsements through a long wooden tube known as a “courting stick”.

While sailing 66 days across the Atlantic on the Mayflower, Pilgrims had a limited diet. They ate dried meat and fish, grains and flour, dried fruit, cheese, and hard biscuits. Makes sense. They also avoided drinking water because it was unsafe. You may be surprised to learn that they drank beer instead, even the kids! (Was this party hardy time??) Once they arrived in the new land, they drank fermented apple juice similar to today’s hard apple cider.

So, who were the Pilgrims? When these refugees left England, they were called Pilgrims. Today many call them Separatists. Separatists were people who did not want to obey the king. This group of people was led by a group of pastors who were challenging the authority of the Church. They did this by starting congregations in areas around Scrooby, England.

Two of their members, William Brewster and William Bradford, would go on to have a significant influence over American history. They were leaders in the Plymouth colony. The Plymouth colony turned out to become the first European settlement that was permanent in New England. It also became the first one to use a majority vote.

It is often said that the Plymouth Colony and Jamestown are not connected, but actually, they are. The pilgrims first asked Captain John Smith to be their guide before they left England. After talking to Smith, the pilgrims decided that he was too expensive and that his character was too strong. They were afraid that he would come to dominate the group. After they turned down Smith, the pilgrims invited Myles Standish to be their military consultant and guide. He had never been to North America before. Captain John Smith later helped start Jamestown. He was in charge of it until he got hurt and had to go back home.

On November 9, 1620, the Mayflower saw the scrubby hills of Cape Cod. They traveled along the coast for two days and dropped anchor at today’s Povincetown Harbor in Massachusetts. The men signed a document called the Mayflower Compact. It made them an equal group with just laws so they could all be happy. This agreement became the basis of the government in the Plymouth Colony. Many people today think that this agreement was what made America a democracy.

There were some heroes in the group that came to America. There was John Alden, Priscilla Mullins, and Standish. Also, there was the first European villain in New England. He was hanged for murder. John Goodman’s two dogs, a mastiff, and spaniel, also bounded ashore.

Many people who had Mayflower ancestors would eventually be forgotten. But some of them became famous in American culture and politics. For example, Ulysses S. Grant, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Orson Welles, and Marilyn Monroe.

There is much misinformation about the Pilgrims and some don’t have positive opinions about them. Whatever you think, we owe our version of Turkey Day to them. After all when would we watch football all day with all these goodies to eat?

If you haven’t sampled our Book Discussion group, you missed out on a fun time at the library this week. Denise Reising and Tami Wright put together an excellent entertaining and exciting time. Who knew Lucy was a whiz at the dice? These gals raised quite a ruckus with their impromptu party. Give us a call in January if you would like to be part of a rabble-rousing crowd that loves to read and discuss. So, give Denise and Tami a pat on the back for bringing gambling to the library and instructing the members on how to be criminals.

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News about the Library Reading App

Based on partner and user feedback, Libby continues to improve the search and discovery experience for users with access to multiple library collections.

In the coming days, Libby will release an update to automatically show users with multiple library cards the quickest option to access the title they want to read. Here’s how it will work: If a book they’re interested in is available to borrow from their active library (i.e., the library collection they’re searching in), they’ll see the option to Borrow from that library.

If there is a wait list on the title at their active library: They’ll see the option to Borrow from one of their other saved libraries (if it’s available from one of them).

They’ll see the option to place a hold from the library with the shortest wait list. This may be their active library or one of their other saved libraries.

After borrowing or placing a hold, the user’s active library won’t change.

Note: When a user runs a search, Libby will not show content that isn’t in their active library’s collection. Additionally, while Libby shows the quickest way to get a title, users can still see the title’s availability across all their libraries and choose where to take action. See how this works on Libby Help.

This update will provide the following benefits: Keeps users in their active library—Users can see the best availability for the titles they want to read without leaving your library’s collection. Minimizes “extra” holds and reduces overall wait time—Presenting the shortest wait time up front will help prevent users from placing extra holds at multiple libraries.

Increases user satisfaction—The faster users can access the book they want to read, the happier they’ll be. Satisfied users are more likely to keep returning to for their next book.

Happy reading

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Ancient Mysteries Researchers Still Can’t Explain

Life is full of mysteries. Time has provided numerous illustrations of lost secrets or forgotten knowledge. Stonehenge or Easter Island are generally the most recognized of unsolved mysteries that come to mind, but there are other overlooked mysteries seldom explored.

What has been dubbed the “first computer,” was found in an ancient Greek shipwreck retrieved off the coast of the Greek island Antikythera in 1901. The device was housed in the remains of a wooden-framed case of an overall size of 13.4 in. × 7.1 in. × 3.5 in. It was found as one lump and later separated into three main fragments which are now divided into 82 separate fragments. Four of these fragments contain gears, while inscriptions are found on many others. The largest gear is approximately 5.1 in. in diameter and originally had 223 teeth.

In 2008, a team used modern computer x-ray tomography and high resolution surface scanning to image inside fragments of the crust-encased mechanism and read the faintest inscriptions that once covered the outer casing of the machine. This scan suggested that the device had 37 meshing bronze gears enabling it to follow the movements of the Moon and the Sun through the zodiac. All known fragments of the Antikythera mechanism are now kept at the National Archaeological Museum, Athens, along with a number of artistic reconstructions and replicas to demonstrate how it may have looked and worked.

The 2,000-year-old Antikythera mechanism was an Ancient Greek hand-powered orrery that used a wind-up dial system to track celestial time of the Sun, Moon, and five planets; along with a calendar, the phase of the Moon, and the timing of eclipses. It predicted astronomical positions and eclipses decades in advance and could also be used to track the four-year cycle of athletic games which was similar to an Olympiad, the cycle of the ancient Olympic Games.

Astronomer Hipparchus of Rhodes studied this motion in the 2nd century BC and it is speculated that he may have been consulted in the machine’s construction. There is also speculation that a portion of the mechanism is missing and it also calculated the positions of the five classical planets.

It was more sophisticated than any other tool that would be invented for the next 1,000 years, which sparked theories that it must have come from aliens. Machines with similar complexity did not appear again until the astronomical clocks of Richard of Wallingford and Giovanni de’ Dondi in the fourteenth century. Researchers still aren’t sure how the Greeks managed to create a tool so much more advanced than anything we’ve seen of that era.

An otherwise unknown writing system, referred to as the Voynich Manuscript, was written in Central Europe 600 years ago, but scholars still have no idea what the pages say or even what language it is. The vellum on which it is written has been carbon-dated to the early 15th century (1404–1438), and stylistic analysis indicates it may have been composed in Italy during the Italian Renaissance.

The origins, authorship, and purpose of the manuscript are debated. The manuscript has been studied by many professional and amateur cryptographers, including American and British codebreakers from both World War I and World War II. Various hypotheses have been suggested. Some suggest that it is an otherwise unrecorded script for a natural language or constructed language; an unread code, cypher, or other form of cryptography; or simply a meaningless hoax. Since it is the only known example containing its looped alphabet, there is nothing to relate it to. Researchers put forward new translations every year, but none have stuck so far. Recently, artificial intelligence suggested the words are Hebrew written in code but that study was only able to match 80 percent of the words.

The manuscript currently consists of around 240 pages, but there is evidence that pages are missing. Some pages are foldable sheets of varying size. Most of the pages have fantastical illustrations or diagrams, some crudely colored, with sections of the manuscript showing people, fictitious plants, astrological symbols, etc. The text is written from left to right. The manuscript is named after Wilfrid Voynich, a Polish-Lithuanian book dealer who purchased it in 1912. Since 1969, it has been held in Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Travel a bit and you discover amid the Laos mountains a field that is home to the Plain of Jars. The massive stone jars, some almost ten feet tall, are from 2,500 years ago, and no one knows why they’re there. Nearby human bones suggest the jars might have been used for burial or to house decomposing bodies before being cremated or going to another part of the funeral process. Meanwhile, locals say the vessels held whiskey for a mythical giant, or rice wine to celebrate giants helping them defeat enemies. Undetonated U.S. bombs from the Vietnam War are still scattered in the area, so only seven of the 60 Plain of Jars sites are open to the public.

Then there are the Roman Dodecahedrons. Made between 100 AD and 300 AD of bronze with a hollow center, the Roman dodecahedrons’ use is hotly debated. A dodecahedron is a small hollow object made of copper alloy which has been cast into a regular dodecahedral shape ranging from 1.6 to 4.3 in. in size. There are twelve flat pentagonal faces with each face having a circular hole of varying diameter in the middle and the holes connect to the hollow center.

These mysterious objects got their name from their 12 sides, but the shape is about all that experts can agree on. Some believe the 12 sides had to do with zodiac signs, while other theories suggest the objects were weapons, toys, or religious symbols or even fortune-telling devices. Other speculative uses include use as survey instruments for estimating distances to (or sizes of) distant objects, or used as devices for determining the optimal sowing date for winter grain.

The first dodecahedron was found in 1739. Since then, at least 116 similar objects have been found from Wales to Hungary and Spain and to the east of Italy, with most found in Germany and France. Several were found in coin hoards, which suggest that their owners considered them valuable objects or believed their only use was connected with coins.

A Roman icosahedron (20 faces) was also discovered after having long been misclassified as a dodecahedron. This icosahedron was excavated near Arloff in Germany and is currently on display in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Bonn.

Between 1 AD and 700, the Nazca people of Peru carved 12 to 15 inches out of rust-colored rock, revealing the lighter-colored stone in deeper layers. The result was massive geoglyphs – pictures in the ground of animals, plants, humans, and geometric shapes that are best seen from an airplane. Some outlandish theories suggest the carvings point to aliens or ancient astronauts, but researchers can’t agree on some of the more realistic theories either. Initially scholars suggested the Nazca Lines were connected to astronomy, while recent theories argue they were used for begging rain from the gods or other religious reasons.

There are two major phases of the Nazca lines, Paracas phase, from 400 to 200 BCE, and Nazca phase, from 200 BCE to 500 CE. In the years leading up to 2020, between 80 and 100 new figures were found with the use of drones, and archaeologists believe that there are more to be found.

Most lines run straight across the landscape, but there are the figurative designs of animals and plants. The shapes are usually made from one continuous line. The individual figurative geoglyph designs measure between 440–1,200 yards across. The combined length of all the lines is over 800 miles, and the group covers an area of about 19 square miles. The lines are typically 4–6 inches deep. They were made by removing the top layer of reddish-brown iron oxide-coated pebbles to reveal yellow-grey subsoil. The width of the lines varies considerably, but over half are slightly over 13 inches wide. In some places they may be only 12 inches wide, and in others reach 6 feet wide.

The figures vary in complexity. Hundreds are simple lines and geometric shapes. More than 70 are zoomorphic designs, including a hummingbird, spider, fish, condor, heron, monkey, lizard, dog, cat, and a human. Other shapes include trees and flowers.

Because of its isolation and the dry, windless, stable climate of the plateau, the lines have mostly been preserved naturally. Extremely rare changes in weather may temporarily alter the general designs. As of 2012, the lines are said to have been deteriorating because of squatters. They were designated in 1994 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mysteries, mysteries mysteries. We always think the world will remember what we do today. Maybe now is the time to sit down and record that family history or start the genealogy line you have been wanting to develop. Stayed tuned for more ‘what in the world was that used for????’

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Veterans Day and why do we celebrate it?

Veterans Day is observed annually on November 11 to honor men and women who have served in the U.S. armed forces. It was established after World War I to remember the “war to end all wars” and originated as “Armistice Day” on November 11, 1919. It was pegged to the time that a cease-fire, or armistice, occurred in Europe on November 11, 1918. (World War I officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919 in France.)

A year later, President Woodrow Wilson said the armistice anniversary deserved recognition. “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations,”.

Armistice Day officially received its name through a congressional resolution that was passed on June 4, 1926 for an annual observance. By that time, 27 states had made Armistice Day a legal holiday. Unlike Memorial Day, Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans—living or dead—but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.

In 1938, Armistice Day officially became a national holiday by law, when an act was passed on May 13, 1938, making November 11 in each year a legal holiday: “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day.’”

After World War II, the act was amended to honor veterans of World War II and Korea, and the name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954. President Dwight D. Eisenhower marked the occasion with a special proclamation.

If the idealistic hope had been realized that World War I was “the War to end all wars,” November 11 might still be called Armistice Day. But only a few years after the holiday was proclaimed, war broke out in Europe. Sixteen and one-half million Americans took part. Four hundred seven thousand of them died in service, more than 292,000 in battle.

It has been an American tradition to honor our military on the traditional time of 11:11 a.m. on November 11. When Congress tried to move the holiday, they faced years of strong public resistance. Controversy came in 1968, when Congress tried to change when Veterans Day was celebrated as a national holiday, by moving the holiday to a Monday at the end of October.

The Uniform Monday Holiday Act was signed on June 28, 1968, and it changed the traditional days for Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day, to ensure that the holidays fell on a Monday, giving federal employees a three-day weekend.

The bill moved Veterans Day, at least on a federal level, to the last Monday in October, with the first observance of the new date in 1971. Veterans groups moved quickly to oppose the date switch, and two states refused to switch their dates in 1971. By 1974, there was confusion over the two dates and most states took a pass on commemorating the holiday in October.

In an editorial at the time, the Weirton, West Virginia Daily Times explained why the holiday switch wasn’t working. “Congress has no choice now but to enact legislation restoring Nov. 11 as Veterans Day. The majority of the states have spoken and the Congress should heed their preference. There’s too much confusion over the two dates,” says an editorial from October 28, 1974. “All veterans’ organizations retain the original date.”

A few months after that editorial ran, 46 of the 50 states decided to ignore the federal celebration in October, by either switching back to November 11 or refusing to change the holiday. By the middle of 1975, Congress had seen enough, and it amended the Uniform Monday Holiday Act to move Veterans Day back to November 11. President Gerald Ford signed the act on September 20, 1975, which called for the move to happen in 1978.

That November, the Carroll Daily Times Herald in Iowa said it was about time Congress did the right thing. “[Veterans] deserve to be honored on their special day, not as an adjunct to a weekend holiday as Washington tried to force on us,” the newspaper commented.

“The military men and women who serve and protect the United States come from all walks of life; they are parents, children, grandparents, friends, neighbors and coworkers, and are an important part of our communities.” Here are a few interesting facts about the veteran population of the United States:

19 million living veterans served during at least one war as of April 2021. 11 percent of veterans are women. Of the 16 million Americans who served during World War II, about 240,000 were still alive as of 2021.

5.9 million Veterans served during the Vietnam War. 933,000 veterans served during the Korean War. 7.8 million Veterans served in the Gulf War era. As of 2021, the top three states with the highest percentage of Veterans were Alaska, Virginia and Montana.

In 1921, an unknown World War I American soldier was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. This site, on a hillside overlooking the Potomac River and the city of Washington, D.C., became the focal point of reverence for America’s veterans.

Similar ceremonies had occurred earlier in England and France, where an unknown soldier was buried in each nation’s highest place of honor (in England, Westminster Abbey; in France, the Arc de Triomphe). These memorial gestures all took place on November 11, giving universal recognition to the celebrated ending of World War I fighting at 11 a.m., November 11, 1918

The first celebration using the term Veterans Day occurred in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1947. Raymond Weeks, a World War II veteran, organized “National Veterans Day,” which included a parade and other festivities, to honor all veterans. The event was held on November 11; then designated Armistice Day.

U.S. Representative Edward Rees of Kansas proposed a bill that would change Armistice Day to Veterans Day. In 1954, Congress passed the bill that President Eisenhower signed proclaiming November 11 as Veterans Day. Raymond Weeks received the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Reagan in November 1982. Weeks’ local parade and ceremonies are now an annual event celebrated nationwide.

On Memorial Day in 1958, two more unidentified American war dead were brought from overseas and interred in the plaza beside the unknown soldier of World War I. One was killed in World War II, the other in the Korean War.

In 1984, an unknown serviceman from the Vietnam War was placed alongside the others. However, the remains from Vietnam were exhumed May 14, 1998, identified as Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, and removed for burial. To honor these men, symbolic of all Americans who gave their lives in all wars, an Army honor guard, the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard), keeps day and night vigil Arlington National Cemetery.

“The focal point for official, national ceremonies for Veterans Day continues to be the memorial amphitheater built around the Tomb of the Unknowns. At 11 a.m. on November 11, a combined color guard representing all military services executes “Present Arms” at the tomb. The nation’s tribute to its war dead is symbolized by the laying of a presidential wreath. The bugler plays “taps.” The rest of the ceremony takes place in the amphitheater.”

Let us not forget.

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Explore More Science Secrets

As we are all children in our hearts and are curious by nature, we find science is a subject where we can learn, explore and play. Fun facts about everyday life and the great mysteries of the universe always fascinate us, no matter our age. The kids are in school and doing their homework. Lest we allow them to explore more science than us, let us discover incredible science facts and more’ plus a little bit of humor along the way. First – the most important tool of the student.

The Secret Science of Pencils & Erasers. “Take a pencil to write with on aeroplanes. Pens leak,” states the first of Margaret Atwood’s 10 rules of writing. “But if the pencil breaks, you can’t sharpen it on the plane, because you can’t take knives with you. Therefore: take two pencils.”

When was the first pencil invented? Originally, graphite sticks were wrapped in string. Later, the graphite was inserted into hollowed-out wooden sticks and, thus, the wood-cased pencil was born. The first modern pencil was invented in 1795 by Nicholas-Jacques Conte, a scientist serving in the army of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Was the first pencil called a pencil? Initially it was believed to be a form of lead and was called ‘plumbago’ or black lead. And this misnomer still echoes in our talk of pencil ‘leads’. It was called graphite only in 1789, using the Greek word ‘graphein’ meaning ‘to write’. It’s been estimated that the average pencil has enough graphite to write about 45,000 words! Let’s start that essay.

Did you know there is ‘the oldest pencil’? For three centuries a handmade pencil lay hidden in the attic of a house built in 1630 until it was discovered during renovations in the 1960s. It is believed to have been left behind by carpenters. Today it is the oldest known pencil in the world and can be found in the Faber-Castell archives.

Can you imagine not being able to erase your mistakes? If you made a mistake before they invented erasers people used to use bread! There went your afternoon sandwich. So when and where did that fabulous invention of the erasure appear?

Erasers were invented by accident. Though Joseph Priestly may have discovered rubber’s erasing properties, it’s the British engineer Edward Nairne who is generally credited with developing and marketing the first rubber eraser in Europe. Pencils with built-in erasers on the tops are a largely American phenomenon. Most pencils sold in Europe are eraser-less.

Hymen Lipman of Philadelphia was granted a patent on March 30, 1858 for creating the first wood- cased pencil with an attached rubber eraser, thereby revolutionizing classrooms. However, eventually this patent was overturned because it was determined to be simply a composite of two devices rather than an entirely new product.

Now to the important stuff. Why does pop bubble so much when you pour it on ice cream to make a float? Ice cream may look smooth, but if you could see it with a powerful microscope, you would see something different. Throughout ice cream there are very tiny ice crystals. The gas molecules from the pop gather on these tiny crystals and become bubbles of gas. If the ice cream is already wet, some of the points are smoother so not as many bubbles form. (As a side note – if you pour the root beer in first before the ice cream, it doesn’t foam as much).

Can any corn become popcorn? Not all corn pops! Popcorn is a special type of corn. Some other grains, such as quinoa and sorghum, can pop too; but popcorn is the biggest and best popper! Popped popcorn typically fills about 40 times the space it did when it was just a pile of kernels.

Ever wonder why some popped popcorn is rounder-looking than other popcorn? Popcorn comes in two basic shapes— butterfly and mushroom. Butterfly popcorn has a very irregular shape with large bumps. It has a light crispy texture but can break easily. The mushroom-shaped popcorn is round with a rough surface. This shape makes it sturdy enough to stir and as you add tasty flavorings such as powdered cheese or sugar for sweet-tasting kettle corn.

For more fun stuff. Our science has to be more fun than schools. We need to know the Secret Science of BUBBLES!! Did you wonder how big can a bubble get? The biggest bubbles are made with two sticks and a loop of string between them. Using a special bubble solution, a large thin film of solution is made in the loop. Then the loop is then pulled through the air to form a giant bubble! Sure beats the small hoop in the bottle of bubbles you by.

The wall of a bubble is actually made of three layers – an inner and outer layer made of soap or detergent and a layer of water in between. It’s like a water sandwich with soap as the bread. (What a delightful sandwich). Water evaporating from the bubble film makes the bubble film so thin that the bubble pops. The wall of a bubble is extremely thin.

But bubbles don’t last long for the most part. So how can you make bubbles last longer? The secret to making bubbles last longer is to add something to the solution to make the water evaporate more slowly. Sugar or a substance called glycerin can do the trick! There is even a bubble solution made from a type of plastic that makes bubbles that you can catch on your finger without popping!

So for the adventurous or creative/crafty type. Can you make one bubble inside another? This is supposing you can even make one bubble. The easiest way to make a bubble inside another bubble is to pour some bubble solution in a large plastic plate. Use a straw to gently blow one big bubble that fills the plate. Then poke the straw through the bubble and gently blow another bubble inside of it. So hopefully you can make the first bubble to become the wonder creator of two bubbles! Maybe we should have a bubble blowing contest on the streets of the town!!

Did you know some of the particles that make up living things have been found in outer space? One is alcohol. Astronomers estimate that a huge cloud in the constellation of Sagittarius contains enough ethyl alcohol to make 10,000 million, million, million, million bottles of whiskey. That could lead to a really bad hangover. Save me some Parker’s Hangover Tonic.

We don’t think of oxygen as anything but an invisible component in the air we breathe, but unlike many other gases on the periodic table, oxygen isn’t colorless. If you cool O2 down until it becomes a liquid or freezes solid, you’ll see that it’s an incredibly pale blue.

A few more quick fun facts. Bet you didn’t know that like fingerprints, everyone’s tongue print is different. Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated. There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar. The average person’s left hand does 56% of the typing when using the proper position of the hands on the keyboard. Hunting and pecking don’t count! “Stewardesses” is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand. The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world.

See how cool science can be? There are only four words in the English language which end in “dous”: tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous. Now hasn’t all this science been stupendous and not horrendous with tremendous learning and definitely not at all hazardous?

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Secrets, Secrets, Secrets

Life is full of secrets. None, so more than science. Science is full of secrets that we’re just beginning to explore. Science holds secrets from long past, secrets of diseases, under the ocean, and outer space; just to name a few.

A few obscure facts or secrets. Pound for pound a human being produces more heat than the sun. The sun emits so much heat because of its size. Glad we aren’t that big. Can you imagine our AC bill!!? Speaking of the sun. The sun could hold about 1,300,000 Earths. Don’t take your scale to the sun!! You’d weigh about 2 tons there.

Adult electric eels are blind. To find food they give off a small electrical discharge. Then they produce an electric field of up to 650 volts to stun or kill. Yikes! The cod produces an amazing number of eggs. If all the eggs laid by a single cod develop into adults the ocean would become a bit crowded. A 21 pound cod can lay up to 9,000,000 eggs in one spawning period.

We all like to invent little ways of doing things. Most never obtain a patent on our marvelous ideas. Thomas Alva Edison kept himself busy. He obtained 1,300 patents on his inventions. In one 4 year time slot he averaged one patent about every 5 days. Did he ever sleep?

For the gardener. Did you know most roses are not red? Until the 19^th century roses were either white or pink. In 1832 a sweetly scented China rose was crossed with a deep-red hybrid flower to bestow upon us the first red rose. If you are a gardener you know some seeds last for years, while others have a much shorter lifespan. However! The seeds of an oriental lotus more than a thousand years old were found in a Manchurian bog. The seed were planted and produced a beautiful pure flower symbolizing attaining enlightenment.

Snow is called the “poor man’s fertilizer” because it traps ammonia from the air and soaks it into the earth, helps prevent nitrogen from escaping the soil and contains a little nitric acid. What with the sun, ammonia, nitrogen and nitric acid it all provides nutrition for the soil. Nice to know you’ll be ahead of the game for spring work.

Is there such a thing as a human lightning rod? Most of us would be killed if we were hit by lightning. But a Virginia park ranger survived seven bolts of lightning over a period of 35 years. It wasn’t all good news. He did suffer burns and some loss of hearing.

By weight bread could be considered to be worth more than gold. A pound or 16 oz of bread is measured by avoirdupois weight which measures 16 ounces to a pound. Gold however, is measured by troy weight, which measures 12 oz to a pound. Therefore, a pound of bread is heavier by 4 ounces.

“All the gold in California Is in the bank in the middle of Beverly Hills In somebody else’s name.” So if you’re dreamin’ about California.” We’ve all dreamt of havin our share of the gold. And with all the gold rushes we have witnessed throughout history across the country or the world, we must figure that all the gold has been discovered. Not a chance. Since the beginning of history, the entire world’s production would probably fill an American football field of 300 feet x 160 feet to only a depth of 2.6 feet. There’s gold in them there hills!

Remember Mount St. Helens May 18, 1980? At 8:32 a.m. PDT Mount St. Helens in Washington suffered a massive eruption, killing 57 people and devastating some 210 square miles of wilderness. If you thought that was big. The island of Krakatoa in the East Indies exploded in 1883. The explosion was heard 3,000 miles away. Thought that was big? About 3,700 years ago the island of Thera blew up in the Mediterranean. The eruption darkened the entire and sea and caused heavy floods, earthquakes and rains of ash. The Thera explosion is estimated to have been 4 times the size of Krakatoa’s explosion. And we thought the ash from Mount St. Helens was bad.

We love color. The colors of the rainbow, the blue of the sky, the green grass, but did you know stars are different colors? The temperature determines the color of stars. The hottest stars are either white or blue-white and the cooler stars are reddish.

Some of us believe we are as old as dirt. Wonder how old dirt is though? “Most of the dirt you see today is from the past two million years,” according to Milan Pavich. The oldest sedimentary rocks are about 3.9 billion years old—they’re in Greenland—and at one time, they were dirt. That’s pretty close to the time the Earth formed.” About two million years ago, the planet underwent two major changes that drove the formation of new dirt. Global cooling and drying enlarged the deserts, and dust storms redistributed that dirt around the globe. Boy now we know how really old we are!

Other than the really old of us who are as old as dirt, the oldest living thing is a bristlecone pine growing in Nevada. It was found to be 4,900 years old at the time of testing. It was just a few centuries old before the 1^st Egyptian pyramid was built.

Have you ever wondered why a flame has different colors? The colors of a flame are caused by bits of wax molecules that didn’t get completely reacted. These glow a certain color when they get to be a certain temperature. Since different parts of the flame have different temperatures, these bits of wax molecules make those areas of the flame glow with different colors.

So how do candles with different colored flames work? There are special types of candles that have flames of different colors. These candles are made by adding certain chemicals to the wax. When they get hot enough, these chemicals glow a particular color like red, green, purple, or blue.

Have you found yourself in a sticky situation? How strong can glue be? A super strong glue from 3M was tested to see how much weight it could hold. The ends of two metal rods were glued together using 3M glue called Scotch-Weld Instant Adhesive. The rods were used to lift and hold up a forklift weighing 17,857pounds (over 8 tons) for one hour! The rods did not come apart. Better not glue your fingers or lips together with this!

So what about the glue on tape? Tape is made from a plastic strip with a special kind of glue sprayed onto it. This glue is not as liquidy as regular glue but works with positive and negative charges.

Then they found out bad glue can be good. The famous removable sticky note is a perfect example. On a sticky note, the glue is sticky enough to make the note stay where you put it but not so sticky that it is hard to pick up. The special glue used for sticky notes forms tiny little balls called microspheres. They are the right size, number, and stickiness to make the note stick well enough but not too well.

Now let’s get to the good stuff. Why does ice cream float in an ice cream soda? Ice cream has a lot of fat which floats, and ice crystals which float, and a lot of air which definitely floats. Those ingredients help make ice cream a great floater! So offs to the root beer float.

And why does some ice cream seem creamier than others? It’s the fat. The milk fat in ice cream is mostly what gives ice cream that creamy rich taste and feeling in your mouth. The creamiest ice creams have about 16% fat and the least creamy have about 10% fat. It has been rumored that ice cream can be the cure all for what ails you. At least that is what ice cream lovers accept as true. Now is the time to try your own experiment!!

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Friends, Bats and Fossils

We are going batty at the library this month cause we’re batty for books. Wedsworth Library celebrates Bat Week and is learning how vital bats are to the health of our environment and economy. Bats are out there at night eating tons of insects, pollinating flowers, and spreading seeds that grow new plants and trees. They live almost everywhere on Earth except the most extreme desert and Polar Regions and come in all shapes and sizes; from the bumblebee bat that weighs less than a penny to the big, flying foxes that can have a wing span of up to six feet. Bats are the only mammal that can truly fly. Montana is home to 15 species of bats. A single little brown bat can consume 1200 mosquitoes in one hour. We need more of those around our homes! No wonder we are batty for bats.

October also brings us the National Parks’ tours of fossil beds. No, this isn’t for us old fossils of the population! Rather, Fossil Day is a day to learn about, and preserve fossils found in nature. National Fossil Day is an annual celebration held to highlight the scientific and educational value of paleontology and the importance of preserving fossils for future generations. The U.S. National Park Service created the first National Fossil Day In 2010. So, if we ask if you want to see our fossils, we don’t’ mean our patrons!

Fossil hunters are people who look for plants and animals that lived mainly during the Mesozoic era or 245 to 65 million years ago. Just a day or day ago. People studied ancient fossils as early as 522 B.C. from what can be learned from early records. In 1822 editor Henri Ducrotay de Blanville came up with the French term ‘paleontologie’ and the field became known as paleontology.

Mary Anning was a well-known English fossil hunter. She earned money by selling dinosaur discoveries and helped bring fossil hunting to popularity. American paleontologists Othniel Marsh and Edward Cope’s competitiveness from 1877 to 1892 became known as “The Bone Wars”.

There are 22 states with fossil parks. And of course, it is illegal to take fossils from these parks. Fossil hunters look at 3 clues to determine if a find is a bone or stone. If an item’s color differs from the rock surrounding it, it may be a fossil. There look for patterns on the item for texture. Bones have a sponge-like interior and can be seen on a cross section. Bones, fossil teeth, shells, and other ancient living things all have unique shapes. A fossil will likely have a shape unlike the rest of the rock surrounding it.

Some fossil hunters use a tongue test to see if an item is a fossil. Because bones are porous – the piece might stick to your tongue if it is a fossil. Soil and rock don’t usually stick.

Fossil footprints are called ‘trace fossils.’ Trace fossils include tail drags, trails, bite marks, poop, burrows, eggs, and nests. Fossilized poop is called coprolite. The earliest bird fossil, discovered in 1861, showed feathers. In 1971 two attached fighting dinosaurs were found buried in a landslide in the Gobi Desert. Skin fossil from a duck-billed dinosaur showing fine details was discovered in New Mexico in 1996. The most complete T. rex fossil was found in South Dakota in 1990 – named “Sue”. An ichthyosaur mother was discovered while giving birth in Germany in the 1800’s. Many more fossils of incredible fascination have been discovered over time throughout the world.

Wedsworth is also celebrating National Friends of Libraries Week. We will be celebrating our fabulous Friends of the Library group as part of the annual celebration of National Friends of Libraries Week. The celebration offers a two-fold opportunity to celebrate Friends. The Week promotes groups who support libraries across the country. Focusing on the third week in October each year, the observance provides the opportunity for groups to increase awareness about membership opportunities, their goals, projects and more.

Library Friends groups help support local libraries in a variety of ways. As a volunteer organization, their programs raise money for library needs. The week celebrates the contributions of friends’ groups across the nation. Their dedication to their local libraries leaves a lasting and positive impact on their libraries and their communities. In fact, some libraries were established through the efforts of friends’ groups. Not only do friends groups support local libraries, but they also contribute to growing academic and scientific libraries. Since 2005, the American Library Association has promoted National Friends of Library Week to recognize the dedication of friends’ groups across the nation.

The Friends’ gift of their time and commitment to the library sets an example for all in how volunteerism leads to positive civic engagement and the betterment of our community.

Wedsworth Memorial Library proclaims Oct. 16-22, 2022, as Friends of Libraries week and urges everyone to join the Friends of the Library and thank them for all they do to make our library and community so much better.

National Friends of Libraries Week is coordinated by United for Libraries, a division of the American Library Association with approximately 4,000 personal and group members representing hundreds of thousands of library supporters. United for Libraries supports those who govern, promote, advocate, and fundraise for libraries, and brings together library trustees, advocates, friends, and foundations into a partnership that creates a powerful force for libraries in the 21st century. For more information, visit www.ala.org/united. So, thank a Friend. Ours have worked hard to better our community.

Where would we have been if it wasn’t for the Friends of the Library helping out with our recent book sale? The Wedsworth Library would like to give a shout out to everyone who helped with the book sale in every respect. There is also a big thank you to everyone who arrived with all the goodies, whether it was cookies, soup, bread or whatever. If you missed the delicious food, you missed a splendid feast.

The huge thank you goes out to all who showed up, shopped, and enjoyed all our delicious fare. You made these days enjoyable. We loved seeing you and visiting with you. We can’t forget those wonderful volunteers who helped set up and then made swift work of the tear down. We couldn’t do it without you. You all made our recent book sale a rousing success. We have never in the history of the library achieved such a high rate of success. And it was due to you, our wonderful community. Thank you, you continue to amaze us.

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Ancient Mysteries to Mystify You

Now to provide a few more ‘scratch your head’ mysteries. The Paracas Candelabra or “Candelabra of the Andes” that is carved into a Peruvian hill of petrified sand is similar to the Nazca Lines, but it presents its own mystery. The mysterious “Candelabra of the Andes” could represent anything from a god’s trident to a hallucinogenic plant.

The 600-foot-long artifact is a massive geoglyph, created around 200 BC, but no one is sure what it represents or its origin. Thanks to carbon dating of artifacts found near the enormous work, it has been dated back to around 200 BC, but the purpose and creators of the symbol are still unknown. The design, which takes the general form of a bulbous three-pronged fork, is etched a good 2 feet into the petrified sand of the hill and runs almost 600 feet from tip to tip.

Its description as a candelabra is a misnomer as it has never been thought to represent one. There an abundance of theories about its significance. One theory suggests that the geoglyph is meant to evoke the trident of Incan creator god Viracocha, the god of creation, created in order to curry his favor.

Another theory suggests that the symbol is meant to stand in for the local Jimson weed which has hallucinogenic effects and may have held a ritual significance, the large design acting as a beacon home for people tripping on the drug. Still others believe that the etching was simply a sign meant for sailors looking for the Paracas coast.

Few people have heard of Thonis-Heracleion, as opposed to Babylon, Pompeii, or Atlantis. The city was presumably established in 8th century BC and eventually sank completely under the waters of the Mediterranean in 8th century AD. About 2,700 years ago, the Egyptian port city of Thonis-Heracleion, served as the gateway to the Mediterranean. It became lost between myth and reality until 1999 when a group of divers stumbled upon ancient artifacts.

Eventually an entire city was found buried underwater on the Egyptian coast. It was complete with bridges, 16-foot statues, animal sarcophagi, and other ancient marvels. Archaeologists can’t be sure how an entire city ended up in the Mediterranean Sea, but they believe that toward the end of the first century BC, a combination of tsunami, earthquake, and rising sea levels caused the soil to liquefy enough to sink fully before AD 800.

The city was crisscrossed by canals and populated with harbors, wharves, temples, and tower-houses. It was linked together by a network of ferries, bridges, and pontoons and controlled the majority of the nautical commerce entering Egypt from the Mediterranean.

So far only an estimated 5% the city has been exposed. The excavated items depict the city’s beauty and splendor, the magnificence of their enormous temples, and the richness of historic evidence: colossal sculptures, inscriptions, and architectural components, jewelry and coins, ritual goods, and ceramics – a civilization trapped in time.

Two distinct but similar writing styles—Linear A and B—have been found on ancient Minoan relics. Linear A and Linear B were linear forms of writing used by certain Aegean civilizations during the 2nd millennium BC.

Researchers are still scratching their heads over Linear A. Greek-based Linear B was cracked in 1952 and represents syllables rather than letters. Still, that knowledge hasn’t opened the door to deciphering Linear A, which was used between 1800 and 1450 BC.

Linear A appears in Crete and on some Aegean islands from approximately 1850 BC to 1400 BC. Its relation to the Minoan script is uncertain. It is a syllabic script written from left to right and is presumed to have been a pre-Hellenic language of Minoan Crete.

Linear B script is an adapted form of Linear A and is displayed on clay tablets and on some vases dating from about 1400 BC to roughly 1200 BC. The script was exclusively used for the economic administration of the Mycenaean palaces. Linear B’s 90 syllabic signs express open syllables (syllables ending in a vowel). They generally begin without a consonant or with only one consonant. Thus, the script is unable to represent groups of consonants or final consonants clearly. For instance, sperma ‘seed’ is spelled pe-ma. The Linear B texts are extremely important for Greek linguistics. They represent the oldest known Greek dialect, elements of which survived in Homer’s language as a result of a long oral tradition of epic poetry.

Then there is the mystery of the Dogū. Created during Japan’s Neolitic period, the Dogū are clay figures, a cross between human and animal. Archaeologists have uncovered about 18,000 of them, ranging from 2,300 to 10,000 years old, but they still aren’t sure what they were used for. Some theorize the objects were used as toys, while others think they may have been fertility symbols. Others believe that Dogū represented the owner and held magic powers that would transfer misfortune to the figure. If the figures were broken, then it would release the misfortune. Some evidence suggests they were aids in childbirth as well as fertility symbols. They have been found in simulated burials, suggesting some kind of ceremonial function.

Dogū are made from high-quality pottery and come in a variety of shapes often featuring intricate decoration and geometric designs. The techniques include modelling, clay appliqué, marking with twisted plant fibers and burnishing.

And last, but not least, many questions surround the Incans’ stone structure in Cusco, Peru called Sacsayhuaman. It is thought to be a fortress, but some evidence suggests it might have been used for ceremonies. However, some maintain Sacsayhuaman was just a major Inca storage depot where arms, armor, foodstuffs, valuable textiles, ceramics, metal tools, and precious metals were kept.

No matter what its use, the architecture of Sacsayhuaman is beyond belief. Its stones fit together so perfectly that it remains sturdy without mortar holding them in place. The stones fit together snugly, but aren’t all the same shape.

The Sacsayhuaman fortress-temple complex lies at the northern edge of the former Inca capital Cuzco. Constructed during the reign of Pachacuti and his successors, its massive walls remain as a testimony to Inca power and the skills of Inca architects. Sacsayhuaman was the largest structure built by the Incas. It was constructed on an elevated rocky promontory facing the northern marshy ground outside the Inca capital of Cuzco.

The first structures were made using only mud and clay. Subsequent rulers replaced these with the stonework of finely-cut polygonal blocks, many over 4 meters in height and weighing over 100 tons. To complete such a massive project 20,000 laborers were drafted under the Inca system of extracting both goods and labor from peoples they conquered.

Working in a system of rotation, 6,000 were given quarrying duties while the other 4,000 dug trenches and laid the foundations. The walls of the fortress were built in vertical sections. The Incas were master stonemasons. Huge blocks were quarried and shaped using nothing more than harder stones and bronze tools. Marks on the stone blocks indicate that they were mostly pounded into shape rather than cut.

Blocks were moved using ropes, logs, poles, levers, and earthen ramps (telltale marks can still be seen on some blocks), and some stones still have nodes protruding from them or indentations which were used to help workers grip the stone. It is clearly indicated by unfinished examples left at quarries and on various routes to building sites that rocks were roughly hewn in the quarries and then worked on again at their final destination. The fine cutting and setting of the blocks on site were so precise that mortar was not necessary. Finally, a finished surface was provided using grinding stones and sand.

Experimental archaeology has demonstrated that it was much quicker than previously thought to prepare and dress the stones used by the Incas. Even so, it would have taken months to produce a single wall. The Incas also ensured that their blocks interlocked and the walls were sloped to maximize their resistance to earthquake damage. Time has proved their efficiency as 500 years of earthquakes have done little damage to Sacsayhuaman.

If the theory that all of Cuzco was laid out to form a puma shape when seen from above is correct, then Sacsayhuaman was its head. The fortress has three distinct terraces which recede backwards on each other. The walls, each reaching a height of approximately 59 feet, are laid out in a zigzag fashion stretching over 1771.65 feet so that each wall has up to 40 segments, which allowed the defenders to catch attackers in a crossfire. For a better defense, there is only one small doorway on each terrace which gave access to the interior buildings and towers on the hillside behind.

Inca architects often sought to blend their structures into the surrounding natural landscape and the outline of Sacsayhuaman was similarly built to mimic the contours of the mountain range which towers behind it. This is particularly evident when the sun creates deep triangular shadows between the zigzag terraces in exactly the same way that it does on the mountain range with its peaks and valleys.

On completion, the fortress was said to have had a capacity for at least 1,000 warriors, but it was rarely needed as the Incas did not suffer invasions from enemy states. Probably why Sacsayhuaman is thought to have been designed as more than a fortress. The complex appears to have included temples and used as a location for Inca ceremonies. It was also a major Inca storage depot where arms, armor, foodstuffs, valuable textiles, ceramics, metal tools, and precious metals were kept.

The Sacsayhuaman operated as a fortress during the Spanish conquest of Peru from 1532 AD. The Spaniards conquered Cuzco shortly after killing the Inca ruler Atahualpa in 1533 AD but faced an organized and sustained siege from a large Inca army. To survive, the Spaniards attacked Sacsayhuaman using cavalry and scaling the walls with ladders. The offensive was successful and the occupation of the fortress allowed the Spanish to resist the siege by the Inca army.

Following the collapse of the Inca Empire after the European invasion, most of the stones of the Sacsayhuaman were reused elsewhere in the colonial buildings of Cuzco. The ruins were covered in earth by the Spanish to prevent their use by rebel Inca forces and the site was not rediscovered until its excavation in 1934 AD. Time produces a great deal of mystery we may never understand.

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On Your Mark Get Set Go to Book Sale 4 2022

Have you marked it on your calendar? Are you ready for the social event of the year? Are you doin your stretchin exercises and walking the miles? Ok then, on your mark, get set, go. Go to the finish line at Wedsworth Hall. The Friends of the Library and the Library will be holding their annual book sale at Wedsworth Hall Saturday, October, the 8th from 9:00-4:00; and Sunday, October the 9th from 10:00-2:00.

Remember we’re celebrating the gold at Wedsworth Hall Saturday, October, the 8th from 9:00-4:00; and Sunday, October the 9th from 10:00-2:00. Don’t forget the homemade soup, cookies,goodies, and refreshments on Saturday, October, the 8th and cookies and refreshments on Sunday, October the 9th. Find the gold in your winter supplies of reading and listening.

Once again, we’d also like to thank all those who showed up for the Open House and Garden to Table Jamboree. Wasn’t it a fun time for all? All the goodies the individuals brought and donated made this a fabulous event. Hopefully we can do this again sometime.

And extra special thanks to the organizations, churches, businesses, and individuals who really stepped up to make this all possible because of their generous donations. These wonderful community members always seem to step up to the plate when it is for the benefit of the community. So please thank the businesses, church members and organizations in the community. Tell ‘em you appreciate all they do to make this community a delightful place to live. And they all stepped up this time and they will do it again and again and again. What a great community. Thanks for everything.

A big Thanks to Jodie Campbell for her efforts of co-hosting/organizing the events. Carter and Daniel were also amazing on Sunday. It takes a team to pull off an event such as this and there was a great team that showed up to help.

We’ll be seein ya on the 7th for set up and the 8th and 9th for goodies and sales at Wedsworth Hall. Don’t forget.

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The Whoop-Up Trail part two

We are glad you joined us for more adventures on the Whoop-Up Trail. The Whoop-Up Trail, also known as the Macleod-Benton Trail, was a wagon road that connected Fort Benton, Montana to Fort Hamilton in Alberta. It stretched from Fort Benton towards Conrad through Power and Dutton, over the Marias River, through Whiskey Gap west of Sweet Grass, across the Canadian Line into Alberta to Fort Whoop-Up along the St Mary’s River and on to Fort Kipp. The trail was initially a trade route between Montana and the southern region of Alberta, then known as Rupert’s Land and was originally controlled by the Hudson’s Bay Company.

(When we last left the story, Kipp had bluffed the marshal and was headin north to Canada with his load of ‘high-proof alcohol’.) Other versions of the story feature Kipp as using a gun to intimidate the marshal but according to Charles Thomas’ story as told to his daughter, there was no gun play just jesting and confident laughter as well as determined argument.

Kipp went on north to the Belly River and where he built Fort Standoff on the Canadian side of the trail and named it afterwards in honor of his triumph over the marshal. While building the fort the teams were kept busy hauling trade goods and provisions from Fort Benton. The place where the teams crossed the Milk River became known as Slide-Out Crossing. When winter came there was a big camp of Piegans, Bloods and Blackfeet around the fort.

The building of Fort Standoff really opened Canada to the American traders. In the spring when Kipp and Thomas came back to Fort Benton with huge loads of fur and hides, the Fort Benton traders, who had been having a rather dull time because of the presence of the marshal, immediately took out for Canada to cut themselves in on the rich Blackfeet trade. Healy led a group of these traders over the trail that spring and by fall many of them had decided to stay in the north that winter for the trapping and trading.

