Author Archives: carrollvanwest

Bozeman’s Sunset Hills Cemetery

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Recently there has been much needed discussion in the historic preservation field on the necessity of focusing of the many types of citizens and residents who created and sustained our historic landscape. Don’t be so building focused; think about place. Nestled behind an attractive public playground on Main Street, not far from the ultra-modern Bozeman Public Library, is such a place: Sunset Hills Cemetery. It is an absolutely compelling place to walk along its many rows and curvilinear driveways to find the stories of Bozeman, written in stone, concrete, and metal.

Within the cemetery is one of the oldest physical remnants from the city’s beginning: the marker for Lady Mary Blackmore, July 1872, when Bozeman was nothing more than a string of tents, log cabins, and false front buildings along the Bozeman Trail.

The metal plaque on the slowly decaying pyramid marker tells part of the story. Lord William Blackmore and Lady Mary Blackmore had a deep interest in the west and they came to visit newly designated Yellowstone National Park in 1872. Mary took ill and did not make the trip to the park. After her health markedly declined, citizens went to find Lord Blackmore and he returned, but Mary never recovered. Blackmore to honor his wife, and to acknowledge the support and kindness of local residents, purchased 5 acres for a public cemetery and had the pyramid marker installed. Today this oldest section of the cemetery is on the west side, The view from the Blackmore marker is impressive.

The Daughters of the American Revolution in 2020 addressed other early burials in the cemetery through this obelisk marker in memory of those without grave markers today.

Nearby is the very different grave marker for another important early settler and rancher, Nelson Story. Whereas the Blackmore marker is direct, dignified, the Story marker is designed to remind everyone that here lies an important person.

You walk through an overpowering classical-staled gateway to find the graves of Story and his family. And his employees. The marker for Tom Thompson (d. 1879), the son of Isaac and Barbara, tells the story of a young man who drowned in the Yellowstone River while “in the employ of the Honorable NELSON STORY.”

But Thompson’s story if far from the only one shared in Sunset Hills Cemetery. There are many gravestones that bear the emblems of fraternal organizations, some well known, some not so much.

Note here the designation of Ella Martin as an early Regent of the DAR chapter
This Woodmen of the World marker for Royal Paxton weds conservation.

Sunset Hills Cemetery has a dedicated veterans section at the rear of the property that is centered around a 1928 Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) monument to those who served in the U.S. and Union Armies during the Civil War. It is unique because typically the GAR monuments date to the decades right after the war, or perhaps up to 1915, which was the 50th anniversary of the end of the Civil War.

Scattered throughout the cemetery are the simple standardized gravemarkers that the federal government provided to families of U.S. veterans. This place is another reminder of the impact of the Civil War on late 19th century America.

Almost all historic cemeteries in Montana have sections for veterans and special markers designate fraternal lodge membership and prominent citizens. Sunset Hills Cemetery has all of that over its 150 years of existence–and more. Whatever row of graves you choose to explore you will find markers of beauty, of memory, and sadness.

The Taylor cast metal marker is one of many artistic marvels in the cemetery.

I have explored many municipal cemeteries in Montana–but did not venture into this special place until 2021. Don’t repeat my mistake–here is a place worth exploring, just set aside plenty of time to do. It is not in the National Register of Historic Places–but it should be.

Havre’s Calvary and Highland Cemeteries

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Nestled in the bluffs overlooking Havre are two adjacent historic cemeteries, Calvary (1903) and Highland (1906/7).

Entrance gate, Highland Cemetery

Catholics in north central Montana established Calvary first, taking advantage of newly located city water works to ensure that the grounds could be irrigated.

Looking north toward the Calvary Cemetery entrance. Note water works in upper right corner.

Calvary with its well manicured lawns, large mature trees, curvilinear drives and impressive view to the south set the tone for the landscaping and design of both cemeteries. Grave markers, for the most part, were modest, in keeping with the working middle class character of this Great Northern Railway division point.

Of course there were exceptions to the norm. A large Cross marks the gravesite of Judge Patrick McIntyre, one of the city’s early civic and real estate leaders who died in 1907. The classical styled marker to another of the city’s, and region’s, business leaders, Samuel Pepin, is nearby. Pepin, like McIntyre, was a Canadian who came early to Havre and developed businesses and ranches, all tied to the Railroad. Pepin died in 1914.