The Hudson Bay factors were not pleased about this and planned to attack Fort Standoff and clean it out. There had been trouble with the Hudson Bay dwellers in years past. A few years prior to the construction of Fort Kipp, residents of Fort Edmonton planned a raid on Fort Benton and failed only because the Piegans warned women of their tribe who were living at Fort Benton with white men, to get out before the attack. The women of course told their men and the plan miscarried.

As a result of this planned raid on Fort Benton, Thomas and Kipp bought a large bull train and wagons enough to haul huge loads. They left Fort Standoff, went on to the junction of the Belly and Old Man River and built Fort Kipp. They did not fortify this post, merely built rough log houses around three sides of the square without not even a stockade on the fourth side. The trade went merrily on there for several years. In fact, Mrs. Ingram says that her father’s last trip was made in 1900 and by that time many Mormons had settled in the McLeod country.

One trip that she particularly remembers is an example of the difficulties that are to be met on the trail. Her father had loaded one of his wagons with green brooms for trade. No brooms were to be had in the North Country before that time and he expected to make a nice profit on this novelty.

A few miles north of the line a howling blizzard hit the train. They could see nothing at all so they were obliged to unyoke and make camp. The storm lasted three days and there was so much snow that there was no feed at all for the oxen. Her father was obliged to feed the load of green brooms in order that his cattle would have the strength to take the wagons on to Fort McLeod.

She also told one version of the story of Medicine Rock. Medicine Rock was a marker on the Fort Whoop-Up trail, but before that it was a sort of shrine on the Indian Narrow Ridge Trail, which formed a stretch of the trader’s route that later became the Whoop-Up.

The Blackfeet did a lot of traveling back and forth on this Narrow Ridge Trail on hunting, expeditions, or when raiding neighboring tribes or traders’ camps. On one such raiding party two survivors were returning north. They hadn’t eaten for a long time and one of the Indians killed a rattlesnake, dressed it to eat, cooked and ate the snake. In the morning he was very ill and could not continue the journey. He knew he was dying so he asked his friend to bury him, cover him with sage and tell his father what had happened. He also told his friend to come back for him in the spring.

In the spring the friend and father of the dead warrior took a party and went to look for the body to give it a ceremonial burial. They found the grave but there were no bones there, only this huge red rock. The next morning the friend looked toward the rock and saw an Indian standing there.

He awoke the others and they too saw the Indian. The rock was gone. They went the short distance to the place to see what Indian it was, but when they reached the site only the red rock was there. The party decided that what they had seen was the spirit of the dead man and the rock was his symbol so they prayed to the rock to give them the strength and success to conquer their enemies.

They made offerings to the rock and often in later years the grounds were covered with the remains of offerings of food, arrows, pelts, etc. Even after the Blackfeet had accepted Christianity, they would still place offerings at the base of the big red sandstone rock.

This rock, still known as Medicine Rock, is part-way up the steep hill on the north bank of the Marias River about five miles from Conrad. George B Grinnell wrote about it in an article published in 1890. Fort Conrad was at the mouth of the Belly River about three miles from Fort Kipp. It was not really a fort but a small trading post. It was named for Charles Conrad, later owner of the Circle Ranch near Conrad. The Circle Ranch also had a branch outfit on the Little Bow River in Canada. Fort Conrad was built about a month after Kipp in 1872.

The Hudson’s Bay Company alarmed at the amount of fur they were losing to these posts finally persuaded the Dominion Government to help them. A large detachment of Mounted Police was sent west from Winnipeg in 1874. After that the whiskey trade no longer flourished on the north side of the line.

It was Kipp’s invasion of the North Country that led to the westward movement of the Mounties and brought law to western Canada. Then came the railroad and settlers and by 1876 there were few buffalo left north of the line.

Kipp and Thomas had not stocked up for the winter when the Mounties showed up. They knew that the trade would die out so they both came down to Montana and took up ranching. Thomas ran a few cattle and freighted smaller and smaller loads to McLeod. They dissolved the partnership in 1877. Kipp traded with the Blackfeet until the buffalo disappeared from the prairie. He died at Browning in 1913. Thomas lived until 1917 and died on the ranch near Cut Bank.

The Whoop-Up Trail was about two hundred miles in length or about eight days travel with wagons and horses, slightly longer with oxen. The chief trade goods, besides whiskey, were flour, guns, calico, traps, sugar, salt, and tea. The chief obstacles were dry seasons when the water holes were far between; wet seasons when the wagons mired in the ‘dobe mud; occasional brushes with hostile Indians; and buffalo stampedes.

Mrs. Ingram recalls that the buffalo would stampede easily and run blindly with their noses to the ground trampling any object in their path if it were small or stumbling and piling up over any large obstruction. When a buffalo stampede threatened, her father used to unyoke the oxen and space the wagons a distance apart with a team of oxen behind each oxen. An obstruction of this size would cause the herd to split like a river splitting around a rock in its force and in this way she remembers they endured several stampedes.

The Indians for the most part were friendly. A stray band of Sioux sometimes alarmed them, but there was never any serious trouble of that sort when she made the trips.”

Today the roads follow the general course of the Whoop-Up Trail. Most have little notion of the history that surrounds them as they pass through a region of seemingly endless grasslands and wheat fields. With a little imagination, though, one can visualize the lumbering freight wagons and hear the drivers’ yells and cracking whips as they made their way north toward one of the trading posts along the Whoop-Up Trail.

Now find your Whoop-Up Trail to the Library’s book sale October 8 and 9. And If you missed the Whoop-Up Trail on Sunday, you missed a fabulous time and food. Thank to all who donated, volunteered, brought food, and who showed up to eat. It was a great time to be had by all. The Wedsworth Library and Trust really appreciates all the support this community has shown us. What a great community. Thank you once again.

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The Whoop-Up Trail

“Deep in the sod they wrote their story. A record of adventures, grim or gay; Deep in the mud or hard baked ‘dobe coulees runs the saga of the traders’ reckless day. Now fields of waving wheat obscure their imprint; time heals the scars, and grass hides sunken graves; Along the war paths of the painted braves. What worth shall we today accord their efforts? What reverence give their half-forgotten lore? What blame or credit weigh against their record? They were the vanguard! History demands no more. (Beth Volbrecht, 1953)

The west has its history. Often this history is contains some mighty rousing adventures. Come join us down a trip of memory lane about a half-forgotten lore. The following narrative originates from a chronicle written by Beth Volbrecht in the 1950’s.

“During the 1860’s to ‘90’s goods and trade supplies came up the Missouri River from St. Louis and were transferred from steamboat to wagon freight for inland distribution. In 1868 a freight trail was opened from Ft. Benton to a trading post in Canada, near the present site of Lethbridge.

There being no serious law enforcement to hamper unscrupulous traders, Canadian Indians were deluged with strong medicine of inferior quality. They joyously swapped fur for fire water, and went on a protracted binge that won for the Canadian post the name, ‘Ft. Whoop-Up’.

It was the precursor, in reverse, of the Canadian rum-running channels of the Noble Experiment era. Though its principal furthered the trading headaches for hides, it did gain a modicum of respect by becoming supply route for a few legitimate wares consigned to Ft. McLeod.”

So reads the roadside legend on the historical marker on Highway 91, a few miles from Conrad to the north. Years ago the Montana Historical Society retraced the course of the old trail and placed the highway marker as a tribute to these long forgotten legends.

Some say the reason the trail became known as the Whoop-Up Trail was because the bull train drivers used the word, “Whoop,” when they urged teams forward. Others say the Indians whooped it up after they bartered their buffalo hides for intoxicants. The most likely reason for the name of the trail and fort to begin being used was when a trader, Johnny LaMottee, responded with “They’re still whoopin’ ‘er up” when asked by John Power about trade activity at the fort in Canada.

The deep ruts cut by the creaking wheels of the heavy “bull wagons” are fading now, although on a few places they can be found on the sod, overgrown with grass and giving no hint of the arduous traffic hazards they once presented. In most places along the trail they have been completely eradicated by the plow and today grain waves, where once the long teams of oxen toiled over the rock-strewn hills, and where the campfires glowed in the night’s chill.

So too are the memories of this history fading from the memories of the few old-timers who traveled the trail, and knew the freighters and Indians who used the route. One was a frail, little old lady of Cut Bank – Mrs. Ida May Ingram. She was born at the Ft. McLeod Agency and made many trips over the Whoop-Up Trail when she was a girl. Her father was Charles Thomas, her mother a woman of the Blackfeet.

Charles came to Montana in the year 1862, panned gold for a while at Bannock and later went north to take of “bull whacking” on the trail that had been opened into Canada. In a few years he had acquired his own oxen and wagons, and had established a store at what is now McLeod. Twice a year he made the trip to Fort Benton to buy stock for the store, each time on the southward journey carrying a load of furs, buffalo hides, and later, blankets bought from the Hudson Bay Company for trade in Montana.

Charles Thomas and Joseph Kipp built Fort Kipp, north of the confluence of the Old Man and Belly Rivers in what is now the province of Alberta. Joseph Kipp, the man who killed Calf Shirt, the almost legendary Indian of the Blood Reserve, was a life-long friend of the Thomas family. He was the son of James Kipp of the American Fur Company, and Earth Woman a member of the Mandan tribe.

Kipp also built Fort Stand Off on the Whoop-Up Trail on the Canadian side of the line. In this latter project Kipp was associated with John Healy, another notable of the fur-trading, rum-running days and friend of the Thomas family. These forts were built in defiance of the Hudson Bay Company and for a time, took most of the trade with the Blackfeet Indians from that great organization.

Fort Stand Off, or Standoff, was the first of the two forts built. The story of how it came about has become rather well known, but Mrs. Ingram’s version of it is as her father told it to her.

In the 1870’s the people of Fort Benton depended on the trade with the Indians and miners for their profits, and were doing very well at it when they could trade a very poor grade of whiskey for very valuable furs of beaver, wolf, deer, elk, and buffalo. Wolf fur was quite valuable, and many white men had taken to poisoning and hunting wolves for their pelts. They, as well as the Indians, insisted on whiskey as part of their pay for pelts, along with various trade articles.

Then in the midst of this flourishing trade, a United States Marshal was sent to Fort Benton, with instructions to stop the trading of whiskey to the Indians. No whiskey at all was to be shipped into the Indian country, and by Indian country it was meant all the territory around Fort Benton, and north to the Canadian line. Only there were no definite markings of the Canadian line at the time. It was vaguely known to be somewhere about the north fork of Milk river and close to Chief Mountain. South, the Indian country extended almost to Helena, but Helena was not in it.

The Blackfeet and Gros Ventres and Piegan Indians held a council, and decided to present their side of the question to Joe Kipp whom they trusted to fix things up for them so they could continue to trade for whiskey or else, they said, they would take their trade to the Hudson Bay company, who would furnish the whiskey they craved.

Kipp thought it over, and then put it up to Charles Thomas, with whom he had worked before back in the days when they panned for gold together. He and Thomas planned to go across the line and build a fort where the Marshal couldn’t touch them. Thomas was doubtful whether they could get their whiskey the hundred and fifty miles to the border without the marshal catching them. But Kipp had a scheme.

He rode to Helena and bought seventy-five cases of high-proof alcohol, had it re-cased in heavy wooden boxes, and delivered to the Missouri River bank, a few miles below Helena. The marshal, whose name was Harding, had followed Kipp to Helena and was keeping a close watch on him.

Kipp bound the cases with wire, lashed them together to make a raft, and started them down the river. Kipp hired a man named George Scott to ride his horse out of town to toll the marshal away, and he went with the raft, pushing it off sand bars, getting very wet, and in general having a most unpleasant time. The third day he arrived at the mouth of the Sun River, where Thomas was waiting for him with three four-horse teams and wagons, and two teamsters. Scott arrived with Kipp’s horse and agreed to join the outfit as cook. The whiskey was unloaded on the shore, loaded onto the wagons and they started north over the old Indian trail that was later known as the Sun River stage road.

A day or so later Kipp looked back and saw a lone horseman coming after them on the trail. He knew it was the marshal and decided to stand him off. When the marshal came up to the wagons he attempted to arrest Kipp, but Kipp very confidently told him that he was too late; that they had crossed the Canadian line just a few minutes before when they had crossed the Milk River.

The argument waxed hot for a few minutes, both trying to bluff and neither knowing just where the boundary was. Finally Harding, uncertain of his ground and having no authority in case Kipp was right about having crossed the line already, turned his horse and rode off toward Fort Benton. (There were five of the traders and only one of him). Later when the line was surveyed the spot where the argument had taken place was found to be half a mile south of the line.

Stay tuned for further adventures of the Whoop-Up Trail.

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It’s Treatment Time for the Bookaholics

We are holding our annual book sale at Wedsworth Hall Saturday October the 8th from 9:00-4:00; and Sunday October the 9th from 10:00-2:00. And don’t forget the goodies!!!!!!!! Remember all who come can enjoy homemade soup, cookies, bread and refreshments on Saturday, October 8th and cookies and refreshments on Sunday, October 9th.

Calling all volunteers. Calling all volunteers who are willing and able and would love to see a unique parade. On October 7th at 9 a.m. you will be able to see a parade of books heading into Wedsworth Hall. If you would like to be part of this parade, volunteer to help haul books for the Library’s annual book sale and help set up the books for the sale.

We can use volunteers on Friday, October the 7th at 9:00 a.m. to help display the books for the book sale and on Sunday, October the 9th to box the books up once the sale is over. The Hall will be a beehive of activity for all those busy worker bees arranging this fabulous selection of books. If you would like to volunteer to be a worker bee show up at Wedsworth Hall any time after 9:00 a.m. on Friday October 7th or Sunday October 9th at 2:00 p.m.

It will be a Jim Dandy of a sale! This rousing event raises money in support of our library. Our budget took a hard hit when several financial circumstances changed. The insurance world changed and now we are required to carry our own insurance. This became a very large line-item expense. So the proceeds of the sale have become a vital part of our income. Added expenses mean a cut someplace so we are hoping to have a great sale to replace those line-item costs and not have to cut our book budget or audio book/DVD line items expenses. Our small income budget doesn’t allow for much wiggle worm in the expense department. We unfortunately have to depend on our book sale income to meet our daily needs. We need your support.

So come enjoy the soup and cookies and whatever other goodies always show up. We also have a verifiable pretty substantial rumor that we are going to be seeing some of the best corn bread you have ever tasted. So Taste Testing Time!! Taste test the soups and see if the bread and cornbread are not the best you have ever eatin. We are offering up a challenge here!!! Lookin forward to seeing you on Saturday October the 8th from 9:00-4:00; and Sunday October the 9th. And we’d love to see you on Friday the 7th to help set up and on Sunday to help undo.

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Books Unite Us

Once more Mark Your Calendars: The 2022 celebration of Banned Books Week will be September 18 – 24. As supporters of Banned Books Week we are proud to announce that George M. Johnson has been named Honorary Chair for Banned Books Week 2022. The critically acclaimed author will lead the weeklong event, which brings awareness to the harms of censorship.

Since it was founded in 1982, Banned Books Week has drawn attention to the attempts to remove books and other materials from libraries, schools, and bookstores. Banned Books Week 2022 has the theme “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.”

Banned Books Week is an annual awareness campaign that celebrates the freedom to read, draws attention to banned and challenged books. It is an effort to spotlight current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. It brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.

Lately there have been numerous attempts to ban or censor books across the nation. Mark Twain. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Judy Blume. William Shakespeare. “These names share something more than a legacy of classic literature and a place on school curriculums: They’re just some of the many authors whose work has been banned from classrooms over the years for content deemed controversial, obscene, or otherwise objectionable by authorities.”

Emily Davis presents an astute perspective on why banning books are not the solution. “Banned books teach important moments in history. Students need to learn about the history of our world from another perspective than in a history class. Like in the classic To Kill a Mockingbird, a story of hypocrisy and racial prejudice is told in an Alabama courtroom. According to the American Library Association, the two main reasons for the banning of this book are the use of racist language and the mention of rape allegations, but it tells a realistic story of life in Alabama in the 1960s. Students’ awareness of the unfair treatment in the justice system could help history not repeat itself.

The true stories of banned books inspire us. In the nonfiction graphic novel Maus, a survival story of the author’s Jewish parents during the 1930s is described. As stated in The New York Times, the novel has been taken out of schools for concerns about inappropriate language and nudity. The nudity is that of a mouse, not an actual person. This story is quite educational and can give students a new perspective of how the parents survived a horrific time.

There is more to a book than the bad language in it. Parents have gotten a multitude of books banned from school’s curriculum for the profanity in the books. A few of these include The Catcher in the Rye, and Slaughterhouse-Five. The language used in a book can make it feel more relatable and realistic to the reader. Parents also need to realize that they can’t shelter their kids from the language they will hear in their day-to-day life. In all the books I’ve read in school, I have never seen any language that I hadn’t already heard in the halls.”

Of Mice and Men was challenged because of the term ‘Japs. Yes, this term is not acceptable today, but it’s important to note that John Steinbeck is one of the most taught writers in schools. The slurs, sexism, and profanity of the book fit the time. While it may not be pretty, that was life then and you can’t go back and change history to fit your needs.

“Banned books have realistic and truthful stories. One of the best examples of this is The Grapes of Wrath. The novel tells the story of a family’s life that was ruined by the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Students can gain compassion for the people who lost everything during that time. The lack of a happy ending also makes it so much more realistic and educational for the reader.”

The freedom to read is essential to our democracy and reading is among our greatest freedoms and protected by our Constitution. Intellectual freedom and the freedom to read what we want are essential to creativity and a free society. Words have power and access to diverse ideas gives us all the power to fight ignorance and strengthen understanding. Celebrate the freedom to read by reading your favorite banned book. Fight censorship and exercise your freedom to seek and express ideas, during this year’s Banned Books Week.

Wedsworth Library does not promote or permit censorship. “Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.” —Article 3, Library Bill of Rights. Censorship by librarians of constitutionally protected speech, whether for protection or for any other reason, violates the First Amendment.

Since its inception in 1982, Banned Books Week has reminded us that while not every book or movie is intended for every reader, each of us has the right to decide for ourselves what to read, listen to, or view. Banned Books Week has looked to help people recognize and navigate censorship. Others should not have the ability or authority to tell you what you can read or not read.

“We should not ban book regardless of being critical or controversial,” said Anthony Luevano, “Knowledge is knowledge, and it should not be restricted by someone’s ideas or standards.”

“Censoring a student’s reading isn’t protecting them, it is just a way to avoid teaching them important lessons. You may be able to censor their reading, but you’ll never be able to censor the reality they’ll face.”

American libraries are the cornerstones of our democracy. Libraries are for everyone, everywhere. Because libraries provide free access to a world of information, they bring opportunity to all people. Now, more than ever, celebrate the freedom to read @ your library! Read an old favorite or a new banned book this week.

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Bring Your Teddy Bear and Your Elephant

Bring your Teddy and your elephant because we’re celebrating Bring your Teddy Bear to the Library and Elephant Appreciation Day. (We’d love to see your elephant and what you named it!) So, while you’re at it, skip on into the library and join our upcoming Children’s Story Hour, Just Because.

Children’s story hour begins Tuesday, September 13 at Wedsworth Memorial Library in Cascade, Montana. Story Hour runs Tuesday mornings from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. until the end of May. We invite every child to stop in, whether it is every week or now and again. It is a fun time and open to all.

Children ages 2 – 5 years old, along with their parent or childcare provider, are invited to join us for activities that include songs, a craft, and of course stories! But by George we even enjoy the teeny tiny ones, so bring ‘em on down. Our purpose is to foster a love of books and reading in our children while teaching them proper library etiquette and positive social skills between children.

Story hour also provides opportunities for turn taking, increases listening skills, and encourages early literacy skills and phonological awareness. Story reading and crafts stimulates their imagination, which helps with problem solving later in life. It also fosters a lifelong love of reading.

If you are wondering if your child is old enough or if your child will sit through it, the answer is yes. Just because they are little, doesn’t mean they can’t have fun, discover a whole new world beyond your imagination and not wiggle.

We are always looking for someone to host Story Hour. If anyone would like to spend some quality time with our community’s youngsters feel free to volunteer for one session or more. We have a multitude of craft books for reference and we supply all the materials. Of course, we also can supply all the books needed to read to the children.

Also remember we will have a change of hours for fall. We would love to see you. We’d love to show you our new books and our new DVD’s and Audio Books. We’d love to show you what is happenin. There is always the fun of visiting with you and finding out how your summer went. Stop in and come see us.

But please remember you can’t enjoy the Library soon if you don’t remember to change to winter hours the day after Labor Day. Just a reminder: Wedsworth library changes to winter hours on Tuesday, September 6. Hours will be: Monday 9-1; 2-6, Tuesday 9-1; 3-5, Wednesday – Friday 2-5. Stay cool and be cool at the Library. Our heroes will always be readers.

If you saw all those HUGE gopher holes in the parks across the street, relax, we haven’t had mutant gophers move in. Sure looked like it though! The town updated their sprinkler systems so we will have healthier greener parks and trees. Then again, if the heat is overwhelmin ya, I suppose running through the sprinklers would cool ya down. (Just don’t tell Joe or maybe ask him to join ya!)

Then for those anxious to squirrel away those books for the winter – Our annual book sale will be held October 8 and 9. So circle the dates and if you are willin, circle the 7th to help set up the whole affair.

And as a reminder we hope you have circled the date!! The Town of Cascade and Wedsworth Library are offering a great way to share your bounty and enjoy each other’s company. It’s a get to know ya for the community’s 1st annual Garden to Table Jamboree on Sunday, September 25^th on Front Street. We’ll be beginning at noon and going till 3, but you’re free to stay as late as you please. We invite everyone to stop by, have some fun, listen to some music and enjoy some great ‘down home cookin’.

Now is the time to mix and meet all those faces; in addition to listening to some hip hoppin/ toe tappin music and plain enjoyment of mouth waterin food. We’ve had lots of organizations and individuals volunteer to bring their goodies. If you would like to bring some muscle or goodies of your own, call Jodie at Town Hall (468-2808) to let her know what you would like to bring to our community BBQ or if you would be willing to help Joe set up and put a few things away at the end.

We also invite anyone with a tiny bit of musical talent to jam in the park with their favorite instrument to add some fun and sparkly. After all you may be really good with your Kazoo.

We invite everyone to bring a dish made with food from your garden or just your favorite recipe. Some BBQ will be provided, but feel free to bring your favorite chicken, hot dogs or casserole. Or bring a side dish of veggies, salad, chips, deserts. Any ole thing will work.

Tables will be set up on Front Street for everyone to come meet others and get to know each other. Games and music in the Park! Bring your guitar, fiddle, keyboards and play in the park. A small donation will bring an afternoon delight. Donations will benefit the Wedsworth Hall for new roller skates and the Library. The Town will be a hoppin and a jammin that day. If you would like to participate or would like more info, please call 468-2808. We’d love to see ya!!

To round out the event Wedsworth Memorial Library invites you to their Open House/Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. On September 25 at noon, we will be hosting an open house to celebrate and honor naming the new addition after Jackie. The Jackie Strandell Addition will be officially opened with the ribbon cutting ceremony by the Strandell family and then all can enjoy some delicious snacks inside.

Come join us for an entertaining fun time on September 25 at noon till we drop. So, remember September 25 where you get to experience a once in a life time happening here in Cascade. So let’s ‘get down’ in the park. See ya there!! Please call 468-2848 or 468-2808 for any further information.

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Theater Superstitions Explained Part 2

We hope you remember to change the library hours in your schedule. For now though let’s learn a few more theater superstitions. Flowers are always seen as being given after a performance, but its taboo before the performance. Giving a performer flowers is one of the great traditions of the theater. It’s a way of telling an actor/actress that you loved what they did on stage. Flowers should only be bestowed upon performers, directors and playwrights after a show plays in front of the audience and the artists have earned their accolades. Tradition opposes rewarding an actor for their work before they have delivered it. To do so beforehand tempts the fates to intercede and ensure a lackluster show.

Which leads us to a rather odd tradition that has faded over time – giving the director a bouquet of flowers stolen from a graveyard upon a show’s closing. When a theater production closes, it is considered good luck to give the director a bouquet of flowers stolen from a graveyard. This symbolic gesture denotes the end of a production or its death. Historically, actors did not make a lot of money, so this might have been an inexpensive way to say thank you to the director.

A person is never supposed to wish an actor “good luck”. There are many theories on the origins of ‘Break a leg’; including it was another way to say ‘take a bow’. Theater folk also believe there are mischief-making spirits of the stage who use their magic to force the opposite of what you wish to happen. Phrases like “break a leg” are meant to confuse these theatrical pixies and defeat their obstinate ways. A wish for something bad will yield something good from them.

Another theory comes from the idea that the word leg does not refer to an actor’s leg, but to the theatrical curtains that mask the backstage that are known as “legs.” “Breaking a leg” means you’ve crossed from the backstage into the playing area, the ultimate goal of an actor – entering the spotlight.

It has also been traced back to 1766 when Samuel Foote, the Manager of the London’s Little Theatre, was thrown from his horse and broke his leg. Foote had been riding with the Duke of York, who had given Foote a bad horse as a prank. The Duke of York felt so bad about the accident he granted Foote the theatre license he had spent years lobbying for. The Little Theatre became the Theatre Royal Haymarket and the saying ‘Break a leg’ came to represent achieving success out of disaster.

Other theories support that “break a leg” goes much further back, perhaps to Elizabethan England, where audiences threw money when they enjoyed a performance (fruits and vegetables for a bad one). Actors would have to bend over to collect their rewards, thus breaking the line of their leg. Money = Breaking legs = Success.

Never say Macbeth in a theatre. Even whispering the name of one of William Shakespeare’s bloodiest plays inside a theatre is a most egregious taboo. In fact, to do so will raise the ire of most theatre folk to a panic. Saying ‘Macbeth’ in the theatre is believed to curse a production, most thespians refer to it instead as ‘The Scottish Play’. Recent Macbeth disasters include an actor being struck by Kenneth Branagh’s sword during his 2013 production.

Why is saying Macbeth a theatrical no-no? There are a variety of speculations as to why saying the play’s name in a theatre is considered bad luck. One possible genesis for this superstition comes from the incantations of the three witches in Macbeth. It is believed that Shakespeare adapted these spells from actual books of black magic. This opened the play up to forces of darkness which are supposed to plague productions of what most now refer to as “The Scottish Play.”

Another theory claims that the actor playing Macbeth in the original production died in an accident, and Shakespeare, himself, had to go on in his place. It is believed that all subsequent productions are now haunted by this actor and his dismal fate.

If you do make the mistake of saying “Macbeth” in a theatre, there are some counter curses to ward off doom. One such counter curse is to go outside the theatre, spin around in a circle three times and spit. Another antidote: Recite any line from Two Gentlemen of Verona (considered a lucky play) or this line from A Midsummer Night’s Dream: “If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended, that you have but slumbered here, whilst these visions did appear.”

Whistling backstage in a theatre is considered a jinx. This superstition grows out of practicality. In the good old days of theater, scenery was manually lifted into the air by men hoisting it with ropes as there weren’t advanced rigging systems to make it safer and easier. Flying set pieces began appearing in theatres In the 1600s. The first Venetian Opera House opened in 1637 and travelers reported back that they had seen “admirable change(s) of scenery, noble settings of the riches kind, machines and wonderful flying chariots”.

Seventeenth century sailors often found employment rigging and flying in theatres. As on a ship, they used to communicate with each other through whistles, different whistles meaning commands like ‘bring the set in’ and ‘all clear’. An actor who whistled backstage might accidentally cue a stagehand to lift or drop scenery, potentially putting an unaware performer at risk of being crushed by a wall or a sandbag. The best way to make sure you didn’t become a theatre ghost was to refrain from whistling altogether. The rule has stuck and become a superstition.

The idea that blue should never be worn on stage is a superstition that many have not heard of. Perhaps this myth has not survived as strongly as other superstitions because the reason behind it is no longer relevant. At one point in theater history, blue dye was the most expensive of all the fabric colorings and difficult to make.

A theatre troupe’s success was often judged by its ability to afford blue costumes. In an effort to deceive audiences into believing they were more successful than they actually were, failing troupes would spend the money they had to procure blue costumes. In order to make the distinction, successful troupes began pairing blue costumes with silver adornments, since only a flourishing troupe could afford such a luxury. Producers, in an effort to discourage the spending of money on such luxuries, started a rumor that blue costumes were unlucky. Even then, the economics of theater were a dicey risk. Today, blue is still thought of as a sign of failure and an unlucky costume color and is only acceptable when paired with silver.

A few other theatre superstitions include: Never apply make-up with a rabbit’s foot. Never say the last lines of a show before opening night. Never paint the Green Room green. Never open a show on a Friday. Never place shoes or hats on dressing room furniture. Never knit in the wings. Never wear new make-up on opening night. Never say the Theatre is closed (that could invoke the plague) instead say it’s ‘dark’. And NEVER exit the dressing room right foot first. And so we shall exit stage left on our left foot?

One more, but it’s not a superstition. You will be left in the dark if you don’t change to the Library’s winter hours on September 6th. Monday 9-1; 2-6, Tuesday 9-1; 3-5, Wednesday – Friday 2-5. So exit summer we a goin. Hope you exit right to see us in September.

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Your invited1

Open House

Wedsworth Memorial Library

Sunday September 25, 2022

At 12:00 P.m.

in honor of Jackie Strandell Addition

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Garden to Table Jamboree

Come One Come All!! We’re havin a PARTY! “We’re havin’ a party Dancin’ to the music”. Backyard BBQs, potlucks, and picnics – the perfect place for social interaction. The Town of Cascade and Wedsworth Library are offering a great way to share your bounty and enjoy each other’s company. It’s a get to know ya for the community’s 1st annual Garden to Table Jamboree. On September 25th Front Street will be the site of the community’s Garden to Table Jamboree. We’ll be beginning at noon and going till whenever, (probably just till 3, but your free to stay as late as you please. We invite everyone to stop by, have some fun, listen to some music and enjoy some great ‘down home cookin’.

There are sooo many new faces in town and a lot of ‘established’ ones too. Now is the time to mix and meet all those faces; in addition to listening to some hip hoppin/ toe tappin music and plain enjoyment of mouth waterin food. We invite anyone with a tiny bit of musical talent to jam in the park with their favorite instrument to add some fun and sparkly. After all you may be really good with your Kazoo.

We invite everyone, wherever you might live, to bring a dish made with food from your garden or just your favorite recipe. Some BBQ will be provided, but feel free to bring your favorite chicken, hot dogs or casserole. Or bring a side dish of veggies, salad, chips, deserts. Any ole thing will work.

Tables will be set up on Front Street for everyone to come meet others and get to know each other. Games and music in the Park! Bring your guitar, fiddle, keyboards and play in the park. Donations will go to the Wedsworth Hall for new roller skates and to the Library. The Town will be a hoppin and a jammin that day. If you would like to participate or would like more info please call 468-2808. We’d love to see ya!!

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Theater Superstitions Explained

Theatre is steeped in tradition, rituals and superstitions that add to its mysticism and magic and theater people like their superstitions and traditions. Over the centuries, many customs have become an unquestioned part of the business that we call show. While most know its “bad luck to say good luck on opening night”; we have never received an explanation as to where these traditions originated. So let’s explore and unearth the origins of these rules.

So the first one we have all heard – A bad dress rehearsal means the show will be a hit and a great opening night. This is an old wives’ tale and no one’s quite sure how it started. Many theater folks cling to the idea that a bad dress rehearsal is a good omen for a successful opening night. Occasionally, there is the coincidence that a disastrous final rehearsal precedes an amazing premiere, but most likely it’s the “result of a prepared production, committed artists, and a large-dose of adrenaline.”

Then again it could very well be a dose of wishful thinking and a touch of denial. Theatre is obviously a magical experience for many, but success grows out of careful planning and hard work. A bad dress rehearsal can be the result of a tired cast and crew who are slogging through a final run-through of a show that has been rehearsing for several weeks. The opening night audience, plus a little adrenaline, reinvigorates the performers so that the careful planning and hard work suddenly come together. We can hope this is true can’t we?

Never leave a stage entirely dark. Just don’t do it. A lesser known superstition is ‘never leave the stage completely dark’ or turn on the ghost light. A light, often a bare bulb, is still left lit on the stage of many theatres so it is never completely dark. This is called the Ghost Light.

One explanation is that theatres were lit by gas in the early nineteenth century. Gas of course is combustible and would build up pressure within the gas lines. Running the flame of a ‘ghost light’ in a theatre during non-performance times burned the excess gas and prevented pressure from building up in the gas lines and a possible explosion. Though we no longer use gas to light our theatres, the tradition remains intact.

Some could call it being practical. Or is it? There is always an excess of obstacles (furniture, trap doors, and orchestra pits) that could lead to accidents in the dark, so leaving the light on makes sense. (No this isn’t Motel 6’s leave the light on for you).

The ghost light remains lit in the center of the stage when all other lights have been turned out. The lore of almost every theatre involves a few theatre ghosts who haunt the place. Many thespians believe the ghost light wards off these spirits. Others believe the light provides the spectral divas a lighted area to perform in so they don’t curse the production and play mischievous pranks; especially the ghost of Thespis (the first actor).

However one must never light a trio of candles to keep the lights on. An open flame on stage is a risk that many theatres do not want to take. The more burning candles in a production, the greater the chance of a fire and the fact it can get out of control. Many theatres have burned down thanks to the use of open flames, especially during times when theatres were made of thatched roofs. (After all Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre burned down when a cannon was set off during a production of Henry VIII). So why is having lit candles in threes foreboden? It is believed that the person who stands closest to the shortest candle will be the first to die. As to why that is believed? The origin to that superstition was extinguished a long time ago, but they still must follow the rule.

Absolutely never ever use or place a peacock feather onstage. A peacock feather onstage is believed by many to cause bad luck, technical failures and general chaos. No theater production wants to risk offending an audience with this curse, which is supposed to bring misfortune or injury to anyone who casts it.

Why is a beautifully ornamental bit of plumage bad luck in a theatre production? The feather’s pattern creates the ‘evil eye’, an ancient curse mentioned by Plutarch, Plato and even in the Bible. But roots for this fear can also be found in the thirteenth century. For a long time, peacock feathers were looked upon by Europeans as part of a dark and bloody history. Peacock feathers were feared by early Europeans as they were part of the ornamentation of Mongol hordes who invaded parts of the continent during the Middle Ages and terrified the citizens. Much like the Macbeth curse, you don’t want such savagery and evil associated with a production.

Mirrors on stage are bad luck. Is it the fear of the mirror breaking, resulting in seven years of bad luck, or is it the old superstition that mirrors are a gateway for evil spirits to cross over to the world of the living? It is neither. Mirrors are considered bad luck because they reflect light, which is tricky to place on stage without wreaking havoc with the lighting design of a production. It can be done, but a wrong hit with a spotlight and you could easily have a blinded actor who might just walk off the edge of the stage.

Beware of the ghost of David Belasco. Located at 111 West 44th Street, Broadway’s Belasco Theatre is one of the Theatre District’s finest old show houses. Many people also believe it’s haunted. It is suggested that the ghost of David Belasco, the theater manager who was known as “The Bishop of Broadway,” continues to oversee the happenings at his namesake theatre. Some who have worked at the theatre have reported seeing his spirit sitting alone in the balcony or wandering the lobbies, occasionally stopping to speak to patrons. Could the ghost of Thespis be messing with us, or is Mr. Belasco still present to make sure things are running smoothly?

When something goes wrong in the theatre, those in the know will point to the ghost of Thespis as the culprit. Ancient Greek sources identify Thespis as the first actor to step out of the chorus and play an actual character. He is the father of all thespians. When theatres are not lucky enough to have their own ghosts, they rely upon Thespis to be the scapegoat for all the problems that might plague a production.

Stay tuned for more Superstitions to come. We will explore flowers and whistling, along with what foot to leave the dressing room with.

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Looking for a Lost Family

Recently Wedsworth Memorial Library had a large number of DVDs donated. Inside one of the DVD packets were a number of wedding pictures. We are looking for someone that might recognize any member of the wedding pictures so they can find their way back home to the rightful family.

Members of the community please stop by the Library and see if you recognize ANYONE in the pictures. They are fairly recent because of the style of dresses and etc. If you know of anyone that might have recently donated a large number of DVDs, contact them and ask them to stop by the Library to check if they recognize the wedding participants. Memories are tough to lose. We are looking forward to find this lost family.

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Pelicans

Why don’t you ever see any pelican babies?? What is so special about pelicans? The Pelican is an amazing bird that can be found on all continents except on the Antarctica. There are eight species, but all have the famous throat pouch for which they are best known.

Pelicans are big, bulky birds, standing as tall as 5 feet with a wingspan of as much as 10 feet, according to National Geographic and can weigh up to 20 pounds. Pelicans have the largest bill of all birds with a reach of 18 inches in length and a throat pouch that can hold 3 gallons of water. They can fly to the height of 10,000 feet using the warm wind currents.

The White Pelicans in Montana are long-distance migrants. The four Montana breeding colonies fall into two groupings divided into eastern and western colonies, based on flyway affiliation. Medicine Lake and Bowdoin are mostly connected to the Central Flyway, with the majority of birds flying south and east to the Gulf of Mexico coast and southern Midwest. There are sightings from southern Florida to Texas, and south in Mexico to Vera Cruz.

Birds at Arod/”Eyraud” Lakes and Canyon Ferry fly west across the Continental Divide and south to southern Idaho, California, western Mexico and Central America. Winter sightings have been made in southern California, south along the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America to southern Honduras. Many pelicans return in spring to their natal colonies for breeding, but there are a few banded at their natal colony that return to a different Montana colony.

If you’ve seen a pelican with an unusual looking horn or bump on the top of its bill, that means it’s preparing to breed. The adult pelicans develop these projections, called bill plates, in advance of breeding season. Males use different tactics to attract females during mating season. Some males have colorful feathers while others have ability to change the color of the pouch, neck, legs and bill into bright colors during courtship. The leg color eventually fades, the head darkens, and the plumes and horn are lost. The period from courtship flights to the onset of egg-laying is about a week.

Montana Pelicans arrive in April. Breeding colonies nest in the eastern prairie regions on islands or peninsulas of low topographic relief at lakes and reservoirs. Egg-laying and incubation occur during late April through May in isolated areas. Cover is often minimal, with nests mostly or completely exposed. In the main sub-colony at Medicine Lake, nests are often under chokecherry bushes. Both males and females are in charge of the building of the nests that are usually located under trees near the water. Nests are built using feathers, leaves and sticks. At Medicine Lake, the mean number of young produced per nesting pair since 1990 is 0.51.

Pelicans typically lay two eggs with each egg laid 2 to 3 days apart. Eggs are incubated by both parents for 32 to 35 days and hatched in late May and June. The first chick born is always larger and usually only one survives. Both adults incubate the eggs and tend the young. Unlike other birds which incubate their eggs under their breast, the Pelican incubates their eggs under their webbed feet.

Chicks are born tiny and featherless, with orange bodies and grayish bills and pouches. Mortality of eggs and chicks generally is high, and adults generally do not renest following loss of the first clutch.

After two or three weeks, chicks are big enough to leave the nest, forming groups called crèches with other young pelicans. They aren’t old enough to forage on their own and remain in the colonies until mid-August. The parents will forage and return to the crèche with food, searching among the young pelicans for their hatchlings.

Each hatchling needs about 150 pounds of food provided for them until they are old enough to feed themselves, Pelican chicks grow quickly and are generally ready to join the flock after 12 weeks.

Pelicans reach sexual maturity around 3 years of age and may live 25 years or more. Pelicans pair up with a mate every breeding season and stay with that mate for the season. The following breeding season they may or may not be with the same mate. The oldest bird recovered from a Montana colony was 20 years of age.

Did you think white pelicans have all-white feathers? If you see these fabulous birds on the water, you may think they have only white feathers, but in flight they reveal a surprise. When pelicans spread their wings, they show off their all-black feathers at the ends and tips of their wings. In the water or even while standing, they look all white, save for their orange webbed feet and their yellowish-orange bills.

In recent years, the size of Montana colonies has been 500-4000 pairs and is increasing. Nesting islands at Montana colonies often are shared by other species, including Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Common Tern, California Gull, and Ring-billed Gull.

Inspection of the prey remains of the white pelicans at the Medicine Lake colony show a diet of Common Carp, Fathead Minnow suckers, Northern Pike, Goldeye sturgeon and adult and larval Tiger Salamanders. Food observed being consumed at the Canyon Ferry and Arod/”Eyraud” colonies was primarily non-game fish including suckers, carp, and bullheads.

Pelicans have been known to fly up to 190 miles from a breeding colony to a feeding site and prefer to forage in shallow water. Breeding adults are estimated to eat about 20 to 40% of their body mass in prey per day.

A pelican’s pouch is mainly used for feeding, but it can be also used as a cooling “device”. During the warm days, pelican will swing its pouch to cool itself. Pelicans will take large amount of water along with fish. Before swallowing the fish, pelicans move heads forward to remove excess water. Pelicans can eat 4 pounds of fish per day.

The earliest pelican fossil on record is a 30-million-year-old skull that was found in the Oligocene deposits of France. Paleontologists have also uncovered younger material from places like Germany, India, Kenya, Peru, Australia, and North Carolina. Today, there are eight living species.

Water birds tend to have four toes on each foot along with some degree of webbing. In geese and ducks, the webbing is only present between the three toes that point forward. Pelicans have totipalmate feet, which means that on each foot, there’s webbing that connects all four toes

Pelicans technically have nasal openings. However, the nostrils are sealed off, buried under the beak’s horny sheath. The hidden nostrils house special glands which remove excess salt from the blood stream. Because their nostrils are walled-off, pelicans predominantly breathe through their mouths.

American white pelicans are often seen in the company of double-crested cormorants. They often forage for fish together, although they don’t usually eat the same fish and they don’t hunt at the same depths of the water. Cormorants will even build their nests and raise their young within pelican colonies.

Get three or more pelican friends together and you’ve got a pod of pelicans. Or a brief. Or a pouch. Or a scoop. Or a squadron. Why do pelicans carry the fish they catch in their bills? Because they haven’t got any pockets!

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Whassup!

So whassup at the library. What’s up can be “traced back to the early 19th century, appearing in English works of fiction as a question or a greeting. It often referred to an event or problem that was “up.” Later iterations, including wassup, whassup, whaddup, and wazzup evolved from slurring the consonants of the original phrase.

Activity at the library has been busy as a bee, just a heatin things up, and it appears it will stay that way all summer and part of the fall. Have you wondered what has been happenin at our local little library? Got a minute, stop by and we will fill you in.

We have heated things up with our Hot Spots. No, the library inside is remaining cool, but we have Hot Spots for our mobile internet. These fantastic devices provide you with extremely fast internet where ever a cell phone will work. The one down side – we can’t keep them on the shelf they are sooo hot.

In the meantime, we are always ready with new books and movies. Seas the day with a good book. There are Oceans of possibilities. The audio books have been flyin off the shelf which has made the Playaways a bit jealous, but we tell em just be patient, something new always takes time to catch on.

Ever want to explore and discover obscure tidbits about the state, sitting all comfy in your chair? Take a journey with the Backroads of Montana. They can take you places you never even heard of in the state. Since 1991, the Backroads crew has traveled across Montana visiting its unique people and places. They provide little-known facts about areas to help bring the history of the state to life and shine a light on Montana’s small towns. These DVDS share diverse stories; connect the citizens of the State; discover common ground; and celebrates the independent spirit and beauty of Montana. It is a great way to get to know the real everyday life in Montana, especially if you are new to the area.

Have you noticed our front window? Drive by and take a peek. The new plant stand really shows off our plants and adds an eye catching display. Have you noticed the update to the front of the new addition? The plaques look fantastic if you haven’t noticed.

Soon we will add one more bit of fluff to the front doors. We are installing an awning to try and cool us down a bit. In addition, duct work will soon be installed in the entry way so you don’t faint from the heat or freeze from the cold. Boy, are we all excited.

Then to cool things down a bit more and maybe to hide in the dark when we have a speaker with a slide show – we’re adding UV shades to the meeting room. Speakin of slide shows, we one upped the technology. A brand-new projector really, really adds fantastic viewing of material. Jumps right out there for you.

Of course, if you are interested in the book discussion group, our first discussion is on Monday August 8 at 5:00 in the library. These ladies can get mighty rowdy, but sure have a lot of fun. Give it a try you might wanta come back.

Story hour will be startin up in September so you need to keep an eye on the news for that.

Thinking of starting up a new hobby? We have a few books on various subjects. There are also some fabulous DVDs on learning the tricks to the fine art of fishing and how to train that newly adopted puppy. Jut want to veg, well take home a DVD or two to enjoy on a late summer night.

If you haven’t visited us in a while or are new to the community stop on by and get a library card. This opens the door to some fantastic new adventures. And not just within the walls of our fabulous building. With this teeny tiny card, you can listen to audio books, read e-books, read a magazine or two and there are some very interesting presentations you can listen to. Explore the world with a library card which opens the door to the Libby App.

We’re not done yet folks. Get out your calendars and start marking some dates. On September 25 at 12 noon, we will be hosting an open house to celebrate and honor naming the new addition after Jackie. The Jackie Strandell Addition will be officially opened with the ribbon cutting ceremony by the Strandell family and then all can enjoy some delicious snacks inside. We invite everyone to come see how things have changed a bit over the last few years.

We hope to see everyone at the Garden to Table on that Sunday too. The Library is partnering with the Town to bring the community the 1st annual Garden to Table Jamboree. We invite everyone to “bring a dish made with food from your garden or your favorite recipe. BBQ will be provided. Tables will be set up on Front Street for everyone to come meet others in the community and get to know each other. Bring your guitar, fiddle, keyboards and play in the park. Donations will go to the Wedsworth Estate for new roller skates and to the Library.” The Town will be a hoppin and a jammin that day. If you would like to participate or would like more info please call 468-2808. We’d love to see ya!!

Don’t put that pencil down yet. We have more agoin on. On October 8 and 9 we have scheduled our annual book sale. We look forward to seeing everyone there and of course we hope some add the 7th of October to their list of things to do by volunteering to help set up on the 7th; or the afternoon of the 9th for those who like to tear down – not tear up.

Ya know, you just never know what we might be doing at the library. Some days get out and out hilarious with a lot of fun and some down-home visiting with the next-door neighbor. If the summer heat is agettin ya down, stop on by and enjoy the AC and browse our selections or just sit in our comfy comfy chairs and gaze out our window into the park or at our nice new plant display. We welcome all who enter our doors!

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The Old North Trail

Route 66 thru time has become known as the original highway across the United States after it was established November 11, 1926. The truth is, the first highway across the US extended from Canada to Mexico through Teton County.

The Old North Trail is an ancient highway of mystery and intrigue “twisting and turning to follow the spine of the mountain front from the Yukon Territory in Canada through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico all the way down to the hot deserts of Mexico”. It stretches some 3,100 miles. In Montana, the trail marks the divide between the mountains and the prairies.

“Imagine a mountain ridge that snakes like a knobbly spine all the way from the frozen Canadian Arctic down to the deserts of Mexico. The Blackfoot Indians called what we know as the Rocky Mountains and the Continental Divide ‘The Backbone of the World.’ Now imagine a footpath that runs along the base of the mountains following the ‘shoreline’ between the mountains and the plains twisting through stream gullies, unraveling over low ridges and around buttes running on for 2,000 to 3,000 miles.” So writes Peter Stark in July’s Smithsonian Magazine. Fragmentary evidence indicates that such a footpath existed, and it is/was called the Old North Trail. This ancient, sacred highway may have carried travelers from Canada to Mexico

“For 10,000 years inhabitants of North America used the Old North Trail, first on foot, then with dogs pulling cargo-laden travois, and finally with horses. Stark recreates part of the journey reflecting on what it might have been like to be an ancient traveler carrying trade goods such as obsidian for spearheads and seashells from the coast or visiting relatives, setting off on sacred missions, seeking a mate or just satisfying a curiosity about new lands.”

There is intriguing evidence that early travelers used a network of footpaths that crisscrossed North America and traveled thousands of miles long before Europeans arrived, even before the last ice age ended. As more physical evidence is uncovered along the Old North Trail, the stories and oral legends of the Blackfoot Indians take on new meaning.

“The possibility exists that the humans who crossed from Asia on the Bering Land Bridge about 15,000 years ago and populated North America might have found an ice-free corridor along the eastern slope of the Rockies, to the area where the Trail now runs. That means the Old North Trail may have carried the weight of one of the most significant human migrations of all time.”

Walter McClintock went to Montana with a US Forestry Service expedition in 1896. He spent the next four years living on the land with the Blackfeet. He was adopted into the tribe by Chief Mad Dog and got a chance to learn their traditions firsthand. In 1910 McClintock wrote the book ‘Old North Trail’.

Over a century ago Chief Brings-Down-the-Sun (Blackfeet) told Walter McClintock about the Old North Trail: “There is a well-known trail we call the Old North Trail. It runs north and south along the Rocky Mountains. No one knows how long it has been used by the Indians. My father told me it originated in the migration of a great tribe of Indians from the distant north to the south, and all the tribes have, ever since, continued to follow in their tracks.”

Many Native American cultures have passed on stories from generation to generation of a trail that stretched from Northern Canada to Mexico. Chief Brings-Down-the-Sun recalled the folklores passed down from his forefathers. “For 10,000 years aboriginal people of North America used The Old North Trail (from the Yukon Territory in Canada to New Mexico); first on foot, then with dogs pulling cargo-laden travois, and finally with horses.”

One of the best places to see the trail is off Teton Canyon Road near Choteau. Travel west from Choteau about 25-miles to find the trail’s entrance, where a sign off of highway 89 greets you with quotations from Pulitzer Prize winning novelist A.B. Guthrie marking the significance and mystery of the Old North Trail:

“Through this immediate region, hard by the mountains, ran the Old North Trail, Its starting point far to the north, its termination far to the south, its origins lost to the mists. It is a surmise that long-ago Mongols crossed the Bering Sea land bridge, found and marked their way south and became or merged with, our Indians of mountains and plains. History runs into mystery here.”

On the Blackleaf road leading to the mountain front you will find a large bolder, a road marker engraved with the name of this first route across the US, ‘The Old North Trail’. Other like markers can be found west of Dupuyer 17 miles on Swift Dam Road and out of Choteau on the North Fork of the Teton Road and South Fork of the Teton Road.

Along the trail near Choteau there are 23 stone cairns, or man-made way points, etched with the words ‘Old North Trail’; which has kept the trail alive and marked. The stone markers are made out of stone carried hundreds of miles from Canada on the Continental Glacier. A lot of the stones are smooth on one side, due to Buffalo rubs. Centuries of buffalo rubbing themselves on the rocks make them smooth to the touch and kind of greasy – Buffalo grease.

The Old North Trail is now becoming overgrown with moss and grass, but it was worn so deeply, by many generations of travelers, that the travois tracks and horse trail are still plainly visible. In many places today’s roads and towns have obliterated the Old Trail.

According to Chief Brings-Down-the-Sun, “It forked where the city of Calgary now stands. The right fork ran north into the Barren Lands as far as people live. The main trail ran south along the eastern side of the Rockies, at a uniform distance from the mountains, keeping clear of the forest and outside of the foothills. It ran close to where the city of Helena now stands and extended south into the country inhabited by a people with dark skins and long hair falling over their faces.” (Mexico)

“Chief Brings-Down-the-Sun’s father once told him of an expedition from the Blackfeet that went south by the Old Trail to visit the people with dark skins. Elk Tongue and his wife, Natoya, were of this expedition, also Arrow Top and Pemmican, who was a boy of 12 at that time. He died at the age of 95. They were absent four years. It took them 12 moons of steady traveling to reach the country of the dark-skinned people, and 18 moons to come north again.

They returned by a longer route through the ‘High Trees’; or Bitterroot country, where they could travel without danger of being seen. They feared going along the North Trail because it was frequented by their enemies, the Crows, Sioux, and Cheyenne. Chief Brings-Down-the-Sun stated he had followed the Old North Trail so often that he knew every mountain, stream, and river far to the south as well as toward the distant north.”

Kevin Maki’s research affirms that many historians believe as many as 12,000-years ago, humans began migrating from Asia to North America over a stretch of land they call the Bering Land Bridge, in what is now Alaska.

Supposedly, thousands of years ago, when the glaciers were taking up all the water there was a huge land bridge across the Bering Strait. According to theory, that’s where it started. Supposedly an ice-free zone formed kind of a corridor that they could pass through.

Perhaps the most intriguing and mysterious story of the trail can be found in Choteau at the Old North Trail Museum.” There, on display is a Roman bronze coin that was found in a tepee ring near the trail. One wonders how it could find its way to a tepee ring near Choteau.

It is believed “humans began migrating from Asia to North America over a stretch of land they call the Bering Land Bridge, in what is now Alaska. This would give credit to how a Roman bronze coin dating back to Emperor Hadrian, 117 to 138 A.D., could be found in a tepee ring near the trail.”

Chapter 31 of ‘Old North Trail’ covered a story told by Chief Brings-Down-The-Sun that described the main trail running south along the eastern side of the Rockies Mountains. “The Old North Trail hugged the Rocky Mountains for four reasons: (1) Drinking water was dependable and plentiful because numerous streams drained out of the mountains. (2) Those mountain streams were easier to cross compared with farther onto the prairie where they turned into broad, deep rivers. (3) One could scout from the various rock outcroppings and ridgelines. And (4) there were plenty of places to find shelter from storms or to hide from enemies. Chief Brings-Down-The-Sun also recalled the trail ran close to where the city of Helena now stands, and extended south into the country inhabited by a people with dark skins, and long hair falling over their faces.”

In former times, when the Indian tribes were at war, there was constant fighting along the North Trail. In those days, Indians, who wanted to travel in peace, avoided it and took to the forest.

The battles between tribes are evident by an Indian burial site near Antelope Butte just north the Knowlton Ranch in Teton County. Ori Knowlton states it was a running Indian battle along the Old North Trail and the burial site is where they buried their fallen warriors.

One day follow your spirit and travel an ancient highway of mystery and intrigue, a road now less traveled by.

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Even More Interesting Things About A Library

And now you know, it’s never too late to return a book. If you stumble across a forgotten library book that’s been hiding on your shelf for weeks, months, or even years, don’t be afraid to return it. In 2015, a former student at Wakefield High School Library in Wakefield, Virginia, named Eleanor Reed sent back a copy of The Underside of the Leaf. It was borrowed in 1981 and accidentally mixed in with the student’s family collection. In 2016, the granddaughter of a man who had taken out The Microscope and Its Revelations from Hereford Cathedral School in the UK returned the title 120 years after it had been “borrowed.”

Those late fees for unreturned items can add up. Libraries in larger cities can accrue millions in unpaid penalties. In 2016, the San Jose Public Library reported $6.8 million in delinquent fees, with 39 percent of members owing money. Some places will refer debts to collection agencies if a patron exceeds $10 in charges. Other institutions, like Queens Library in New York, will apply credit to fines if patrons come in for “reading time.” Sitting in the library with a book earns credit toward the amount owed.

One of the most overdue library books in the world was returned after 122 years. In 2011 Camden School of Arts lending library in Australia had a first edition of Charles Darwin’s Insectivorous Plants returned to them. The book had been checked out in 1889 and had lain among the book collection of a retired veterinarian before the library stamp was noticed and the book returned, some 122 years late.

Some libraries went to extraordinary lengths to make sure their titles remained on shelves. At Marsh’s Library in Dublin, Ireland, visitors hoping to peruse rare books in the 1800s were locked in cages until they were done reading.

The New York Public Library offers up more than just books. Members can borrow accessories like neckties and briefcases for people looking to complete an ensemble for a job interview.

If you’re in the mood to peruse the ties you will pass by Patience and Fortitude. Patience and Fortitude are the two lions outside the New York Public Library’s main location. The sculptures went up in 1911 and were originally named Leo Astor and Leo Lenox after the library’s co-founders, John Astor and James Lenox. They were later “anointed” as Lady Astor and Lord Lenox before getting their current names in the 1930s.

Many libraries offer free music that’s yours to keep. A service called Freegal allows patrons to download songs from a library of over 15 million tracks. In addition to meeting rooms, book sales, and research assistance, many libraries also offer passport application services that might help you avoid lengthy post office lines.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans call a library their workplace. As of 2020, there were approximately 163,810 librarians; 30,810 library technicians; and 69,650 library assistants working in the United States.

The Osmothèque is a library of smells in Versailles, France. Founded in 1990, the Osmothèque is a repository for perfumes and contains over 3,200 scents, some 400 of which are no longer made. The collection is an archive of perfume-making history, and many fragrance houses and parfumiers have kindly donated samples of perfumes, both current and historical, in order to safeguard their formulas.

It’s said that prolific writer Isaac Asimov is the only person to have published books which have been represented in nine of the ten major Dewey Classification System categories. The system was developed by Melvil Dewey in 1873. It’s been adopted by more than 200,000 libraries in 135 countries. The scheme works hierarchically by dividing knowledge into ten main subjects, meaning that books within the same subject group can be shelved together. It’s thought that the only category Asimov failed to produce a book in was “100 Philosophy.”

The Archivum Secretum Apostolicum Vaticanum or Vatican Secret Archive was created by Pope Paul V in 1612. It contains all the acts passed by the Holy See, plus papal correspondence, state papers and account books. The archive belongs to the reigning pope and when he dies it passes on to his successor. The use of the word “secret” in the title derives from the old usage of the word meaning private or personal—relating to the fact that the archive is, in effect, the private archive of the papacy. The archives have been available to researchers since 1881 and today contain items accumulated in over 600 archival groups (the earliest of which is from the eighth century) on 53 miles of shelving.

The Conjuring Arts Research Center was established in 2003 in Manhattan, New York. As a non-profit organization, its primary role is as a library for books on magic and related arts such as hypnosis, ventriloquism, juggling and sleight of hand. The library currently holds over 12,000 books on magic in numerous different languages and includes rare texts from the 15th century. The collection is especially strong on early magic, holding over 500 books on magic printed before 1700. As well as books the library holds a number of magic periodicals, has an extensive collection of manuscripts featuring magic methods, and holds some 20,000 items of correspondence between magicians.

You can visit the real-life Winnie-the-Pooh. A. A. Milne purchased a teddy bear from Harrods for his son, Christopher Robin, in 1921. The bear was named Winnie-the-pooh after a real bear named Winnipeg at London Zoo, and a swan who featured in Milne’s When We Were Very Young. In 1926, Milne and illustrator E H Shepherd brought Pooh and his friends alive in their beloved children’s book Winnie-the-Pooh. Since 1987 Christopher Robin’s original stuffed bear, plus his companions Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga and Piglet have been owned by New York Public Library where they are displayed, much to the delight of visiting children (and grown-ups).

The rare books library at Harvard only exists because of the sinking of the Titanic. Book collector and Harvard graduate Harry Elkins Widener perished during the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and as a result his mother, Eleanor Elkins Widener, endowed a library in his honor at Harvard. The Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library was established in 1915 and holds Widener’s personal book collection of 3,300 rare works at its heart. A legend persists that due to her son’s fate, Mrs. Widener made it a condition of her donation that all students must learn to swim. A second myth tells that she bequeathed an extra pot of money to ensure that all students could daily have ice cream for pudding as it was her son’s favorite dessert. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that either of these charming requests is true. So On Your Mark Get Set – Read at your local Library. There are lots of Tales of Tails. Just Stay Calm and Read On.

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Jackie Strandell Addition

The Wedsworth Memorial Library and the Town of Cascade are proud to announce that in memory of Jackie Strandell and her years of dedication to Wedsworth Memorial Library, the new addition is officially named the Jackie Strandell Addition. Two plaques were installed with ‘Jackie Strandell Addition’ and ‘Dedicated to Jackie’s years of service 1978 – 2012’ on Tuesday July 5, 2022.

Jackie Strandell passed away on March 8, 2022. She entered her library world in September 1978, when she was hired as Substitute Librarian. Four years later, in October 1982 she moved up to assume the role of Library Director.

Jackie loved serving as Library Director, and it wasn’t just a job to her. She enjoyed the people who used the library, her many colleagues on the Library Board, and her associations with other Library Directors across the State. She always had the needs and interest of Wedsworth Memorial Library foremost in her mind and was a well-respected member of the Montana Library Association.

During her tenure Jackie continued to champion efforts to improve library facilities and services. In 1990 she spearheaded efforts for significant remodeling to enlarge and modernize the library. This included improved areas for a children’s Story Hour and for more storage.

As the years passed, Jackie recognized the need for additional room for stacks to house the growing book and media collection, a larger area for computer stations, a dedicated meeting room, an area for patrons to relax and read or study, and yes, air conditioning! For this purpose, Jackie dreamed of expanding the library by adding on an addition and remodeling the old space.

To this end, in November 2005 she helped to form the Friends of the Library for the sole purpose of raising the funds necessary to accomplish the above, as well as providing for future needs of the library.

Jackie was a force to be reckoned with. She had her goal and worked hard to achieve it. It was her drive and focus that brought the expansion and remodel to successful fruition. In 2012 the shell and outside of the new addition was completed; and in June of 2015 Jackie officially cut the ribbon and was the first person to step through the opening from the old to the new. In September of that year Jackie retired after serving the library for thirty-three years.

Three years later, in July 2015, the beautiful new addition was officially opened to the public. Jackie’s forward thinking, and guidance meant the library entered an elite class.

Even after retirement part of her heart remained with the library and she continued to champion its success. Wedsworth Library’s current achievement and growth are due in large part to Jackie’s vision, hard work and love. Her memory will live on with the “Jackie Strandell Addition’.

Wedsworth Library will be holding a ribbon cutting ceremony/open house with the Strandell family and Library Board members associated with Jackie’s term of Director at a future date. Please stay tuned for updates when plans are finalized

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Interesting Things About A Library

Do you remember or did you know that all fiction is alphabetized in the Library? This means book are sorted by authors and the authors are in alphabetic order. The movies are in alphabetic order by title. So, when you browse remember to keep all in alphabetic order.

Jake Rossen has accumulated many fascinating facts about libraries. Most of the following come from his collection. The oldest library in the world dates from the seventh century BC. Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie was a one-man library-funding machine. Carnegie donated $55 million ($1.6 billion in today’s dollars) between 1886 and 1919 to open 2509 libraries around the world, including 1679 in the United States. The last Carnegie library to be built was the New Liskeard branch of the Temiskaming Shores Public Library.

Many early libraries were built with apartments on the top floor. Carnegie funded several New York City libraries, and those buildings were often constructed with apartments on the top floor. The idea was that the library’s custodians would have living quarters so that they could keep shoveling coal into furnaces at all hours of the day and night.

The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. The world’s biggest library in terms of catalog depth is the Library of Congress (LOC), which has 168 million items. That record is a rebound from a calamity in 1814, when the then-14-year-old collection of 3000 volumes was destroyed after British troops burned the Capitol building.

The Library of Congress pays to reproduce popular magazines, including Playboy, in Braille. The LOC is so devoted to making knowledge available to everyone that it pays to reproduce popular magazines in Braille. In 1985, an irate senator from Ohio named Chalmers Wylie lobbied to get them to stop publishing a Braille version of Playboy. It was reinstated after protests.

The Guinness Book of World Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from public libraries. There are 150 libraries around the world where you can check-out humans as a living book and listen to their stories. Want to work for the Central Intelligence Agency? At the CIA, you can earn up to six figures working in their library!

Librarians used to have to learn a specific style of handwriting called “Library hand”. The practice was prevalent in the late 1800s, when library pioneer Melvil Dewey—of the Dewey Decimal System fame—and other curators of early collections believed that legible handwriting was a must for card catalogs. The practice faded as typewriters grew in popularity.

At the end of the 19th century, library work was considered to be too overwhelming for women, and in 1900, the Brooklyn Public Library Association proposed building “a seaside rest home for those who had broken down in library service.” Thankfully, that is no longer the belief held by society. I don’t know maybe a rest home by the sea would allow me to Seas the day with a Good Book!

Benjamin Franklin started up a lending library in 1731. The Founding Father once started his own lending library in Philadelphia called the Library Company, but it required a subscription fee of 40 shillings. One of the oldest public libraries in the country opened in 1790 in Franklin, Massachusetts, where residents circulated books donated by Benjamin Franklin.

Texas is home to a gigantic Walmart-turned-library. The McAllen Public Library in McAllen, Texas, is housed in a converted Walmart location and might be the largest single-story library location in the country. The 123,000-square foot space has a computer lab, a cafe, and a 180-seat auditorium.

Vermont is home to a library that stretches across the U.S. border to Canada. The Haskell Free Library and Opera House sits directly on the border between the United States and Canada. You can walk in from Stanstead, Quebec, and walk out into Derby Line, Vermont. You don’t need a passport to cross the (literal) line running through the building, but you do have to return to your country of origin or risk fines.

Bats can be a library’s best friend. The Joanina Library at the University of Coimbra in Portugal has a number of bats in residency, but no one is calling for an exterminator as the bats prey on insects that could damage book pages. Staff drape tables with coverings overnight and clean up the guano in the morning.

Not all libraries expect publishers to do the heavy lifting. Some libraries also dabble in publishing. The Bethlehem Area Public Library in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has a publishing arm that released two books in 2018: ‘Home At My Typewriter’-Selected Poems by Bob Cohen and ‘A Journey’ by Matt Wolf. Library staff helped to design and edit the titles.

A dirty book is mostly dangerous to the book itself. The only danger a dirty book poses is to the book itself, as dust can trap moisture that can damage pages. That’s why the Boston Public Library has a machine dubbed the Depulvera that acts like a miniature car wash for books, using a conveyor system to blast dirt from volumes.

Not all libraries require silence. The Tikkurila Library in Vantaa, Finland, has a karaoke room with thousands of songs for guests to perform. (Finland is home to a lot of karaoke-loving citizens.) Fortunately, all that warbling doesn’t rise to the level of a disruption: The room is soundproof.

There’s a library in Alaska that has a taxidermy collection (yes, you can use your library card to borrow them). Patrons of the Alaska Resources Library and Information Services in Anchorage can borrow from their collection of taxidermy items, including animals, bones, and furs. Bear and wolf fur are among the more popular requests because they’re often used in Boy Scout promotional ceremonies; Harry Potter fans opt for snowy owl mounts. Borrowers are asked not to remove specimens from their glass containers.

A Yale University library used to allow stressed-out students to borrow a therapy dog. The Lillian Goldman Law Library at Yale University used to allow patrons to check out General Montgomery, a.k.a. Monty, a border terrier mix and certified therapy dog, for 30 minutes of companionship. Sadly, Monty has since passed away. Stay tuned for more interesting facts about libraries. Stop by your local library and learn a bit about its history. There are Oceans of Possibilities to Seas the Day with a good book.

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Fireworks and Hot Dogs

For many, the 4th of July is an excuse to relax in the sun, toss back a few drinks, watch some hometown softball, and watch fireworks, but the history of Independence Day is much richer and more exciting than one might believe.

We didn’t actually declare independence on the 4th of July. One of the greatest misconceptions of the 4th of July lies in the name and date. It is widely believed that America declared their independence from Britain on July 4, 1776. However, the official vote actually took place two days before and the “Declaration” was published in papers on July 4.

Only two men signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Charles Thompson and the infamous John Hancock were the only ones who actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The other 54 delegates signed over the course of the next month.

One of those who signed, later recanted the Declaration of Independence. Richard Stockton, a lawyer from New Jersey, became the only signer of the Declaration of Independence to recant his support of the revolution after being captured by the British in November 1776 and thrown in jail. After years of abusive treatment, and his recanting of loyalties, Stockton was released to find all of his property destroyed or stolen by the British. His library, one of the finest in the colonies, was burned to the ground.

The average age of the signers was 45 years. Of the 56 signers, the youngest signers, Thomas Lynch Jr. and Edward Rutledge of South Carolina, were only 26. Benjamin Franklin was the oldest signer at 70 years old.

Three presidents who signed the Declaration of Independence died on July 4 –John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe, who served as US’s second, third and fifth president, respectively. Thomas Jefferson, 82, and John Adams, 90, both died on July 4, 1826 within five hours of each other on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Though the holiday might seem like it had it out for former presidents, there was one future leader born on Independence Day. The country’s 30th Commander-in-Chief, Calvin Coolidge, was born on July 4, 1872.

Did you know that there is something written on the back of the Declaration of Independence, and no, it isn’t a treasure map written in invisible ink? According to the History Channel, a simple message is written upside-down across the bottom of the signed document that reads, “Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776.” According to the same article, no one knows who wrote this or when, but it was believed to have been added as a label during the years of the Revolutionary War when parchment was frequently rolled up for transport.

The Designer of the 50-Star Flag Lived in Lancaster, Ohio. In 1958, a history teacher assigned a class assignment to redesign the national flag as both Alaska and Hawaii neared statehood. Robert G. Heft, who was 16 at the time, designed a new flag using the old 48-star flag and $2.87 worth of blue cloth and white iron-on material. His design earned him a B-minus to which he challenged by sending it to Washington D.C. to be considered by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. According to his obituary, Heft was one of thousands to submit a flag design but he was the only person who actually stitched together a flag and ship it to D.C. Once the flag was selected, Heft’s grade was changed to an A. His design became the official flag in 1960.

Americans will enjoy 150 million hot dogs over the 4^th. According to the National Sausage and Hot Dog Council (NHDSC), Americans are expected to eat 150 million hot dogs over the July 4th holiday.

So, come to Cascade’s 4^th of July softball tournament/BBQ and enjoy your hot dog. Matter of fact stop on by the softball tournament on Sunday July 3^rd. Games start at 4:30 with peanuts and hot dogs. Then carry on over to the 4th for the same with games starting at 8:30. Got to be an early riser for those, but we will have breakfast food and coffee for those that are in the need.

We love fireworks – $1 Billion worth. Fireworks date back as a tradition of Independence Day as early as the first anniversary in 1777. According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, Americans spend more than $1 billion on fireworks each year. Out of this, only 10% of firework displays are set off professionally, which probably accounts for the estimated 12,900 firework-related emergency room visits across the country.

So, add your numbers (not the ER visits!, but the amount spent on buying these fabulous displays) to this total and buy your fireworks from Cascade’s Lions Club who will have their booth across from the old NAPA store on Main Street. Celebrate the 4^th in style and a little bit of dazzling, blazing, shimmering, glittering, sparkling, glowing, glimmering, and twinkling. (Thought you needed some thesaurus there to add a bang to your day!)

The very first 4th of July fireworks show took place in Philadelphia in 1777. Independence Day was once celebrated on July 5. The holiday fell on a Sunday in 1779, so the country celebrated on July 5th instead. Stay or come to Cascade’s fabulous display on the night of the 4^th. Matter of fact come to the softball games, stay for the delicious BBQ, eat your hot dogs all day long, and then cuddle under a blanket for the best display this side of the Mississippi, or at least around here.

An estimated 2.5 million people lived in the nation in July 1776. As of July 2021, about 331.8 million people live in the U.S., according to the United States Census. Guess we added a person or two.

The Liberty Bell rings 13 times every Independence Day to honor the 13 original states. Descendants of people who signed the Declaration of Independence tap the bell, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 2 p.m. eastern time every 4th of July.

Did you know there are 33 places in the United States with the word “liberty” in their names? According to the U.S. Census, four of them are counties — Georgia, Florida, Montana and Texas have a Liberty County.

Massachusetts recognized the Fourth of July as an official holiday on July 3, 1781, making it the first state to do so. July 4th was not deemed a federal holiday until 1870. Congress didn’t begin designating federal holidays until June 28, 1870, with the first four being New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. They decreed that those days were holidays for federal employees. However, the Fourth was a holiday “within the District of Columbia” only. It took years of legislation to expand the holiday to all federal employees.

Volunteer and support our wonderful free activities around the 4th, whether they be the softball games or the fireworks display. Even love the pool. Stop and appreciate the day. Take time just to enjoy life. There are Oceans of Possibilities to Seas the Day with a great book.

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An Ocean of Possibilities

Children learn about communication, language, storytelling, and letters long before they actually learn to read and write, and this is where early literacy comes in. Research on early literacy and child development indicates that it is never too early to start preparing children for reading success.

Children who have been read to from an early age have a larger vocabulary, acquire better language skills, and are more likely to want to learn to read than children who have not been read to. In addition, research has shown that children need to develop certain skills in order to fully benefit from the reading instruction they receive when they arrive at school.

Did you know that Children who participated in their public library’s summer reading program scored higher on standardized tests than those who did not participate? Children who participate in their public library’s summer reading program score higher on assessment tests at the beginning of the school year than those who do not participate. By the end of third grade, children who participated in their public library’s summer reading program have better reading scores than those who did not participate.

Enjoy a different pond of fish. Find a new author. It’s easy to participate; the adventures are endless because a good book can take you anywhere; reading can improve your health and happiness at any age; and last but not least, reading is lots of fun!

This year Summer Reading program explores the ocean so we will be swimming in a new ocean and providing a new hook to hook our youth on reading. We will provide to the youth who wish to participate in our Summer Reading program a book, entertainment item, and craft ideas/project; all in a bag that is colorable.

We’ll be exploring the ocean this summer so let’s head out and explore as Ms. Frizzle would say from “The Magic School Bus”. Did you know there are more historic artefacts under the sea than in all of the world’s museums? Around 1,000 shipwrecks lie off the Florida Keys alone, some of which are within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Other underwater museums have been created in recent years, including the Mediterranean’s submerged bronze statue, Christ of the Abyss. What lies at the bottom of the ocean and twitches? A nervous wreck.

We still only know a fraction of the marine species in our oceans. According to the World Register of Marine Species there are now 240,470 accepted species, but this is believed to be just a small proportion of the species that exist, with new marine life being discovered every day. What did one tide pool say to the other tide pool? – Show me your mussels.

Great white sharks congregate en masse every year at a remote spot in the Pacific Ocean known as the White Shark Café. Whale sharks are not whales. Whale sharks are fish like other sharks. They were named after whales because they are the biggest of all sharks. When is a fish not a fish? When it’s a Jellyfish!

Over 70 per cent of our planet’s oxygen is produced by the ocean. It’s thought that between 70 and 80 per cent of the oxygen we breathe is produced by marine plants, nearly all of which are marine algae. When does the Arctic Ocean have no water? When it’s on a map.

It’s possible to find rivers and lakes beneath the ocean. When salt water and hydrogen sulfide combine, it becomes denser than the rest of the water around it, enabling it to form a lake or river that flows beneath the sea. What did one wave say to the other wave? – Nothing. It waved!

Not only does a large part of the planet exist beneath the ocean, so does the United States – around 50 per cent. The Pacific Ocean is the world’s largest ocean and contains around 25,000 islands. Sweden at number one has 267,570 islands, while Norway comes in at #2 with 239,057 islands and Finland follows at 3 with 178,947 islands in the Bering Sea.

According to researchers from ETH Zurich and the University of Miami, some of the largest ocean eddies on Earth are mathematically equivalent to the mysterious black holes of space. These eddies are so tightly shielded by circular water paths that nothing caught up in them escapes. These are areas of the ocean where the current sucks the water inward in a vortex-like fashion (they’re called maelstroms).

The deepest valleys and the tallest mountains on earth are found under the ocean. The deepest part of the ocean is approximately 36,200 feet deep. What happens when you throw a green rock into the Red Sea? – It gets wet.

Hydrothermal vents, also known as deep sea vents, are an opening in the ocean floor from which super-hot water mixed with hydrogen sulfide gas flows. They can reach up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit. A vent is formed when seawater seeps into cracks of the ocean floor. The water touches super-hot rocks inside the earth, then the hot water shoots up out of the vents. The first vents were discovered in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Special bacteria manufacture their own food using heat energy and hydrogen sulfide gas from the vents. This food supports much of the life at the vents. At a hot-water vent there is enough food for many large animals. Before the 1970’s and ‘80s ocean scientists had never seen such large unusual animals like those on the deep ocean floor around the hot-water vents.

Coral reefs are made of tiny animals called coral polyps. Colorful one-celled algae live inside coral polyps, which give the coral its color. Without algae, all coral is plain white. Corals need algae, if the algae die, the coral die too. Each coral polyp grows a stony skeleton around itself. Most corals feed at night. Tiny arms come out of a coral’s stony skeleton. The arms catch plankton and pass it into the corral’s mouth.

Just one milliliter of ocean water can contain approximately 10 million viruses. In fact, the number of viruses in the ocean outnumbers the amount of stars in the Milky Way. These viruses do play an important role in the ecosystem, and many are not harmful to humans.

Need to know more about the ocean, stop on by we have an ocean of possibilities. There is no app to replace your lap, so read to the little ones. Take a dive and find a treasure under the sea. Stop on by the library to pick up a summer reading kit.

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I Do, part 2

Many circumstances shaped Montana’s weddings. The state’s historic ethnic diversity had an immense impact. Etiquette of the time also played a large part, but the coming of the railroad transformed not only Montana but brought all the amenities of the Eastern life to the West. Hothouse flowers from Portland and Minnesota could now decorate the most elaborate wedding festivities. The latest Bridal fashions could be had more easily. This even affected the wedding gifts. Now choice wedding gifts began to appear, transported from the coast or back East.

So weddings became dependent on the train schedules. Late trains delayed the start of weddings if attendees, especially family of the wedding couple, did not arrive as scheduled. Wedding times often were set according to the train schedules so the couple could meet guests or leave for their post wedding party. Sometimes the train schedule meant whether the minister arrived on time or not at all. Late trains often meant the couple could not leave as expected for a honeymoon.

“A very elegant wedding held in Great Falls in 1906 was also timed around the train. Miss Bishop and Mr. Giboney married unfashionably early at the Episcopal Church – the wedding had to be early so that the young couple could get off on the 9:30 train. The bride’s mother set her watch exactly with her husband’s so that the march could be started on the dot, punctual to the minute. The Bishop-Giboney wedding was a large one and the people began to arrive at 7 a.m.”

Couples could jump on a train and head to a larger community and be married. Lutheran pastor S. J. Fretheim lived in Plentywood in northeastern Montana at the height of the homesteading boom. He calculated between 1910 and 1919 he officiated at over 300 weddings, 250 of which were held in the parsonage parlor. Often couples traveled alone to obtain his services, perhaps catching a ride to town on the milk train before walking to his house and knocking, unannounced, at his door. Small ceremonies and large receptions was the norm.

One of the ways trains most affected Montana weddings was by increasing the number of newcomers. Thousands wanted to claim a homestead. Homesteading attracted families as well as single men and women. More singles meant more weddings. Some marriages centered around the ability of a female to file on a homestead which enriched the situation

The optimism of the 1910’s and 20’s passed into war, drought, and depression. Weddings became a much simpler affair. During the war years, rumors emerged that married men would receive military deferment. So an epidemic of weddings took place. Unfortunately the rumors were false. It was common for the bride to be far younger than the groom.

In 1935 Montana joined the list of states to require a medical examination as a prerequisite to marriage. It was instituted to check the spread of TB and venereal diseases.

The “gin marriage Law” was written to prohibit the clerk from issuing marriage licenses to intoxicated applicants. It was a poorly written law that imposed unreasonable testing requirements. Therefore some married without a license. Most headed to Wyoming and Idaho. Businesses in Montana lost so much business because weddings in Montana practically ceased to exist, that they launched a campaign to repeal the law.

In 1961 the Montana legislature enacted a law requiring couples to apply for marriage licenses five days before the wedding. The waiting period was reduced to three days in 1975 and lifted in 1987. Intending to encourage couples to think twice before they married, the law did not change the trends that inspired it.

For some couples, the wedding itself, perhaps followed by a restaurant meal, was the extent of the ceremony. Many, however, returned home to a wedding feast, lovingly prepared by their mothers and sisters. Fretheim remembered, “Wedding receptions in early days were among the main social events of the community. . . . Sometimes, both wedding and reception were held at home.

Camilla Anderson, whose family homesteaded in eastern Montana, remembered her sisters’ double wedding, held June 1, 1910: Everyone was invited to the wedding, and about that many came. They came on horseback, in buggies, and in wagons. . . . Two huge tables were set up, seating possibly thirty to thirty-five people.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, most middle-class Protestant couples married at the home of the bride’s parents. In preparation, the bride’s mother and sisters would decorate the house with flowers, set the table with their best china and linens, and cook the celebratory meal.

Overall Montanans primarily took their cues from the “Old Country” when it came to planning weddings. In fact, in 1920 two-thirds of Montanans were immigrants or the children of immigrants. In rural Europe, from whence many Montana immigrants came, workers interspersed long grueling days in the fields with raucous community celebrations.

Russian-German weddings could last up to three days. At the wedding reception of John and Christina Krenzler, schnapps and beer flowed liberally. The couple married on February 22, 1912, at the homestead. Dinner was served from noon to nightfall continuously. Everyone wore his Sunday-go-to meeting best.

In Anaconda, Croatian immigrants continued the tradition, with “two- to three-day celebrations of feasting, drinking, singing, and dancing.” Red Lodge Finns abandoned the three-day festivities that marked nuptials in rural Finland but still sometimes celebrated marriages with large processions escorting bride and groom to the site of the wedding. In 1898, for example, “fifteen bridesmaids and a like number of grooms in-attendance,” led by the Miners’ City Band, marched with coal miner Gust Sikkila and Alena Bloom “from the home of the bride to the Finnish Temperance Hall, where Reverend Alek Sandstrom married the couple.”

Whether accompanied by a procession or celebrated with lefse and lutefisk—or tuna fish and moonshine—weddings of old rarely matched our current cultural ideal of a “white wedding.” Gowns were designed for double duty. Little money meant many brides chose dresses that they could recycle into church or everyday clothes. Most just wore a blouse and skirt, as they couldn’t afford a fancy dress to be worn only once. Often the wedding gown was designed with the idea of refashioning the garment into a more usable dress once its’s initial function was completed.

Only the wealthy could afford a fancy “white wedding.” Such weddings existed, but they were reserved for the wealthy. “Margaret Carter, sister of attorney (and later Montana senator) Thomas Carter, wore a cream-colored silk dress trimmed with Spanish lace, a court train, and a long tulle veil when she walked down the aisle of the Helena cathedral to marry millionaire mine owner Thomas Cruse in 1886. However, brides like Mary Sheehan Ronan were more typical. Ronan wore a home-sewn pearl gray dress for her 1873 wedding to Helena newspaper editor and later Indian agent Peter Ronan. ‘I had dreams of a white dress with a train, a bridal veil, and a wreath of orange blossoms, but when the time actually came I considered conventional things inharmonious with the simplicity and unconventionality of our way of living,’ she recalled.”

Fantasies of white weddings grew during the twentieth century. They were “fueled by happily-ever-after Hollywood movies, society-page reports of celebrity nuptials, and a growing wedding industry (heralded in 1934 by the first magazine devoted entirely to wedding planning).” However, the stark realities of the Great Depression and World War II meant that such weddings were out of most Montanans’ reach.

As one Brockton, Montana, bride remembered about her choice of a salmon-colored, ankle-length satin dress for her 1932 wedding: “I could not in good conscience buy a fancy white dress that I would wear only once and then pack away in a trunk. The one I chose I could wear to dances later. I wore it a lot.”

“On August 15, 1880, Millie Priest, the daughter of Valentine Priest, who built and maintained the toll road over Priest Pass in the mountains west of Helena, married Clarence Goodell, the son of a Helena-area homesteader. Her headdress marks her as a bride, but she likely intended to wear the dress again. The practice of recycling wedding dresses was so common that Ladies Home Journal advised brides sewing wedding dresses to use plenty of fabric so “you will always be able to make it over into another style.”

WWI became the turning point in women’s fashion. Women turned from the traditional dress to dress more in tune with the fashion of the day. Dresses often embraced the shift. Dresses offered the brides the opportunity to live their fashion fantasies.

It was not until after World War II that church weddings with white-gowned brides became common. In the 1950s, “a booming economy and technological innovations—like the development of nylon (much more affordable than silk)—brought formal weddings formerly reserved for the upper class into reach for ordinary Americans.”

What does it mean that wedding traditions evolved over time and continue to do so? Simply that weddings, “while shaped by the desires of individual couples and families, also reflect larger cultural and historical circumstances. As such, they offer both good stories and new insights into the lives of our forebears. Wedding stories illuminate the lives of those who came before. And because weddings remain an important ritual today, a look at how they have been celebrated in the past also sheds reflective light on our own lives and choices.”

Need to know more? Immerse yourself in Martha Kohl’s I Do.

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I Do from a Long Time Ago

Spring is in the air and it is time for those June Brides. Weddings are excellent vehicles for documenting the lives of people and offer a unique window to our past. Much has changed over the years as the brides of yesteryear often dealt with a much different, often difficult, set of circumstances. Yesterday’s was more of an ‘adapt to the surroundings’ and be thankful. A far cry from today’s thousands of dollars affair.

What is a traditional wedding? Most young women will paint a visual picture of a lavish church ceremony with a large number of friends and family in attendance. There will be multiple bridesmaids, a ring bearer, a flower girl, a bride in a long white dress followed by a large catered meal with dancing.

Historical circumstances and cultural ideals have played an important role in shaping Montana weddings. A traditional wedding is actually a fairly recent event in Montana. Geography, transportation, ability and willingness to adapt, population, cultural traditions and plain lack of or abundance of money all played an enormous part in yesteryear’s weddings.

Whether a couple marries in front of two witnesses or their family and friends, weddings are worth remembering. And wedding stories are worth telling because even the simplest story opens a window into the past. “They provide insight into the past while asking viewers to reflect on what changes in wedding traditions can tell them about the larger cultural changes.”

In the 1860’s life was about survival. Quickly assembled earthen roofed houses, tents, and wagons provided living accommodations for the newly arrived. For those who fell in love in those rugged times a territorial wedding meant unique adjustments to a girl’s dream wedding. Montana’s isolation could easily mean that a wedding would be held in a log cabin far from the brick church or the parlor of a nicely furnished house. Details of marriage ceremonies in the 1860’s were not reported due to a sense of modesty. They were considered too private to expose to publicity. Newspapers did print announcements that provided suggestions about the weddings.

There was a severe lack of ministers, priests and rabbis to solemnize the vows. The territorial law however provided that any judge, justice of the peace or minister could perform a marriage ceremony. The only legal requirement was public recognition of the marriage.

Post wedding meals with elegant suppers, sumptuous receptions with the luxury food items were few and far between. Most often not, there were no fancy parties. The food was just adjusted. There was generally no fancy pastries, but only some spiffed up every day food; if the bride and groom were lucky.

The marriage between Henry Plummer and Electa Bryan at Sun River provides a rich window in time of a territorial wedding. On June 20^th, 1863 “all the inmates of the fort assembled in the best room to witness the marriage by Father Minatre of the St. Peter’s Mission, of Miss Electa Bryan to Mr. Henry Plummer.” Merchant Francis Thompson served as Electa’s ‘bride maid’ wearing “moleskin trousers neatly foxed in places, a black cloth coat and vest and buffalo skin shoes.” The best man was Joseph Swift, Jr. who wore “sheep’s gray pants boxed and patched with buckskin, a pretty red and white sash and a grey flannel shirt and moccasins, both of which were made for one foot.” Electa’s wedding breakfast consisted of buffalo hump and bread made of corn meal.

Imagine marrying, as did Miss Leonard and Mr. Langford on a Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m., October 24. Your wedding guests will throw a large, formal ball the following Wednesday. After your church ceremony, you invite a few select friends to call at your new house for a small pleasant informal gathering. Toward the end of the evening, however, “a crowd assembles with trumpets, bells, kettles—anything in fact that will make a noise. It is kept up, until the bridegroom appears, takes the crowd to the nearest barroom and treats.” This custom, called a chivari, remained common in Montana well into the 1930s and was a community’s way of welcoming young people to the institution of marriage. The rise and fall of chivaris reveals just one way weddings have changed from earlier times.

The Friday June 7, 1935, wedding of Butte miner Tom McHugh and store clerk Jule Harrington suggests another. The couple originally planned to marry on June 6, but then someone told Jule that Father Nolan, her parish priest, “was graduating the eighth grade at our Mass.” When she called the priest, he confirmed the rumor. “So,” she remembered, “I asked him if we could have another Mass, and he said there was only one. I asked for another day and he said okay. We couldn’t have Wednesday because Ceil and Vince Petrino had that, so we had to take Friday. . . . We ended up at Gamers for poached eggs for our breakfast—no meat on Fridays then. Prohibition was getting over, so our reception was cheese, tuna fish, and moonshine. We had the reception up home, and it was a beautiful day.”

No priest today would ever suggest combining a graduation and a wedding, which makes the story of the McHughs’ wedding both revealing and thought provoking. How much else has changed over the last seventy-five years? There is no one single historic set of Montana traditions, but very few Montana brides experienced the large formal celebrations most people imagine when they think of a traditional wedding.

Montana territory lacked the close-knit bonds that helped regulate ‘sparking’ and prearranged marriages, unlike an established town on the East Coast or more settled communities. This helped provide more freedom for women to decide who to marry.

The men usually came west to make something of themselves and seek their fortune. This might have left behind a loved one. Therefore months or even years of correspondence were common before it was considered proper to marry or the men found the money to bring the young bride out west. Mining frontiers greatest scarcity was young singe women. These eligible women were often snatched up quickly, as the male-female ratio was easily 2-1.

Eastern immigrants often looked to their hometown for brides once they felt financial able to obtain a bride. Other European immigrants had more luck finding spouses in older ethnic enclaves in North Dakota or Minnesota. Other men had no one and had to rely on their friends to find prospective mates. At times saloon girls did provide eligible wives.

In unusual circumstances when ministers were rare, the ministers would marry multiple couples at a time. In 1878 near Miles City a minister officiated and united 100 couples at once. For the most part weddings were a short civil ceremony and not very elaborate. The middle class insisted on a more formal exchange of vows and a more elegant after repast after the ceremony.

In an attempt to lure people to Flathead county Fair in 1905, one of the largest oddest weddings took place in Kalispell. In the autumn of 1905, the Kalispell Bee advertised a wedding contest, a chance for one lucky couple to marry on the grandstand of the Flathead County Fair. The brave pair would receive over two hundred dollars’ worth of prizes donated by Kalispell merchants, including “everything from the county license to the wedding dinner . . . a picture hat for the bride, furniture and bric-a-brac, groceries, dream robes, even medical attendance one year after marriage.” Three couples submitted their names, and the paper kept the winners secret, promising only that they were “well-known, longtime Flathead County residents . . . young and good looking, both of them, and their appearance under the wedding bells will be a grand surprise on Friday afternoon.”