McIntyre marker
Samuel Pepin marker

Highland Cemetery followed in the footsteps of thee catholic burial ground. Both have impressive views along the southern boundaries of the historic campus of Northern Montana University, now MSU-Northern (name change happened in 1994). The campus was established in 1929.

MSU-Northern
A panoramic view

By that year, Highland Cemetery was well established as the city’s primary public burial ground,and is still active today. Reflecting Havre’s middle class roots the cemetery is marked by rows of modest, dignified tombstones and low concrete walled family plots.

Many veterans from the 20th century are buried here, along with many tombstones marking membership in fraternal organizations from the Woodmen of the World to the Masons.

Highland Cemetery is a significant place that documents the city’s progressive response to public needs during its decade of sustained growth in the homesteading boom of the first two decades of the 20th century. Together the two cemeteries would be an excellent companion to Havre’s already established National Register-listed downtown residential district. The city does a fine job of keeping the property maintained and let’s hope that commitment stays in place for another 100 years.

A worrisome future for a Great Northern landmark

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The former Izaak Walton Inn, May 2023

The news came like a thunderbolt in the December 16, 2022 edition of the Montana Free press: the Izaak Walton Inn had been sold to LOGE Camps.

“Street” facade of the building

I must admit that the place is special to me because it was one of the first National Register of Historic Places nominations that I had ever worked on. As I have discussed earlier in this blog, my task was to document its extraordinary significance because at that time of nomination (1984) the building was not yet 50 years old.

Historic Great Northern yards next to the inn, May 2023

Making the case was not that difficult because when it was built in 1939, it basically WAS the village of Essex: lodging for railroad workers, food, bar, post office, etc., but I have covered these points earlier in the blog. I stopped in May 2023 to document the place one last time, before n auction of interior stuff and collections and before renovations began.

In that December 16, 2022 Montana Free Press story, LOGE Camps official Slate “Olson said LOGE was well aware of the inn’s history and is not planning drastic changes to the property. However, the company does plan to make upgrades. Olson said it’ was’s too early to know exactly what those improvements will be, but that new furniture and room amenities are likely on deck in the coming year. We have a ton of respect for the history of the Izaak Walton Inn,” he said. “We want to create a destination where you feel the history, but you also appreciate the updated touches and amenities.””

May 2023
May 2023

Let’s hope so. A good part of the historic integrity of the property lies with its rough edges. The old boarding houses was upgraded to a degree in the mid-1980s, certainly. But you also had the right spaces, the post office boxes, and the laid back vibe of common areas. And wi-fi: well good luck once you left the link in the lobby.

May 2023
May 2023
May 2023

Believe me, I get it. Historic places are always changing. But here at Essex you have to accept that the building was a key part of a working landscape of the railroad. That its history will forever be tied to the tracks and the people who worked here. Take away that gritty reality, and you lose so much.

May 2023
May 2023
This covered pedestrian walkway led to other cabins and trails into the park. It was a great way to see the inn and the railway working together.

Here’s to the first 38 years of the Izaak Walton Inn as a National Register landmark adjacent to Glacier National Park. Let’s hope the next generations recognize and nurture the qualities that make it special.

May 2023

St Gabriel’s and Kuper Cemeteries: Sacred Grounds in Chinook, Montana

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North of Chinook are two adjacent late 19th centuries. The earliest is the Kuper Memorial Cemetery, originally known as the Chinook Cemetery. From newspaper accounts, burials there date to at least 1894 when former Canadian lumberman Gilbert McIntosh was laid to rest. Chinook newspapers also note that St. Gabriel’s Catholic Cemetery, immediately south of the city cemetery, dates to 1898 when prominent Catholic civic leader Thomas O’Hanlon was the first person to be buried in the new Catholic cemetery. The Chinook Opinion of February 17, 1898, called O’Hanlon “practically the founder of this little city and its interests have been his own for eight years passed [or 1890].”