In this reality show of yesteryear, four thousand people turned out to witness the marriage between Maggie Pierson, “attired in a pink silk gown and . . . a large white picture hat,” and farmer Harry E. Crossley and to offer their congratulations in the fair’s floral hall. Few Montana weddings were as public, as quirky, or as much of a spectacle as the Crossleys’ fairground ceremony. More typically, Montana brides and grooms married at home or in church sanctuaries, parsonage parlors, or judges’ chambers.

Weddings also offered the opportunity to take family and community photographs. Large and unwieldly photography equipment meant brides and grooms often documented their vows with a special trip to a photography studio sometimes days or weeks after the actual event. By the 1940’s photography was a hobby for many. Couples often skipped an official photography studio for the local with a camera. At today’s weddings the photographer is on site and heavily involved in the activities and is still often the results of a friend’s camera.

Weddings provided an occasion not just for families to gather but for community to gather. They became a social event for the entire countryside. Everyone was invited and they came. There were no invitations with an RSVP. If you showed up you were in. Weddings were a perfect opportunity for everyone to catch up on gossip, see the newest family additions and satisfy the social starved rural inhabitants.

Stay tuned to see how the railroad affected Montana’s weddings and visit some of the unique marriage laws over time.

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That Ragged Old Flag

Pennsylvania became the first state to establish June 14 as Flag Day and a legal holiday in May, 1937. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation declaring June 14 be observed as National Flag Day. President Calvin Coolidge did the same in 1927. The United States Congress approved the national observance on August 3, 1949 and President Harry Truman signed it into law. . All Americans are encouraged to fly U.S. flags during that week

If we reflect what 13 folds of a flag mean, it can create an uplifting experience. The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life. The second fold signifies our belief in eternal life. The third fold is made in honor and tribute of the veteran departing our ranks, and who gave a portion of his or her life for the defense of our country to attain peace. The fourth fold exemplifies our weaker nature as citizens trusting in God; it is to Him we turn for His divine guidance. The fifth fold is an acknowledgement to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, “Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right, but it is still our country, right or wrong.”

The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The seventh fold is a tribute to our armed forces, for it is through the armed forces that we protect our country and our flag against all enemies. The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor our mother, for whom it flies on Mother’s Day. The ninth fold is an honor to womanhood, for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty, and devotion that the character of men and women who have made this country great have been molded. The 10th fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since he or she was first-born. The 11th fold, in the eyes of Hebrew citizens, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The 12th fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost. The last fold, when the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, “In God We Trust.”

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Just a Playin

We love to play at the Library and have lots of fun to entertain ourselves and everyone who walks through our doors. Now the library is giving you the opportunity to play at home, in your outfit, in the field, or at the lake on your boat. Wherever you might feel like having a bit of play and fun to enjoy a book. What library do you know that allows you to check out play? Well you sure can check out a bit of Play at Wedsworth.

The State Library was able to secure some funding to provide a unique opportunity for your library and for you. They bought and gave to the library some Play. Well actually they gave us some Playaways.

So this is your Play away from the world around you. What are Playaways you ask? What is a Playaway at the library? Playaways are audiobooks packaged on a single small digital player. They are easy to use and contain a single pre-loaded audiobook. They are a little tiny device that easily fits in your pocket with a preloaded audiobook on it. You plug in the headphones and begin to enjoy literacy and fun!! We even provide the headphones and a battery.

Playaway is always ready. They are made durable for circulation and no internet or Wi-Fi is needed. The universal headphone jack and one AAA battery offers 30- plus hours of listening to pure joy. They would be perfect for that camping trip or the fishin trip and wonders of wonders – how about that huntin trip where there is nooo internet or electricity. Hiking – no problem. Running – no problem. Swimming – well actually there is a problem here.

So an audiobook that doesn’t require anything but you, yourself, and the little tiny book (gadget) with a set of headphones for a little bit of fun. You can take a walk and listen to your heart’s content. This is a pilot project for your library. We have a few kid’s and some adult’s Playaways for a variety of selection. There is a limited selection overall at this time. We will use this as a trial period. If there is a reasonable interest in this new product, we will expand the selections for all ages.

Stop by and inquire as inquiring minds want to know. Give us your thoughts. Check out a Playaway and go Play. Then let us know what you think – whether you like the system or not. We are blind without your input.

Speaking of blind. Our Blind Dates are going well. If you haven’t gone on a Blind Date organized by the Library, you truly don’t know what you are missing. You have missed out on an adventure. It was a bit slow to start, but once it caught on, the blind dates are rollin out the door.

As with Blind Dates not all turn out as expected. Someone did catch the One curve ball we threw in just for an adventure. It wasn’t really a bad experience – just a date that fell a bit flat, but the patron still had a great enjoyable adventure and a good laugh. Other than that, our Blind Dates are fantastic dates. So stop on by – we can set you up with Blind Dates and a Playaway adventure. What more could you want for a Summer of Fun?

Speakin of fun. We will be having a summer reading program held in a bit of a unique format. It will be another take home adventure for the kids. As soon as we get it set up, you will hear more about how it will work. It will only be fun, fun, fun for the whole family if you want. Who knew a library could be so much fun?

Just another reminder. You might miss out on all this fun if you forget that the day after Memorial Day the library will change to Summer hours – Mondays 9-1; 2-6 and then Tuesday through Friday we are open only 9-1.

Don’t forget to remember that this is a day for remembering the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States armed forces. Memorial Day and its traditions may have ancient roots. “While the first commemorative Memorial Day events weren’t held in the United States until the late 19th century, the practice of honoring those who have fallen in battle dates back thousands of years.

The ancient Greeks and Romans held annual days of remembrance for loved ones (including soldiers) each year, festooning their graves with flowers and holding public festivals and feasts in their honor. In Athens, public funerals for fallen soldiers were held after each battle, with the remains of the dead on display for public mourning before a funeral procession took them to their internment in one of the city’s most prestigious cemeteries. One of the first known public tributes to war dead was in 431 B.C., when the Athenian general and statesman Pericles delivered a funeral oration praising the sacrifice and valor of those killed in the Peloponnesian War—a speech that some have compared in tone to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

In May 1868, General John A. Logan, the commander-in-chief of the Union veterans’ group known as the Grand Army of the Republic, issued a decree that May 30 should become a nationwide day of commemoration for the more than 620,000 soldiers killed in the recently ended Civil War. On Decoration Day, as Logan dubbed it, Americans should lay flowers and decorate the graves of the war dead “whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.”

According to legend, Logan chose May 30 because it was a rare day that didn’t fall on the anniversary of a Civil War battle, though some historians believe the date was selected to ensure that flowers across the country would be in full bloom.”

Memorial Day didn’t become a federal holiday until 1971. American’s embraced the notion of “Decoration Day” immediately, but Memorial Day was a rougher road to become accepted.

Wearing a red poppy on Memorial Day began with a World War I poem by John McCrae, “In Flanders Field,” in which he gives voice to the soldiers who had been killed in battle and lay buried beneath the poppy-covered grounds. The bright red flowers began poking through the battle-ravaged land across northern France and Flanders (northern Belgium). The sight of the bright red flowers against the dreary backdrop of war inspired the poem. The poppy remains a symbol of remembrance to this day.

“There are some formal rituals still on the books: The American flag should be hung at half-staff until noon on Memorial Day, and then raised to the top of the staff. And since 2000, when the U.S. Congress passed legislation, all Americans are encouraged to pause for a National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. local time. The federal government has also used the holiday to honor non-veterans—the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated on Memorial Day 1922.”

Remember – Playaways, summer reading, changes of hours and fun, fun, fun, fun at your library. And last but not least – remember our fallen who gave their lives so we might have our freedoms.

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Changin to Summer

Summer has finally come. It will officially be summer at the library the day after Memorial Day no matter if it rains, snows, hails or blows. Times R a changing. Just a reminder: Wedsworth library will be changing to summer hours the day after Monday, May 30. Of course we will be closed on Monday to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Summer Hours are: Monday 9-1; 2-6; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9-1.

And to add to that note. Through the year a few patrons have checked out books. Notes have been mailed, but there are still some items out. Could you please check the school bag, the lockers, under the bed, under the car seat, behind the couch, in the dog cage, in the frig and freezer, in the garage; wherever that sneaky hidden book might be. Part of the problem at times, is the book was checked out to someone and then they left it at someone’s house or lent it to someone else or left it in someone’s car and have forgotten about it. I will have to start sending out notices for patrons to pay for these books. Unfortunately that can get rather expensive. So please take the time and look. Items may be placed in our book drop that is open 24/7 no questions asked.

Why are baseball stadium seats so cold? Because they have fans in them!

What runs around the field but never wins? A fence!

‘Beneath Flanders Fields’ is a fascinating tale of a little known era of World War I history. “While the war raged across Flanders fields, an equally horrifying and more dangerous battle was taking place underground” called the Tunnellers’ War. The Tunnellers’ secret war is one of the most unknown and mystifying conflicts of the Great War. “Specialist miners were employed to dig tunnels under No Man’s Land. The main objective was to place mines beneath enemy defensive positions.” Come explore the harsh world of the Tunnellers who crafted cookhouses, hospitals and living quarters underground. This book explores a part of history very few know about. There are excellent diagrams and pictures to provide that in depth exploration. The Tunnellers’ War played a crucial part in World War I.

Summer is finally headed our way (we hope, and unless Mother Nature provides another little joke and sends us more snow). Now is the time to find one of our new books and relax a bit. What better way to relax than to sit in the shade with a good book? Many new movies have made an appearance at the Library. Come enjoy a night of free entertainment with your family. We do not charge a fee to check out a movie or a book.

We are looking forward to what delights the Garden Club will be providing in all the barrels in Town. We know it is summer when they color up the town! Be sure and thank these wonderful ladies for all the work they do to keep the Town looking so bright and fresh.

ONCE AGAIN A HEADS UP: Wedsworth library will be changing to summer hours on Tuesday, May 31. Hours are: Monday 9-1; 2-6; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9-1. Once again don’t forget to change to Summer Hours for the Library or we will be here and you won’t.

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Busy as Beavers

Through the course of Life many of us have discovered a great many things: the post office key doesn’t work in the car and vice versa; things do not cook very well if you don’t turn the oven on; coffee tastes better if you actually add the water; and clothes come out cleaner if you put them in the washing machine before running through all the cycles.

Come discover your library. Every child deserves a best beginning. Wedsworth Memorial Library is a home for Montana’s D.P.H.H.S. Child Care Assistance program to help Montana families pay for child care costs. Stop on in and pick up an application for Family Connections of Montana Scholarships.

Need to know where to access free legal forms? Stop on by. W.M.L. has phone numbers and information on the Court Help Program which explains what the Self Help Law Centers can do for you.

Also on hand is info on the National Neighborhood Watch Program, how to prevent healthcare fraud, and the basics on Medicare Drug Coverage. Information on the Victim-Witness Assistance services provides local phone numbers to access help from various local government agencies.

Do you want to know what happened in the area 20 or 30 or a 150 years ago? Take a peek at the Cascade Courier on Microfilm. Many a fine story has been discovered by browsing through the files.

We are often busy as beavers here. Speaking of which. Did you know there is an International Beaver Day? Beavers Wetlands & Wildlife chose this day to observe beavers because it is the birthday of Dorothy Richards (1894 -1985), who vastly studied these animals for 50 years.

“They are considered “ecosystem engineers,” recognized for their ability to construct dams and create ponds. And while some might consider beavers to be pests, they can actually help us manage water-related issues such as drought, flooding, and water pollution.”

Did you know there are two species of beaver? The American beaver typically weighs 60 lbs. and are 23 to 39 inches long. The tail adds another 7.75 to 12 inches to its length, according to National Geographic. Before European settlement, there was an estimated 100 million beavers populating North America. By 1930 it is estimated that only about 100,000 of the animals had escaped commercial trapping.

“Eurasian beavers are around the same size. They usually weigh from 29 to 77 lbs. and are 29 to 53 in. in length,” according to the Animal Diversity Web (ADW) at the University of Michigan. Their tails are narrower and skulls are smaller than those of the American beaver. “Eurasian beavers once lived all over Europe and Asia. Now, they only live in small numbers throughout southern Scandinavia, Germany, France, Poland, and central Russia due to overhunting.”

Beaver’s rudder-like tail and webbed feel propel them through the water at 5 -6 mph and they can stay under water for around 15 minutes. Beaver kits can swim 24 hours after birth. They are the largest rodents in North America.

When building a dam, beavers set in motions a huge amount of ecological actions. The weight of a pond presses water into the earth where microbes filter out heavy metals and other pollutants. This underground waters cools as it flows and then seeps to the surface downstream. The wetlands created by the dams can absorb powerful floodwaters to reduce a flood’s destructive force. Snowmelt is captured and stored instead of causing massive runoff and erosion. Dams prevent snowmelt and rain from rushing downstream straight to the ocean.

Deep ponds that don’t freeze provide winter refuge for other wildlife. The deep ponds also trap sediment that would otherwise wash downstream and cover spawning gravel. Dam complexes have been known to slow or halt wildfires. The algae and plants in the pond improve water quality by absorbing dissolved nutrients, processing organic wastes, and detoxifying runoff toxins (e.g. heavy metals, pesticides and fertilizers). These wetlands serve as the “Earth’s Kidneys”.

Beaver ponds also recharge our drinking water aquifers, stabilize the water table, and better maintain stream flows during droughts. Beaver lodges help preserve local watersheds and habitat for wildlife and provide critical habitat to some migratory songbirds. Trees toppled into the water provide resting places for turtles, birds and other species.

All the extra water and vegetation is a boon to fish and wildlife. Moose, deer, otters, mink, muskrats, great blue herons, ospreys, bats, woodpeckers, and kingfishers are just some of the wildlife that benefit from the green meadows surrounding beaver ponds. Fish benefit from increased stream flows and the oxygenated emergence of cold water below beaver dams.

Some dams are several feet long, while others are hundreds or thousands of feet across. One massive beaver wetland complex in Alberta is visible from space with a dam stretching a half-mile long.

Beavers do cause concerns and the FWP are finding ways to find solutions to the problems. To solve the problem of flooding from the backed up water and lower water levels on flooded fields and roads, pond levelers are being installed to lower water levels without having to remove beavers and destroy dams. Crews are finding ways for co-existence between beavers and salmonids, along with finding ways to help increase Montana’s bull trout and graylings. Across the West, scientists and land managers are using artificial beaver structures to heal damaged streams, reestablish beaver populations, and increase water storage.

So stop on by and check out a magazine or book about beavers if you would like to find out more fascinating facts. Whether you pop in because your computer is on the fritz, make copies, grab a book, find a DVD, or check your email; we are here when you need us. Remember how important your library is to the community. There’s lots to find at the library. All you gotta do is stop by and take a peek.

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Challenges Libraries Face

It is always nice to see authors expound upon the importance of libraries. A book by Jojo Moyes ‘Still Me’ contains the following commentary: “You gotta have your places for community. You gotta have places where people can meet and talk and exchange ideas and it not just be about money, you know? Books are what teach you about life. Books teach you empathy. You shut a library, Louisa, you don’t just shut down a building you shut down hope.”

We generally talk about Banned books during Banned Book week, but with the current trials Libraries are facing in today’s social environment; it is time to revisit this issue. Access to books is central to learning and growth and book bans only harm communities.

Book bans are nothing new, but there were more censorship attempts in 2021 than at any time since the American Library Association began tracking more than two decades ago. As of April 7, 2022, the American Library Association revealed that it had tracked 729 attempts to remove library, school and university materials in 2021, leading to 1,597 book challenges or removals.

The battle that has started “is a dangerous expansion of secret censorship happening across the country. It is an opening salvo in a censorship battle that is unlikely to end well for proponents of free speech in this county.”

There are a growing efforts in communities across America where activists have mounted challenges to books and other content related to race, sex, gender and other subjects they deem inappropriate. Activists in several states, including Texas, Montana and Louisiana have joined forces with like-minded officials to dissolve libraries’ governing bodies, rewrite or delete censorship protections, and remove books outside of official challenge procedures.

“The danger is that we start to have information and books that only address one viewpoint that are okayed by just one certain group,” said Mary Woodward, president-elect of the Texas Library Association. “We lose that diversity of thought and diversity of ideas libraries are known for — and only represent one viewpoint that is the loudest,” said Woodward.

EveryLibrary, a national political action committee for libraries that tracks such challenges, said it has seen “dozens of new attacks” on libraries, their governing bodies and policies since the first of the year — in Texas as well as ongoing cases in Montana and Louisiana. In some cases, the challengers are being assisted by growing national networks such as the parental rights group Moms for Liberty or spurred on by conservative public policy organizations like Heritage Action for America, the ALA states.

Suzette Baker maintains “You’re taking away people’s freedom to read books and that’s not right. Your intellectual freedom, your mind, is one of the only things you ever truly own. You can’t go against that.”

Libraries are under attack. They are facing unique challenges today. Once these efforts start and become successful, where does it end? One can relate these challenges and efforts to the days prior to Nazi Germany.

“The books targeted for burning were those viewed as being subversive or as representing ideologies opposed to Nazism. These included books written by Jewish, communist, socialist, anarchist, liberal, pacifist, and sexologist authors among others. The initial books burned were those of Karl Marx and Karl Kautsky, but came to include many more authors, including Albert Einstein, Helen Keller, writers in French and English, and effectively any book that was not ardent in its support of Nazism.”

Some of the most controversial books in history are now regarded as classics. The Bible and works by Shakespeare are among those that have been banned over the past two thousand years. Many historians point to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin as the first book in the United States to experience a ban on a national scale.

Not only are these challenges endangering your right and freedom to read what you want and learn; they are endangering library staff.

Due to a dramatic uptick in book challenges and outright removal of books from libraries, ALA’s Executive Board and the Boards of Directors have released the following joint statement regarding attempts to remove materials:

“In recent months, a few organizations have advanced the proposition that the voices of the marginalized have no place on library shelves. To this end, they have launched campaigns demanding the censorship of books and resources. Falsely claiming that these works are subversive, immoral, or worse, these groups induce elected and non-elected officials to abandon constitutional principles, ignore the rule of law, and disregard individual rights to promote government censorship of library collections. Some of these groups even resort to intimidation and threats to achieve their ends, targeting the safety and livelihoods of library workers, educators, and board members who have dedicated themselves to public service, informing our communities, and educating our youth. ALA strongly condemns these acts of censorship and intimidation.

We are committed to defending the constitutional rights of all individuals of all ages to use the resources and services of libraries. We champion and defend the freedom to speak, the freedom to publish, and the freedom to read, as promised by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.

We stand opposed to censorship and any effort to coerce belief, suppress opinion, or punish those whose expression does not conform to what is deemed orthodox in history, politics, or belief. The unfettered exchange of ideas is essential to the preservation of a free and democratic society.

Libraries manifest the promises of the First Amendment by making available the widest possible range of viewpoints, opinions, and ideas, so that every person has the opportunity to freely read and consider information and ideas, regardless of their content or the viewpoint of the author. This requires the professional expertise of librarians who work in partnership with their communities to curate collections that serve the information needs of all their users.

In 1953, when confronted with comparable threats to our democratic values, the American Library Association issued the Freedom to Read Statement, a declaration in support of the freedom to think or believe as one chooses, the freedom to express one’s thoughts and beliefs without fear or retaliation, and the right to access information without restriction. ALA’s Executive Board, staff, and member leaders reaffirm not only the principles of the Freedom to Read Statement, but also the daily practices that ensure it continues to inform the profession and that library workers and library trustees have the training, information, tools, and support they need to celebrate and defend their communities’ right to read and to learn.

With the freedom to read under threat, the ALA, including its Executive Board, Divisions, Roundtables, and other units, stand firmly with our members, the entire library community, allied organizations, and all those across this country who choose to exercise their right to read and access information freely, and we call on others to do the same.”

So who do you want to choose what you read – you or someone else that doesn’t like your viewpoint or beliefs?

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Lovely As A Tree

“I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed Against the sweet earth’s flowing breast; A tree that looks at God all day, And lifts her leafy arms to pray; A tree that may in summer wear A nest of robins in her hair; Upon whose bosom snow has lain; Who intimately lives with rain. Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree.” Joyce Kilmer

Wedsworth Library celebrated Arbor Day with the Town of Cascade to honor the ancients, to celebrate nature, and of course encourage all to plant a tree today. It’s hard to overstate the importance of trees. They have been here forever it seems. Their introduction more than 300 million years ago was a “turning point for Earth to help transform its surface into a utopia for land animals.” Trees have fed, housed and otherwise nurtured countless creatures over time.

Trees are the longest living organisms on Earth. Believe it or not, trees didn’t exist for the first 90 percent of Earth’s history. Before trees, there were fungi that grew 26 feet tall. The first known tree, the Wattieza, was a leafless, fern-like plant from New York identified from 385 million-year-old fossils. Part of a prehistoric plant family; it stood 26 feet tall and formed the first known forests. It may have lacked leaves and grew frond-like branches with “branchlets” resembling a bottlebrush.

Scientists thought the Wollemia nobilis, a dinosaur-era tree, went extinct 150 million years ago, but was found growing wild in Australia. During the Jurassic Period it lived on the supercontinent Gondwana. These ancient trees were only known from fossil records. In 1994 a few survivors of one species were found living in the temperate rainforest of Australia’s Wollemia National Park. They are critically endangered and are often described as a living fossil. Only about 80 mature trees are left, plus some 300 seedlings and juveniles.

While Wollemia nobilis is the last of its genus, there are also other middle Mesozoic trees alive today. Ginkgo biloba, aka the ginkgo tree, dates back about 200 million years and has been called “the most ancient living tree.”

Dating a tree by studying its rings is called Dendrochronology. However, a tree’s rings don’t just reveal its age; they can also indicate the occurrence of natural disasters such as a volcanic eruption or a drought event. Tree rings can also predict climate change. Years of good growth results in a thick ring, whereas when resources were scarce or the tree encountered an unhealthy environment, a thin ring is seen.

Trees also help reduce the effects of climate change. A mature tree can absorb more than 48 pounds of carbon dioxide each year. In one year, an acre of trees can absorb as much carbon as produced by a car driven up to 8700 miles. In Chicago, trees remove more than 18,000 tons of air pollution each year.

Trees also reduce energy costs. Strategically planting trees and shrubs can save up to 25 percent on energy bills. A shade tree helps cool a home by as much as 20 degrees in the summertime. They provide shade in the summer and a windbreak in the winter.

Jack and his beanstalk have nothing on this reach for space. Some trees have been to the moon. “Moon trees” were grown from seeds taken to the moon during the Apollo 14 mission in early 1971. “NASA and the US Forest Service wanted to see if the moon’s orbit caused the seeds to grow differently back on earth. These trees were then donated to state forestry services in 1975 and 1976.

Trees reduce stress. Research suggests that a walk down a tree-lined street can be beneficial to our mental and social well-being. This is partly because trees release chemicals called phytoncides. When we breathe them in, it reduces blood pressure, lower anxiety levels, and increases pain threshold.

Trees can help you find your way if lost in the woods. In northern temperate climates, moss grows on the northern side of the tree trunk. The tree’s rings can help point you in the right direction too. If you’re in the northern hemisphere, you can see the rings of the tree grow slightly thicker on the southern side since it receives more light. In the southern hemisphere, the opposite is true, with rings being thicker on the north side. Just don’t forget what hemisphere you are in or you really could be lost.

More than half of all tree species exist in only one country. There are 60,000 tree species in the world and many are threatened with extinction. Brazil, Colombia, and Indonesia have the highest totals for native tree species. Until recently, there was no thorough global census of tree species. “But in April 2017, the results of a “huge scientific effort” were published in the Journal of Sustainable Forestry, along with a searchable online archive called GlobalTreeSearch. The scientists compiled data from museums, botanical gardens, agricultural centers and other sources, and concluded there are 60,065 tree species currently known to science.”

If a birdhouse is hung on a tree branch, it won’t move up the tree as the tree grows. That’s because trees grow from the top or their most distal ends, which means that a branch will always be the same height as the day it emerged from the trunk. Guess the birds won’t have to live in skyscrapers.

Trees improve water quality. Trees serve as natural sponges, collecting and filtering rainwater and releasing it slowly into streams and rivers. They also prevent soil from eroding, reduce storm water runoff, and lessen flood damage.

Trees communicate and defend themselves against attacking insects. Trees may look passive and helpless, but they’re savvier than they seem. Scientists have found that trees can flood their leaves with chemicals called phenolics when insects begin their raid. This also signals danger to other trees so they can start their defense. Willow trees, for example, emit certain chemicals when they’re attacked by webworms. Other willows then produce more tannin, making their leaves harder for the pests to digest.

Some trees emit chemicals that attract enemies of their enemies i.e. predators and parasites that kill the insects, which is essentially calling for backup. Songbirds provide valuable pest control. Trees in a forest can also ‘talk’ and share nutrients through an underground internet built by soil fungi.

Trees have symbiotic relationships with mycorrhizal fungi that live on their roots. The fungi help trees absorb more water and nutrients from the soil, and trees repay the favor by sharing sugars from photosynthesis. The fungi link each tree to others nearby, forming a huge, forest-scale platform for communication and resource sharing.

Most tree root systems stay in the top 18 inches of soil where growing conditions tend to be best. Some grow above ground or dive a few hundred feet deep. The lack of depth is offset by lateral growth. The root system of a mature oak, for example, can be hundreds of miles in length. Still, tree roots vary widely based on species, soil and climate. Bald cypress grows along rivers and swamps, and some of its roots form exposed “knees” that supply air to underwater roots like a snorkel. Similar breathing tubes are also found in the stilt roots of some mangrove trees, along with other adaptations like the ability to filter up to 90 percent of salt out of seawater.

On the other hand, some trees extend remarkably deep underground. Certain types are more prone to grow a taproot such as the hickory, oak, pine and walnut. Trees have been known to go more than 20 feet below the surface under ideal conditions. A wild fig at South Africa’s Echo Caves has reportedly reached a record root depth of 400 feet.

A large oak tree can consume about 100 gallons of water per day, and a giant sequoia can drink up to 500 gallons daily. As a bonus, trees have a knack for soaking up soil pollutants. One sugar maple can remove 60 milligrams of cadmium, 140 mg of chromium and 5,200 mg of lead from the soil per year, and studies have shown farm runoff can contain up to 88 percent less nitrate and 76 percent less phosphorus after flowing through a forest.

Trees provide food, housing and other benefits for a wide range of birds. Native trees create vital habitat for a variety of wildlife, from urban squirrels and songbirds to less obvious animals like bats, bees, owls, woodpeckers, flying squirrels and fireflies. By adding a single tree to a pasture, for example, the number of bird species was raised from near zero to 80.

One of the most fascinating things about trees is how long some can live. Clonal colonies (a group of genetically identical individuals), are known to endure for tens of thousands of years. Utah’s Pando aspen grove dates back 80,000 years, but many individual trees also stand their ground for centuries or millennia at a time. North America’s bristlecone pines are especially long-lived. One 4,848 years old pine in California was considered the planet’s oldest individual tree until 2013, when researchers announced they’d found another bristlecone that sprouted 5,062 years ago. The last woolly mammoths, for comparison, died about 4,000 years ago.

We still periodically pause to honor trees, with ancient holidays like Tu Bishvat as well as newer tributes like Arbor Day, the International Day of Forests or World Environment Day. Remember “He who plants a tree Plants a hope.”- Lucy Larcom Summer is the perfect time to sit under a tree and read a good book. From a small seed of reading, a mighty trunk may grow.

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Lady Bugs, Worms, Frogs and Cherry Blossoms

With the recent weather, we need to find those signs of spring and summer to see hope. And low and Behold we have it right up everyone’s alley.

We are a flyn on to the little things. Did You Know? Ladybugs are a type of beetle. These tiny little aphid-eaters are technically not bugs, but rather part of the beetle family. As we know, not all Ladybugs look the same. Most known is the red one with 7 spots. But some have no spots and others have up to 20 spots. Their markings are a warning and method of protection. The color sends off the message to predators that it may taste bad or be poisonous. They come in many colors, most commonly red, orange, yellow or scarlet with black dots on them. Some ladybugs have white spots and some even have stripes.

Orange-tinted ladybugs, which are mostly Asian lady beetles, tend to have the most toxins in their bodies. Therefore, they may be the most allergenic to humans. Red ladybugs tend to be more predatory and able to defend themselves. Red of course is a deterrent to larger predators. They also play dead to protect themselves. When startled they release a foul smelling liquid from their knees.

The origins of the name “ladybug” trace back to when European farmers would pray to the Virgin Mary to prevent their crops from being destroyed by pests. Ladybugs ate up the insects and were called “Lady beetles” after the Virgin Mary and have been loved by farmers ever since.

They live from 2 to 3 years and eat other small insects, fruit, and aphids and are known to eat their own eggs. They are found worldwide except cold places like the Arctic and Antarctica.

Let’s wiggle on over to that worm. Charles Darwin, best known for his theory of evolution, studied worms for 38 years. He even published a book on em in 1881 with his findings. In this book he suggested earthworms are the most important creatures on Earth. So what is so amazing and interesting about worms?

Did you know worms will become paralyzed if exposed to light for too long? You can identify adult breeding worms by their distinctive ring shaped band called a clitella. Worms mate by lining up their heads and attaching themselves together at the clitella. A cocoon is then formed at the clitella band. Yes, worms hatch from a cocoon. Wow, what we learn from a library!

A mature Red Wiggler worm can produce 2-3 cocoons per week. Cocoons are small, lemon shaped and yellowish gold colored. For Red Wiggler worms, the hatchlings inside the cocoon can take up to 11 weeks to mature before they hatch. Each cocoon usually hatches 2 to 4 baby worms. Cocoons can be dormant for years until conditions are right. Well that’s an odd fact.

The Gippsland Giant earthworm is one of the largest earthworms in the world. They average 3.3 ft. long, are 0.79 inches in diameter and can reach up to 9.8 ft. long. (Take a big fishing hook for this one.) The Gippsland Giant earthworm is a protected species only found in a small pocket of land near the bottom of mainland Australian. (So much for fishin.) When the Gippsland Giant earthworm was first discovered in the 1870s, it was mistaken for a snake. The largest earthworm ever found was in South Africa measuring 22 ft. long.

Worms are fast food processors, (wonder how many Big Macs they can eat?) and can digest about half of their body weight each day. A worm’s digestive system is a tube which runs straight from the front at the mouth and all the way to the rear.

So let’s jump on over to Frogs. Did you know frogs have ears? And did you know male frogs have bigger ears than females? Their ears are just behind their eyes.

We all know frogs ‘drink’ through their skin and are cold-blooded as they hibernate in winter. Frogs produce mucus from their skin to ensure they stay moist when they’re above the water. This helps them to breathe through their skin.

Frogs are an extremely ancient species. Recent evidence suggests that the species is over 265 million years old, and originates from the Permian period. There are fossils of complete frogs, which show that – physically – they haven’t changed much in this time!

There are around 7,300 species of frogs, but over a third of frog species are considered endangered. They make up most of the amphibian population on the planet. They’re tailless, webbed-footed short-bodied animals that live both in water and on land.

Because of the conditions they need to survive, habitats close to water or wetlands are ideal to live in. Habitats range from burrows underground, to the tops of tropical trees and swampy lakes.

Research suggests frogs have adapted to inhabit everywhere from subarctic regions to the humid heat of tropical rainforests. The only places they struggle to live in are freezing environments in the Polar Regions – although some frogs do live in the Arctic Circle. They don’t inhabit some of the world’s islands either, because the salty sea water would dehydrate them and frogspawn can’t survive in salt water. However they can live in deserts and in montane forests above 2.8 miles.

Some are poisonous, but their main form of defense is camouflage. Female frogs can lay thousands of eggs at a time. The biggest frog in the world is the goliath frog which is 30 cm long!

Frogs have really strong leg muscles which makes them incredible jumpers. Some bull frogs, which average 18 cm long, can leap over 2 meters – that’s ten times their length!

So you thought frogs just hopped, didn’t you?? So if someone told you they saw a flying frog would you think they were seeing things? But frogs do fly! Believe it or not. Flying frogs can glide for 12 to 15 meters, because of their extremely effective webbing between their fingers and toes. They leap from trees – expanding their webbing – and can glide up to 15 meters. Wonder how they get to the top of the trees though??

Frogs are known as environmental bellwethers. This is because they are so sensitive to changes in the environment, they are usually the first to be affected and so warn of environmental problems.

So frog or toad? There isn’t actually a biological difference between frogs and toads. Toads are just very warty frogs. We might have thought those warty toads weren’t frogs, but how about those Flying frogs, Suriname toads, Sedge frogs, Glass frogs, Poison frogs, and Wood frogs?

Suriname toads- female Suriname toads – have special skin on their backs, like bubble wrap. They protect their young by carrying their eggs – and tadpoles – on their backs in tiny bubble backpacks. This means the baby frogs hatch out of their mother’s backs!

Sedge frogs live in trees. The climbing African frog, for example, has super-sticky toe disks which stick to the bark of trees. Now we know how they get to the top of those trees.

Glass frogs are a family of frogs which have near-transparent (see-through) skin on their bellies for which they’re named. This means you can see glass frogs’ intestines, heart and liver! YUCK! They are found in the trees of Central and South American coastal forests.

Poison frogs are tiny rainforest-dwellers. They are brightly colored (often with amazing patterns) to warn predators of their toxicity.

Wood frogs are a species of frog that can withstand a yearly freeze! They can withstand being frozen throughout winter. Their blood contains a kind of ‘antifreeze’ like liquid which helps them to thaw when it’s springtime.

Let’s switch gears and turn our eyes to a beauty of nature, a time of renewal, and a symbolic flower of the spring. Cherry blossoms are a fleeting nature of life. Their beauty peaks around two weeks.

Why called cherry blossoms when there are no cherries to eat? Essentially, cherry trees and cherry blossoms are different varieties of cherry trees. A standard cherry tree has a focus put on producing delicious fruit while a cherry blossom places the focus on flowers. The Cherry Blossom tree’s flowers are nearly pure white, tinged with the palest pink, especially near the stem. They bloom and usually fall within a week, before the leaves come out. Therefore, the trees look nearly white from top to bottom. There are five petals on a cherry blossom.

Once the buds open, there’s an explosive chain reaction resulting in a beautiful display of pale pink petals across parks and streets. A trip to see the cherry blossoms is the pinnacle of nature in all its glory.

Blooming cherry blossom trees go hand in hand with the arrival of spring. Cherry blossoms symbolize renewal, the impermanence of beauty and have quite a surprising backstory. For example, did you know that the first time Japan tried to send cherry blossoms to the U.S. as an offering of friendship; it nearly resulted in a diplomatic crisis?

In 1910, US inspectors from the Department of Agriculture recommended burning the 2,000 trees sent from the Japanese after finding insects and diseases in the trees. According to ‘Washingtonian’, this nearly caused a diplomatic crisis.

Got past the diplomatic crisis, but think again before you decide to pluck one of these pink beauties. Removing a blossom or branch is considered vandalism of federal property in Washington, D.C., which can lead to a citation or even an arrest.

Neither D.C. nor Japan hold the title of “Cherry Blossom Capital of the World. Rather, it’s Macon, Georgia, which is home to over 350,000 Yoshino cherry blossom trees. That’s 90 times the amount that Washington, D.C. has! While these trees obviously are not native to the South, William A. Fickling Sr., a local realtor, discovered one in his own backyard in 1949. On a business trip to Washington, D.C., he learned about cherry blossoms and brought them to his hometown.

So did you think lady bugs, worms, frogs and cherry blossoms never had a special relationship? Well they do. They are all signs and beauty of spring and the glories of summer to come, along with the thrills little ones find to investigate.

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The Ultimate Hoarder

History is never ending. It is always present or past depending on your view point. The Smithsonian Institution is generally known simply as the Smithsonian. “For 175 years, the Smithsonian has fostered discovery using historic collections, cutting-edge research, in-depth scholarship, and innovative programming to help people learn about themselves and the worlds around them.” In reality it is an organization composed of a group of museums and research centers that was established by the U.S. government as a public trust. It was originally organized as the United States National Museum, but that name ceased to exist as an administrative entity in 1967.

James Smithson was a European scientist and founder of the Smithsonian institution. He was well known for his detailed experiments, publications and collections. Smithson left most of his wealth to his nephew Henry James Hungerford. Under Smithson’s will when Hungerford died the estate passed “to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution to increase & diffuse knowledge among men.”

Congress officially accepted the legacy bequeathed to the nation and pledged the faith of the United States to the charitable trust on July 1, 1836. The American diplomat Richard Rush was dispatched to England by President Andrew Jackson to collect the bequest. Rush returned in August 1838 with 105 sacks containing 104,960 gold sovereigns. This is approximately $500,000 at the time, which is equivalent to $12,152,000 in 2020.

Once the money was in hand, eight years of Congressional haggling ensued over how to interpret Smithson’s rather vague mandate “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge”. During this time the money was invested by the US Treasury in bonds issued by the state of Arkansas, which soon defaulted. After heated debate, Massachusetts representative John Quincy Adams persuaded Congress to restore the lost funds with interest and convinced his colleagues to preserve it for an institution of science and learning. Finally, on August 10, 1846, President James K. Polk signed the legislation that established the Smithsonian Institution as “a trust instrumentality of the United States, to be administered by a Board of Regents and a secretary of the Smithsonian.”

The Institute first met in Blodgett’s Hotel and later in the Treasury Department and City Hall, before being assigned a permanent home in 1824 in the Capitol building. Beginning in 1825, weekly sittings were arranged during sessions of Congress for the reading of scientific and literary productions, but this was short lived as attendance declined rapidly. Among all the activities planned, only a few were actually implemented. One was the establishment of a botanical garden (where the present Botanic Garden sits), and a museum that was designed to have a national and permanent status.

The Institute’s charter expired in 1838, but its spirit lived on in the National Institution which was founded in 1840. With the mission to “promote science and the useful arts, and to establish a national museum of natural history,” this organization continued to press Congress to establish a museum that would be structured in terms that were very similar to those finally incorporated into the founding of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian’s first secretary, Joseph Henry, wanted the institution to be a center for scientific research, but only became the depository for various Washington and U.S. government collections.

The cornerstone for the Smithsonian Institution Building was laid in 1847 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian, popularly known as the “Castle,” was designed by architect James Renwick, Jr. and constructed of red sandstone from Seneca Creek, Maryland, in the Norman style. Construction began in 1849 and opened in 1855. Its interiors were completed by general contractor Gilbert Cameron.

The Smithsonian’s first expansion came with the construction of the Arts and Industries Building in 1881. The National Zoological Park opened in 1889 to accommodate the Smithsonian’s Department of Living Animals.

The Smithsonian Institution has become the country’s richest repository of American history with 19 museums spread along the East Coast as well as the National Zoological Park. The Smithsonian has close ties with 168 museums in 39 states, Panama, and Puerto Rico. These museums are known as Smithsonian Affiliated museums. Collections are provided to these museums in the form of long-term loans. The Smithsonian also has a large number of traveling exhibitions, operated through the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.

From culture to science, zoos to space exploration, the federally-backed archive has spent nearly 200 years preserving and educating. The Smithsonian has morphed into the greatest hoarder the world has ever seen. Smithsonian Archives hold 156,830 cubic feet of archival material. The Institution’s various artifacts, specimens, and other arcana are believed to number in the neighborhood of 137 million, with an official museum estimate of 154 million. Just 1 percent of that is available for viewing at any given time. Libraries hold 2 million library volumes. The Collections Search Center has 9.9 million digital records available online.

Overtime there have been interesting finds hidden away. Hidden and lost for a time was a new species of dolphin. In 2016, two researchers stumbled across the skull of a 25-million-year-old river dolphin they named Arktocara yakataga. Said to have been found in Alaska, the dolphin may have dwelled in the Arctic. It was estimated that the skull sat on the shelf for 50 years before being identified.

At the height of U.S. involvement in World War II, museum curators knew that Axis forces would have designs on destroying the vibrant culture housed at the museum’s main location at the National Mall. To protect these irreplaceable items, the Smithsonian arranged to have them shipped to an undisclosed location—now known to be near Luray, Virginia—and stored in a climate-controlled warehouse. They didn’t return until 1944.

Smokey bear lived at the zoo. “Yes, that Smokey Bear. (And there’s no “the” in his name.) In 1950, a bear cub that survived a raging forest fire in Capitan, New Mexico, was adopted by the U.S. Forest Service and named Smokey after the popular ad campaign mascot of the era. As a living symbol of the effort, he spent his remaining 26 years at the National Zoo, a constant recipient of visitor attention and hundreds of jars of honey.”

The Smithsonian is wary of displaying human remains. While they’ve collected everything from shrunken heads to the “soap man”—a corpse whose body turned to a soap-like substance due to a chemical reaction to soil—most of it remains out of public view. Amidst many Smithsonian catalog items, nothing seems more odd than the 2014 inclusion of a 1982 Atari video game based on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Dorothy’s ruby slippers from the 1939 film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz have become a Smithsonian trademark. As star Judy Garland wore several pairs during filming and the Smithsonian’s pair ended up being mismatched.

In 1904, some 75 years after his death in Italy, Smithson’s remains were about to be disturbed. The U.S. Smithsonian officials were alerted that his grave site would be displaced because of a nearby stone quarry expansion. The Institution took the opportunity to have his casket shipped to America so he could be interred at the Smithsonian itself. Escorted by Alexander Graham Bell, the casket traveled 14 days by sea. The body was entombed and topped off by a marker in the Smithsonian, where it remains viewable by the general public.

It would be nice to have the time to wander through the countless halls. So is your house a replica of the Smithsonian or just a comfortable museum?

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Just a Springin

Spring has sprung so it’s time to spring into a book. To add to everyone’s adventures and spring fever we are currently offering a blind date with a book. There is no peeking to find your favorite author, but you just might find a new author to be passionate about or re-meet an old favorite.

It appears spring might finally be headed our way. Now is the time to find one of our new books and relax and enjoy this fabulous weather before all that spring work commences. Many new movies have also made an appearance. Come enjoy a night of free entertainment with your family. We do not charge a fee to check out a movie or a book.

Big thanks to Pam Marquis for hosting all the story hour events. What would we do without her? She always has such fabulous ideas for the kiddos. Don’t forget to visit cascademtwedsworthlibrary.wordpress.com (long name but worth the hunt) to keep up on the current events or learn a bit about the library.

Don’t forget if you need a place for a quick or long meeting, head on down to the Library. We have a fabulous meeting room that can be had for free 24/7. Just fill out a Meeting Room confirmation form and it’s yours.

To aid spring fever we are providing food for thought for a few things the Staler Brothers asked in their song ‘The Doodlin’ Song’ in a play on words. “Can you freeze to death in a coal mine? Is an aging Greek the Nick of time? And can a sewing bee really sew? And if you plant bird seed will a bird grow? Does a chaise lounge ever run? And what’s the middle name of Tommy Gun? And can a fly swatter really fly? And can a needle see with a metal eye? Do ya have to play ball to have athlete’s feet? And what’s so sweet about bitter sweet? And does a living room wear a suit? And just how loud does a parachute? How big a trunk is the community chest? And in a rest room do you really rest? And does a stink weed really stink? And how far does the kitchen sink? If I bought a herd of Buffalo on credit would they send me a Buffalo Bill? Do Grizzlies wear shoes or do they go barefooted…?”

If you find or know the answers to these provocative questions, please call the library and let us know. We have yet to find the answers. Maybe you can come up with a few more tantalizing questions. We would like to hear those and possible ask them of our readers too. Always have to be on the ball here.

Our book club has been quite rowdy with their parties lately – cake, ice cream, and assorted other refreshments. If you haven’t attended one of these discussions just look what you have been missing. Oh, they do discuss a book or two they have read to satisfy inquiring minds questions as to why they attend the group.

For many of us, spring is an event that arrives quietly with the emergence of bulbs, the subtle shift towards longer days, and the welcome return of warm morning breezes. “For others, however, spring is announced in a thunderous chorus of hundreds of thousands of trumpeting bugle calls, borne on the wings of majestic Sandhill cranes.” They are now starting to return. “These elegant birds have inspired people in cultures all over the world—including the great scientist, conservationist, and nature writer Aldo Leopold, who wrote of their nobility, won in the march of aeons.”

Sandhill Cranes have one of the longest fossil histories of any existing bird. The earliest Sandhill Crane fossil, estimated to be 2.5 million years old, was unearthed in the Macasphalt Shell Pit in Florida.

Cranes are fairly social birds that usually live in pairs or family groups through the year. Sandhill Crane chicks can leave the nest within 8 hours of hatching, and are even capable of swimming. The chicks remain with their parents until one to two months before the parents lay the next clutch of eggs the following year; so they remain as a family for around 10–12 months.

After leaving their parents, the chicks form nomadic flocks with other juveniles and non-breeders. They remain in these flocks until they form breeding pairs between two and seven years old. Although some start breeding at two years of age, Sandhill Cranes may reach the age of seven before breeding. They mate for life—which can mean two decades or more—and stay with their mates year-round.

The Sandhill Crane’s call is a loud, rolling, trumpeting sound whose unique tone is a product of anatomy”. They have “long tracheas that coil into the sternum and help the sound develop a lower pitch and harmonics that add richness.” They are also known for their dancing skills. Courting cranes stretch their wings, pump their heads, bow, and leap into the air in a graceful and energetic dance.

Sandhill cranes fly south for the winter, as do most birds of course. If you have ever witnessed this fabulous lift when they take to the air to begin this journey, you have witnessed a ballet in action. You can almost see the thermals as the Cranes circle to gain altitude. Very few have witnessed this fabulous choreography. Sandhill cranes are incredibly strong flyers, and may fly as many as 400 miles in one day during migration.

Sandhill Cranes form extremely large flocks, of over tens of thousands, on their wintering grounds and during migration. They often migrate very high in the sky. One of the wintering grounds is at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, 100 mi south of Albuquerque, New Mexico. A group of cranes has many collective nouns, including a “construction”, “dance”, “sedge”, “siege”, and “swoop” of cranes.

Sandhill crane males are slightly larger than females, weighing up to 14 pounds. Females remain closer to 10 pounds. The birds grow up to 5 feet in height measured from toe to the top of the head when they are standing on the ground. The male is generally a couple inches taller than the female.

The oldest Sandhill Crane on record was at least 36 years, 7 months old. Originally banded in Wyoming in 1973, it was found in New Mexico in 2010.

So fly or spring on down to discover.

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Mary and Frank LaLiberty

Find Your Place at the Library to discover a small portion of our community’s history. Journey back through time with Frank LaLiberty and meet Mary Fields. There have been many claims throughout history about Mary and many books written about her. There is an aura of mystery surrounding her, but Frank LaLiberty is one of our most noted local historians who is capable of dispelling so many of those myths. Journey with Frank and discover the little known tidbits and truth about Mary.

Frank is a local area celebrity in his own rights and a retired teacher from Cascade Public School. Among some of the many areas he contributed towards was teaching Science, FFA advisor, shop class teacher, coaching duties, class advisor, and volunteering as a CASA. He is currently having fun with his grandkids and has written several books.

Frank LaLiberty will guide us through the journey of learning about Mary and her related legends on Tuesday, April 5 at Wedsworth Library at 6:00. Come hear Frank’s chronical of the real history, and naturally ‘the rest of the story’. And of course there will be treats served by those wonderful ladies of the Women’s Club. We are looking forward to seeing you at the meet and greet with Mary and Frank on Tuesday April 5 at 6:00 p.m. at Wedsworth library.

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Connect with Your Library

From Harry Potter and Matilda to Lord of the Rings, Libraries open the doors to a lifetime of adventure and travel. To help celebrate the importance of our libraries we will wildly celebrate National Library Week, from April 3 to 9.

The theme for National Library Week 2022, “Connect with Your Library,” promotes the idea that libraries are places to get connected to technology by using broadband, computers, and other resources. Libraries also offer opportunities to connect with media, programs, ideas, and classes—in addition to books. As we can get rather lively here, stop on by the library to find out just how passionately we can get to hail our favorite subject – ourselves.

“National Library Week is a time to celebrate our nation’s libraries, library workers’ contributions and promote library use and support. First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and observed in libraries across the country each April. All types of libraries – school, public, academic and special – participate.”

“In the mid-1950s, research showed that Americans were spending less on books and more on radios, televisions and musical instruments. Concerned that Americans were reading less, the ALA and the American Book Publishers formed a nonprofit citizen’s organization called the National Book Committee in 1954. The committee’s goals were ambitious. They ranged from “encouraging people to read in their increasing leisure time” to “improving incomes and health” and “developing strong and happy family life.” With the cooperation of ALA and with help from the Advertising Council, the first National Library Week was observed in 1958 with the theme ‘Wake Up and Read’!”

Multiple Emmy-nominated and Spirit Award-winning actress, comedian, and legendary Saturday Night Live cast member Molly Shannon, will help celebrate our nation’s libraries this year as the honorary chair of National Library Week.

National Library Week also occurs during Support Teen Literature Day, School Library Month and National Bookmobile Day. Ironically, 2020’s theme for National Library Week was ‘‘Find Your Place at The Library’’ but due to the Covid-19 global pandemic, libraries were closed amid a nationwide lockdown. However, most libraries are now open, providing services and digital content to your heart’s desire.

DID YOU KNOW? The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with more than 167 million items on approximately 838 miles of bookshelves, which would span roughly the distance from The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., to Cape Canaveral, Florida.

A growing body of evidence suggests that students’ academic success is linked to Library usage, including improved student retention and an enhanced academic experience. Libraries play a critical role in the happiness of Americans. Communities that spend more on libraries, parks and highways are shown to support the well-being of community members.

Americans go to public libraries more often than they go to the movies. Librarians have long championed their community members’ right to access information privately, and serve as an essential refuge where everyone can check out materials or browse the internet without their information being shared.

There are more public libraries than Starbucks in the U.S. – a total of 16,568, including branches. Nearly 100% of public libraries provide Wi-Fi and have no-fee access to computers. There were 1.4 billion in-person visits to public libraries across the U.S., the equivalent of about 4 million visits each day. That’s 2,664 per minute. There were 113 million attendees at public library programs in 2016, more than all Major League Baseball, National Football League, and NBA games combined. That’s 16.5 million more than in 2013.

Everyone in a college benefits from the college library, yet they receive fewer than two cents of every dollar spent on higher education. Digital media titles in U.S. academic libraries have increased by 50% since 2014. Academic librarians provide information services for almost 38 million people each year – reaching more than the four million people that attend men’s college basketball games.

Students in high-poverty schools are almost twice as likely to graduate when the school library is staffed with a certified school librarian. The five year graduation rate in high poverty schools was 78.8% “five-year” graduation rate versus 43.2% without a certified teacher-librarian.

Cutbacks in school librarians may be yielding unintended consequences. According to a recent study by Stanford University, more than 80% of middle schoolers cannot tell the difference between sponsored content and a real news article.

Research shows the highest achieving students attend schools with well-staffed and well-funded school libraries. Increased library staff links to higher CSAP scores (2010). Students make almost 1.3 billion visits to school library media centers during the school year, the same as attendance at movie theaters in 2014, or four times as many visitors to national parks.

School libraries give students a unique opportunity for self-directed inquiry. Four out of five Americans agree that libraries help spark creativity among young people. Lower-income students are especially at risk of falling behind in math and reading when school is out. Libraries help narrow the achievement gap by offering summer learning opportunities to kids of all backgrounds.

Libraries strengthen local economies and create healthier communities. 84% of libraries offer technology training to patrons in computer software use. 76.8% of libraries provide online health resources and 60% offer programs to help Americans identify health insurance resources and get better informed on health topics. 73.1% of libraries provide programs that assist individuals apply for jobs, create resumes, and prepare for interviews. 97% of libraries help people complete online government forms.

Libraries are the place for lifelong learning. 95% provide online homework assistance. 95% offer summer reading programs for children. Library access equals opportunity. 100% of public libraries offer access to the Internet. 98% of public libraries offer free Wi-Fi. 90% help patrons with basic Internet skills. 9 out of 10 libraries offer access to e-books.

Rural and small public libraries provide a variety of critical services and information resources to meet the needs of residents across the United States and recognize the unique needs of rural communities.

Our future depends on libraries. Libraries are about freedom- freedom to read; communication; safe places for all ages; and a solid basis for education; especially homeschool. Libraries do not support censorship and therefore are extremely important centers of knowledge. We are resources for millions of users and networks of learning.

So stop on by and help us celebrate. We look forward to seeing you at our National Library week program with Frank LaLiberty on April 5 at 6:00. Watch for more information next week.

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A Tribute to Jackie

Wedsworth Memorial Library was saddened to learn of the passing of our former Director, Jackie Strandell on March 8, 2022. She served the library for thirty three years and her legacy stands before us in the impressive building at 13 North Front Street.

Jackie entered her library world in September 1978, when she was hired as Substitute Librarian. Four years later, in October 1982 she moved up to assume the role of Library Director.

One of Jackie’s first tasks was to see the Wedsworth Memorial Library through the Montana State Library’s certification process, giving it the status of a fully-fledged. This was a major step which entitled the library to receive state aid and services.

As the years passed, Jackie recognized the need for additional room for stacks to house the growing book and media collection, a larger area for computer stations, a dedicated meeting room, an area for patrons to relax and read or study, and yes, air conditioning! For this purpose Jackie dreamed of expanding the library by adding on an addition and remodeling the old space.

Jackie was a force to be reckoned with. She had her goal and worked hard to achieve it. It was her drive and focus that brought the expansion and remodel to successful fruition. In 2012 the shell and outside of the new addition was completed; and in June Jackie officially cut the ribbon and was the first person to step through the opening from the old to the new. In September of that year Jackie retired.

Inside work on the addition continued as did fund raising efforts by Jackie and the Friends. Three years later, in July 2015, the beautiful new addition was officially opened to the public. Jackie’s forward thinking, and guidance meant the library entered an elite class. The whole project was totally funded with community donations, memorials, and only supplemented by a grant or two. The new library opened with no loans to pay off and very few libraries can lay claim to this fabulous accomplishment.

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March Madness

The brown buds thicken on the trees, Unbound, the free streams sing, As March leads forth across the leas The wild and windy spring. –Elizabeth Akers Allen

So if you are a basketball fan, particularly a college basketball fan, you know what March Madness means of course! March Madness refers to that time of year when the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments are held.

However there are a few other interesting events or occurrences that can also be associated with a bit of March madness.

A historical tragedy happened on March 1, 1932 when the ‘Lindbergh baby’ vanished. The evening of March 1, 1932 pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh was at home in New Jersey with his wife, Anne, and 20-month-old son, Charles Jr. At 7.30 p.m., a nanny laid the toddler down to sleep in his crib. About two hours later, Charles heard a noise he thought sounded like a crate smashing, but thought nothing of it.

Then at 10 p.m. the nanny reported that the baby had disappeared. In his bedroom, Charles found a handwritten, misspelled note: “Dear Sir! Have 50000$ redy 25000$ in 20$ bills 15000$ in 10$ bills and 10000$ in 5$ bills … We warn you for making anyding public or for notify the Police. The child is in gut care.”

So began one of the most appalling cases in American criminal history. Amid massive publicity, crowds swiftly swarmed to the Lindbergh estate, destroying any chance of finding footprints. Amateur detectives, military men and even Chicago mobsters offered their assistance. More ransom notes arrived. In early April, Lindbergh delivered $50,000 to the kidnapper via an intermediary. But there was no baby.

Then on May 12, a truck driver found a child’s body in woods near Lindbergh’s home. It was little Charles. Two years later, the police arrested a German-born carpenter, Bruno Richard Hauptmann, who had a record of robbery and whose garage contained notes from the ransom money. Protesting his innocence, he went to the electric chair. But many observers were convinced that he must have had help. And for the novelist Agatha Christie, the case inspired one of her greatest books, Murder on the Orient Express.

Clive Sinclair launched the ZX81 computer on March 5, 1981. The ZX81 was a home computer that was produced by Sinclair Research and manufactured in Dundee, Scotland, by Timex Corporation. It was designed to be a low-cost introduction to home computing for the general public costing just £70 (around 93.91 U.S. dollars). Its peculiar keyboard will never be forgotten. Buyers could choose between a kit version to assemble themselves; or opt for a fully-assembled model ready for use once plugged into a television and power source. The keyboard was a ‘touch sensitive membrane’, a flexible plastic surface with the actual switches under the surface. While easy to clean and water resistant, it was very difficult and slow to type on, because you had to press hard and very deliberately to use the tiny, closely-spaced keys. Touch-typing was impossible.

In the spring of 1946, Winston Churchill arrived in Fulton, Missouri. Churchill saw a chance to revive his American reputation when President Harry Truman invited him to give a lecture at a college in his home state.

“Churchill and Truman travelled to Fulton by train and on the way the president read a draft of the former prime minister’s talk. It was, he declared, excellent. But when Churchill stood up on March 5, in the packed gymnasium at Westminster College, few could have expected that his words would resound in history.”

“A shadow, he explained, had fallen ‘upon the scenes so lately lighted by the Allied victory’ – thanks entirely to Stalin’s Soviet Union. ‘From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic,’ he declared, ‘an iron curtain has descended across the continent.’ That made Anglo-American co-operation all the more important. Theirs, Churchill added, was a ‘special relationship’.”

Churchill was not the first man to use the words ‘iron curtain’, but he was the most famous. After Fulton, there was no doubt that the alliance between Stalin’s Soviet Union and the two great western powers was over – and that the Cold War had begun.

On March 31, 1889 France’s iconic and unique tower opened with a troubled birth. Conceived by engineers Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier as the centrepiece of the 1889 Paris Universal Exposition, the Eiffel Tower was built by the celebrated bridge-maker Gustave Eiffel, who claimed it would celebrate “not only the art of the modern engineer, but also the century of Industry and Science in which we are living, and for which the way was prepared by the great scientific movement of the 18th century and by the Revolution of 1789”.

Most of the French intellectual establishment hated the idea. It would be “useless and monstrous”, a “hateful column of bolted sheet metal”, claimed a petition signed by some 300 writers and artists. But Eiffel refuted these claims and compared his new structure to the pyramids of Egypt. “My tower will be the tallest edifice ever erected by man,” he wrote. “Will it not also be grandiose in its way? And why would something admirable in Egypt become hideous and ridiculous in Paris?”

When the tower was finally opened to the government and press on March 31, 1889, it wasn’t finished. The lifts weren’t working, so all had to trudge up the stairs on foot. Most gave up and remained on the lower levels; only a handful made it to the top, where Eiffel hoisted a gigantic French flag, greeted by fireworks and a 21-gun salute.

“The tower was an instant hit: illuminated every night by gas lamps, it dominated not just the Exposition, but Paris itself. When the public were finally allowed in, the lifts were still not working. Yet in the first week alone, almost 30,000 people climbed to the top – a sign of how completely it had caught the world’s imagination.”

Remember, “If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb,” which means that if the month starts off stormy, it will end with mild weather.

Equinox Quiz: The March equinox occurs on March 20 at 11:33 a.m. EDT this year, ushering in the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere. At this time, the Sun’s position will be at which of the following coordinates on the celestial sphere? A. 0 hour right ascension, 0° declination. B. 6 hours right ascension, 23.5° North declination. C. 12 hours right ascension, 0° declination. D. 18 hours right ascension, 23.5° South declination

The Full Worm Moon. March’s full Worm Moon reaches peak illumination at 3:20 a.m. EDT on Friday, March 18 or 1:20 a.m. MDT. No, you won’t see the moon change into the shape of a worm, but why is it called the Worm Moon?

March’s full Moon goes by the name Worm Moon, because it was originally thought to refer to the earthworms that appear as the soil warms in spring. This invites robins and other birds to feed—a true sign of spring!

An alternative explanation comes from Captain Jonathan Carver, an 18th-century explorer, who wrote “this Moon name refers to a different sort of “worm”—beetle larvae—which begin to emerge from the thawing bark of trees and other winter hideouts at this time.”

The answer to the Equinox quiz is A. B describes the Sun’s position during the June (summer) solstice; C, during the September (fall) equinox; and D, during the December (winter) solstice.

Go mad at the library – “The more that you READ, the more things you will KNOW. The more that you LEARN, the more places you’ll GO.”

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A Blind Date

Life is about adventure and trying new things to keep things interesting. A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not previously met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance, according to Wikipedia’s definition.

Some have experienced this arranged social engagement, others not. According to those in the know; “contrary to common misconception, blind dates can actually lead to long-term relationships. One of the best things about blind dating is that you will be meeting people who are not already in your life. This can be a great way to see what else is out there. There are many people who could set you up on a blind date.”

We at Wedsworth Library would like to be that mutual acquaintance. We would like to show you that a long-term relationship can be had here at the library. You will meet new that are not already in your life or have never encountered. You will find a way to see what else is out there. We can set you up.

What should you not do on a blind date? What should you do on a blind date? Of course you should never ever be rude. We will make sure that you don’t have to be rude on your blind date. Not everyone has the same boundaries, so we will help keep it safe. You don’t have to worry about pushing your opinions on your date to make them feel uncomfortable and if the date makes you feel uncomfortable; we have a perfect, fool proof way to cease and desist immediately.

So have I got great news for you! Our blind date allows the date to reveal what is really important. Reveal the character! You can even meet people, new friends and love, without seeing each other’s face. Wedsworth Library would like to invite everyone to experience our version of ‘A Blind Date.’ We will change things up a bit though. Just a simple experiment to put a little zing in your life. We aren’t asking you to experience a Blind Date with another person. We would like to introduce you to ‘A Blind Date with a Book’. As they say, do not judge the book by the cover. Blind dates are a lot less nerve-wracking when they’re with a book!

There’s no peeking to see what the book’s cover will be; you legitimately have no idea what the book looks like until you take it home. You know nothing about the book’s appearance, and you have no way of leafing through the pages to see if the story hidden inside that unknown cover is something you would enjoy.

We would like to give you the opportunity to see if it is possible to like something you had never laid eyes on. However, as someone who’s read a lot of books, there’s still something to be said about the connection between a book and its cover.

After all when you really think about it, books are like people. Looks aren’t everything, but your appearance does say a lot about who you are as a person. In a way, a book’s cover is similar to our clothing. A lot of times, the outside represents what’s on the inside. How many times have you put a book back because the cover didn’t appeal to you? Does that make sense?

Book covers are kind of important in the selection process. “But you really can’t Judge a Book BY. ITS. COVER.” Whoever came up with this idea are for the most part, totally right. There are plenty of books that have covers that don’t fit their story in the slightest and there are books with covers that took their stories to the next level.

In one sense a good cover makes a good book. If a cover alone can draw you to a book, then you know that you’re probably going to enjoy what your about to read. Why? Because, besides protection, that’s the whole point of having covers on books: to draw a reader in and in a way, tell a story without telling the story.

Good covers show parts of a book that we may really, really like and are reminded of every time we look at them. Good covers represent their authors and their ability to define their stories. Good covers entice us, excite us, and ensnare us.

Good covers turn a good book into an excellent book. So should you judge a book by its cover? I mean, if something doesn’t appeal to you visually, would you want to walk around with it on your body all day?

We are going to take that choice of a cover away from you and let you explore and remember the excitement of Christmas morning when you open those wrapped gifts beneath the tree. You didn’t know what was in them, but you could get all excited.

How Blind Date with a Book works: Starting on March 21th, a selection of books will be displayed in the library. The books will be covered. You choose a book and meet your blind date. Like most blind dates it could be good, bad, or meh, but it will be something new and just a little bit daring.

When you have finished reading your book, feel free to let us know if you liked the book or didn’t. Who knows, you might just find that great new author that reignites your reading mojo or rediscover an old friend! LET US SET YOU UP ON A BLIND DATE!!

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Thoughts To Ponder & Think About

If the No. 2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still No. 2? Why are you “in” a movie, but “on” TV? What was the best thing before sliced bread?

Why do “fat chance” and slim chance” mean the same thing? Why do British people never sound British when they sing? At a movie theater, which arm rest is yours?

Why are there no “B” batteries? Why do people say “heads up” when you should duck? How come you press harder on a remote-control when you know the battery is dead?

Why are they called buildings, when they’re already finished? Shouldn’t they be called builts? Why are they called apartments, when they’re all stuck together?

Why do people without out a watch look at their wrist when you ask them what time it is? Why do you ask someone without a watch what time it is?

If you got into a taxi and he started driving backwards, would the taxi driver end up owing you money? If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to see it do the other trees make fun of it? How come abbreviated is such a long word? Why are there 5 syllables in the word “monosyllabic”?

If it’s zero degrees outside today and it’s supposed to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold is it going to be? (2x 0 =??) Why is it, when a door is open it’s ajar, but when a jar is open, it’s not a-door?

Tell a man that there are 400 billion stars and he’ll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint and he has to touch it. How come Superman could stop bullets with his chest, but always ducked when someone threw a gun at him?

Why do we wait until a pig is dead to “cure” it? Why do we wash bath towels? Aren’t we clean when we use them? Why do we put suits in a garment bag and put garments in a suitcase?

Why doesn’t glue stick to the inside of the bottle? Do Roman paramedics refer to IV’s as “4’s”? If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?

What do little birdies see when they get knocked unconscious? Why doesn’t Tarzan have a beard? Is boneless chicken considered to be an invertebrate?

Do married people live longer than single people or does it just SEEM longer? If a man speaks in the forest and there is no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?

I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, “Where’s the self-help section?” She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose. If all those psychics know the winning lottery numbers, why are they all still working?

Isn’t Disneyland a people trap operated by a mouse? Isn’t the best way to save face to keep the lower part shut? If you throw a cat out the window, is it considered kitty litter? War doesn’t determine who’s right, just who’s left. Why do we drive on parkways, and park on driveways?

If a mute swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap? If a book about failures doesn’t sell, is it a success? Instead of talking to your plants, if you yelled at them would they still grow? Only to be troubled and insecure?

Is there another word for synonym? Isn’t it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do “practice”? When sign makers go on strike, is anything written on their signs? What’s another word for thesaurus?

Where do forest rangers go to “get away from it all”? Why isn’t there mouse-flavored cat food? Why do they report power outages on TV?

What do you do when you see an endangered animal that is eating an endangered plant? If a stealth bomber crashes in a forest, will it make a sound?

If the cops arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent? Is it true that cannibals don’t eat clowns because they taste funny? If nothing ever sticks to TEFLON, how do they make it stick to the pan? When it rains, why don’t sheep shrink?

If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages? Would a fly without wings be called a walk? If 7-11 is open 24 hours a day. 365 days a year, why are there locks on the doors?

If the funeral procession is at night, do folks drive with their headlights off? If a turtle doesn’t have a shell, is he homeless or naked? Why is the word abbreviation so long?

When companies ship Styrofoam, what do they pack it in? Why do you need a driver’s license to buy liquor when you can’t drink and drive?

Why isn’t phonetic spelled the way it sounds? Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii? Why are there flotation devices under plane seats instead of parachutes?

Have you ever imagined a world without hypothetical situations? How does the guy who drives the snowplow get to work in the morning? If a cow laughed, would milk come out her nose?

If you’re in a vehicle going the speed of light, what happens when you turn on the headlights? Why do they put braille dots on the keypad of the drive-up ATM?

Why is it that when you transport something by car, it’s called a shipment? But when you transport something by ship, its cargo? You know that little indestructible black box that is used on planes. Why don’t they make the whole plane out of the same substance?

Why is it that when you’re driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume on the radio? Since Americans throw rice at weddings, do Orientals throw hamburgers? The light went out, but where to?

Why do banks charge you a “non-sufficient funds fee” on money they already know you don’t have? Does the reverse side also have a reverse side?

Why is the alphabet in that order? If the universe is everything, and scientists say that the universe is expanding, what is it expanding into?

If you got into a taxi and the driver started driving backward, would the taxi driver end up owing you money? What would a chair look like if your knees bent the other way?

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to see it, do the other trees make fun of it? Why is a carrot more orange than an orange? When two airplanes almost collide why do they call it a near miss??

Do fish get cramps after eating? Why do they call it the Department of Interior when they are in charge of everything outdoors? Why do scientists call it research when looking for something new?

If vegetarians eat vegetables, what do humanitarians eat? When I erase a word with a pencil, where does it go? Why is it, when a door is open it’s ajar, but when a jar is open, it’s not adoor? How much deeper would the ocean be if sponges didn’t grow in it?

If “con” is the opposite of “pro,” then what is the opposite of progress? Why is lemon juice mostly artificial ingredients but dishwashing liquid contains real lemons? Why buy a product that it takes 2000 flushes to get rid of?

We hope you don’t stay up late or all night pondering all these questions!

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Wedsworth is New for 2022

Ever wonder what we do here? Ever wonder how we can continue to provide new and updated services for all our wonderful patrons? Ever wonder what is new? The following is just two of the ways Montana libraries and the Montana State Library use funds to support our patrons and continually offer new and improved.

In support of our library’s mission to serve every reader in our community, the new Libby update (implemented in early January 2022) included several changes to improve the app’s accessibility for all users. Libby will display a message highlighting these changes when users receive the update.

The in-app menu will no longer open from the side of the app. Instead, it will fill the screen. It will still have Libby’s familiar look and feel. This will make keyboard and screen reader navigation more consistent and help all users concentrate on the task they are trying to perform in the menu.

The menu button in the navigation bar will be simplified to three horizontal bars, which is a familiar icon common in other apps and across the web.

Several accessibility improvements will help users better navigate Libby with assistive technologies like screen readers. Overdrive has refined the invisible labels and descriptions on all interactive elements, streamlined the presentation of information to screen readers, and improved keyboard focus indicators. These are in the app’s foundation and will only be noticeable to readers using assistive technologies.

In addition, this upcoming release will introduce a new menu with other accessibility features that any user can opt into. These options will be available under Menu > Settings > Accessibility Features and include: Reduce Color Variation, Reduce Text Variation, Reduce Motion, Reduce Haptics (device vibrations), and device orientation preferences.

For more information about accessibility in Libby, visit Libby Help [click.e.overdrive.com] or OverDrive’s accessibility statement [click.e.overdrive.com].

Great news for MTLibrary 2Go. From now until this time next year our library users can access Universal Classes, Method Test Prep, and The Great Courses. ARPA funds from Montana State Library are covering access to some extras on Overdrive and Libby from now until 12/15/22. The State Library is considering this a trial period to see how they are received, utilized and if they should be considered as part of the Overdrive package going forward. These courses are available on the Libby App for phones and tablets under the Extras section.

Universal Classes are also accessible from a web browser at: https://montanalibrary2go.universalclass.com/

Here is an example of the course catalog for Universal Class. All you need is your library card. They are FREE!!!!!!!! Accounting (over 45 online courses); Alternative Medicine (over 40 online courses); Crafts and Hobbies (over 70 online courses); Business (over 100 online courses); Career Training (over 100 online courses); Computer Training (over 55 online courses); Entrepreneurship (over 100 online courses); Finance (over 70 online courses); General Education (over 95 online courses); Health & Medicine (over 45 online courses); History (over 30 online courses); Homeschooling (over 45 online courses);How to/Do It Yourself (over 55 online courses); Language Arts (over 35 online courses); Law /Legal/Criminal (over 50 online courses); Mathematics (over 10 online courses); Office Skills (over 100 online courses); Parenting and Family (over 50 online courses); Personal Development (over 45 online courses); Pet and Animal Care (over 10 online courses); Psychology (over 65 online courses); Science (over 15 online courses); Self-Help (over 75 online courses); Social Work (over 45 online courses); Special Education (over 15 online courses); Spiritual Studies (over 35 online courses); Teacher Resources (over 70 online courses); Test Preparation (over 35 online courses [this includes preparation for SATs/ACTs); Web Development (over 35 online courses); and Writing Skills (over 55 online courses).

And of course you can still read your e-books, listen to your audio books and read your magazines online through Libby and Overdrive. Even Cupid delivers to libraries. Libraries – where you get more than your money’s worth.

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Abibliophobia’s Cure or Close to It

If you have Abibliophobia, then there is only one place you can come to ease the symptoms. There is really no cure for this, only a treatment. We at Wedsworth Library can provide that treatment at no cost.

It’s February and there’s always a lot of love in the air and so much to go around! But we’re not just talking about romantic love connected to Valentine’s Day. Did you know that February 14 is also Library Lovers’ Day?! Not only that, but the entire month of February happens to be National Library Lover’s Month! Looking for a warm and friendly place to come in from the cold? February is dedicated to people who love whole buildings devoted to reading, organizing, categorizing, finding, and otherwise loving books.

So why love your local library? Libraries are a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. They offer serenity, security, peace and quiet and a corner to curl up in with a good book. They are a place where you can be surrounded by likeminded people. You also get candy.

Libraries provide more than a place to enjoy great novels or discover amazing adventures and untold history. They provide us the ability to explore the internet, discover other worlds through books and movies and discover visiting speakers, authors, artists and musicians. We offer computer classes, which helps everyone stay engaged in a digital world or the chance to add a touch more skill level to the tech knowledge.

There’s more to a Library than just the physical books. When most people think ‘library’ they think physical books. Nowa days, books take different shapes, such as e-books and audio books. We offer links to audio and e-books from other sources. Libraries lend not only books but movies. Now, we also provide access to online classes, magazine access, and ACT and SAT testing prep through the Libby app.

Libraries provide preservation services by preserving treasured books, periodicals, pictures, and documents for future generations. All you need is a Library Card to access all the multiple services or items Libraries have to offer.

In addition to connecting people to information, libraries connect people to people. Public libraries help communities cope with the unexpected. Libraries have become indispensable in the aftermath of storms and disasters by providing access to government forms and communication with loved ones. They have become shelters for those that have lost their homes or need a temporary place to stay amidst a disaster.

Libraries offer services like free assistance in locating uncommon information, filing FAFSA, accessing your email or finding paperwork from an obscure government site. Libraries through time have provided not only books, but daily newspapers, and periodicals. We even have tax forms.

It’s important to remember that not everything is available on the internet (yet). Libraries can have access to vast digital stores of information. In most cases libraries are a much more economically viable solution when looking for information.

Many rely on their libraries for meeting space for public forums, socials, and fundraisers. At your library there’s also microfiche of our local newspaper reaching far back into antiquity, and that’s just a start!

Libraries entertain preschoolers with hands-on activities and expose them to the world of books and their first friendships. They are safe havens for kids when school is not in session, games and the ability to spend some quality time with best buddies.

Libraries are front runners for advocating for your right to read and your right to reader privacy. The American Library Association promotes the freedom to “choose or the freedom to express one’s opinions even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular, and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those viewpoints to all who wish to read them. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others”. We have become the leader in ensuring that books remain available to all who choose to read the book they want.

Libraries are also champions in maintaining patron privacy. Article VII of the Library Bill of Rights states that “All people, regardless of origin, age, background, or views, possess a right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use”. The right to privacy is the right to open use without having the subject of one’s interest examined or scrutinized by others. “Privacy is essential to the exercise of free speech, free thought, and free association. Lack of privacy and confidentiality chills people’s choices, thereby suppressing access to ideas” according to ALA. Confidentiality of library records is a core value of librarianship.

Jarrett J. Krosoczka says “It is an awfully sad misconception that librarians simply check books in and out …” “A librarian is a person who is in charge of or works professionally in a library and is responsible for its management and services. The librarian takes care of the library and its resources. Typical job of a librarian includes managing collection development and acquisitions, cataloging, collections management, financial, circulation, and providing a range of services, such as reference, information, instruction, and training services, etc. The increasing role of technology in libraries has a significant impact on the changing roles of librarians.”

Laura Bush in her famous quote said: “I have found the most valuable thing in my wallet is my library card.” Visit your library, get your library card, and you’ll be able to borrow a print or electronic book, use free internet, or attend a course that will improve your digital skills.

During this month that is dedicated to all Americans who “Love Libraries” there’s no better time than now to visit. We’ve been cooped up inside hiding from the cold weather or COVID so now is a perfect time to catch up on your leisure reading, view a DVD during these long winter nights or get serious about your research needs.

“Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life.” Sidney Sheldon

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The cold sports

Just a bobin and a luging while curling down with the board and skates and hoping to jump onto the ole medal stand. Let’s explore the Olympic winter sporting events to learn a bit more.

The Bobsled Events consist of the Women’s monobob, Two-man, Two woman and Four-man teams. Today’s sleighs are designed to be as light as possible and combine light metals, steel runners, in an aerodynamic composite body. Competition sleighs must be a maximum of 12.5 ft. long (4-crew) or 8.9 ft. long (2-crew). The runners on both are set at 2.2 ft. gauge. Until the weight-limit rule was added in 1952, bobsleigh crews tended to be very heavy to ensure the greatest possible speed. Nowadays, the maximum weight, including crew, is 1,390 lbs. for the 4-man, 860 lbs. for the 2-man, and 750 lb. for the 2-woman, which can be reached via the addition of metal weights.

Bobsleigh crews once consisted of five or six people, but were reduced to two- and four-person sleighs in the 1930s. The crew has a pilot, a brakeman, and pushers. “Athletes are selected based on their speed and strength, which are necessary to push the sleigh to a competitive speed at the start of the race. Pilots must have the skill, timing, and finesse to steer the sleigh along the path, or “line”, which will produce the greatest speed.”

Today’s bobsleighs; the steering system consists of two metal rings that manipulate a pulley system located in the forward cowling that turns the front runners. For example, to turn left, the pilot pulls the left ring. Speeds up to 80 mph mean only subtle steering adjustments can be made, as anything larger results in a crash. The pilot does most of the steering, and the brakeman stops the sled with the sled’s brake lever.

Women’s monobob is a new Olympic discipline. For decades, the world of bobsleigh has been dominated by teams using F1 technology and aerospace engineering to design the fastest possible bobs, while keeping their innovative aerodynamics research closely under wraps. Unlike other bobsleigh events, monobob athletes use a bob that is identical to those of their competitors, giving pride of place to the driving, with the value of the equipment having no bearing. “You focus on the driving and the athletic skill.”

“Like the two- and four-man versions, the quality of the start is of vital importance. This is the job of the lone pilot who has to find the best path throughout the run. The monobob is long and aerodynamic, complete with large steel runners on both sides of the forward cowling.”

Luge, like bobsleigh, was developed as a sport in Switzerland. Its roots go back to the 16th century, but it was not until 300 years later that the first luge tracks were built by Swiss hotel owners to cater to tourists. A luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds face up and feet-first. A luger steers by using the calf muscles to flex the sled’s runners or by exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 46–55 lb. for singles and 55–66 lb. for doubles. Lugers can reach speeds of 87 mph. The Luge Events consists of Men’s Singles, Women Singles, Mixed Doubles and Mixed Team Relay.

Men’s and women’s Skeleton is a winter sliding sport where a person rides a small sled, known as a skeleton bobsled down a frozen track while lying face down and head-first. The sport and the sled may have been named from the bony appearance of the sled.

Unlike the sliding sports of bobsleigh and luge, the race involves single riders. Like bobsleigh, but unlike luge, the race begins with a running start from the opening gate. The skeleton sled is thinner and heavier than the luge sled and affords the rider more precise control of the sled. Skeleton is the slowest of the three sliding sports, as skeleton’s face-down; head-first riding position is less aerodynamic than luge’s face-up, feet-first ride. A women’s race was added in the 2002 Winter Olympics. During elite racing the rider experiences accelerations up to 5g and reaches speeds over 81 mph.

The Biathlon combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not timed per se, but missed shots result in extra distance or time being added to the contestant’s total. For each shooting round, the biathlete must hit five targets or receive a penalty for each missed target. It consists of 9 different disciplines: Individual, Sprint, Super Sprint, Pursuit, Mass Start, Mass Start 60, Relay, Mixed Relay, and Single Mixed Relay.

Ice Hockey has both men’s and women’s teams. It originated in Canada in the early 19th century. Around 1860, a puck was substituted for a ball, and in 1879, two McGill University students, Robertson and Smith, devised the first rules. Olympic hockey pucks are made of vulcanized rubber and must be frozen to reduce friction before each game.

Curling includes men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles that use a stone weight between 38 and 44 lbs.; a maximum circumference of 36 inches and a minimum height of 4.5 inches. Each team has eight stones, with each player throwing two. Points are scored for the stones resting closest to the center of the house. Curling stones are made from a special granite that is found in only two quarries in the world: the Trefor Granite Quarry in Wales and the Scottish island of Ailsa Craig.

There are two types of broom. The most common is a brush or “push broom”. The other is a corn/straw/Canadian broom, which, with long bristles, looks much like a normal broom.

Then of course we have Figure Skating: Men’s singles, Ladies’ singles, Pairs, Team and Ice Dancing. Two Americans are responsible for the major developments of the sport. In 1850, Edward Bushnell of Philadelphia revolutionized skating when he introduced steel-bladed skates allowing complex maneuvers and turns. Jackson Haines, a ballet master living in Vienna in the 1860s, added elements of ballet and dance to give the sport its grace.

Speed skating of course is the competitive form of ice skating. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating. There are currently ten events in Long Speed track: 500 meters (men’s and women’s); 1,000 meters (men’s and women’s); 1,500 meters (men’s and women’s); 5,000 meters (men’s and women’s); 3,000 meters (women’s); and 10,000 meters (men’s).

Short Track Speed Skating consists of 500 meters (men’s and women’s); 1,000 meters (men’s and women’s); 1,500 meters (men’s and women’s); 3,000 meter relay (women’s); and 5,000 meter relay (men’s). Athletes compete not against the clock, but against each other. This adds the elements of strategy, bravery and skill needed for racing.

Alpine Skiing consists of the Downhill, Super G, Giant slalom, Slalom, Super Combined, and mixed team. Freestyle Skiing includes the Aerials, Moguls, Ski Cross, Ski halfpipe and Ski slopestyle.

The Nordic Combined combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing. Cross-Country Skiing consists of individual and team sprint, freestyle, pursuit, classical and relays.

Freestyle skiing combines speed, showmanship and the ability to perform aerial maneuvers whilst skiing. People began performing somersaults on skis the beginning of the 20th century. In the early 1920s, U.S. skiers started to flip and spin. Freestyle skiing took off in America in the ‘60s and became known as ‘hotdogging’. The name captures the breathtaking mix of acrobatic tricks, jumps and sheer adrenalin rush of the sport.

The origin of ski jumping can be traced to Ole Rye, who jumped 9.5m in 1808. Norwegian Sondre Norheim is considered the father of modern ski jumping. He won the world’s first ski jumping competition with prizes, held at Ofte, Høydalsmo, Norway in 1866.

After World War I, Thulin Thams and Sigmund Ruud developed a new jumping style known as the Kongsberger Technique. This involved jumping with the upper body bent at the hips, a wide forward lean, and with arms extended at the front with the skis parallel to each other. Using this technique, Sepp Bradl of Austria became the first to jump more than 100 meters when he jumped 101 meters in 1936.

Snowboarding combines elements of surfing, skateboarding and skiing and was developed in the U. S. in the ‘60’s. Surfers and skateboarders became involved and by 1980, snowboarding was a national activity. Snowboarding consists of Parallel Giant Slalom, Halfpipe, Snowboard Cross, Big Air and Slopestyle. So let’s head out to them slopes and ice for a few days of fun!

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Random Olympic Trivia

Let’s take a step back or forward in time to visit what has truly been a dazzling experience. In the past we have been awed by the Winter Olympics and the fascinating display of not just our U.S. athletes, but those from around the world.

We used to hear the hype leading up to these fantastic athletic events that oohed and awed us for days. Let’s once again hunger for the upcoming Winter Olympics that will be held Friday, Feb 4, 2022 to Sunday Feb 20, 2022.

So what do you know? Did you know that figure skating and ice hockey were originally a summer debut? These are, no doubt, two of the most popular disciplines at the Winter Olympics. However, their Olympic origins actually began at the Summer Games!

Figure skating as the oldest winter sport in Olympic history was added to the Summer Olympic Games in 1908 and then transitioned to the inaugural Winter Olympics in 1924. Ice hockey made its debut 12 years later in Antwerp.

The 1924 Olympics in Chamonix, France were the first Winter Olympic Games. Perhaps, in a way to ensure it would be a success, 10,004 people were paid to watch.

Then there was the time when horses and dogs stole the show in the Winter Olympics. Equestrianism (horseback riding) has been a part of the Summer Olympic program for years, but did you know that at one point, animals were also included at the Winter Olympics?

Scandinavian skijoring is a sport in which competitors wear skis and clutch reins attached to a wooden harness fitted onto one or more horses, ponies or dogs. It made a sole appearance as a demonstration event at St Moritz 1928, with three Swiss sleds (pulled by horses, for this event). In 1932 at the Lake Placid Winter Games, sled dog racing made a brief appearance as a demonstration sport.

A total of 258 athletes from 16 countries competed at the first Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924. In PyeongChang 2018, there were 2,925 athletes from 92 nations.

The 1980 Winter Olympics were the “Miracle on Ice” for America. In one of the most dramatic upsets in Olympic history, the underdog U.S. hockey team, made up of college players, defeated the four-time defending gold-medal winning Soviet team at the XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York with a 4–3 win.

The Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland boycotted the 1956 Olympics in protest of the Soviet Union presence in reference to of their recent crushing of the Hungarian Revolution. The People’s Republic of China chose to boycott the event because Taiwan had been allowed to compete.

The 1964 Winter Innsbruck games were threatened by a lack of snow until the Austrian Army delivered 50,000 cubic yards of the fluffy stuff. Ironically, a heavy snowfall hit Innsbruck immediately after the Games had ended!

The oldest person to receive a medal at the Olympic Winter Games is Anders Haugen. He competed in 1924 but didn’t get his bronze medal until 50 years later because of a scoring error. US Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin brought 35 pairs of skis with her to PyeongChang 2018.

Yang Yang was the People’s Republic of China’s first ever champion at the Olympic Winter Games by winning the women’s 500m short track at Salt Lake City 2002. Debra Thomas became the first black athlete to medal at the Winter Olympics after she won bronze in figure skating at the 1988 Games in Calgary.

Until 1992, the Olympic Summer Games and the Olympic Winter Games were held in the same year. To date, 12 countries have participated in every Olympic Winter Games – Austria, Canada, Finland, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. The Olympic Winter Games have never been hosted in the southern hemisphere.

The only country to have won a gold medal at every Olympic Winter Games is the United States. The Biathlon is the only Winter Olympic event the US has not medaled in. Norwegian athletes have won the most medals since its inception. Surprisingly enough, Iceland is one of the countries that has never medaled at the Winter Olympics.

U.S. ice hockey player Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson scored the fastest two goals by one player at a Winter Olympics – just six seconds apart at PyeongChang 2018. Finland’s Kalle Jalkanen won the 1936 cross-country skiing relay despite picking up his dentures he’d accidentally spat on the snow.

The youngest female snowboarding gold medalist is America’s Chloe Kim, at 17 in PyeonChang in 2018. Ester Ledecka became the first person to win two gold medals at the same Olympic Winter Games in two sports – Alpine skiing and snowboarding.

Curling is one of the oldest team sports and is named after the unique turning that occurs at the end of the stone’s path on the ice. The stone used in curling is made of rare, dense granite that is quarried on Scotland’s Ailsa Craig.

It’s hard enough to qualify to compete at the Olympic Games, let alone win a medal – but imagine reaching the podium in two different sports in two different seasons! You may be surprised to learn that five athletes have achieved this incredible feat.

Norwegian Jacob Thams won the gold medal in ski jumping (Chamonix 1924) and silver in sailing (Berlin 1936). German Christa Luding-Rothenburger won two golds and two silver medals in speed skating (Calgary 1988 and Albertville 1992), as well as another silver in track cycling (Seoul 1988).

Canadian Clara Hughes won a total of six medals competing in speed skating and road cycling: gold, silver and two bronze in speed staking (Salt Lake City 2002, Torino 2006 and Vancouver 2010); plus two bronze medals in road cycling (Atlanta 1996).

American Lauryn Williams is the most recent member of this exclusive club, having won gold in the 4 x 100m relay at London 2012 and silver in the 100m in Athens in 2004, as well as a silver medal in the women’s bobsleigh at Sochi 2014.

Eddie Eagan is the only person to win a gold medal in the Winter and Summer Olympics in different events. American Eddie Eagan won gold in the light-heavyweight boxing event in the 1920 Antwerp Summer Games. 12 years later, he was a member of the four-man bobsled team that won gold in the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.

Talk about awkward. Boy, this is awkward. Two separate hockey teams (backed by rival hockey associations) arrived at the 1948 St. Moritz Winter Games, each claiming to be the rightful participant on America’s behalf. The team backed by the American Hockey Association (which was composed of professional hockey players) was ultimately recognized as the official American team.

We’ve talked about the Games in general, but what sports will we get to see? The current sports consists of Bobsleigh, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Nordic Combined, Short Track Speed Skating, Skeleton, Ski Jumping, Snowboard, Speed Skating, Alpine Skiing, and Biathlon. Stay tuned for more history and info on each of these. Boy, Skeleton, what the heck is that?

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The Benefits of BRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

We’ve been experiencing it. Some have reveled in it and some have cursed it. Some plain love it and wish we had it year round. Brrrr, it’s getting colder and colder each day. Winter’s here, temperatures are dropping, and chances are that it’ll get even colder. All that most of us want to do is cozy up indoors with a mug of hot tea and a heartwarming movie.

Whether you hate it or love it there are surprisingly health benefits to cold weather or so they say. At least we are going to lead ourselves to believe this at this time. Here are some unexpected health benefits that you may not have known were true.

It may help you burn off calories. Adding layers upon layers must definitely mean we are carrying more weight so we burn calories. Then we can add the shoveling of snow that generally comes with the cold. That definitely burns a calorie or two. Apparently, just 15 minutes spent shivering in a cold environment has the same effect as exercising for an hour. Neither one sounds appealing.

The cold can help you fight off infections they say. Maybe the infections can’t get through the layers to say gotcha. Catching a cold is still likely during cold weather, but you are in the clear for several diseases and viruses that are more prevalent during warmer temperatures. Mosquitos are known to carry a lot of diseases, but during the winter they are hibernating or frozen stiff more likely. Studies show for the most part that, “the human immune system can be activated when exposed to the cold, and it enhances someone’s ability to fight infections.”

It can help you get a better night’s sleep. A day out in the cold has the tendency to make us tired. Can’t argue with that. It is known that while you sleep that your body’s core temperature drops faster during the winter than in the summer. If you keep your bedroom temperature between 60 and 67 degrees, you are likely to burn more calories.

Supposedly it can improve your brain function. So how smart are we if we can’t think to get in out of the cold. But for those who love the cold – maybe we should check their brain function. (Just a little humor folks for those who like the cold. For those who hate the cold, they do wonder about the mental health of the ones who love it.)