St Gabriel’s Cemetery entrance
Isome Harve Harris, 1895, is another early burial in the Kuper Cemetery

For its first generation the two cemeteries lacked water and regular upkeep. Chinook women tackled the problem first. In 1910 a Ladies Cemetery Committee formed to raise “money for the Cemetery fund which is to be used in beautifying the Chinook cemetery grounds.” [Chinook Opinion 11/3/1910] The women served meals on Election Day, charging 50 cents a meal. “The bill of fare will consist of chicken pie, mashed potatoes, salads, pickles, cake, bread and butter, pie and coffee.”

The grave markers below reflect the different types found in the cemetery by 1910.

The following year Chinook women hosted a recital by Mrs. Riggs to raise funds for the city cemetery. By the fall of 1911 the Chinook Cemetery Association had formed, informally. The group discovered that the “plat of the Chinook Cemetery has never been filed for record.” [Chinook Opinion 1/23/1913]. By the summer of 1913 the Chinook Cemetery Association had filed its articles of incorporation with the Blaine County Clerk. The Chinook Opinion of 8/14/1913 explained: “The association was incorporated in order to provide a legal body that could take over the management of the local cemetery and make the needed improvements as fast as money can be raised for them. The town does not care to do anything with the management of the cemetery but there has been no legal body to whom the council could turn the care of the funds and the grounds over.”

But the beautiful appearance of both cemeteries didn’t come about until the 1920s. The construction of a new irrigation canal through the unfenced St. Gabriel’s cemetery brought Catholic Bishop M. Lenihan to Chinook in 1923 to discuss the matter. The Belknap irrigation district got its way: a canal defines the southern boundary of the Cemeteries.

Then in 1927 the Chinook Lions Club pledged support and funds to install a permanent water supply and irrigation system to the city cemetery, with the water coming from the Belknap canal.

Once the water supply was secured, the Lions Club planted 180 trees throughout the grounds.

By May 1927 Catholic leaders had decided to join the effort to irrigate both cemeteries and Lions Club together with American Legion members began to make preparations to plant trees. Over the years a large memorial section for local veterans was developed at the northeast corner of the property.

The Chinook Opinion of May 5, 1927 asserted: “The improvement of the barren and desolate looking grounds is an improvement of considerable merit and the two boards and committees in charge are being generally commended for the success they have had in working out the plans.”

A couple of years later a new undertaker in Chinook, Herman H. Kuper, began a fundraising campaign to have a caretaker for both cemeteries. He argued that the cemeteries could be planted with trees, flowers, and other ornamental plantings, then mowed regularly. For almost 100 years ever since the Chinook Cemeteries have been well maintained.

Thus it comes as no surprise that in c. 1978-79 the city cemetery changed its name to the Kuper Memorial Cemetery. Kuper (died 1978) not only was a successful businessman, he served the city as an alderman and as Chinook mayor.

Havre’s Mount Hope Cemetery, Part II

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July 1, 1905, the Havre Plaindealer reported that K. K. Devlin had donated three acres south of the new city reservoir for a Catholic cemetery, eventually named Calvary Cemetery. The newspaper said that engineers platted the ground on June 28, and that the first internment, the child of Joseph Gussenhoven, had been buried in the afternoon. The paper proclaimed that “The site selected is an ideal spot for a cemetery. The land slopes gently from the city reservoir to the south and east and can all be irrigated nicely from the reservoir. . . The lots will all be larger than the lots in the old cemetery [Mount Hope] thus affording ample room for trees and shrubs.”

Calvary Cemetery, May 2023

One of the engineers had already recommended to the Mount Hope Cemetery Association to secure a “cemetery site for the city adjoining the present site selected by the Catholic people. The surroundings are naturelly [sic] most beautiful. It is close to the city and at the same time in a quiet and secluded spot and when the grounds are sown to grass, and trees and shrubs adorn the driveways and walks, it will be the most beautiful burial place in the state.” Plus the city engineer added, the grounds “can be irrigated and beautified as a nominal cost.”

The newspaper closed with what could be considered the epitaph for the old city cemetery: “The expense incurred and improving the old cemetery was necessary but to beautify the place requires water and the expense of obtaining it would be beyond the reach of the city for some years to come.”