The cold can give your heart a kickstart. Well walking out into the sub zeroes we’ve had lately from a warm room without a coat, can definitely jump start the old system. When you are doing various activities outside in the cold weather it is actually good for your heart (as long as you don’t overdo it).

The experts also seem to think that cold temperatures help you to think clearly. They think that when you set the room at a cooler temperature rather than a warm temperature, you perform your tasks better. That or you just sit and shiver. But then again that burns up the calories. Win Win either way. They are correct – the cold makes working out fun and challenging. Not sure about the fun part, but definitely more challenging. The cold also allows more oxygenated blood to compensate for the activity. This ensures the body maintains a warm temperature to stay balanced, and avoid a drop in temperature.

Cold temperatures can be good for your skin’s health due to the fact it constrains blood vessels in the skin and lowers inflammation. This then makes the blood vessels less likely to have redness and swelling. Did you know your joints are supposed to feel less swollen or puffy during the winter season? This is because the cold acts like a natural ice pack to help decrease inflammation. I’m not sure I can agree with this one. You hear more people complaining about joints hurting in the winter generally.

Being exposed to cold can mean a longer life. Researchers have studied worms, mice and muscles and found exposure to cold temperatures resulted in longer lives. The lifespan for mice increased by up to 20 percent when the core body temperature was reduced. Hmm we may live forever then.

Okay this is a new one – it increases brown fat. Oh lordy just what we want, more fat. But hold on to your hats, brown fat is the mitochondria-packed fat cells that burn energy and produces heat in your body. People with a lower body mass index tend to have a higher content of brown fat. Study shows, “when men are exposed to cooler temperatures they have an increase in brown fat and a corresponding boost in metabolism.”

So cold improves allergies. Just a minute – allergies aren’t being added and made worse. It is good news for those with outdoor allergies; pollen counts are nonexistent in the cold and snowy weather. (That’s because the pollen is frozen, same as us!) If you spend time outside in the snow you will not have to worry about any allergies, but inside you are still exposed to things like mold and dust mites.

The cold does have a benefit that the experts don’t talk about. For those who hate the cold and love the warm; cold makes us appreciate those long warm summer days even more. And for those who love the cold for skiing and snowmobiling – have at it, just a few more months and you’ll be sweatin right along with the rest of us. So how many days till summer?? Reading is always a cool thing.

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It’s Just The Little Weird And Arcane Things

We’re all set to celebrate Trivia Day in January. The largest snowflake ever observed was recorded in Montana on January 28, 1887 at 38 cm wide. (That’s approximately 14.96 inches!!) Montana has more bookstores per capita than any other state.

Every spring, people living in northeastern Montana can witness about 10,000 white pelicans with a wingspan of nine feet migrate from the Gulf of Mexico to Medicine Lake. No state has as many different species of mammals as Montana. We have the largest migratory elk herd in the nation. The moose, now numbering over 8,000 in Montana, was thought to be extinct in the Rockies south of Canada in the 1900s. The average square mile of land contains 1.4 elk, 1.4 pronghorn antelope, and 3.3 deer. There are more cattle in Montana than there are people.

Most know that Giant Springs is home to the largest freshwater spring in the country. The Roe River is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s shortest river. It flows 200 feet between Giant Springs and the Missouri River near Great Falls and competes with the D River in Lincoln City, Oregon for the title of the shortest river. Both rivers have been measured on different occasions, with lengths varying from 58 feet to 200 feet. Schoolchildren in Great Falls campaigned successfully to have the Roe River placed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

At the Rocky Mountain Front Eagle Migration Area west of Great Falls more golden eagles have been seen in a single day than anywhere else in the country. The Montana Yogo Sapphire is the only North American gem to be included in the Crown Jewels of England.

Steer Montana was the largest steer in the world. He still can be found in Baker at the O’Fallon Museum. Weighing in at 3,980 pounds, he grew to be 5’9″ tall and 10’4″ long. Born March 23, 1923 just east of Baker, the steer lived for 15 years and 4 months. Raised by Jack Guth, a former jockey, the steer toured local stock shows and circuses when he was alive. After he died, his hide was preserved. Steer Montana disappeared for many years, but was finally discovered in a storage facility in Billings and donated to the O’Fallon Museum.

The notorious outlaw, Henry Plummer, built the first jail constructed in the state at Bannack. In Whitehall it is illegal to operate a vehicle with ice picks attached to the wheels. A Fort Benton cowboy once insisted on riding his horse to his room in the Grand Union Hotel. When the manager objected, they exchanged gunfire. The horseman was killed before reaching the top of the stairs; fourteen .44 slugs were later dug out of his body.

Flathead Lake contains over 200 square miles of water and 185 miles of shoreline. It is considered the largest natural freshwater lake in the west. Montana has 43 state parks and 25 scenic byways. Glacier National Park has 250 lakes within its boundaries. Yellowstone National Park was the first national park in the nation. The highest point in the state is Granite Peak at 12,799 feet. Hill County has the largest county park in the United States. Beaver Creek Park measures 10 miles long and 1 mile wide.

In Salisbury it was illegal to throw pop bottles on the ground. (Yes there was a Salisbury in Madison County.) Salisbury was primarily a stage stop with a post office that operated under three names during its lifetime. The stage stop/post office was originally known as Pollinger (after Elijah Pollinger, rancher and owner of the stage station) when it opened on September 2, 1869. Henry Morier was the first postmaster at Pollinger. On October 16, 1871 the name was changed to Gaffney, after Owen Gaffney who took over operation of the stage station and also served as postmaster. Finally on November 1, 1875, the stage stop/post office became known as Salisbury (after one of the founders of the stage line operating in the area). John Closton served as the first Salisbury postmaster. The Salisbury post office lasted until June 15, 1883.

Grasshopper Creek’s gold at Bannack, Montana was 99-99.5% pure, compared to most gold at 95%. When the strike was found in 1862 it led to the greatest rush to the West since the California Gold Rush in 1848.

Martha Raye was born in Butte. As a singer, actress and comedienne, she entertained troops during World War II and the Vietnam War. She was buried in the military cemetery at Fort Bragg, North Carolina to honor her entertainment service to the troops.

Mike Tilleman of Chinook began as a defensive tackle for U of M and went on to play for the Chicago Bear, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Houston Oilers, and Atlanta Falcons. His career spanned from 1965 to 1976.

Phil Jackson from Deer Lodge coached the Chicago Bulls beginning in 1989. He led them to 6 NBA world championships and was voted NBA Coach of the Year in 1996.

Shelby native Larry Krystkowiak played forward-center for the San Antonio Spurs, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Utah Jazz, the Orlando Magic, the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers. He averaged 12.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game during the 1988-89 season.

The first school house in Flatwillow built in 1900 was a school by day and a saloon by night. Flatwillow was an unincorporated town in southern Petroleum County. All buildings of the town are now gone, and the land is now privately owned farmland.

In 1903, John Ringling of the Ringling Brothers bought 20,000 acres between White Sulphur Springs and Leader, then another 70,000 acres in the Smith River Valley. White Sulphur Springs had long hoped for a railroad to get their minerals and agricultural goods to market. John Ringling saw to it that a railroad was built. In celebration, the town of Leader changed its name to Ringling. Ringling is an unincorporated community on US Hwy 89 between Livingston and White Sulphur Springs. At one time the Ringling brothers considered moving their circus headquarters to Ringling.

Lewis and Clark Caverns, the state’s first state park, was established in 1937. It is one of the largest limestone caverns in the northwest portion of the nation. One of trivia’s primary benefits is that it enables you to learn a surprising amount about a wide variety of subjects. When you read you learn.

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A Little bit of this and a little bit of that January

“January is here, with eyes that keenly glow. A frost-mailed warrior striding a shadowy steed of snow.” – Edgar Fawcett

According to folklore, the weather of the first 12 days of the year is said to be indicative of the following 12 months. So the weather on January 1^st will be the weather of January and the weather on January 2 will be February’s weather etc. Boy if that’s true we could have a COLD winter, but does mean if January 7^th is cold then July will be cold?????????? Something to think about.

Did ya know that on January 4, 2022, Earth reached perihelion -the point in the planet’s orbit where it is closest to the Sun? At perihelion, Earth was just 91,406,842 miles from our bright neighbor. January’s Moon is called the Wolf Moon. This year, the full Moon reaches peak illumination at 4:51 P.M. MST on Monday, January 17. It can be seen rising from the horizon around sunset that evening.

The Quadrantid meteors appear in the early January sky, producing up to 25 meteors per hour at their peak. They were at their best on the night of Monday, January 3, into Tuesday, January 4. For the best chance at spotting them, venture out between midnight and dawn (if you can stand the cold).

For those who love to garden. January is now the best time to start planning your garden for the upcoming season.

From the Babylonians who resolved to return borrowed farm equipment to medieval knights who would renew their vow to chivalry, New Year’s resolutions are nothing new. New Year’s resolutions actually go back to ancient times. In 2000 B.C., the Babylonians celebrated the New Year during a 12-day festival called Akitu (starting with the vernal equinox). This was the start of the farming season to plant crops, crown their king, and make promises to pay their debts. One common resolution was the returning of borrowed farm equipment (which makes sense for an agriculturally based society, especially if you want to borrow again!).

January was named for the two-faced Roman god, Janus, who looks forward for new beginnings as well as backward for reflection and resolution. The Romans would offer sacrifices to Janus and make promises of good behavior for the year ahead.

New Year’s resolutions were also made in the Middle Ages. Medieval knights would renew their vow to chivalry by placing their hands on a peacock. The annual “Peacock Vow” would take place at the end of the year, as a resolution to maintain their knightly values.

By the 17th century, New Year’s resolutions were so common that folks found humor in the idea of making and breaking their pledges. A Boston newspaper from 1813 featured the first recorded use of the phrase “New Year resolution.” The article states:

“And yet, I believe there are multitudes of people, accustomed to receive injunctions of new year resolutions, who will sin all the month of December, with a serious determination of beginning the new year with new resolutions and new behaviour, and with the full belief that they shall thus expiate and wipe away all their former faults.”

In the United States, New Year’s resolutions are still a tradition, but the types of resolutions have changed. “As a legacy of our Protestant history, resolutions in the early 1900s were more religious or spiritual in nature, reflecting a desire to develop stronger moral character, a stronger work ethic, and more restraint in the face of earthly pleasures.”

My favorite folklore is the onion story. Get twelve onions. Between 11:00 p.m. and midnight on New Year’s Eve cut off the tops and scoop out a depression in the centers. Get out your compass and line the onions in an east-west orientation. Place an equal amount of salt in each depression. (Then explain to your fellow partiers why you smell like an onion!)

Don’t look at the vegetables until the next morning. The salt has dissolved to varying degrees in each onion. The more water in each onion the wetter the corresponding month will be in the coming year. After this, carefully add potatoes and other root veggies, rub with olive oil and spices and bake. Whether the onions are right or wrong, you’ll have a nice New Year’s Day feast. Well you might have missed this annual ritual this year, but grab those onions for next year. So would they make a good Christmas gift to for those who want to try out this little experiment??

Wedsworth would like to thank Joe and Mike and whoever shovels and clears the sidewalks and streets to make it a little safer out there. It is a thankless job, especially when it is Cold out there. We however appreciate it to the 9^th degree. So thanks a bundle to all of you.

We thought we could celebrate National Cuddle Day by cuddling down in a nice comfy chair with a warm blanket and hot drink with a great book. If you would like to join in, stop on by the library and check out a book or two or three so you don’t have to venture out in the cold and snow. Wedsworth wishes all a great New Year ahead.

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December here and gone and say Hello to a New Year

All the children were stirrin with visions of Santa and bundles of toys; when at the front door there exclaimed a loud ‘HO HO HO’ and “what to our wondering eyes should appear, but a little old driver, so lively and quick”. “He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.” There arose such a clatter of ‘Santa, Santa, Santa is here!! And the REAL Santa popped on in. He regaled the crew with tales of Rudolph and all the reindeer and explained that even Santa had breakdowns and the elves were all busy tryin to repair the broken sleigh. He fed the reindeer too much and didn’t feel like flying so they had to stay home and Santa relied on that Christmas magic to zip on down. Then he flew out of sight with a long list of wishes.

Wedsworth Library extends an enormous thank you to all the elves that helped Santa out: Melody Skogley; Jo Ann Eisenzimer; Nada Cummings; Mary Mortag, and most of all a huge thank you to David Snyder, we couldn’t have done it without you.

Wedsworth Library would also like to thank all the elves who brought treats It was so calorific of you. There must be a Santa Claus. A sweeping thanks to Joe for keeping the sidewalks clear.

Wedsworth Library was ablaze with celebrations during December. Poinsettia day rang in the spirit of Christmas on December 12th. According to Mexican folklore, this is a story of a little poor girl who had nothing to bring to church for Christmas. On her way to church, she picked some plants by the side of the road and as she entered the church, the leaves at the tips of the branches turned into bright, brilliant red flowers – Poinsettias!

Remember ladies – come pick up your Book Discussion book “A Spool of Blue Thread” by Anne Tyler for discussion on Valentine’s Day! That could turn out to be an exciting adventure. Be sure and don’t miss.

Once again let’s get the New Year off to an energizing start with a bit of trivia to rouse your brain and celebrate Trivia day. 30,000 books stacked on top of each other would be taller that the Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty combined. That many books weigh as much as four adult elephants. According to Google, 129,864,880 million books had been published as of 2010. That number is obviously a lot higher now as More than one million books are published every year in the United States. So when you say out loud “Ugh, can’t find a good book to read,” know that you have a lot to choose from.

Author’s names didn’t used to be printed on the covers of their books. The covers of the first printed books were considered artworks. They were covered in drawings, leather and even gold — so there wasn’t a place for the author’s name. President Theodore Roosevelt read one book per day.

And for a bit of December weather folklore. If December is rainy, mild and unsettled, the winter will not be harsh. According to one lore thunder in December presages fine weather, but another states that if there’s thunder during Christmas week, the winter will be anything but meek. Guess it covers it both ways.

Frost on the shortest day is said to indicate a severe winter. A White Christmas means a green Easter. A green Christmas means a white Easter. The nearer the New Moon is to Christmas Day, the harsher the winter. If Christmas Day is bright and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year.

If it rains on Christmas, there will be four weeks with no sun and a windy Christmas is a sign of a good year to come. If it snows on Christmas night, there will be a good crop of hops next year.

Curious about comparing the fuel economy of automobile models? You can find this info on the library’s website – https://cascademtwedsworthlibrary.wordpress.com under the Resource tab and then clicking on U.S. Department of Energy Automobile Fuel Economy Guide https://www.fueleconomy.gov. Need to file unemployment – use the link on the Resource page.

Adults often think they know so much more than the little ones, but here are pearls of wisdom: It snows because Santa is coming. It snows because it is Christmas. And you thought the scientists knew it all.

After the holidays we all might need some hilarity. Laughing matters, so – What’s the largest ant in the world? Antarctica. A farmer was milking his cow when a bug flew into the barn. The bug circled the farmer’s head, then flew into the cow’s ear. The farmer didn’t think much about it until the bug squirted out into his bucket. It had gone in one ear and out the udder. Why did the caterpillar go to the library? He wanted to be a bookworm. “Oh, the weather outside is frightful, But the fire is so delightful. And since we’ve no place to go”, Snow read! Snow read! Snow read! There’s Snow thing like reading. Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year. Thank you to all our past, present, and future patrons.

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PAUL HARVEY’S FAMOUS “CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MAN AND THE BIRDS,”

Paul Harvey was a delightful history teacher — “with a velvety voice that turned the news into narrative and entertainment each week on his famous segment The Rest of the Story. He had a magical fluidity to his storytelling.” The Rest of the Story was constructed as a story within a story. This inside-out storytelling technique delivered an outer story that the listener likely knew, through an inner story that kept the listener from connecting the dots. “Harvey offered something sorely lacking in much of the news today. He offered not only empathy and understanding; he provided America something that news outlets crave even more. He was interesting.”

The following famous story as only Paul Harvey could tell it was aired over ABC Radio, December 24, 2004.

“Unable to trace its proper parentage, I have designated this as my “Christmas Story of the Man and the Birds.” You know, THE Christmas Story, the God born a man in a manger and all that escapes some moderns, mostly, I think, because they seek complex answers to their questions and this one is so utterly simple. So for the cynics and the skeptics and the unconvinced I submit a modern parable.

Now the man to whom I’m going to introduce you was not a scrooge, he was a kind, decent, mostly good man. Generous to his family, upright in his dealings with other men. But he just didn’t believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas Time. It just didn’t make sense and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn’t swallow the Jesus Story, about God coming to Earth as a man. “I’m truly sorry to distress you,” he told his wife, “but I’m not going with you to church this Christmas Eve.” He said he’d feel like a hypocrite. That he’d much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. And so he stayed and they went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound. Then another, and then another. Sort of a thump or a thud. At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They’d been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn’t let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter, if he could direct the birds to it. Quickly he put on a coat, galoshes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted wide open doorway of the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them. He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms. Instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted barn.

And then, he realized that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me. That I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how? Because any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him. “If only I could be a bird,” he thought to himself, “and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to safe, warm … to the safe warm barn. But I would have to be one of them so they could see, and hear and understand.”

At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. And he stood there listening to the bells–“Adeste Fidelis”–listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. And he sank to his knees in the snow. Only now, you know, the rest of the story.”

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The Glue of Stories

“Everything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories and compassion.” – Barry Lopez

“Children love stories. Stories are magic; they can create other worlds, emotions, ideas and make the everyday seem incredible. They can teach us empathy and take us on terrific journeys. They can make us laugh, cry, jump with fright and then comfort us with a happy ending. From a very young age we learn how to enjoy a story both for pleasure and to help us make sense of the world and ourselves” according to Carys Shannon.

In the Celtic region of Brittany, the season for storytelling begins in November (the Black Month of Toussaint), then it goes on through December (the Very Black Month), and ends at Christmas.

In early America, some of the Puritan groups which forbade the “idle gossip” of storytelling relaxed these restraints at the dark of the year, from which comes a tradition of religious and miracle tales of a uniquely American stamp: Old World folktales transplanted to the New and given a thin Christian gloss.

Among a number of the different Native American nations across the continent, winter is also considered the appropriate time for certain modes of storytelling: a time when long myth cycles are told and learned and passed through the generations. “Trickster stories are among the tales believed to hasten the coming of spring. Among many tribes, Coyote stories must only be told in the dark winter months; at any other time, such tales risk offending this trickster, or drawing his capricious attention.”

In today’s world many a parent sends they child off to watch some TV or browse the technology. While these may be considered a simple pleasure of childhood, nothing compares to the beauty of storytelling.

These are many benefits to storytelling. In addition to bring the children and storyteller closer together, storytelling instills virtues in your little one.

Young kids love listening to stories. When you devote time for storytelling with them, you are instilling virtues they carry with them as they grow older. Tell stories with characters whose values they can emulate or stories with meaningful messages. This teaches children valuable lessons and helps them learn about kindness, wisdom, honesty, compassion and more.

It boosts their listening skills. It isn’t always easy to hold a child’s attention for long. Many kids find it hard to concentrate on something for an extended period of time. They either butt in or do more of the talking or their minds end up wandering somewhere else. However, storytelling with your child can help improve their listening skills. They will become more attentive and learn how to increase their focus on a certain topic.

It also fosters their imagination. When children listen to a story, it makes them imagine the characters, the plot, the setting, etc. It’s way different from watching something on a screen. Storytelling encourages children’s imagination to run wild as the story unfolds. They can imagine the story however they want it to look like in their heads. It can even enhance their creativity and make them open to new ideas.

Storytelling will increase their cultural understanding. Telling stories opens the eyes of young kids to new things – places, culture, traditions. It makes them imagine being in the place of the story’s characters which develops their compassion as they try to understand their actions.

Their communication skills are enhanced. Reading and telling stories to children can increase their ability to express themselves. It encourages them to communicate their thoughts, feelings and ideas. When storytelling, make sure to encourage your little one to ask questions. As you continue to indulge in storytelling with your little one, they will have a broader vocabulary as they pick up new words.

Storytelling is an excellent way to sharpen your child’s memory. When you read them a story, you can review or ask them to recall some of the details. Ask them questions and see how much information they have retained.

Learning is made easier. Telling stories to your little one is a stepping stone for future academic learning. It’s a good way to prepare them for school because it makes learning easier and natural. Storytelling helps increase a child’s focus and concentration which are very important as they begin attending school.

Their social skills can be improved. Through storytelling, children learn how to pay attention and listen to the person talking. They learn to be more patient as they listen to others speak. It also opens their eyes to other people’s thoughts and understand how each person’s opinion varies.

Storytelling can teach young kids many things about the world and life. It gives them plenty of opportunities to learn wonderful ideas and things they have never encountered before. Given these benefits, parents have countless reasons to spend time telling stories with their kids. Storytelling is all about interacting with each other and finding the holiday closeness we all need as a family.

What do you get when Santa Claus goes down a chimney and the fire is lit? Crisp Kringle. Where does Christmas come before Thanksgiving? In the dictionary.

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Flying With Tom

We’re often at the gate waiting for take-off here at the library without even a pilot. Well, we now have a pilot. Actually, we just have his plane to fly off into the wild blue yonder.

Many wish to undertake an adventure in their lifetime and some live a lifetime of adventure. Some just wish to meet a high-flier. If you were lucky, you met one of Cascade’s finest. So step on board and take a short flight.

Born and raised in Great Falls, Tom developed a love of motorcycles. This was a love that lasted into the sunset. If there ever was a free day, Tom was on his bike headin out. Always ready for a challenge he participated and placed in numerous Hill Climb racing events. In the July 1957 issue of American Motorcyclist Tom was listed as placing second in the Montana Hillclimb Championship held near Cascade. More than 3,000 spectators were on hand to witness the 2-star class C event. Tom participated and placed second in the 45 event. He placed 3^rd in the 80 event. He and a group of friends even rode their motorcycles to Purdue Bay at the Arctic Circle in 2016.

Wishing to serve his country Tom joined the Navy and by all accounts of those who knew him, became “one of the finest aircraft mechanics, shop managers the Navy ever saw”. During his career, Tom received many awards including the Charles Taylor “Master Mechanic” Award in 2008.

He also learned to fly for the Navy and fly he did. Tom’s love of flying knew no bounds. During his Navy career, he was stationed at Chula Vista, Oxnard, Point Mugo, Alameda, Long Beach and San Diego, California; Midway Island, and Bremerton, Washington.

After retiring from the Navy, Tom found his landing strip and hangar near Cascade. Not ready to settle down into retirement Tom worked for Slack Cycle Sales and Spartan Cycle Sales as Service Manager. Then to change things up a bit he worked for the Dana Ranch for over 25 years. After retiring from the ranch, Tom still needed something to fill in his time. So in 2009 he became the Chief Quality Inspector PAE for the Department of Homeland Security AOS and the following year was promoted to Site Manager. He waited to retire from this position at the young age of 78.

Now Tom still needed some hobbies to fill his days, as he didn’t seem to have enough to do. “Tom loved animals— from his special dogs to the black bear and deer that inhabited his yard.”

Not flying in the air, he decided to build his own planes to fly in a slightly different way. Tom built model airplanes and boy did he build. He started from the ground up and didn’t fool around with just itty bitty ones. He loved the challenge of trying for the large ones and he loved flying ‘em all.

Tom never stopped. In 2015 He was awarded General Aviation AMT of the Year for the State of Montana. He was a member and served as president of the EAA Chapter (Experimental Aircraft Association) 1141, and received numerous Chapter Service Awards.

Thomas Richard Wrobel, 78, passed away January 15, 2019, at Benefis Hospital in Great Falls, Montana after a valiant battle with cancer.

Many remember Tom in a variety of ways. Tom Mabrey remembers “His door was always open; his way was true and forthright. He was a great friend…an indomitable spirit. Jeff Birks felt “He was one of the finest friends that this world has ever known.”

Wedsworth Library is able to immortalize Tom just a little bit more and offer the community a special portion of his life. Dave and Tami Snyder were honored to know Tom and even more honored to own a piece of Tom and his loves. They are loaning this piece of Tom’s history to the Library.

We have on display one of Tom’s airplanes he built. It is a sight to behold. Stop on by and come fly with Tom and the library.

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Read My Pins

Let’s step back into a time when life was calmer, less chaotic in a sense. Walk back to a time when we weren’t bombarded with so much. Most might not remember Madeleine Albright. Yet world leaders noticed her and soon learned to ‘Read Her Pins’.

Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright was an American politician and diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (1993–97) and who was the 64th United States Secretary of State and the first woman to hold this post (1997–2001).

Albright was a “practical, down to earth person with strong ideas about right and wrong. She did not sit silently”; “she realized that if she only observed and listened, she wouldn’t get a chance to speak, which meant the voice of the United States wouldn’t be heard.” Jewelry soon became part of Madeleine’s arsenal as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Albright became famous for wearing pins that expressed her thoughts on the diplomatic proceedings she attended. As U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Madeleine criticized Saddam Hussein. His poet in residence responded by calling her “an unparalleled serpent.” While preparing to meet with Iraqi officials, Albright pondered what to wear. She decided to make a diplomatic statement by choosing to wear a snake pin. Her message was as old as the American Revolution – Don’t Tread on Me.

From that day forward, pins became part of her diplomatic signature and trademark. International leaders and reporters soon learned to pinpoint the pin she wore. The pins symbolized the mood Madeleine would employee during the talks. She saw it as an additional way of expressing what she was saying or a visual way to deliver a message. She was known for stating “Former President George H.W. Bush had been known for saying ‘Read my lips.’ She began urging colleagues and reporters to ‘Read my pins’.

Though she was fond of all the pieces in her collection (she said her favorite was a heart made by her youngest daughter), one of them nearly betrayed her. On the day of her swearing-in ceremony for Secretary of State, her newly acquired eagle pin nearly fell off while she took her oath because she failed to properly close the unusual clasp.

The Madeleine Albright Collection featured more than 200 pins. Most of the pins were costume jewelry and were reflective of whatever issue she was dealing with, what she was feeling like on a given day or where she was going. But mostly it was for fun and just a good way to start the day. On good days there were flowers and butterflies and balloons, and on bad days, all kinds of bugs and carnivorous animals.

There was the arrow pin that looked like a missile. When she was negotiating the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the Russians, the Russian foreign minister asked, “Is that one of your missile interceptors you’re wearing?” And she responded, “Yes. We make them very small. Let’s negotiate.” After the U.S. found that the Russians had planted a listening device—a ‘bug’—into a conference room near Madeleine’s office in the State Department, she wore a huge bug the next time she saw the Russians. They got the message.

Albright often displayed a little bit of humor to get through complicated issues. The U.S. was in complicated talks with Syria and Israeli and the reporters wanted to know what was going on. Madeleine responded that, “sometimes talks, like mushrooms, do better in the dark for a little while.” After that whenever someone from the press asked what was going on, she would just say, “mushrooms, mushrooms.” Soon she found a mushroom pin and just pointed to the pin.

Albright believed “the right symbol at the correct time could add warmth or needed edge to a relationship.” A foreign dignitary was much happier to see the bright shining sun attached to Madeleine’s jacket, rather that the menacing wasp or bee, which was used to deliver a sharp message. She referred to Muhammad Ali boasting that he would “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”. Madeleine’s message meant that “America would try to resolve every controversy peacefully, but if pushed into a corner we had both the will and a way to strike back.”

During negotiations with the Middle East Madeleine often wore a dove pin. However when displeased with the pace of negotiations she would substitute a turtle, a snail or when truly aggravated, a crab.

Madeleine experimented with different looks and ideas. She preferred the more dramatic side than the demure look of her pins. She often wore several pins simultaneously for an enhanced statement. She often wore an eagle brooch with an Uncle Sam’s hat. She found the best effect came when she wore the two together with the hat tilted at a rakish angle, seemingly atop the eagle’s head.

Albright loved to wear a ladybug pin when feeling good, “because who doesn’t love a ladybug?” Her second choice was one of her hot-air balloons which she interpreted to “mean high hopes not overheated rhetoric.” “Other pins were aimed at conjuring up the quality needed to make a negotiation succeed, such as a tranquil swan or a wise owl.”

During Albright’s tenure everyone in North Korea was expected to wear a pin bearing the image of the nation’s founder, Kim II-sung. Failure to wear the pin was evidence of independent political thought, which was strictly prohibited and severely punished. When meeting with Kim Jong-il, the country’s dictator at the time, Madeleine wore the boldest American flag pin she had. Koreans are taught from an early age that America is evil. Madeleine wanted to reconcile this reputation with photos of their exalted leader playing host to her.

Once in a while Madeleine thought she might have gone too far. When she went to Russia with President Bill Clinton for a summit, she wore a pin with the hear-no-evil, see-no-evil, speak-no evil monkeys, because the Russians never would talk about what was really going on during their conflict with Chechnya. President Vladimir Putin asked why she was wearing those monkeys. She replied, “because of your Chechnya policy.” He was not amused.

Madeleine collected pins, attracted to similarity and to diversity. She loved to find a piece that was different from any other but could be added to the categories she already had. She felt the pins/figures were laden with meaning. For example the lion has always been linked to power and the sun. The lion pin she wore to meet President Hafez al-Assad was meant to honor Assad, as his name meant ‘lion’ in Arabic. The dragon symbolized China, koala Australia, kiwi New Zealand, and the flamingo Bahamas just to name a few.

Madeleine felt that a pin’s “greatest value came not from intrinsic materials or brilliant designs but from the emotions we invest. The most cherished attributes are not those that dazzle the eye but those that recall to the mind the face and spirit of a loved one.” Madeleine felt that she could use pins to communicate a diplomatic message, but realized they didn’t shake the world. She felt that “shaking the world is precisely the opposite of what diplomats are placed on Earth to do.”

Come explore more of Madeleine’s pin collection. There are some beautiful pictures with much of this info that came from Read My Pins by Madeleine Albright.

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Why did Dracula go to the library? He wanted a good book to sink his teeth into! Why did the ghost keep coming back to the library? He went through his books too quickly.

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What happened back in Montana’s Olden Days?

The helicopter landing was considered such a success that two more landed later on that week. By 1979 St. Pats installed a fifteen thousand dollar heliport near the Clark Fork River next to Western Montana Clinic. The heliport was moved to a rooftop perch in 1984 when the Sisters of Providence built a new hospital building. By 2001, St. Pat’s Life Flight helicopter was flying more than 700 missions a year.

On October 18, 1935 the largest in a series of earthquakes, measuring 6.3, hit Helena and killed four people. Property damage was estimated at $3.5 million. The seismic activity began with a cluster of 1200 quakes on October 3rd and continued for 3 months. During some 24 hour periods small quakes hit every 10 minutes. Joseph Howard recorded “The first serious quake hit at 9:47 pm on October 18. Residents of Helena said it was impossible to stand without holding onto something, and the quake sounded like a roar. For half a minute, you could hear the bricks and timbers in the building groan and plaster fall from the walls. 1100 homes were damaged, as well as the brand new high school. The football field at the high school was newly lined in the gridiron pattern. After the quake the lines were scrambled into a wavy pattern and the goal posts were moved more than two feet. Montana’s sense of humor showed through the tragedy. Bozeman’s newspaper reported that ‘Helena is now called Lena. This was due, they say, not so much to the leaning tendency, but because the quakes have shaken the Hel out of it.’

On October 23, 1933 the Fort Peck Dam construction began. The main dike contains 126 million cubic yards of material. The lake behind the dam stretches 124 miles with a shoreline of 1600 miles. That’s a shoreline longer than the California coast. In late October 1932 a crew of 70 men began clearing brush and cutting timber in the area that the reservoir would flood. They worked for 50 cents an hour. More than 100 farmers in the reservoir site had to sell out for Depression-era prices. Many gave up rich bottomland they had been farming for decades. The Fort Peck Dam project was unprecedented in size. Eventually the work force swelled to more than 10,000. Pile drivers pounded away day and night driving massive steel plates into the ground below the future dam to prevent seepage. 4 gigantic dredges with 7 foot cutter heads were constructed to reach up to 50 feet below the Missouri. They churned up clay which was piped to the dam site. Electric pumps on barges moved the slurry more than twenty miles in 28 inch pipe. Electricity came from Great Falls via a 154 volt power line – one of the longest every strung. 130 million cubic yards of earth traveled to the dam. Beneath the bluffs east of the river, unemployed miners from Butte cut 4 diversion tunnels, each a mile long and 25 feet in diameter. A mile long concrete spillway was erected equipped with 16 electric powered gates. The trough could hold more water that any Missouri River flood on record.

Smooth talking Richard Harlow completed his “Jawbone” Railroad from Lombard to Lewistown on October 30, 1903. The railroad’s name came from Harlow’s ability to sweet-talk creditors, workers, and suppliers. Harlow was a Helena attorney with the original idea/dream of building a railroad to the silver mine town of Castle, near White Sulphur Springs. The price of silver collapsed and created a change of directions. The line was changed to building though Judith Gap to Lewistown. The Milwaukee Road bought the Jawbone in 1909 after years of break-downs and accidents caused by poor construction and obsolete equipment. An announcement could have been stated “the passenger train scheduled to arrive in Lewistown 3 weeks ago last Monday will arrive tomorrow evening.” The town of Harlowton is named after Richard Harlow.

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A Palette Of Color

A Palette Of Color. We’ve all seen it. The spectacle has been around since the beginning of time. There has been many a story to explain it. Let’s explore.

A Native American legend has it that there was once a great bear who roamed around terrorizing people. The bear was far too powerful for any one person to kill, so the bravest and strongest warriors from several tribes banded together to hunt it.

When the bear saw the hunters coming he took off running. The warriors chased the bear for many months, over all the earth while firing their arrows. Though they never caught him, they got close enough for their arrows to reach him.

One arrow pieced the bear’s side deep enough to draw blood. In his pain and rage, the bear reared up and took to the sky, running from his pursuers through the heavens. To this day, says the legend, those warriors continue to chase the bear in circles around and under the earth. In the fall, when he is rising above the horizon, the bear’s blood drips down onto the trees below, turning the leaves scarlet.

The bear is said to be the pan of the Big Dipper part of the constellation Ursa Major, or the Great Bear. The handle of the Dipper, known as the bear’s tail, is said to be that band of warriors, still diligently chasing the bear after so many years. Another legend states that Jack Frost nips leaves with his fingers, painting them various hues as he moves through the forest.

For years, scientists have worked to understand the changes that occur in autumn. The basics to help you enjoy nature’s multicolored display include 3 factors that influence autumn leaf color: leaf pigments, length of night, and surprise – the weather.

You noticed that some years the fall leaf display is absolutely magnificent while other years the leaves are positively blah. So really, why do we see different hues each year and why are some more vibrant?

So to start – as the days get shorter, the tree does not have enough sunlight to make food so it shuts down. It stops producing chlorophyll and allows its fall leaves to die. When the tree stops producing chlorophyll, the green color leaves the foliage and you are left with the “true color” of the leaves. Leaves are naturally orange and yellow. The green just normally covers this up.

As the chlorophyll stops flowing, the tree starts to produce anthocyanins. This replaces the chlorophyll and is red colored. So, depending at which point in the fall leaf life cycle the tree is in, the tree will have green, yellow, or orange leaves then red autumn leaf color. If you have a bright, sunny fall, your tree will be a little blah because the pigments are breaking down quickly.

Some trees produce anthocyanins faster than others, meaning that some trees skip right over the yellow and orange color stage and go straight into the red leaf stage. How bright the red is depends on what species the leaf belongs to, its inherent genetics and the environment around it — including the forest, the tree, and individual leaves. Either way, you end up with a brilliant display of leaves changing color in the fall.

There is some truth to the old wives’ tale that rainy days wash the color from leaves. Cloudy, rainy days or warm nights really do reduce the intensity of fall colors.

Some have found that cooler temperatures in late summer and plenty of sunshine, often leads to brighter colors sooner. Cool is good, but too cold kills leaves early (as in freezing). So ideal for fall color would be a moist growing season early, dry late summer and early fall, with sunny warm days and cool nights during the latter.

The calendar needs an August footnote to remind us to watch the weather during that month for fall color later. Too many clouds, too much rain, or too much heat here can make for a duller fall. September, though generally cooler, follows suit. Drought is the other enemy of a good fall. The trees have to be in a healthy state —not water-stressed—heading into the season.

Certain colors are characteristic of particular species: Oaks: red, brown, or russet; Hickories: golden bronze; Aspen and yellow-poplar: golden yellow; Dogwood: purplish red; Beech: light tan; Sourwood and black tupelo: crimson. The color of maples leaves differ species by species.

The timing of the color change also varies by species. For example, sourwood in southern forests can become vividly colorful in late summer while all other species are still vigorously green. Oaks put on their colors long after other species have already shed their leaves.

These differences in timing among species seem to be genetically inherited; for a particular species at the same latitude will show the same coloration in the cool temperatures of high mountain elevations at about the same time as it does in warmer lowlands.

The amount of moisture in the soil also affects autumn colors. Like the weather, soil moisture varies greatly from year to year. The countless combinations of these two highly variable factors assure that no two autumns can be exactly alike. A late spring, or a severe summer drought, can delay the onset of fall color by a few weeks. A warm period during fall will also lower the intensity of autumn colors. A warm wet spring, favorable summer weather, and warm sunny fall days with cool nights should produce the most brilliant autumn colors.

There appears to be some difference between European colors and elsewhere. In Europe autumn leaves are mostly yellow, while the United States and East Asia boast lustrous red foliage. But why? One theory proposes we look back 35 million years back to solve the color mystery.

It proposes that the strong autumn colors result from a long evolutionary war between the trees and the insects that use them as hosts. According to the theory large areas of the globe were covered with evergreen jungles or forests composed of tropical trees until 35 million years ago. During this phase, a series of ice ages and dry spells transpired and many tree species evolved to become deciduous. Many also began an evolutionary process of producing red deciduous leaves in order to ward off insects. In North America, as in East Asia, north-to-south mountain chains enabled plant and animal ‘migration’ to the south or north with the advance and retreat of the ice according to the climatic fluctuations. And the tree’s insect ‘enemies’ migrated too. Thus the war for survival continued there uninterrupted, so the need for red.

In Europe the mountains – the Alps and their lateral branches – reach from east to west and therefore no migration for better climate. Many tree species did not survive the severe cold and died, and with them the insects that depended on them for survival. At the end of the repeated ice ages, most tree species that had survived in Europe had no need to cope with many of the insects that had become extinct, and therefore no longer had to expend efforts on producing red warning leaves.

According to the scientists, evidence supporting this theory can be found in the dwarf shrubs that grow in Scandinavia, which still color their leaves red in autumn. Unlike trees, dwarf shrubs have managed to survive the ice ages under a layer of snow that covered them and protected them from the extreme condition above. Under the blanket of snow, the insects that fed off the shrubs were also protected – so the battle with insects continued in these plants, making it necessary for them to color their leaves red.

Since man first noticed a rhythm in the changing seasons and the weather that comes with each new season, we’ve looked for a reliable means to know the weather ahead of us. We tried to see predictions in the natural world.

Here are several bits of weather folklore focused on trees, leaves, and more in the fall: The brighter the leaf colors in fall, the colder and snowier will be the winter. The earlier fall color peaks, the milder will be the winter. Leaves that drop early portend a mild winter. Leaves that cling to their trees later into autumn foreshadow a severe winter.

A Native American legend tells how trees like oaks and maples came to drop their leaves in fall while trees like pines hold onto their needles throughout the winter. According to the legend, a sparrow sought refuge in the leaves of an oak, but the oak turned it way. The sparrow then sought refuge in the leaves of a maple, but the maple also turned it away. Finally, the sparrow sought refuge in the needles of a pine and, although its needles were much less substantial than the leaves of the other trees, the pine granted refuge to the sparrow. When the creator learned of the trees’ behavior, he caused the deciduous trees to drop their leaves but allowed the pine to keep its needles.

So whatever the reason. Whatever the color. Enjoy, because it sure beats white!!

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‘God Made a Farmer Speech’

Wedsworth Library is celebrating ‘Old Farmers Day’ this month. Paul Harvey pretty much says it all.

The ‘God Made a Farmer Speech’ was delivered to the FFA November 1978, Kansas City, MO. By Paul Harvey

“And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, “I need a caretaker” — so God made a Farmer.

God said, “I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper, then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board” — so God made a Farmer.

“I need somebody with arms strong enough to rustle a calf and yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild; somebody to call hogs, tame cantankerous machinery, come home hungry, have to wait lunch until his wife’s done feeding visiting ladies, then tell the ladies to be sure and come back real soon — and mean it” — so God made a Farmer.

God said, “I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt, and watch it die, then dry his eyes and say, ‘Maybe next year.’ I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from a persimmon sprout, shoe a horse with a hunk of car tire, who can make harness out of haywire, feed sacks and shoe scraps; who, planting time and harvest season, will finish his forty-hour week by Tuesday noon, and then pain’n from tractor back,’ put in another seventy two hours” — so God made a Farmer.

God had to have somebody willing to ride the ruts at double speed to get the hay in ahead of the rain clouds, and yet stop in mid-field and race to help when he sees the first smoke from a neighbor’s place — so God made a Farmer.

It had to be somebody who’d plow deep and straight and not cut corners; somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed and rake and disc and plow and plant and tie the fleece and strain the milk and replenish the self-feeder and finish a hard week’s work with a five-mile drive to church; somebody who would bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh, and then sigh, and then reply, with smiling eyes, when his son says that he wants to spend his life “doing what dad does” — so God made a Farmer.

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“Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.”

Banned Books Week is all about celebrating the freedom to read,

This year’s theme is “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.” Sharing stories important to us means sharing a part of ourselves. Books reach across boundaries and build connections between readers. Censorship, on the other hand, creates barriers.

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. During the week of September 26 – October 2, 2021, Wedsworth Library will once again be promoting Banned Book Week. We will have a display of books that have been listed on the ‘Banned Book List’. These books have all been targeted with removal or restrictions in libraries and schools. Books continue to be banned, but part of the Banned Books Week celebration is the fact that, in a majority of cases, the books have remained available. This happens thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, students, and community members who stand up and speak out for the freedom to read.

“With a central image showing two hands sharing a book, the 2021 Banned Book Week theme is intended to be inclusive and emphasizes the ways in which books and information brings people together, help individuals see themselves in the stories of others, and aid the development of empathy and understanding for people from other backgrounds.”

“Books can help young people and readers of all ages explore worlds, lives, and experiences beyond their own,” said Nora Pelizzari, director of communications for the National Coalition Against Censorship. “This exploration is crucial in learning to think critically and independently and to navigate ourselves through life. Limiting access to ideas hurts everyone, and particularly students. Banned Books Week gives us a chance to champion the diverse ideas books let us explore.”

Since its inception in 1982, Banned Books Week has reminded us that while not every book or movie is intended for every reader, each of us has the right to decide for ourselves what to read, listen to, or view. Banned Books Week has looked to help people recognize and navigate censorship.

In the interest of books having a profound effect on us, the Library of Congress created “Books that Shaped America”. This exhibit explored books that “have had a profound effect on American life” and have been banned/challenged. Books such as: ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’, by Mark Twain, 1884; ‘Invisible Man’, by Ralph Ellison, 1952; and ‘Moby-Dick’; or ‘The Whale’, by Herman Melville, 1851 were included in the exhibit.

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Fire and Ice by Paul Harvey

Nobody knows why firefighters are firefighters. Not even they can tell you why. It’s time somebody try.

Firefighting is the most risky of all dead end jobs and yet also the one where most workers are most likely to punch in early. It’s hard enough to believe that; it’s impossible to explain it. Fire and ice are uncomfortable separately or together. Wives hate the hours. Kids love the noise. Fire and ice.

Any day at the firehouse the bell from hell puts the dispatcher on the horn with a tenement tinderbox address. Into the bunker pants, turnout coat, grab the mask and go. Minutes later you’re onsite. As others run out, you go in. You’ll need all you can carry the six-pound axe, a six-foot rake, the Halligan bar.

The ceiling concealing the smoldering has to come down and it’s one of those stubborn tin ones. In the scary dark with the heat eating your ears, you’re gouging out and tearing loose and pulling apart, gulping air and tasting black. Your windpipe is closing and you’ve lost track of which way is out. Is it worth it?

They’ve budget cut your ladder company from six to five, so now everything you do is 16.67 percent more difficult and more dangerous. Your air is low. Inside your mask you’re throwing up. There’s a searing ember down your neck. Torn gloves expose a smashed hand. Yet you emerge from the holocaust hugging, with your elbows, somebody’s singed kitten. Fire and ice.

You’ve had minutes of exhilaration on the bouncing rear mount of a steaming hundred-foot Seagrave, hours of using all you’ve learned and learning more. Now you’re back at the station house. You’ve unstuffed your nostrils with soapy fingers; you can almost breathe again.

Next come the tedious hours as you and Brillo gang up on the grimy tools. The cleanup crew at the firehouse is you when windows need washing and toilets need cleaning and floors mopping and beds need making, you do it. Fire and ice, they both go with the job.

Then there’s that night another engine company gets there first and you see this wet-eared rookie hot-dogging ahead; his academy boots still shiny. You lose him inside the crackling dark and you forget about him until your helmet warning bell says get out. The battalion chief is calling you off. You get out; the other guy didn’t. He had heard a scream from the bottom of burning basement stairs and he headed down there, when on the bubbling tarpaper roof the three-ton compressor broke through, that day we lost two.

Oh, yes, firefighters cry, but only briefly because now comes the inevitable and evermore paperwork just in case OSHA complains or somebody sues. Is it worth it?

Your B crew pumper swapped his day shift so some family guy could be home for his kid’s birthday and then, outbound toward a false alarm, your buddy gets blindsided by a hotrod driven by a drunk. Fire and ice.

The intercom barks again. This time it’s a warehouse, a big, fast, multiple blaze, probably torched. Onsite engine men draped with icicles dragging an inch and three-quarter hose are waiting for your big line: ladder men can’t make the building without you. Search, rescue, ventilate. Eventually it’s over and out. You’re smoke smudged and sleepless and wrung out, but you won. Behind graffiti-fouled walls you saved what you could. But the raging blaze that wanted to consume adjacent buildings did not because you were there.

Back at the firehouse before cleanup, you and the guys sit a spell, tired but stimulated, drinking coffee and laughing, and feeling good about one another. Nobody outside your world can ever quite know that feeling. In any other uniform you get streets named after you for killing people; in this one you risk your life to save people. Until one day you run out of chances and at one final fire, either you buy it or you don’t. If you don’t, it’s only eventually to be brushed off with a puny pension. Yet there’s no third way you’d ever leave this job and, you’re doubting even God knows why.

You’re out of the shower now; most of the grime and some of the cynicism are down the drain, when you hear a strangely familiar voice saying, “For salvaging things and people from flames, I have to rely on your hands.” You look around, nobody there. But when you get over your incredulity, you feel better. Suddenly today’s crew cook in the kitchen hollers chow. It’s time to eat. It smells like roast beef today, and that’ll be good. But you’ll eat fast, for any next alarm you’ll want to be ready.

– Fire and Ice by Paul Harvey

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Where were you when the world stopped turnin?

“Where were you when the world stopped turnin’ That September day? Were you in the yard with your wife and children Or workin’ on some stage in L.A.? Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke Risin’ against that blue sky? Did you shout out in anger, in fear for your neighbor Or did you just sit down and cry?”

It will be the 20^th anniversary of 9/11 come September. 20 years since September 11, 2001. A day that the terrorist group al-Qaida launched a series of four coordinated attacks against the United States using four hijacked passenger airplanes.

At 8:46 a.m., five hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. 76 passengers and 11 crew members were killed, and hundreds more died instantly inside the building. The crash cut off all three emergency stairwells and trapped hundreds of people above the 91st floor. At 9:03 a.m., a second plane with five hijackers flew United Airlines Flight 175 into the South Tower killing 51 passengers and 9 crew members. The impact made two of the building’s three emergency stairwells impassable and cut elevator cables in the area. Many were trapped above the impact zone and inside elevators.

The attacks triggered the largest rescue operation in the history of New York City. Approximately 2,000 police officers and nearly 1,000 firefighters responded. More than 100 ambulances were sent to the site within the first hour. Responders from the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), New York City Police Department (NYPD), Port Authority Police Department (PAPD), and other state and federal agencies deployed to the World Trade Center. Many first responders entered the Twin Towers prepared to rescue trapped civilians. Others helped survivors exit, guided the injured to medical assistance, and kept bystanders out of harm’s way.

At 9:37 a.m., five hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon, a symbol of the country’s military strength. The crash killed 6 crew members and 53 passengers, including five children, and 125 people on the ground. Fires fed by jet fuel of the plane, reached temperatures of up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

At 9:28 a.m. four hijackers broke into the cockpit of United Airlines Flight 93. At least 10 passengers and two crew members made phone calls from Flight 93, learning that two hijacked aircraft had already struck the World Trade Center and providing information about the hijacking to loved ones and authorities. In a call to Airfone supervisor Lisa Jefferson, passenger Todd M. Beamer explained the plane was flying erratically and the passengers and crew were planning to launch a counterassault. Jefferson recounted the last words she heard, “Are you ready? Okay. Let’s roll!” Passengers and crew began a six-minute assault on the cockpit shortly before 10:00 a.m. Realizing they were seconds away from being overtaken, the hijackers deliberately crashed the plane in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, approximately 20 minutes’ flying time from Washington, D.C. 7 crew members and 33 passengers perished. The hijackers’ intended target may have been the U.S. Capitol Building, where Congress was in session.

At 9:59 a.m., after burning for 56 minutes, the South Tower collapsed in 10 seconds. Clouds of smoke and debris rolled through the surrounding streets, sending thousands running for their lives. At 10:28 a.m., 102 minutes after the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center, the North Tower also collapsed. More than 2,400 civilians and first responders inside the buildings and in the surrounding area were killed. The victims included 441 first responders: 343 from the FDNY, 37 from the PAPD, 23 from the NYPD, and 38 from other agencies. At 5:20 p.m., 7 World Trade Center, a 47-story office building just north of the Twin Towers, collapsed after burning for hours.

Search and rescue teams, along with volunteers, immediately converged on the World Trade Center site. The collapse of two 110-story buildings created piles of rubble multiple stories high and extending seven stories belowground. Sharp, burning hot steel wreckage, unstable surfaces, and toxic dust posed dangers for all who had rushed there in hopes of rescuing survivors. Only 18 people were found alive at the site. The last successful rescue occurred midday on September 12.

Nearly 100 dogs worked at the Trade Center. They are heroes. During the chaos of the 9/11 attacks, where almost 3,000 people died, nearly 100 loyal search and rescue dogs & their owners scoured Ground Zero for survivors. Bretagne remained the only living 9/11 search and rescue dog until June 6, 2016, when she was laid to rest just shy of 17 years old. They, along with human rescuers, suffered lasting health problems that were tied to their heroic efforts.

The terrorist organization al-Qaeda was responsible for the 9/11 attacks. The group is an extreme outgrowth of a political movement known as Islamism. Founded by Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda hoped to launch a global, violent struggle to break the influence of the West in Muslim-majority countries.

Within hours of the 9/11 attacks the scene of destruction at the World Trade Center site was referred to as Ground Zero. Within days, thousands of rescue personnel, investigators, engineers, laborers, and volunteers arrived to join the rescue and recovery efforts. Recovery workers cleared between one and two million tons of debris over the course of nine months. Most of the World Trade Center wreckage was transported to the Fresh Kills Landfill—meaning “fresh water” in Dutch—on Staten Island. Two dozen federal, state, and city agencies participated in the recovery of human remains and evidence at Fresh Kills. Twenty years later, the families of around 40 percent of 9/11 victims from the World Trade Center have never received identifiable remains of their loved ones.

Vigils and expressions of solidarity appeared around the world. The urge to mourn alongside others brought people together across the country, and around the world. Spontaneous memorials appeared in town squares, on roadside billboards, and outside firehouses and police stations. Flags were flown at half-staff in recognition of the country’s loss, and candlelight vigils were held in remembrance of the victims and in solidarity against terrorism. The death toll on 9/11 included individuals from more than 90 nations.

On September 20, 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush announced that the United States had declared war on “a radical network of terrorists and every government that supports them.” The U.S. government initiated a Global War on Terror, sending troops to Afghanistan in October 2001 and later to Iraq.

Nearly 10 years after 9/11, U.S. President Barack Obama authorized a special operations raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where Osama bin Laden was believed to be hiding. On May 1, 2011, U.S. Navy SEALs and Army aviators carried out the operation and killed bin Laden.

“So you need to understand, 9/11 didn’t end at midnight or a year later….9/11 still goes on,” stated Sonia Agron, American Red Cross volunteer who worked near Ground Zero after 9/11.

More than 400,000 survivors, first responders, rescue and recovery workers, cleaning crews, lower Manhattan residents, and others are estimated to have been exposed to toxic dust in New York City on 9/11 or during recovery operations. Tens of thousands nationwide are now suffering from chronic illnesses, including respiratory diseases, mental health issues, and more than 100 types of cancer. Thousands of those exposed have died.

Like the medical professionals and others who responded to the Covid-19 pandemic, first responders, recovery workers, and volunteers demonstrated selflessness and compassion both on and after September 11, 2001. Their actions created a connection between public service and 9/11 remembrance that endures today. For many, 9/11 served as a call to change the world for the better, an idea formalized in 2009 when the U.S. Congress made September 11 an annual National Day of Service and Remembrance.

Two decades have passed since the 9/11 attacks, and terrorism remains a global threat. We may never be able to prevent all of the actions of people intent on harming others, but we do have control over how we respond to such events. Whether by volunteering in our local communities, serving our nation in the military, caring for the sick and injured, or through other efforts, all of us can help build the world in which we want to live. As we witness history unfolding in our own time, the ways we choose to respond—both large and small—can demonstrate the best of human nature after even the worst of days.

For many we remember where we were and what we were doing on that September day. But many young people have no knowledge. They do not remember watching the planes crash and the horrific aftermath. For older Americans, in contrast, 9/11 remains a vivid memory. Ten years later, 97% of Americans 8 or older at the time could remember exactly where they were when they heard the news, according to a 2011 survey by the Pew Research Center.

These events changed lives. David Pan, a career intelligence officer, was inside the Pentagon on 9/11. It changed his life forever. Pan was fortunate to make it out of the Pentagon alive; however, the emotional impact the day made on him is everlasting. “To me, 9/11 was a life defining moment. The world will never be the same as the day before,” said Pan. “Our innocence at our home front was forever shattered. We look at the world and ourselves differently.”

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum pays tribute to the victims and honors the survivors of the September 11, 2001. It “stands as a beacon of healing and renewal – a physical embodiment of the compassion we showed to one another, the resolve we demonstrated to the world, and how, in the face of unfathomable loss, we rose as one. During this 20th anniversary year, we will share the history and lessons learned with a new generation, teach them about the ongoing repercussions of the 9/11 attacks, and inspire the world with memories of our fortitude, strength, and resilience.”

Twenty years later, these lessons are more important than ever. We need to remember how the country came together as one. Maybe at this time of turmoil in our country we should vividly remember. Remember the horror yes, but remember the solidarity our citizens and the world displayed to one and all. We should take a moment on the morning of 9/11 and remember.

“Did you weep for the children, they lost their dear loved ones; Pray for the ones who don’t know? Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble And sob for the ones left below? Did you burst out with pride for the red, white, and blue And the heroes who died just doin’ what they do? Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer And look at yourself and what really matters? And I remember this from when I was young. Faith, hope, and love are some good things He gave us and the greatest is love.”

(Most of this info is from the 9/11 Memorial and Museum sight. The lyrics are from Alan Jackson’s song.) Where were you when the world stopped turnin’ That September day?

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Dirt Roads By Paul Harvey

Let’s liven it up a piece and relive a bit of history. The following is Paul Harvey’s take on the value of a dirt road. How apt for a community where so many still live on a dirt road.

“What’s mainly wrong with society today is that too many Dirt Roads have been paved. There’s not a problem in America today, crime drugs education, divorce, delinquency, that wouldn’t be remedied, if we just had more Dirt Roads, because Dirt Roads give character.

People that live at the end of Dirt Roads learn early on that life is a bumpy ridge. That it can jar you right down to your teeth sometimes, but it’s worth it, if at the end is home…a loving spouse, happy children and a dog. We wouldn’t have near the trouble with our education system if our children got their exercise walking a Dirt Road with other children, from whom they learn how to get along.

There was less crime in our streets before they were paved. Criminals didn’t walk two dusty miles to rob or rape, if they knew they’d be welcomed by five barking dogs and a double barrel shotgun. And there were no drive by shootings. Our values were better when our roads were worse! People did not worship their cars more than their children, and motorists were more courteous, they didn’t tailgate by riding the bumper of the guy in front would choke you with dust and bust your windshield with rocks.

Dirt Road taught patience. Dirt Roads were environmentally friendly, you didn’t hop in your car for a quart of milk, you walked to the barn for your milk. For your mail, you walked to the mailbox. What if it rained and the Dirt Road washed out? That was the best part, then, you stayed home and had some family time, roasted marshmallows and popped popcorn and pony road on Daddy’s shoulders and learned how to make prettier quilts than anybody.

At the end of Dirt Roads, you soon learned that bad words tasted like soap. Most paved roads lead to trouble, Dirt Roads more likely lead to a fishing creek or a swimming hole. At the end of a Dirt Road, the only time we even locked our car was in August, because if we didn’t, some neighbor would fill it with too much zucchini. At the end of a Dirt Road, there was always extra spring time income, from when city dudes would get stuck, you’d have to hitch up a team and pull them out. Usually you got a dollar; always you got a new friend….AT THE END OF A DIRT ROAD.”

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Luke comes home from his first day of school, and his mother asks, “What did you learn today?” “Not enough,” Luke replies. “They said I have to go back tomorrow.

Chad: Why do magicians do so well in school? Josh: I don’t know. Why? Chad: They’re good at trick questions. Jacob: Why was the teacher wearing sunglasses to school? Leonard: Why? Jacob: She had bright students!

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The ole’ community has been lively at its best

The ole’ community has been lively at its best. The Library is starting to regain that energy too. We have some exciting happenings that are up and comin and we just know that you will be chompin at the bit to get out and have some fun. We certainly hope you enjoyed your summer and were able to do some relaxin because we are recharged at the library and ready to go Mach 1.

Starting Monday September 13 we will reinvent our Book Discussion group. Well not exactly reinvent it, but once again we will gather a lively crew of readers to discuss books. So if you are interested in joining our little group and sharing in some mighty fine adventures and conversations about the book you read, give us a call, find out the skinny and enjoy some of our little bits of treats we enjoy now and again. Our first book of the season is ‘Hidden Figures’ by Margot Lee Shetterly.

“You’ve heard the names John Glenn, Alan Shepard and Neil Armstrong. What about Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaughan, Kathryn Peddrew, Sue Wilder, Eunice Smith or Barbara Holley? Most Americans have no idea that from the 1940s through the 1960s, a cadre of African-American women formed part of the country’s space work force, or that this group—mathematical ground troops in the Cold War—helped provide NASA with the raw computing power it needed to dominate the heavens.” ‘Hidden Figures’ is the untold story of the African-American women mathematicians who helped win the space race.

Story Hour will revamp in September so if you are interested in bringing a fledgling reader stop in on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. Stay tuned for a more definitive date. This is a lively little bunch that always seems to have a fun time reading and creating a craft. Feel free to stop on by and join in because we always have a barrel of fun. If anyone would like to volunteer to host story hour, we are always looking for substitute hostesses. It takes up a whole hour of a week, so it is not terribly time consuming. Call 468-2848 if you would like more information on this wonderful opportunity to interact with the young ones in the community. Once again it will be a delight to see the little ones exploring our reading niches and all the new books.

Then on a very definite note we are going to be causing some ruckus and some mighty fast toe tappin. It’s time for those toe-tappin shoes cause music is a comin. We’re livening up the library and raisin the roof. The Wedsworth Memorial Library is pleased to once again welcome acclaimed Celtic fingerstyle guitarist Jerry Barlow in concert. Jerry Barlow will return Tuesday October 12^th at 6:30 p.m. There will be ample opportunity for some sing-along, some toe tapping and even some step dancing if audience members are so inclined! So put it on your calendar and watch out cause we just might be dancin in the street!

This September realizes the 20th anniversary of one of this country’s worst disasters. The Library has developed a display to memorialize the horrendous events of 9-11. These events changed lives. For many we remember where we were and what we were doing on that September day. But many young people have no knowledge. They do not remember watching the planes crash and the horrific aftermath. For older Americans, in contrast, 9/11 remains a vivid memory.

We’ll also be helping the DAR celebrate Constitution Day throughout September. Constitution Day is an American federal observance that recognizes the adoption of the United States Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens. It is observed on September 17, the day the U.S. Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution in 1787. Wonder what our forefathers would think about us now. Enough said about that! But seriously be thankful we have the freedoms we do. You may not like what is happin, but at least you have the freedom to express the dislike.

Once again we will be privileged to bring you our annual Book sale October16^th and 17^th. We have had a HUGE influx of such a variety of wonderful reads. There will be large selections of just about everything. Then there is the mystery area that will leave you in suspense. We will be cooking in the back section of the sale trying to craft a do it yourself area. And we will have projects you can pick up to help you travel the long road of winter. Then there is always that delicious soup and homemade bread. We are looking for volunteers for set up and tear down, and to help in the kitchen. If you are interested, please give us a call. Those who volunteer are always treated to special little extras.

We filed our flight plan, successfully left the gate, were cleared for takeoff, and went air borne. However we had no pilot. All in the name of celebrating National Aviation Day.

Please remember you can’t enjoy the Library if you don’t remember we change to winter hours the day after Labor Day. Just a reminder: we change to winter hours on Tuesday, September 6. Hours will be: Monday 9-1; 2-6, Tuesday 9-1; 3-5, Wednesday – Friday 2-5. Stay cool and be cool at the Library.

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The Corp Peddles into History (part 2)

So Onward we go. We met the men of the 25^th Infantry in their preparations for the ultimate journey in our previous article. Let’s ride along now to learn more about these fine young men and their brave spirit.

Lt. Moss was positive the 2 previous bike trips proved how useful bicycles could be to the army, but the top military brass weren’t convinced. The Corp was determined to prove their value. They would ride from Fort Missoula to St. Louis. Lt. Moss chose this route because it would encounter everything – “high and low altitudes; moist and dry climates; upgrades and downgrades; the mountainous and stony roads of MT; the hummock earth roads of NE and clay roads of MO.” The unit’s motto was “Onward” and suited the personalities and characters of the soldiers.

The bicycle Corp would find an extremely challenging life on the trail. 20 men out of the 40 soldiers who volunteered were chosen. They ranged from 24-34 years old. They could weigh no more than 140 pounds and be no taller than 5’8”. Only 5 men selected to hit the trail to St. Louis had taken part in any previous trips. One didn’t even know how to ride a bicycle. Divided into 2 squads, they added a physician and a very young newspaper reporter from the ‘Daily Missoulian’.

The bikes for the cross country trek were furnished by the Spalding Bicycle Company. They had steel tire rims, (Remember the wooden ones from the 1^st trip?) steel frames, rubber encased chains and an improved seat design. They would test 8 different brands of tires along the way. Provisions were very basic as resupply stops were 50 – 120 miles apart. The men carried hundreds of repair tools and spare parts.

Again each man would carry a blanket roll strapped to the handlebars which contained shelter and sleeping gear, clothes, soap, towel, toothbrush etc. for a total of 10 pounds. Each man carried food for 2 days and eating utensils along with cooking utensils. Each bike carried around 220 pounds of gear combined with the bike (which weighed 59 lbs.). A 10 pound rifle and 50 rounds of ammo were added to the average soldier’s weight of 148 pounds.

On June 14, 1897 the Corp set out to prove their worth. Mother Nature continued not to be kind. Once again they encountered a rainstorm which turned the road into mud. They managed to clear 54 miles and pitch camp around today’s Clearwater Junction (Cottonwood, MT) for the first day.

Fighting rain and wind the men continued their trek with mosquitoes plaguing them. Approaching the Continental Divide they encountered blowing and freezing snow. Crowds gathered wherever they went. They were often treated to meals, drinks and places to stay.

The Corp reached Billings on day 10. Leaving Billings they headed to Fort Custer. Low on food and rough impassable road conditions taxed the men to their core. It was considered one of the low points of the journey. They arrived at the Little Big Horn Battlefield on June 25, 1897, the 21^st anniversary of the fateful fight.

Passing into Wyoming the men sank deeper into exhaustion as the weather and roads remained horrible, almost impassable. Behind schedule they continued to experience bad weather, roads, illness and bike damage. They soon had a break from their grueling journey once they passed through the SW corner of SD. Reaching Alliance, NE they celebrated their 1,000 mile mark.

Once into NE, high temperatures reached 110 degrees with little water available. The metal bikes grew so hot it became difficult to hold onto the handlebars. On July 16, they reached the Missouri River. Crossing the river on a ferry into Missouri brought hope and renewed spirit as the soldiers knew they would soon reach St. Louis.

The adventures were well documented by the reporter and the “Uncle Sam’s Rider” fame and story stretched across the nations. As the Corp neared St. Louis nearly 1,000 cyclists rode to meet them on July 24^th. The 1,900 mile expedition officially ended at the Cottage Restaurant in Forest Park. The trip had taken 40 days with 6 resting and 34 traveling days. The Corp traveled by train back to Fort Missoula; arriving on August 19, 1897.

History remembers this brave spunky group in the words of LT. Moss. “Lt. Moss praised his men for the ‘spirit, plunk and fine soldierly qualities they displayed’ and noted that the journey had ‘tested to the utmost not only their physical endurance but their moral courage and disposition.’ It is for these qualities that history remembers them.”

The Army and Navy Journal declared the experiment an unqualified success. Lt. Moss believed the Bicycle Corp could not replace the cavalry, but would be effective messengers and scouts. However the Army declined to pursue a Bicycle Corp for a multitude of reasons.

The Spanish American War exploded on scene months after the return of the Corp. The 25^th Infantry was one of the 1^st units ordered to Cuba. On April 10, 1898 the 25^th Infantry left Fort Missoula. They served honorably in Cuba and were praised for their action in the Philippines. The men were split up to different posts.

The U.S. Army conducted more bicycle experiments, but never established a permanent Bicycle Corp. They did however employ bikes during World War I and II as supplementary transportation.

Lt. James Moss served in the army until 1922. All of his commands earned praise and honors. Later in life Moss wrote books on the history of the U.S. flag, instructional manuals for the military and spearheaded the move to make Flag Day (June 14) an official holiday.

So what became the fate of the enlisted men of the 25^th Infantry Bicycle Corps? Unfortunately, one died in the Philippines in 1901, others served in the army and eventually retired. Most were later discharged without honor because of the “Brownsville Affair”. Poor reward for the honor and bravery they exhibited while serving their country. Vindication 66 years did little to honor the brave men of the 25^thBicycle Corp.

In 1974 Professors from U of M organized a trip to honor the Bicycle Corp. 10 cyclists followed the soldier’s route. On paved terrain the group worried more about traffic. They still faced weather and steep terrain, but unlike their predecessors, they did not have to contend with the vexing mud. The Professors and their group acknowledged they could not fully appreciate what the Bicycle Corp soldiers endured on their expedition. “Uncle Sam’s Soldiers were some of the greatest unsung pioneers of the American West.” If you would like to know more of Uncle Sam’s soldiers and their Bicycle Experiment stop by the library and check it out.

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Peddlin and Pushing into History

The Army has always looked for innovative ways to accomplish their tasks. From foot soldiers to the motorized services used today, the Army has experimented.

Back in the late 1800’s the Army was looking for a way to change things up. Calvary horses were the mode of transportation at that time. Unfortunately horses died. Horses had to travel where water and forage was available and they ultimately needed rest. Extra supplies and gear had to be transported to maintain them. And horses had to be broken, shod, and could be counted upon to run off at the most inopportune times.

What if, someone thought, they could substitute a mode of transportation that did not need water or food, never got tired or needed rest? A mode of transportation that was a lot of quieter when slipping up on the enemy and never ever disobey their rider.

In 1897 an elite company of soldiers left Fort Missoula, MT in an attempt to test that revolutionary idea. They would travel across the U.S, to St. Louis, Missouri to test how they would fare at the end of thousands of miles. On June 14, 1897 the 20 men of the 25^th Infantry took up its long march from Fort Missoula. They left quietly and without much if any fanfare. The destination St. Louis, MO.

They were to travel 1,900 miles. Fort Missoula to Livingston; Sheridan, WY; Edgemont, SD; to Marsland, NE; Broken Bow, NE; Lincoln, NE to St Joe, MO and finally St. Louis. 539.7 miles in MT. 233.4 miles in WY. 48.2 miles in SD. 645.8 miles in NE and 433.1 miles in Missouri. The route roughly followed the Northern Pacific Railroad line from Missoula to Billings; then the Burlington Northern Railroad from Wyoming to Nebraska. From there the Missouri River to St. Louis.

In reality the 25^th Infantry had been preparing for this expedition for some time. Much groundwork and prep had been done already for the last year. Lt. James Moss drafted a formal proposal in April 1896 requesting approval of his idea to test out an experimental Army mode of transportation. General MiIes was eager to take the Lt. up on his offer to put the idea to the test. There was much skepticism among the soldiers, but Pvt. John Findley was the first to volunteer. So 8 enlisted men from Companies B, F, and H underwent initial training and laid the groundwork for the Corps 1^st major trip.

The first part of 1896 was spent training 15- 40 miles a day. The men had to learn how to ride without their hands and how to shoot from this new method of transportation. “They practiced carrying their bikes through deep water.” Yes- bikes. The object of the experiment was to test the practicality of the bicycle for military purposes in all types of terrain.

To carry their bike through deep water, a bike was hung on a long wooden pole and carried above 2 men’s heads so the bike and equipment was kept dry. The procedure was repeated for each bike. “The hardest exercise was scaling a 9 foot fence.” Bikes were leaned up against the fence. 3 men stood on the seat of their bikes, climbed the fence and jumped down to the other side. 3 stayed on top of the fence and 2 each lifted a bike and hoisted it to the men on top of the fence and then it was lowered to the men on the other side. The whole routine of 8 bikes, 8 men, scaling a 9 foot fence had to be completed in 20 seconds – yes 20 seconds.

The first trial was completed by Lt. Moss and 6 men. A 126 mile round trip to Lake McDonald from Fort Missoula – around 50 miles as the crow flies. They carried 120 pounds of food divided among the riders; along with cooking and eating utensils, extra clothes, personal care items, tools, bicycle repair parts, bedrolls, tents and a rifle and 50 rounds of ammo.

The troop left August 6, 1896 and encountered rain and mud. The men had to stop often just to wipe off the mud. The muddy slick roads meant the men walked often more than rode, carrying their bikes when they encountered steep hills too slick to ride. Fallen trees and rocks blocked their path. At times the soldiers were forced to walk along the Railroad tracks. In spite of the obstacles they covered 50 miles their first day and reached Lake McDonald the next afternoon.

Spending the night, the soldiers turned around the next day to head home. Pounding rain made a difficult and harrowing journey. There was more walking than riding. Shoes filled with mud. The bike tires had to be constantly wiped, flat tires, broken foot pedals, damaged chains all conspired against them. The water caused the cement on the tires to loosen and fall off the wooden rims. Although challenging – traveling 126 miles in 4 days in inclement weather; the trip was considered a success. It proved the Bicycle Corp could persevere and be effective in spite of bad weather and rough roads.

6 days later the Corp left on their 2^nd expedition. This would take them to Yellowstone National Park – approximately 325 miles. The Corp left Fort Missoula August 15, 1896 to experience the world’s 1^st National Park. Lt. Moss and 8 riders headed out for a 3½ week trial. In addition to the previous supplies, medical supplies and more spare bike parts were added. Delicacies such as jelly, sausage and chocolate were added to the food rations along with extra clothes. On this trip Moss took a Kodak camera, 7 rolls of film and a notebook to document the trip.

They traveled through the mountain passes and vast plains of the state. The route mostly followed the RR which enabled the troop to have supplies left for them at various train stations. This meant the men did not have to carry as much weight.

As a result of meeting artist Frederic Remington, their adventures were publicized in Cosmopolitan Magazine. They were able to average 45 miles a day. They reached Fort Yellowstone in 8 ½ days. Some photos of this trip still survive and are regarded as historical treasures.

The return trip once again encountered heavy rains causing delays and difficulties. However they covered 58 miles before being able to take shelter in a rancher’s shed. The 2^nd day the weather and roads were worse, but they were able to cover 72 miles on the 3^rd day.

Don’t touch that dial. Stay tuned for our next article in the further adventures of the Corp’s journey to St. Louis when they peddle into history and test their fortitude and grit to travel.

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How To Work Out

Have you had your workout today? You need to get sucked into a good workout. Are you are looking for ways to improve your memory and concentration and relieve stress? Take a trip – read. Did you know that reading a book provides significant benefits to brain function? A little more than a quarter of Americans say they haven’t read a book in the past year. Not only will reading give you a good story to get sucked into, but your brain will be much stronger and healthier for it.

Know the term “use it or lose it”? Well, it applies to your brain. The brain-stimulating activities from reading slow down the cognitive and memory decline, and other mental capacities in old age for people who read over their lifetime. Your brain may not be a muscle, but it still needs to be worked out like one. The more you work your muscles, the bigger they get and the more power they have. The same thing goes for your brain. Reading keeps your brain busy and helps it create more synapses. Literally, the more you read and work out your brain, the more capacity it will have for all functions, especially memory. The brain, like the rest of the body, requires exercise to remain agile and alert, and reading helps to increase focus and concentration.

Reading Improves Brain Connectivity. The changes caused by reading are registered in the left temporal cortex, an area of the brain associated with receptivity for language, as well as the primary sensorimotor region of the brain. Believe it or not, “Psychology Today reports that approximately 42% of college graduates will never read a book again after graduating, but regular reading can have a positive impact on brain function. A research study conducted at Emory University that examined the correlation between brain function and reading a novel found that FMRI scans of study participants who read Robert Harris’s Pompeii showed “heightened connectivity in the left temporal cortex, an area of the brain associated with receptivity for language.”

The brain prunes itself, but far gentler than a hedge trimer. Synaptic pruning is one of the ways that your brain keeps itself running at maximum capacity. It slows or trims some of the seldom used synapses in order to run more efficiently and not waste energy on processes that you don’t use. In other words, if you don’t stimulate your brain (i.e. use your reading portion of the brain) for a long time, you will lose those reading synapses.

Reading provides mental stimulation. Sitting on the couch watching TV might be easy and enjoyable, but your brain isn’t working very hard. The pictures, story, dialogue and everything else have already been created. You don’t have to do any work. With books, though, the story might be there, but the world is yours to create. “Your brain has to produce all the images, colors, actions, and characters in addition to processing language, spelling, and grammar simultaneously.” That’s hard work!

Want to have a big head? Reading has been linked to helping slow the progression of Alzheimer’s. Studies with elderly Alzheimer’s patients show that people who read more frequently into their old age showed better mental capacity during life and scored higher on memory tests compared to people who didn’t read – stimulation. The most shocking part is that regular readers literally had larger, more connected brains at the time of their deaths despite the degenerative effects of the disease.

Reading can have significant benefits not only on our health and well-being, but it improves our ability to connect with others, improves empathy, and broadens our horizons beyond filling the void in a boring conversation. According to the same article in Psychology Today, “those who read regularly report an increased ability to step into someone else’s shoes and experience the world through alternative points of view.”

Books are portals into other worlds and other times, real and fictional, to boldly go where you have not gone before! They take us beyond our world and into someone else’s. They satisfy the curiosity of the elusive ‘What if?’ Take a trip down the canals of Venice in a gondola or explore the wilds of Africa or have tea with the Queen. What better way to visit. We can’t, for instance, take a trip in a time machine back to Victorian London, but we can read Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist and experience a realistic account of orphan life during that period as only Dickens can tell it.

One of the best ways to broaden your vocabulary and communicate more effectively is to read. According to an article on Exforzia, those who read regularly “have a large repository of information in their brains, and they can reach into that repository to pull out words whenever they need them.” Reading challenges us to improve our language skills not only because we expand our vocabulary when we look up unfamiliar words, but also because we learn to infer meaning from context.

Imagine, for instance, “that you’re reading a passage in a story in which a girl takes a walk on the seashore and discovers an abundance of shells. Perhaps you’ve never before encountered the word abundance, but when the story tells you that she hasn’t enough room in her basket to fit all of her findings, you can infer that abundance likely refers to a large quantity.”

A study was conducted by Penquin where they asked twenty “lapsed readers” to read for twenty minutes a day over a period of ten days and keep a diary to track their moods. One participant reported that “after reading for half an hour on my lunchbreak I felt happy, sharp, and cheerful, and the feeling lasted all afternoon.”

Part of this feeling stems from the fact that reading “helps us feel less isolated. One in four readers say that a book has helped them realize that other people have shared their life experiences.” Whether it’s a novel about a troubled marriage or a self-help book about how to overcome the pain of a broken heart, books remind us that we’re not journeying through this life alone and that we can learn and grow from sharing our stories with one another.

Many have participated in a book club to read and share thoughts about what was read. This allows us to open up and share our own stories. The shared act of reading can create the connective tissue that forges friendships and binds them through the ritual of sharing. Dr. Wade Fish, Director at Northcentral University’s Graduate School, said, “Reading expands a person’s appreciation toward other life experiences the reader is not personally experiencing, especially when reading topics that are not related to that reader’s job or lifestyle.”

Another NCU professor points out that reading is important to a child’s overall development. Dr. Jennifer Duffy said “Reading is a fundamental skill needed to function in society. Words – spoken and written – are the building blocks by which a child’s mind grows. Reading is not only essential to a child’s verbal and cognitive development, but it also teaches the child to listen, develop new language, and communicate. Additionally, books open a child’s imagination into discovering his or her world,” according to Dr. Duffy.

So turn off that TV and electronics. Enjoy the relaxation of reading a good book and get lost in your own little adventure. Explore the magic. Whatever the tale, new experiences are just waiting to be discovered; “beckoning you, enticing you, entreating you to pause, to sit down and to spend time between the pages of a good book.” Why don’t mummies go on vacation? They’re afraid they might unwind!

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The Pony Express Adventures (Part 2)

The stories of the riders, station keepers, and Division Superintendents can only add color and excitement to the Pony Express history. Not everyone was honest in their employment, but the ramrods who managed the divisions left behind colorful tales and characters in the history of the Pony Express.

Jack Slade added to the exploits of the Pony Express. A noted gunslinger, he made sure his Division was kept honest. Slade rid his area of gangs who preyed on the Pony Express Company. “There are a number of graves in Echo Canyon. No doubt some holding the bodies of members who found the Pony Express ponies and stagecoach horses a good source on income.” He is credited with ‘coming to terms’ with many a man determined to steal a Pony Express pony.

“Pony Express riders encountered nearly every type of natural surroundings imaginable, from roaring rivers that could sweep away man and horse to bone-dry deserts that could burn the last drop of life sustaining moisture from rider and beast.” The trail climbed more than 7,000 feet in elevation as it entered the Wyoming Territory. “As treacherous as the Pony Express Trail was through the Rockies – with its steep winding grades, often blanketed with several feet of snow or glazed with ice – the worst part was yet to come.”

It then crossed hundreds of miles of desert where few living creatures could survive. “Dust storms could blot out the sun and tear at a rider’s and horse’s skin/hide like sandpaper.”

Two names immortalize the Pony Express riders and employees. Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill served as Pony Express employees and later attained world fame. Hickok served as wagon and stagecoach driver delivering supplies to the relay and home stations. His Rock Creek Pony Express station in southern Nebraska became famous as the site of a gunfight between Hickok and the McCanles gang.

William Cody (Buffalo bill) became a rider at 14 and served 2 tours as a Pony Express rider. He rode several routes, but the toughest was the 76 mile route between Red Butte and Three Crossings in Wyoming. Hostile Indians and road bandits frequented the trail. The North Platte River, 12 feet deep and riddled with quicksand, had to be crossed.

Few documents record the heroism of the loyal personnel of the Pony Express, but the headlines reflect the dangerous conditions: ‘BART RILES, THE PONY RIDER, DIED THIS MORNING FROM WOUNDS HE RECEIVED AT COLD SPRINGS.’ ‘THE MEN AT DRY CREEK STATION HAVE ALL BEEN KILLED AND IT IS THOUGHT THOSE AT ROBERTS CREEK HAVE MET WITH THE SAME FATE.’ ‘SIX PIKE’S PEAKERS FOUND THE BODY OF THE STATION KEEPER HORRIBLY MULILATED, THE STATION BURNED AND ALL THE STOCK MISSING FROM SIMPSON’S [PARK STATIONS].’ ‘EIGHT HORSES WERE STOLEN FROM SMITH’S CREEK ON LAST MONDAY, SUPPOSEDLY BY ROAD AGENTS’. “The mail had to go through, and no circumstance, no matter how difficult or grave, dissuaded the riders and station keepers from performing their duties.”

The fame of the young riders spread throughout the land. They were considered a very special class of citizen. Their image became bigger than life. But the days of the Pony Express were numbered. The invention of the telegraph heralded the demise of the Pony Express.

Multiple events conspired and caused the gradual death of the Pony Express. The flare of the Indian Wars that burned stations, killed station keepers, stole equipment and horses dealt a blow to the financial health of the Pony Express Company. Bad investments also put a financial strain on already strained conditions.

There was a lack of support by the general public because of the prohibitive cost of sending mail. It was terribly expensive for the ordinary Joe to send a letter by the Pony Express. In the end the income could not meet the basic expenses; which were about $1,000.00 a day. The completion of the telegraph signaled the end of the Pony Express.

In October of 1861 the Pony Express rider took his place in history. They had completed 308 runs and covered 616,000 miles. More than enough to circle the earth over 30 times. They delivered 34,753 letters through all kinds of weather and insurmountable odds and lost only one Mochila as a result of an Indian attack on a rider.

“The only failure of the Pony Express had been its inability to make a profit. It served our nation well during a difficult time, yet the federal government refused to help support it. Its demise was not due to any lack of effort on the part of its 3 founders” – William Russell, Alexander Majors and William Waddell. “The fact that they were able to assemble and operate such an incredible service under such challenging circumstances was the ultimate tribute to their courage and ingenuity.”

The failure of the Pony Express was also not the fault of the dutiful men who rode the trails and operated the stations. These dedicated men served selflessly and valiantly, sometimes at the cost of their lives. The incredible rides of the riders showed they performed above and beyond any expectations. “What better symbol of the American Spirit than the heroes of the Pony Express?” “The men of the Pony Express earned their place of honor in American history.”

Perhaps their achievement was best expressed by an editorial in the ‘Sacramento Daily Bee on October 26, 1861: “Farewell Pony: Our little friend, the Pony, is to run no more. ‘Stop it’ is the order that has been issued by those in authority. Farewell, thou staunch, wilderness-over-coming, swift-footed messenger. For the good thou has done we praise thee; and, having run thy race, an accomplished all that was hoped for and expected, we can part with thy services without regret, because, and only because, in the progress of the age, in the advance of science and by the enterprise of capital, thou has been superseded by a more subtle, active, but no more faithful service. Thou weret the pioneer of a continent in the rapid transmission of intelligence between its people, and have dragged in your train the lightning itself, which in good time, will be followed by steam communication by rail. Rest up on your honors; be satisfied with them, your destiny has been fulfilled – a new and higher power has superseded you. Nothing that has blood and sinews was able to overcome your energy and ardor; but a senseless, soulless thing that eats not, sleeps not, tires not – a thing that cannot distinguish space – that knows not the difference between a rod of ground and the circumference of the globe itself, had encompassed, overthrown and routed you. This is no disgrace, for flesh and blood cannot always war against the elements. Rest, then in peace; for thou has run thy race, thou has followed thy course, thou has done the work that was given tee to do.”

Interestingly enough we have a family in the community whose Great Grandfather rode for the Pony Express. He is mentioned several times rather prominently in the book. Oh how history follows us and meets us today. If you would like to know more details about the Pony Express perils and adventures faced by the employees; stop by the library and discover. What if you met your ancestor in a book?

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Farewell Pony

Gitty up old Joe it’s on the road we go. Clear the track and let the Pony come thru. Through rain, sleet or snow we always get through.

“Wanted young skinny wiry fellows not over eighteen. Must be expert riders willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred.”

The larger than life image compels us to think that the Pony Express lasted for decades. Though it lived a short life span, the Pony Express played a prominent place in our country’s heritage and was a strong contribution to the development and stability of our nation. The courage persistence, endurance and dedication of the participants kept the Pony Express going under challenging conditions.

The creation of the Pony Express occurred against all odds and its existence changed the west. It filled an urgent need where none existed at the time. For the first time it connected California with the rest of the country. “Groups of young riders risked their lives to carry crucial messages across nearly 2,000 miles of hostile wilderness.” The Pony Express is a story of the brave riders who rode around the clock carrying the U.S. mail across a rugged uninhabited deadly landscape.

There is some controversy over the original idea of the Pony Express. Some credit Henry O’Rielly and some B.F. Ficklin or William H. Russell with the imaginative idea. Irregardless, William Russell was chosen to develop it. Riders would ride twice a week riding around the clock. The first rider let out April 1860 and made the final ride October 1861. 18 months to develop a lasting legacy and create a valiant place in our nation’s history.

Much of the history of the Pony Express has been lost and there is difficulty in untangling and clarifying the facts about the system. It was a 2,000 mile system of horse changing stations for a cross country mail delivery. Stations on different sections of the trail had the same name and many had different names at different times.

The Central Overland California and Pike Peaks Express Company formed to establish the Pony Express. They never received a government contract for delivering the mail and were completely privately funded. The company made its own financial commitment hoping to receive a government contract, but never received one.

Alexander Majors was in charge of running the actual operation on the open range and had three months to develop the entire operation. He was at home on the prairie and was skilled on handling horses, oxen, could drive wagons through all sorts of weather; and most importantly of all, he knew how to manage unruly crews.

The Pony Express route followed the Old Pioneer Trail. They started out at St. Joseph, Missouri, passed through Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Nevada with the final destination point of San Francisco, California; a total of 1,840 miles. They guaranteed to deliver the mail (letters and papers only) from St. Joseph to San Francisco in 10 (incredible) days. Horses would be changed every 10-20 miles while running at top speed.

Stations were often rudimentary structures that provided the barest of essentials for survival. Utah was almost the death of the Pony Express. There was no water available until an old Ute Indian (Quah-not) disclosed the existence of two concealed springs known to but a few.

Trails had to be prepared, stations built and hundreds of top-quality horses had to be bought, as they were the key to success. Most of them were half-breed California mustangs that stood 15 hands high, were 900 pounds and 4-7 years old. Some came from Fort Leavenworth while others from the army. They had to possess stamina, speed and reliability. Many were not fully broke. If the mustang could be brought out of the barn without kicking anyone’s head off – he was broke to ride and headed on down the trail. Many had never been shod and therefore required hours of back breaking work. It was common for the pony to be throwed, each foot staked and one person to sit on the head and one to sit on the body. But the horses were the best money could buy, often costing $175.00 – $200.00 a head. 500 horses cost around $87,000.00.

The rider’s horse was to be the best protection against attack, whether by Indians or other attackers. The horses were highly intelligent with an uncanny sense of direction. They could find the trail under the most harsh weather conditions; and often had to in adverse weather.

Experienced youngsters born to the saddle with nerves of steel and fearless of death were sought. They also needed knowledge of the Pony Express Trail they would be riding. Riding at top speed in rain, snow, or sleet; they had to know the route by heart if the trail couldn’t be seen. The riders earned $100.00 – $150.00 a month, depending on their section of trail. 70-80 riders were originally hired. Stations hands’ and keepers’ salaries ranged down to $50.00 a month plus room and board. These brave men captured the imagination of time and became unsung heroes for their deeds.

At each station the rider would grab the Mochila (a specially designed saddlebag with mail pouches attached) from the saddle and throw it on the fresh mount. 200 relay stations with food and sleeping quarters for riders after they rode all day or night had to be built. As soon as the worn-out rider stopped, a new rider jumped on and continued the route. A strict schedule had to be maintained day and night in all kinds of weather – no exceptions. The mail had to go through.

On April 3, 1860 at precisely 7:15 p.m. the Pony Express was off and running from St. Joseph, Missouri. At that time the brave young men and half wild mustangs entered the country’s colorful history and created a larger-than-life image that exists to this day and has left an indelible imprint on America’s imagination.

Not much is known about that first westbound ride. Many records were lost and destroyed during the Civil War so information is inconclusive. There are discrepancies as to who were the first rider and horse and riders and horses along that first route or even the names of the first home stations.

Historians narrowed the possibilities of the first 2 riders to John Frye and William Richardson. One account reports that on that historic evening, at 7:15, a cannon boomed and young Richardson leaped onto his horse and raced down the street to the paddle-wheel steamboat to carry him and his horse across the Old Muddy to Elwood. Waiting on the boat was Johnny Frye, to take the reins for the 1^st overland leg of the first Pony Express run. Not much more is known about the first west bound ride or east bound.

Approximately 250 hours after leaving St. Joseph, William Hamilton was the final rider on the 1^st Pony Express trip west into Sacramento to complete the initial run carried out by 40 tough young men. He then had to travel by boat on the final leg of the journey into San Francisco.

The 1^st east bound Pony Express ride from San Francisco to St. Joseph also began on April 3^rd when the mail was placed on the steamer to Sacramento. The first rider out was William Hamilton. 10 days later the 1^st East Bound rider arrived in St. Joseph. Thus began 18 month of a legacy.

Never before had letters been delivered over such a distance so quickly. The main question – could it be done on a regular basis? Ultimately the courage of the riders and station keepers would be severely tested and lives would be lost.

Follow us along on the Old Pioneer Trail to learn more about the adventures and lore of some of the characters with the Pony Express. Our second section of the trail takes us through hostile territory and end of the trail.

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So What if you read a book today. What would you learn? What if you learned something or just went on an adventure?

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History of Wedsworth Memorial Library

For some the Wedsworth Memorial Library has been around as long as you have. For most, if not all, you came along, long after this vibrant institution was established. A library was considered an essential resource and establishment for our community and many have worked hard to start one, expand and support it. Augustus Wedsworth found so much value in having a treasured library in our community; he wrote his will so a generous portion would go towards supporting a library.