The news upset many citizens since the city had just made the effort to upgrade Mount Hope. Two weeks after the first burial at Calvary, the Havre cemetery committee reinspected Mount Hope and “returned more fully convinced than ever that the present site could be sufficiently watered and beautified at slight expense by the driving of a new points similar to those that have been so successful in the dry well system of the waterworks and the pumping of water by use of a windmill.” The committee counted 150 graves at Mount Hope and reported that the relatives of the dead did not want the bodies moved. “Efforts to raise water will at least be made before there will be any further consideration of removal,” according to the Havre Herald of July 14, 1905.

The tone was different by the fall. The Havre Herald of November 3, 1905, recorded that “the board of trustees of Mount Hope cemetery” authorized that the cemetery be put “in good shape,” with repaired fences, walks, and drives. But the newspaper also reported that “Negotiations are under way for the purchase of land for a new cemetery adjoining the Catholic grounds.” That cemetery is the present Highland Cemetery.

From 1905-1906 numerous burials continued at Mount Hope despite the controversy over its future. The 3 year old Margie Kaepernick was buried on July 4, 1905.

Kaepernick marker, 1905

Marian Munger and Mary Lawler were interred, respectively, in September and October. Popular card dealer P. J. “Jack Flynn” was buried about a week before Christmas in 1905. His death even brought about an ode from a friend published in the Havre Herald on February 2, 1906.

The city continued to hold its Memorial Day commemoration at Mount Hope in 1906. A detail from Ft. Assinniboine led the parade, which began at the corner of Second Street and Third Avenue, winding its way through Havre before reaching the Mount Hope Cemetery. Following the U.S. Army soldiers were: the Citizens band of Havre, Civil War veterans, Spanish-American veterans, Relief corps, Clergymen, City officials, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Eagles, Great Northern band, Shop men, and Labor unions.

Yet as Highland Cemetery opened in 1906, joining its neighbor the Catholic Calvary Cemetery, the number of burials at Mount Hope Cemetery declined, judging from accounts published in the local newspapers. George Barrington, the son of a veteran Great Northern Railroad engineer, died in a scuffle over a pistol outside of the Gold Bug saloon. He was buried in August 1908.

Members of the Masonic lodges in Havre and Glasgow turned out in numbers for the burial of Graham Williamson in March 1909. In May 1909, the Havre Monument Works installed a “handsome iron fence” made in Cincinnati OH, to mark the family plot of C. B. Van Alstine.

Van Alstine plot.

But then in May 1909 burials took place at Mount Hope Cemetery that may be considered the event that began the cemetery’s third historic period as the public burial ground for the unfortunate and marginalized in the city. Joseph Kirschweng escaped from the state asylum at Warm Springs returned to Hill Countyand killed his wife and children before committing suicide. All four were buried at Mount Hope.

In October, Rev. William Jackson, an African American minister who once served at Fort Assiniboine before becoming the pastor of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Havre was buried at Mount Hope. Two years later, Martha Allen, a member of the AME church, was buried at Mount Hope with “one of the largest funeral corteges ever seen in the city.” (Havre Plaindealder, May 6, 1911). Two years later in August 1913 an abandoned baby found dead at city hall was buried at Mount Hope while in September William P. Farrow, “the stranger who was run over by a switch engine,” was buried at the cemetery (Havre Promoter, September 12, 1913). Victor Urkins, a Great Northern shop employee who allegedly committed suicide, was buried at Mount Hope in October 1913. Then in November came the funeral of Lucy Barnes, the wife of W. H. Barnes, a longtime resident and former domestic employee of Robert L. McCulloch at Fort Assiniboine, who also was African American and member of the AME Church. Most of the Japanese burials here took place from 1909 to 1920.

Burial accounts in the local newspapers about Mount Hope Cemetery become few and far between by the time of World War I. Three of the last stories were about Chinese residents: Wong Hoy Lang in 1921; N. Len, who was a gardener in 1922; and Lo Bow in 1924. Lo Bow “had lived in Havre for the past 30 years and was interested in the restaurant business at the time of his death.” (Havre Promoter, September 23, 1924). 1924 was the last year Mount Hope Cemetery would be mentioned in local newspapers for decades to come.

The Forgotten Stories of Havre’s Mount Hope Cemetery, Part One

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The sign facing Cemetery Road in Havre tells you here is a historic place but the story of this large plot, surrounded on three sides by county road and maintenance shops, is much deeper than the sign might indicate.