Many may wonder why libraries are so important to the health of a community as they don’t use them and question their value. It has been long recognized that, “Libraries are important cornerstones of a healthy community. Libraries give people the opportunity to find jobs, explore medical research, experience new ideas, get lost in wonderful stories, while at the same time providing a sense of place for gathering.” “As gateways to knowledge and culture, libraries play a fundamental role in society. The resources and services they offer create opportunities for learning, support literacy and education, and help shape the new ideas and perspectives that are central to a creative and innovative society.”

Jackie Strandell was the longest serving employee of Wedsworth Library and suggested that many, especially those who are new to the community; do not know our library’s history, struggles, and the extreme effort that has gone into keeping it vibrant. So the following is who we are and what we have accomplished to try and fulfill the needs of our esteemed patrons.

In January 1915 the Will of Augustus Wedsworth provided for the establishment and maintenance of a public library in the Town of Cascade. In September of 1936 the first public library as a project of the Work projects Administration was opened in the basement of the Old Stockmen’s Bank Building.

February 1937 the Library was moved to Wedsworth Hall. August 9, 1943 a Resolution was made before the Cascade County commission, approved and placed on file for the creation of a County Library in the Town of Cascade. [They have copy of the minutes, but the resolution cannot be found]

On June 30, 1959 an agreement between the Board of County Commissioners of Cascade County and Board of Trustees of the Great Falls Public Library of the City of Great Falls, creating a free public library of the county of Cascade. …extension of library presently in Town of Cascade shall be continued.

In 1960 Joy Hamlett was the Director/Librarian. October of 1961 Marilyn Moore was trained as substitute Librarian. In January of 1962 the Cascade Library’s name was officially changed to Wedsworth Memorial Library.

In May of 1966 Mrs. Hamlett tendered her resignation effective June 1966 and Mrs. Helen Warehime was hired as Director/Librarian with Mrs. Mannakee as assistant librarian.

On February 3, 1970 Resolution No 371 {or Resolution No. 271} authorized the Town of Cascade to execute a deed from Town of Cascade to Wedsworth Memorial Library and Gymnasium Trust created under will of August Wedsworth for land.

In April 1970 a telephone was installed in the Library by the Wedsworth Trust. Then in September 1973 a Microfilm machine was purchased for the library by the Cascade Historical Committee with proceeds from “Mountains and Meadows”.

On February 10, 1975 a Warranty Deed (Reel 97 Document 9-1) the B & Y Store [owned by Charles & Shirley Cunningham] sold site of Town Hall/Wedsworth Library land to the Town of Cascade. March 24, 1975 Bill Perry moved that the City Council should donate half of the building to the Wedsworth Trust for a library. The Town Council approved.

So on April 9 & 10, 1976 Wedsworth Library moved to its present location at 13 Front Street North. Jackie Strandell was hired as substitute librarian in September of 1978 under Helen Warehime. Then in October of 1979 the Head Librarian position was transferred to the payroll of Cascade County.

In September of 1982 Helen Warehime tendered her resignation as Director/Librarian and Jackie Strandell was hired as Director/Librarian in October 1982.

In 1990 the back storage room of the library was remodeled and made into a story hour area. And in the fall of 1991 the Rifle Club vacated the basement of the library.

In November of 1991 the General Federation of Women’s Clubs purchased a TV & VCR for the Library. The library entered the technology world when each patron was assigned a personal borrower’s number/ID in June of 1992.

In 1998 the Montana State Library required all Montana Libraries to submit proof of being properly created as public entities. In March of 1998 the Wedsworth Library obtained dial-up Internet.

On May 13, 1998 Darlene Staffeldt of Montana State Library Association asked for more proof from the Library in response to materials submitted by the Wedsworth Memorial Library for legal certification of Wedsworth Memorial Library.

On June 26, 1998 Ned Jennings, City Attorney for Town of Cascade, responded to Darlene Staffeldt of Montana State Library Association letter of May 13, 1998. Mr. Jennings submitted the following proof that entitled Wedsworth Memorial Library to continue to receive state aid.

“The budget adopted of August 9, 1943 shows at item 248, a final budget adoption for “County Library”, (Book 16 Page 3). Book 16 Page 35, item number 15033, shows a designation and budget of a Cascade Librarian, and at page 23, item Number 15033, a designation and additional budget of the same person as a Branch Librarian.

On August 8, 1998 the Town of Cascade passed Resolution No. 416 reaffirmation of creation and establishment of Wedsworth Library.

In October of 2000 Charles Cunningham was contacted about obtaining the building/land next to library; a web page for the library was developed; Resolution 11-79 by Cascade County provided a one-time supplemental funding to Cascade and Belt Libraries – $5,000.00 each.

Then in January of 2001 the Library Building Fund was established for a Library expansion. On December 2, 2003 the Wedsworth Memorial Library buys land for a new addition from the Cunningham estate.

On November 9, 2005 the Friends of the Wedsworth Memorial Library was formed to raise money for the expansion and remodeling activities as well as provide for future needs of the library. In 2010 a contractor hired and construction of the outer shell of the new addition began. The outside shell of Library addition was completed in 2012 .

On September 2012 Jackie Strandell retired at Director/head librarian. Nancy Royan was hired as new Director/head librarian.

In June 2013 Wedsworth Memorial Library Board of Trustees asked Montana State Library Association for clarification of the governing body over Wedsworth Library. Tracy Cook of MSLA found several problem areas with the Library structure.

In 2014 the interior of the library addition was completed. And in October of 2014 an Inter-Local Agreement was signed designating Wedsworth Library as a City-County Library. February of 2015 saw the Financial procedures change –shift bill paying to Town of Cascade.

In June 2015 Jackie Strandell officially cut the plastic and became the first to step thru the opening into the new addition. Her dream of a new addition was just beginning. In July of 2015 the New Addition opens for use by patrons. And the stone and brick façade was installed on the front of the Library in June 2016.

In March 2017 a new outside sign displaying our name ‘Wedsworth Memorial Library’ was installed for the library. November 2017 the Friends bought a trailer for the Library to use as book storage for their annual book sale. It was placed in the name of the Town of Cascade.

In 2019 a new Sharp MX-3071 printer/copier was bought with the aid of the Wedsworth Trust and Women’s Club from Preferred Office Equipment. December 2020 two mats were bought for the entrance ‘Welcome to Wedsworth Memorial Library’.

As you can see the library has undergone changes and trials in many ways. Many changes are apparent and some aren’t. Here we have tried to stay to the highlights of the efforts by so many who have helped us stay afloat. We hope you can see how through the course of time people and institutions have given to keep our library alive. We also hope you stop by and explore this unique opportunity to travel through time and explore one of the valuable institutions of the community. We are here for you – the community.

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Old Time Peddlers

Old time Peddlers. Life wouldn’t have been the same without em. They were the savior of many a pioneer. These rambling itinerant ole men who walked, buggied, rode, and automobiled their way to far flung doors into the lives of their customers brought delight, socialization and were a light bulb for the isolated.

The old time predecessors of the fuller brush man or Avon calling Lady brought more than their goods of ice, hardware, household staples, thread and a multitude of vital commodities. They brought news, adventure stories, and gossip. They carried the social connections from other communities and brought the necessity of life to the lonely settler and a reminder that they weren’t alone. The peddlers brought friendship and a connection to the world outside of the isolated one room cabins.

The early country peddlers roamed the countryside. Their wagons loaded with this or that; often with that vital horseshoe nail, or thread color or the splurge of stick candy, only to be enjoyed once in a blue moon. Creaky covered wagons peddled crockery and enormous stoneware and were trusted by all. The wagons were often homes for the weary, entertaining peddler. Seldom did they enjoy the comforts of their own shack with a shed for the horses.

If one was close to the coast or a large river or lake; there was the fish peddler. They carried dressed fish on a bed of cracked ice covered with old blankets. The meat peddler was usually a butcher or farmer with a knack for butchering. He sold fresh meat from farm to farm. Both of course did their business near settlements or cities.

The rarer peddler was the backpack man with a little of this and a little of that. He roamed the countryside and often could be seen much farther afield than the meat and fish peddler.

In the more settled areas came the Spice man – no not a band, though they sound like one – but the Watkins, Raleigh and Ness men. These aromatic wagons sold the finest spices and flavoring extracts. Additional merchandise consisted of home remedies such as Syrup of Figs, Syrup of Pepsin, the multipurpose salve for cow’s udders and the all-time important wonderful smellin remedy – horse liniment.

Many mysterious peddlers were viewed as exotic wayfarers with their swarthy skin and worldly outlandish accents. These traveling grocery stores brought geography lessens to knowledge thirsty youngsters who dreamed of faraway places. They were real people who provided a tangible service and added color to an otherwise drab life and to our country’s history.

It just wasn’t a wagon or backpack that carried food and staples; it was a way of life for these nomads. They carried with them a special something – a certain kind of joy. Peddlers often performed a service that is still alive today, only in a different format. At times they acted as a matchmaker or marriage broker. Roaming the countryside they were aware of who needed a spouse and those who were looking for a different way of life, or an outlet to exit their current situation, or just someone.

Peddlers were salesmen, an old friend, a traveling newspaper and someone with whom politics, planting, plowing or the demise of a neighbor could be shared. They presented their wares with pride and a flourish of a true showman. Display cases were a veritable color of brightly labeled green, yellow, and brown bottles.

Every successful peddler gave the impression that the current customer was his top priority. He kept items usually bought by the lady of the house on hand and calculated when they might run out. The greatest fear of a peddler was his customer might run out of his particular good and open the door to his competitor or the customer would commit the grievous sin of ‘store bought’.

Peddlers carried “packages of bandages, salves, liniment, and menthol to nurse the walking wounded and ward off the doldrums of winter depressions.” He carried the healing balms to soothe both man and beast and even the home remedy dreaded by every child alike – cod liver oil.

Another peddler in the settled communities during the hot summer months was the burly Iceman. Huge blocks of ice were nestled in layers of straw. A small ice block was chipped from the larger blocks, grasped by ice tongs and hurled over the broad shoulders of the Iceman, protected by a piece of rubber, to be hauled to the customer’s ice box.

Ice deliveries waned as fall set in and winter made its appearance. But winter was a busy time for the Iceman, That’s when he endured the cold to cut the huge blocks of ice that were stored in ‘Ice Houses’ covered in straw. The Iceman’s life was not an easy one. They had to be strong to lift and carry the ice. It was common to slip in the customer’s homes in puddles left by an overflowed ice pan. The winter offered more danger. The men had to contend with losing their footing while ice cutting and falling into the icy water.

The Iceman wasn’t the only regular visitor to bring service to the doors in the ‘city’. The Milkman was a most important fixture across the country. Old milk wagon horses were cherished as they knew the route by memory and generally could walk the route without assistance.

The pack peddler was one of the last of a dying breed. He was vital to households until the mid-1920’s. To a housewife whose neighbors were miles away and maybe visited the nearest town once a year; the peddler was an important event. If you lost or broke a needle or needed a button; the peddler was a life saver. He brought not only the goods so desperately needed, but the gossip and community news that were needed just as much.

Friendly farmers might invite them for a meal or to spend the night in the barn. Isolated families who saw no one but their own families for days on end were excited for a new face and someone new to talk to.

Some peddlers were diversified while others specialized. One might only carry medicines while another tin ware or musical instruments. Then there were those that carried no goods, but peddled their skills. Cobblers and tinkers, scissor grinders, harness makers/repairman, carpenters and cabinet makers all traveled the country side. As times became more affluent and luxuries could be had; along came the portrait painter, clock makers, gunsmiths and silhouette cutters.

Payments came in various formats. With money often scarce, the peddler took eggs, chickens, garden produce or whatever was in abundance; to be sold in the next town. The peddler had to become knowledgeable with the value of multiple products in order to make a fair trade. Most peddlers established a route, calling on their customers at regular intervals, as weather and roads permitted.

The storekeepers resented the traveling peddlers. Peddlers infringed on their sales. Often they started false and deceptive rumors to blemish the peddler’s character. Rumors that they were thieves, dishonest, and sold inferior goods along with encouraging regulations to interfere with the peddlers business and life gradually damaged and decreased the peddlers’ livelihood.

Nowadays a young business man struggles with red tape, but is able to obtain help and information from government agencies and loans. There are taxes, licenses, zoning permits, building permits, insurance, and a multitude of other restrictions.

The peddler had no such restrictions. He was on his own. He pooled what money he had to buy supplies and then set out to seek his fortune. If it rained he tried to find shelter. He traveled as many miles a day as his legs or horse would carry him. No sales or few sales meant hungry nights. Winter often meant no or low funds and meant enduring the cold and snow to gain his meager sales. Winter meant traveling in drifts with no heat or shelter along the way.

Many failed, but there were survivors. Some to spend their entire lives on the road or those who scrimped and saved to retire to a more gentle work. Some even found fortunes.

Levi Strauss peddled trousers to gold miners and Adam Gimbel started out as a peddler. Benjamin Altman, a New York City department store owner and art collector, started out plodding through the mud to seek his fortune. Richard Sears at a young age began his career with a shipment of watches.

The ole time peddlers were self-reliant and assured men who relied on the trusting families for their livelihood. With the disappearance of the country peddler an era came to an end. The dying of the traveling peddler gave way to the door to door salesman.

We still have our share of peddlers, but they would be loath to call themselves that. The Avon Lady, Tupperware parties and Scentsy sellers, just to name a few, are our century’s version of the peddler knocking on the door. They make it possible for the customer to shop at home.

Life in the early days would have been difficult without the early tradesmen who brought not only the simple necessary goods to the isolated, but opened the door to social connections and the world outside. They were important to the lonely isolated pioneers and have been forgotten and ignored by history.

So remember the old time peddlers that were the neighborhood friend and confident. They are our history and a colorful history.

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“If you are looking for laughs to be had, Especially on days when you’re sad, Don’t overlook, This gem of a book, Read any page — you’ll be glad!” Laura Sheridan.

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163^rd Infantry Company B

Montanans represented a small number of the soldiers sent to World War II, but a few played a vital role in its outcome. One such group was Company B from Poplar, Brockton, Fort Kipp, Wolf Point, Frazer, and all the outlying areas. The 163^rd Infantry Regiment, 41^st Infantry Division Company B from the Fort Peck Reservation consisted of Assiniboine and Sioux soldiers in World War II.

Company B was critical to the Allied victories and military success at the Papua New Guinea front in 1943and Pacific front as a whole. The majority were Assiniboine and Sioux National Guardsmen from Fort Peck Indian Reservation. They “played a key role in carving out a stronghold pivotal to the Allied and American forces winning in the Pacific Theater.”

108 departed from Poplar on September 16, 1940 to Camp Murray, Washington for formal active duty. Company B was one of the few almost all-Indian National Guard units deployed for service in preparation for involvement in WWII.

The Company B servicemen from the Fort Peck Reservation ranged from 16 years old and on up. The National Guard’s requirement that enlistees be eighteen years old was easily circumvented. Shirley Red Boy looked older than his 16 years and was able to slip through and if the young men’s folks signed up the soldier or lied, one could easily join.

Many joined the National Guard during these years because it was an avenue to a better lifestyle. Those early years were a hardship for the Fort Peck young men and many lived in poverty or in difficult home environments. The money the soldiers earned from the Guard was a lot of money at that time and it allowed them a chance for employment and a sense of purpose.

The 108 men of Company B came from Poplar, Brockton and Wolf Point. Many could hardly march while others were familiar with the drill routine because they had attended boarding school. No strangers to hard work, their experiences on the reservation tightened the bonds between the men under the difficult training experience and “prepared them to be disciplined and resourceful soldiers”. In spite of a shortage of weaponry and substandard uniforms “Company B was considered one of the best dressed and neatest outfits of the 41^st Division”. The soldiers took special pride in their appearance and maintained extra care with their uniforms; making sure their dress uniforms were spotless and pressed.

They wanted to blend in with the rest of the 163^rd Regiment, yet they also were proud of themselves as American Indians from their Fort Peck tribes. They created a “patch from buckskin, beads on buckskin [for] our shoulder patch and received special permission from the War Department to wear it.”

Many of the soldiers became scouts because they were familiar with hunting wild animals, camps and tracking, and were more aware of their surroundings so were the first to see the enemy. “Ranking officers attributed their exceptional scouting skills to the fact that Company B men were Sioux or Assiniboine. This assumption perpetuated the perception of American Indian soldiers as ‘natural warriors’ and later led to Sioux and Assiniboine soldiers being singled out for more dangerous assignments during the war as it was assumed they possessed innate bravery, stealth, and cunning.”

The American Indian soldiers were considered the best fighters in the Pacific; the Australians were considered good, but the Indians were capable of getting around better. Company B’s outdoor experience, ability to scrounge for food and persevere under adverse conditions (the tough variable Montana weather) were valuable assets in the rigorous Pacific Theatre battlefields.

Stationed in Papua New Guinea, the Sioux and Assiniboine soldiers were able to form a strong bond with the Native New Guineans. This bond did not exist between the white soldiers and Native New Guinean people. The cultural identities between the New Guineas and American Indian soldiers provided a positive relationship which expanded the soldiers’ ability to be resourceful and contributed to their exceptional success during the Sanananda campaign. The native New Guineas showed Company B’s American Indians how to harvest their native food and provided more insight on their terrain.

Company B were strong and resourceful soldiers, expert marksmen who employed creative tactics in warfare. “Because of their bravery and resourcefulness, Company B’s Sioux and Assiniboine soldiers, were sent beyond the front lines on dangerous reconnaissance missions.” Often times these missions meant the soldiers were forced to eliminate the enemy. As ranking officers did not often believe the soldiers, they would often bring back proof, such as a string of ears. It was not uncommon for Sergeant Arthur Belgarde and Staff Sergeant James Eder to bring back twenty or more ears on a string.

Corporal Bernard Marley of Company C recalls Eder’s exceptional courage during an offensive on January 18, 1943 “S. Sgt. James J. Eder came in to the area of Huggins when I was there with this massive weapon on his back. Jim was as strong as an ox. He seemed very happy to show it off. It (the weapon) was out of enemy hands. Jim said he pulled the gun from its position with a rope.”

Staff Sergeant Joseph Reddoor led reconnaissance and combat patrols into enemy territory. His work helped the soldiers immensely. During Reddoor’s last patrol in the Sanananda battle he was wounded twice destroying a Japanese pillbox and machine gun with grenades. Disregarding his own safety, Sergeant Belgarde rescued Reddoor, and was consequently injured. Not all were fortunate in Company B. Some were even killed by their allies because they were mistaken for the enemy due to their darker complexion.

Living conditions were hell because of the swamp, persistent rain, hordes of insects, and lack of sanitary conditions. Sickness during the campaign was heavy. “At least 90% who fought in the Papuan Campaign were afflicted by one or more of the following: malaria, Dengue fever, diarrhea, dysentery, scrub typhus, anemias, hookworm or Black Water Fever.”

Despite these casualties, the “Montana regiment played an integral role in winning the first land victory against the Japanese” with the Fort Peck Sioux and Assiniboine of Company B leading the way. Victory came at a high price. 28 of the company’s Assiniboine and Sioux men were killed while serving in Papua New Guinea. Others had to be discharged due to illness and infection. Only 38 of the original 108 were left. They lost more men than any other company in the 163^rd Infantry Regiment. However Company B was considered pivotal in the capture of the island.

On New Year’s Eve, 1945 the 41^st Division was deactivated and the men’s service was officially complete. The soldiers of Company B were highly decorated for their role in the Pacific theater, but there was no ticker-tape parade awaiting them when they returned home. Life once more became hard. There were no steady, well-paying jobs.

Each took a different path after they came home. Some found the adjustment to civilian life difficult. The lack of economic opportunities forced them to leave the reservation find employment. Dana Mcgowan started the Poplar Shopper. Eder became tribal council secretary and interim tribal chairman, worked for the U.S. Postal Service, and worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Robert Murray was sent to Europe for a year when most others had been sent home. After the service he worked on the Grand Coulee Dam, but later returned to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation and served in tribal law enforcement. Sergeant Shirley Red Boy became actively involved in veteran’s affairs and writing for local tribal newspapers in “hope that other young people would know the sacrifices the men made to protect their people and homeland.”

Red boy was also instrumental in the efforts to formally recognize the men of Company B as code talkers. Although not formally trained like the Navajo code talkers, the soldiers from Fort Peck were valuable on the Pacific front for their role as unofficial code talkers.

The distinctive achievements of Company B are attributed to their loyalty to one another on and off the battlefield. “Recognizing and remembering these men is essential to understanding the broader historical narrative of American military service during Work War II as well as the rich history of Montanans and the Assiniboine and Sioux of Fort Peck.”

Need to know more. Stop by the library and check out their history.

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50 Years and still Counting

It’s always fun to look back and amaze ourselves as what we remember and what we have forgotten. Take a look back to 1971. Doesn’t feel that long ago for many. Just two days into the 1971 New Year, a nationwide banning of cigarette ads on radio and television was implemented.

NASDAQ was established Feb. 4, making it the second largest stock exchange. On February 9^th a 12 second earthquake occurred around 6 a.m. in San Fernando, California. The 6.5 quake left more than 60 people dead and hundreds more injured.

Evel Knievel, daredevil extraordinaire, jumped 19 cars in February. Then on March 8, the “fight of the century” at Madison Square Garden took place. Muhammad Ali’s winning streak came to an end when “Smokin’ Joe” Frazier came out on top and was declared the unanimous winner after 15 rounds.

Starbucks’ big birthday. The company turns 50. The business opened its first store March 31, 1971, in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, and the rest, they say, is history. By Aug. 1, NASCAR driver Richard Petty became the first driver to take in a million dollars.

Walt Disney World officially opened on October 1^st 1971 near Orlando, Florida. However Roy O. Disney died in December of 1971, only a few months after the park opened. The complex consisted of just the Magic Kingdom Park and the Contemporary, Polynesian, and Fort Wilderness resorts. The original price for an adult ticket in 1971 was $3.50 and did not include the cost of tickets for rides which were separate at the time.

The nationally known magazine, “Look,” published its last edition in 1971. The voting age in the United States was lowered to 18 when the 26th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified.

So how much did things cost in 1971? The Yearly Inflation Rate was 4.3% and the average price of new house was $25,250.00, but the average income per year was $10,600.00. Rent averaged $150.00 a month, gas was 40 cents a gallon and a United States postage Stamp was 8 cents. A Datsun 1200 Sports Coupe cost $1,866.00 while a Dodge Charger cost $3,579. You could stop by the movies for $1.50 a ticket or entertain yourself on an Etch-A-Sketch for $2.83. Malibu Barbie was $1.94. Fresh Strawberries were priced at 29 cents a pound while Idaho Potatoes cost 98 cents for 10 pounds. Jiffy Peanut Butter was 59 cents a jar to go in that Side By Side Fridge that cost $704.95. The good old days of listening to a tape Cassette Recorder that cost $29.88 while you could relax in front of an Electrical Heater Fireplace with a price tag of $59.88.

We can’t forget the ever important Toys from 1971: Malibu Barbie, Tumblestone Maker, Rocking Horse, Etch A Sketch, game of Operation, a Phonograph/Record Player, a Scooter, NFL Hockey Game, Hot Wheels, Battleship, and Rebound.

1971 could well be the year that marked the start of the digital age when the Microprocessor was invented. Texas Instruments released the first pocket calculator and the first Internet Chat rooms appeared. The First Cat Scanner was produced by EMI.

NASA’s Apollo 14 mission to the Moon was launched Jan 31, 1971 – Feb 9, 1971; was the 8^th crewed mission in the U. S. Apollo program, the third to land on the Moon, and the first to land in the lunar highlands. It was the last of the “H missions”, with landings at specific sites of scientific interest on the Moon for two-day stays with two lunar extravehicular activities. As the third manned mission to the Moon, the crew consisted of Commander Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa (Command Module Pilot), and Edgar Mitchell (Lunar Module Pilot). There were some issues with docking the modules, but they were overcome after several attempts. Once they arrived on the Moon, Shepard became the fifth person to walk on the Moon and the first to try golfing when he attached a golf club head onto a lunar tool. The crew made it safely back to Earth on February 9th after nine days and brought back over 90 pounds of lunar rocks and samples to be examined.

Apollo 15 was launched on July 26, 1971 – Aug 7, 1971. It was the ninth crewed mission in the United States’ Apollo program and the fourth to land on the Moon. It was the first J mission, with a longer stay on the Moon and a greater focus on science than earlier landings. Apollo 15 had the first use of the Lunar Roving Vehicle.

The Soviet Union launched the first space station, Salyut 1, into low Earth orbit on April 19^th. Salyut 1 weighed about 20 metric tons and was a 48 foot long cylinder. The first crew arrived a few days after its launch but they were unable to dock and had to abandon the mission. It was not until June that the Soyuz 11 became the first crew to board the space station and spend a record-breaking 23 days there. Unfortunately, the Soyuz 11’s capsule depressurized after their achievement and all three crew members perished. The Salyut 1 space station orbited for a total of 175 days before it was purposefully de-orbited and disintegrated above the Pacific.

The Mariner 9 spacecraft became the first spacecraft to enter the orbit of another planet on November 14^th 1971. Mariner 9 had been launched on May 30^th. It was successful in its missions; which were to become the first artificial satellite to orbit Mars, map the surface of Mars, gather atmospheric data, and take highly detailed images of the surface. The Mariner 9 craft was launched by NASA over a week after the USSR launched their Soviet Mars 2 spacecraft but made it to the planet much faster than the Soviet satellite. The Mariner 9 spacecraft stopped its communications in October of 1972.

“Ping Pong Diplomacy” came to the forefront when the US table tennis team visited to the People’s Republic of China on April 10^th. Federal Express was started by Fred Smith. In an attempt to control inflation, President Richard M. Nixon implemented a 90 day freeze on wages and prices and removed the gold/silver backing from the US Dollar.

Popular films of the year were: ‘The Last Picture Show’, ‘Diamonds Are Forever’, ‘The French Connection’, ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, ‘Summer of ’42’, ‘Dirty Harry’, and ‘Shaft’. Just days before Christmas ‘A Clockwork Orange,’ hit the silver screen. The movie was praised and criticized for its excessive violence. While ‘All My Children’, ‘Mary Tyler Moore’, ‘McCloud’, ‘The Odd Couple’, and ‘The Partridge Family’ entertained us as the top TV Programs.

We had many popular musicians and songs come into our homes. A few were Bob Dylan, Tony Orlando and Dawn with ” Knock Three Times “, Janis Joplin with ” Me and Bobby Mcgee “, The Who, John Lennon, The Jackson 5, Ike and Tina Turner, Rod Stewart with ” Maggie Mae “, The Osmonds, Michael Jackson , and we can’t forget The Rolling Stones with ” Brown Sugar “. The Beatles had disbanded, but that didn’t stop the music. Former Beatle George Harrison released a new single in 1971, “My Sweet Lord,” and fans loved it.

The first Soft Contact Lens became available commercially in the US in 1971 while Kevlar also came into being. Kevlar was discovered by Stephanie Kwolek while working as a chemist for Du Pont.

By April 1971, Hollywood came to Butte to shoot scenes for the film “Evel Knievel.” The film starred George Hamilton as the Butte daredevil and Sue Lyon as his wife Linda.

On May 11, 1971 two freight trains collided north of Great Falls killing four railroaders and seriously injuring two. The northbound train was supposed to stop at Portage, 10 miles to the north, and wait for the southbound train to pass. The trains didn’t get any message. The train coming from Havre was a 64-car, 250-ton train, and from Great Falls, 100-ton, 20-car northbound train. When they hit head-on one Burlington Northern diesel engine was completely turned around and another was ripped off its frame and running gear. The damage, in 1971 dollars, was $722,000. Oddly, trains were only labeled as going east and west, even going north and south between Great Falls and Havre.

The Budd Car, a small passenger train, made its last run on April 30, 1971, just before the wreck. The car ran on a regular schedule, which everyone knew, but freight trains were “extra trains,” which ran when there were enough cars, engines and a crew available. It is speculated that without the Budd Cars, perhaps people did not pay as much attention.

The U.S. Air Force Lewistown Air Force Station General Surveillance Radar station was inactivated on 30 June 1971 due to budget reductions. It was located 7.0 miles east-southeast of Hilger, Montana. The 694th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was assigned to Lewistown AFS on 1 September 1958. The squadron began manual radar operations in February 1960 and initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and warning station. As a GCI station, the squadron’s role was to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit’s radar scopes. After the facility’s closure, the housing/cantonment area was used for a time as the campus of the now-defunct Big Sky Bible College.

Just before Independence Day, the new drinking age was lowered from 21 to 19.

It was announced July 13 that Montana Tech would be adding a new degree to the upcoming fall semester. The Board of Regents gave the okay to begin a liberal arts program.

August 1971 started off with a bang literally, as three small bombs went off in Butte. Two detonated on people’s cars and the other was placed on a resident’s storm window in the 2800 block of St. Ann’s Street.

From the ‘Great Falls Tribune’ 21 Nov 1971: “The new Cascade Krafty Korner in Cascade is what might be called the result of the recycling of an old drug store. Cascade women have made an arts and crafts center of the old Cascade Drug Store for sale of handywork and ceramics made by local people. This season, sale items include Christmas gift and decoration materials. Heading the operation are Mrs. Don Creveling, Mrs. Maurice Lemieux and Mrs. Duane Pettapiece.”

Many won’t remember; some will smile with nostalgia; but all the little tidbits of history is a bit interesting.

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“Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life.” Sidney Sheldon

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Famous People Have Wandered Our Streets

Did you know multiple famous people have wandered our streets over time? We hear a lot about some, such as Charlie Russell and Mary Fields. But what about Robert Atkinson or well-known Steamboat Williams, just to name a few? So, let’s wander down another path of history.

We have a park named Atkinson Park. So who was Atkinson? J. Robert Atkinson was born sighted in Galt, Missouri. At the age of 16 he dropped out of school and came to the Cascade area where he worked as a cowboy. While packing his gun one day for travel a 6-shooter accidentally went off, shooting Robert in the face. His doctors removed his eyes, which they felt were injured beyond recovery, to prevent infection and save his life.

Robert began to rebuild his life and resume his education by learning forms of reading for the blind including Braille. He soon found there was little published in Braille. Frustrated, Robert began to experiment and created a method of two-sided Braille printing, the Braille Press system, that is used today for printing. He founded the Universal Braille Press in 1919 and the National Braille Institute, located in California. Atkinson spent the next 40 years working to improve the lives of the blind through innovation, advocacy and practical support.

Fifty-one years after the gunshot accident, he and a friend, screenwriter Edwin J. Westrate, wrote a book about his life, ‘Beacon in the Night’. Atkinson died in Los Angeles in 1964. In 1967Robert’s widow had a park in Cascade built in his honor and the town named the park for Atkinson. As a youth Robert Atkinson was a fearless bronco buster and a dependable range rider. He never lost his love of horses and continued to ride after losing his sight. Thus the statue of Robert riding his favorite horse was erected in the park. Robert was inducted into the Hall of Fame: Leaders and Legends of the Blindness Field in 2002.

Steamboat Williams (Rees Gephardt Williams) was a talented young Cascade baseball player. Born in Cascade, he batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was 5 ft. 11 in. and weighed 170 pounds.

Around 1910 18-year-old Rees began playing baseball for a team made up of the neighboring ranches against the Cascade town team, but soon transferred to the Cascade town team. He made the 16-mile horseback ride twice a day for 35 cents pay. One of the most passionate supporters of the Cascade ball team was Mary Fields.

Rees became a Major League Baseball player in 1914 and 1916 for the St. Louis Cardinals. When he debuted with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1914, pitcher Rees “Steamboat” Williams became the first of only 10 men born and raised in the state of Montana to play Major League Baseball. In 1916, Williams led the National League in games finished. Williams’s major league record of 6-8 is dwarfed by his minor league achievements. He appeared in 305 minor league games, earning at least 116 victories over eight seasons. “Steamboat Williams was an arm-for-hire in the competitive semi-pro leagues so popular in Minnesota until at least 1924”. His last game appears to be October 1, 1916 with Stillwater in the Friendly Valley league.

He died June 29, 1979 in Deer River, MN and is buried at Olivet Cemetery in Deer River, Minnesota. His mother, Anna, died in 1929, and is buried along with her husband Frank at Hillside Cemetery north of Cascade.

Augustus Wedsworth was born on October 1, 1842, in Dupage County, Illinois, the son of Elijah and Sarah Wedsworth. School was cut short when 9 year old Augustus began work on a farm to help support his family. His first wages reached $3 per month. He continued farm work until 1862, when he enlisted for service in Company F, 100^TH Illinois Infantry. He then served three years in the Cumberland Army until the end of the war.

In 1866 Augustus came to Montana and was hired to care for the stock of Oliver & House’s stage line between Virginia City and Helena at the Mountain station, forty-five miles from Helena. Eventually, he purchased his own team and engaged in freighting from Helena to various mining camps. In due course he took up mining for a short time. In 1875 he engaged in the dairy business at Lepley Creek. In 1879 he moved to Chestnut Valley, where he began cattle raising with around sixty head. In 1881 he took up a homestead claim of 140 acres. He eventually purchased more acres, and came to own several ranches. He was considered one of the solid and substantial men of Chestnut Valley and one of the leading stock-raisers of Cascade County.

After his retirement Augustus gradually disposed of his ranch holdings and invested his money along industrial and commercial lines. At the time of his death, he was President of the Cascade Milling and Elevator Company; Vice President of the Cascade Mercantile Company and Director of First State Bank.

In January of 1915 the will of Augustus Wedsworth provided for the establishment and maintenance of a public library in the Town of Cascade and erecting a gymnasium. A gymnasium was erected and has been used as a basketball court, theatre, and rec and meeting hall.

The first public library in Cascade was established as a project of the Work projects Administration in September 1936 and was opened in the basement of the Old Stockmen’s Bank Building. Due to Augustus’s insistence that the community needed a splendid library to foster education and reading, the library was provided permanent support. In February of 1937 the Town’s library was moved to Wedsworth Hall.

The generosity of a few made an enormous impact on our community leaving us richer and more inviting. We may be a small town but we have been privileged to know and rub elbows with some pretty fantastic people.

“A man sent his friend a cryptic Christmas card. It said: A B C D E F G H I J K M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z. The recipient puzzled over it for a few days, finally gave up and wrote asking for an explanation. The next day he received the explanation in an email: “No L.”

When my niece was a student, her class of six-year-olds sang “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” at a Christmas concert. The line “God and sinners reconciled” was tricky one for the age group. One little boy, with a voice that completely drowned out the rest of the choir, happily belted out, “God and sinners dressed in style!” by Jessie Robertson.

Don’t forget to own a bit of Cascade’s history. Mary Field’s DVD brings a touch of history into your living room. Contact Karen Matteson (468-2671 ext. 127) at the school’s library for your very own copy.

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What is the best kind of breakfast cereal to eat in the winter?
Frosted Flakes!

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Knock, knock Who’s there? Snow Snow who? Snow laughing matter!

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Mary Fields’ DVD available

Little round discs of gold are here. Have you ever wanted to revisit history? Live it? Experience it? Now you have your chance. The TALES team of 2000, 2001 devised a way for you to hear history as if you were living it. And not just any old history; history of our community. History that has made us proud and a national celebrity with one of our unique citizens.

June and Dale Sprout, Stormy Schwindt, Joan Rose, Marjie Pribyl, Roger Robbins, Matt Pelland, and Mavis Peterson produced an incredible DVD about Mary Fields. You see history and feel like you are there.

So finish your Christmas shopping, your birthday shopping, Valentines shopping and any other shopping you need to do through the year. Give Karen Matteson a call at 468-9383 ext. 127 or karen.matteson@cascade.k12.mt.us. She is the master of it all at the moment. In her spare time she is arollin out reproductions of the original masterpiece.

Give Karen a call to order your one of a kind piece of history. Or stop by the Library and pick one up. Order a dozen, cause everyone you know will want one of these golden bits of history. The History Buffs will love you. Keep Karen busy so she stays out of trouble and doesn’t receive that chunk of coal in her stocking.

These golden opportunities are $20.00 and every single penny goes to support the Cascade Public School Library. Can you believe it? Not only can you visit history, solve that hard to buy for present, but your money stays here – right here at the School’s Library. Your only problem will be – how can I save one of these fabulous gifts for yourself?

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Discovering our History

We explored discovering the REAL you ID. Shall we discover a bit of our community’s history for those who are relatively new to our community or even just a review for all the others?

On the east bank of the Missouri River George Steele opened a store near the ferry landing in 1879. In 1880 a post office was established and the small village of Ulidia was born. Multiple businesses were established over time. Ulidia was soon changed to Gorham due to too many other towns with the same name.

In 1889 Gorham became Saint Clair when the Erskine’s bought the Steele’s store and changed the town’s name to remember their baby, Clair, who had recently died. St. Clair was surveyed and platted into a town site. The main street of Broadway is now the highway. A few homes were built along with the businesses that moved in and the Methodist Church was built in 1889.

School began in St. Clair in 1888 with 15 children attending. They spent a total of $5.05 for supplies. There is no record of a school house so it is assumed that school was held in the living room of the Methodist Church parsonage.

The ferry, named the “Mayflower”, was built by the Sieben Brothers and constructed in 1875 or 1876 with the help of the army who furnished the cable. The Russell Bridge was completed in 1893 between the two banks of the Missouri. This connected St. Clair and the newly established town of Dodge.

When it was revealed that the railroad was coming through the area on the west side of the river, Thomas Gorham filed on a homestead on the west side of the river in order to be in on the expansion that would soon follow the railroad. This eventually became the Cascade town site.

The first settlement on the west side of the river was named Dodge, after one of the railroad officials. Dodge was primarily a railroad-crew town. In 1887 Dodge was changed to Cascade. The Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Montana had established the county of Cascade. It was hoped that by naming the town the same as the County, that Cascade would be named the County seat. In 1911 Cascade became formal when it was incorporated as a town.

Gradually all business moved from St. Clair to Cascade. Some of this was due in part to the annual flooding of St. Clair and some due to a better access to the railroad and road being constructed between Helena and Great Falls.

In time Cascade developed into a thriving community. “The first regular meeting of the Cascade Town Council was called to order by Mayor Hall on February, 1911. In July 1912 the water rights were purchased from J.B. Taylor and Cascade Realty Company for $8,000.00. A New system of water mains was established and began functioning on December 14, 1913 for a cost of $30,000.00.”

In July 1912 sidewalks were installed on Central Avenue. A special election was held in 1920 for a bond of $10,000 to support the Wedsworth Memorial Library and Gymnasium.

The two city parks along the railroad were developed in 1924 on land belonging to the Great Northern Railway. Land for the Hillside Cemetery was donated by Anna Thoroughman. 3.3 acres was platted in 1920.

A telephone was in use between Ulidia and Sun River in 1885, but the first telephone system in Cascade was brought in by the Montana Independent Telephone Company in 1909. The first switchboard was in the J.E. Marcum and Company building. Some electricity was established in Cascade in 1909, but it wasn’t until July of 1912 that the entire community had access to electricity.

Multiple businesses came and went over the years for a variety of reasons. We were home to several mercantile/grocery stores , hardware, clothing, hotels, confectioneries, restaurants, blacksmiths, livery stables, a creamery, lumber companies, elevators, two banks, tailors, two newspapers, numerous physicians, a drug store and hospital, saloons, pool halls, garages, of course a jail, and many other businesses over time. As an interesting note, at one time there were supposedly 11 saloons operating within the city limits. And a bootleg operation called the Bucket of Blood operated in a shack on the west bank of the river during Prohibition.

Of course the town had their fair share of clubs, lodges and churches. The Oddfellows Lodge is believed to one of the lodges to be organized in Cascade. The Modern Woodmen of America erected part of Wedsworth Hall and operated it as a lodge. Unable to continue financially, the lodge was taken over by local ranchers and business who formed the Cascaded Opera Company. The first Commercial Club meeting was held in 1910 at the Opera House.

The Masons was organized in 1915 and the volunteer fire department headquartered in their new fire station next to the Courier office in 1914. The Rod and Gun Club got their start in 1914.

The baseball team became quite a popular sport of the community. Several buildings over time held the school. The ‘new’ building was built in 1909 with an addition added in 1919. Since then the school has been rebuilt and another addition added.

Cascade has a history of being a lively little community. The sacrifices and hard work of our ancestors that created our community and their commitment to a growing prosperous society helped develop us for what and who we are today. If we forget our beginnings, our roots die and we have no future. The structural and cultural supports developed by our founding fathers to ensure justice and achieve successful social outcomes must always be remembered if we are to survive and grow.

“Why can’t you trust an atom? Because they make up everything!” “My friend was explaining electricity and I was like watt?” “A man walks into a library and asks the librarian for books about paranoia. She whispers, “They’re right behind you!” “Have you heard about Murphy’s Law? Yes. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. How about Cole’s Law? No. It’s julienned cabbage in a creamy dressing.

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Are you real?

Are you real? Actually you only need to be concerned with your Real ID. In 2005, in response to 9/11, Congress enacted the Real ID Act, to make sure you are authenticated as to who you say you are. We don’t want Aunt Edna pretending to be you. COVID-19 has pushed back the Real ID deadline for Montanans another year – so October 1, 2021.

According to https://mtrealid.gov/, you are not required to get a Montana REAL ID compliant license or ID; however, a Montana REAL ID compliant license or ID or another acceptable form of identification is required to fly domestically and access federal facilities by October 2021. Alternative options, such as a passport or passport card, are acceptable forms of identification as well. The main reason for choosing to upgrade your Montana license or ID to REAL ID – REAL ID is all about convenience.

REAL ID compliant driver licenses and ID cards have a gold star in the upper right-hand corner of the license to indicate it is REAL ID compliant. This is the only physical difference from a non-compliant credential, but it allows airport and federal officials to quickly identify the card.

Montana credentials already provide a high level of identity security and fraud deterrence. The only physical difference with non-compliant driver licenses and ID cards, issued after January 2019, is the text, “NOT FOR FEDERAL IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES,” in the upper right-hand corner.

First step, log onto to mtrealid.com, to schedule an appointment. Then you will need four types of documentation. You will need proof showing U.S. citizenship, such as a birth certificate or a passport, but it must be certified. “We have to be able to feel a seal. With information at the bottom. You can’t bring in copies. A lot of times it’s a photocopy, and we can’t accept that, unfortunately,” said Tim Lucas.

Second, you need Social Security documentation. A Social Security card works perfectly, as long as it is NOT laminated. If that is not available and you don’t want to wait till you receive a brand new card from SS, you can use a 1099 or a W2 that lists your full Social Security number.

Third, you need two proofs of residency. So we know you aren’t sneaking over from Timbuktu. This includes an electric bill, another utility bill, a bank statement, mortgage statement or pay stub that shows your current last name and current PHYSICAL address. PO boxes are not accepted.

Fourth, if needed, bring a certified copy of your marriage certificate or divorce decree if your name has changed since birth.

It will take about 15 minutes if you have all the appropriate documents. The estimated cost varies, but to renew a driver’s license during renewal period and adding Real ID was anywhere from $61.80 to $67.47.

To learn more, view the document checklist, and sign up for an appointment, go to https://mtrealid.gov/. You can also call 1-866-450-8034 for assistance, or even send an email to mvd@mt.gov. Happy finding out who you really are!

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“Literature and butterflies are the two sweetest passions known to man.”
Vladimir Nabokov. You are free to fly.

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Hot Spot of the Town

Things are heating up at the old Library today. We are the hot spot of the Town. Lazy summer days’ warm temps mean time to chill browsin the internet to read a book, buy a book, buy that swim suit you always wanted or a multitude of other internet activities. Don’t have the internet? Don’t sweat it.

The Library has taken care of that. We now have mobile hot spots you may check out for 14 days. Never heard of a hot spot? Well, a hotspot refers to a device that has the ability to connect a device to the internet using its own Wi-Fi; to put it simply. The hot spots work wherever there is a cell signal to provide access to the internet.

Wedsworth Library realizes that access to the Internet is a universal need but one that goes unmet for far too many Montanans due to lack of available or affordable Internet service. We now will be able to help patrons conduct business at home, meet educational needs, and provide a bit of entertainment.

A few tidbits of info. You will need to bring a photo ID with a current physical address that can be copied and kept on file until the mobile hotspot is returned to the library and you will have to be 18 or older to check out a hot spot annnd you will be required to fill out a survey. Wi-Fi hotspots may be borrowed by Wedsworth Memorial Library card holders with library cards in good standing (i.e. library card is not blocked due to unpaid fines or lost material or inability to return items in a timely manner).

At the time of checkout, the borrowing patron must present his/her library card and state-issued Photo ID. Upon checkout, Library staff will confirm, in the presence of the borrowing patron, that all items are present in the hotspot kit. The patron must sign the Library’s Hotspot Agreement before a hotspot can be checked out. Only one hotspot may be borrowed on a patron’s account at any one time. The loan period for the hotspot is 14 days with no grace period and no renewals. The Library will not accept holds on the hotspot. Overdue hotspots will be deactivated at closing on the day the hotspot is due.

So stop on by and we will explore this new bit of technology together.

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‘Open a book And you will find People and places of every kind; Open a book And you can be Anything that you want to be; Open a book And you can share wondrous worlds you find in there; Open a book And I will too; You read to me And I’ll read to you.’ By Jane Baskwill

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Wedsworth Library Will Open To The Public Monday February 3, 2025 And Will Resume Normal Operating Hours

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