The cemetery likely dates to the very beginning of Havre’s history. I did not have early city or county records to consult but the first newspaper mention of the Havre cemetery dates to 1894. Moses Hall, a carpenter, was found dead, lying upon the Great Northern railroad tracks by the telegraph office. The Havre Advertiser of October 4, 1894, reported that “just how the fatal accident occurred will probably never be known, but the supposition is that he [known to be a strong drinker thus allegedly drunk] laid down upon the track not thinking of the approaching danger.”

Rebecca Burlington was buried c. 1896

With so many missing markers, it is difficult to judge how many were buried here in the first ten years. But several markers document Japanese burials between 1900 and the 1920s, particularly in the 1910s. Many of the men worked for the Great Northern Railroad. In 1898 the Oriental Trading Company had reached an agreement with the Great Northern to provide workers, especially at division points like Havre. Other Japanese residents and some Chinese immigrants operated shops and cafes in the town.

A number of Japanese workers, wives and children are from 1908 to 1919 are buried in this section near the eastern edge of the cemetery.

Move forward to 1903. Havre is in the midst of a boom and urban institutions were being developed. In July the city council instructed the city clerk to file a plat for the cemetery. The next spring in 1904 the mayor made improvements at the “city cemetery” a major agenda item. He reported that the cemetery “was selected by the town nearly twelve years ago [c. 1891], and about five years ago was platted into lots, walks and driveways, but owing to the lack of proper interest and supervision on the part of past city administrations the stakes have been broken down and lost, and burials are being made without due regard to location, and the place presents a heathenish and neglected appearance.”

The mayor asked council to appoint a cemetery committee to perfect the city’s title to the land and to beautify it. The council did so and renamed the place the Mount Hope Cemetery. The first documented burial in Mount Hope came in September 1904. Within a year the Havre Herald (May 4, 1905) reported that “the improvement of the cemetery has been carried out to the letter“ with a new fence, arch gate, and staked lots and plats. Later in the month, for Memorial Day, the city held a ceremony to honor early pioneers and veterans at the cemetery. Newspapers documented six residents as being buried in New Hope in 1905. But more change was in the offing. That’s covered in part two.

Crown Hill Cemetery in Cut Bank

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Standard histories tell you that Cut Bank, the seat of Glacier County, dates to 1891. But significant numbers of permanent settlers did not arrive until the first years of the 20th century, following a major investment by the Great Northern Railroad to build a huge steel bridge and railroad offices, shops, and a roundhouse. The Fort Benton River Press on February 12, 1901, reported that “Cut Bank is rapidly assuming a metropolitan appearance.”

The initial railroad boom soon slowed until the homesteader movement brought new growth. In 1911 town officials agreed to discuss the creation of a permanent town cemetery with state officials. Between 1911 and 1914 citizens formed the Crown Hill Cemetery Association and the first documented burials in the local newspaper took place in 1914.

Entrance to Crown Hill Cemetery

Located north of town the cemetery is on a slight rise and has an impressive view of Cut Bank to the South. A small lake is the focus of the cemetery plan.

See the grain elevators to the south.

Otherwise the cemetery contains long rows in a rectangular manner and there are few huge grave markers, instead many dignified and subtly designed markers cover the grounds.

There are several interesting markers and many note a fraternal lodge association.

The Thomas marker is one of the oldest.
1936 marker with Art Deco styling

The Halvorson marker dates to be death of Mrs. Harry Halvorson who died in 1924. At that time her funeral was the largest ever held in Cut Bank. The Midland Empire of April 22, 1924 reported that 650 attended the funeral and that 77 cars went from the town Masonic Hall to the cemetery. A member of the Rebekah lodges in both Cut Bank and Shelby, Halvorson’s funeral attracted other lodge members from Shelby, Conrad, Valier and Browning. Her husband was the senior member of the Halvorson mercantile company, which started in 1901.

Another important marker is the veterans memorial from World War II. Cut Bank played a significant role as a satellite air field for the Great Falls Army Air Base. In 1942-43 pilots trained here in flying the B-17 Flying Fortresses. In 1948 the army conveyed the base to the town for civilian use.

Perhaps an unattended consequence of the military air base is that winter temperatures at Cut Bank was regularly available to national media, which played up the mage of Cut Bank as the coldest place in the lower 48 states. Cut Bank embraced the image, as this bit of roadside sculpture below attests. It stands at the eastern entrance into town on US Highway 2.

Crown Hill Cemetery is one of the oldest properties in Cut Bank open to the public. The cemetery is well maintained, well manicured and a testament to the respect and dignity local residents give to their past.

Crown Hill Cemetery in Cut Bank

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Standard histories tell you that Cut Bank, the seat of Glacier County, dates to 1891. But significant numbers of permanent settlers did not arrive until the first years of the 20th century, following a major investment by the Great Northern Railroad to build a huge steel bridge and railroad offices, shops, and a roundhouse. The Fort Benton River Press on February 12, 1901, reported that “Cut Bank is rapidly assuming a metropolitan appearance.”

The initial railroad boom soon slowed until the homesteader movement brought new growth. In 1911 town officials agreed to discuss the creation of a permanent town cemetery with state officials. Between 1911 and 1914 citizens formed the Crown Hill Cemetery Association and the first documented burials in the local newspaper took place in 1914.

Entrance to Crown Hill Cemetery

Located north of town the cemetery is on a slight rise and has an impressive view of Cut Bank to the South. A small lake is the focus of the cemetery plan.

See the grain elevators to the south.

Otherwise the cemetery contains long rows in a rectangular manner and there are few huge grave markers, instead many dignified and subtly designed markers cover the grounds.

There are several interesting markers and many note a fraternal lodge association.

The Thomas marker is one of the oldest.
1936 marker with Art Deco styling

The Halvorson marker dates to be death of Mrs. Harry Halvorson who died in 1924. At that time her funeral was the largest ever held in Cut Bank. The Midland Empire of April 22, 1924 reported that 650 attended the funeral and that 77 cars went from the town Masonic Hall to the cemetery. A member of the Rebekah lodges in both Cut Bank and Shelby, Halvorson’s funeral attracted other lodge members from Shelby, Conrad, Valier and Browning. Her husband was the senior member of the Halvorson mercantile company, which started in 1901.

Another important marker is the veterans memorial from World War II. Cut Bank played a significant role as a satellite air field for the Great Falls Army Air Base. In 1942-43 pilots trained here in flying the B-17 Flying Fortresses. In 1948 the army conveyed the base to the town for civilian use.

Perhaps an unattended consequence of the military air base is that winter temperatures at Cut Bank was regularly available to national media, which played up the mage of Cut Bank as the coldest place in the lower 48 states. Cut Bank embraced the image, as this bit of roadside sculpture below attests. It stands at the eastern entrance into town on US Highway 2.

Crown Hill Cemetery is one of the oldest properties in Cut Bank open to the public. The cemetery is well maintained, well manicured and a testament to the respect and dignity local residents give to their past.

Zurich Park: New Deal Landmark in Blaine County

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Zurich Park, 2023

North of the railroad town of Zurich along US Highway 2 in Blaine County is Zurich Park, a New Deal era landmark from 1936-1937.

Originally called the Zurich Recreation Park, it developed as one three recreation areas in the planned South Wagner Resettlement Project. And the park in turn centered on the Community hall built at the park’s entrance.

The Chinook Opinion on July 16, 1936 reported the initial plans for the park. The facility was centered on 30 Mile Creek, not far from the river and you crossed one of the canals of the Milk River Project as you approached the park from Zurich.

Milk River Project

The community hall was 30 by 60 feet. 25 men, supervised by Floyd White of the county, constructed the building and other park features. The newspaper reported that the community hall “will be of native stone, logs and rough timber in rustic effect, plans having been drawn by Fred Mallon, project engineer” for the Resettlement Administration. The newspaper added that “This type of building will have the advantage of being more permanent, more attractive and will provide more labor and cost less for materials.”

The park initially included a swimming area, picnic facilities and playgrounds.

In the winter of 1937 the Great Falls Tribune published a photograph of the almost completed community hall, with snow piled about the building. By the time summer rolled around the park was ready for use.

It served not just Zurich but hosted groups from Chinook and Harlem for decades. It quickly became a recreation and community center for all sorts of activities and meetings. The newspaper ad below was in the Harlem News of October 27, 1939.

For instance, regular district meetings of the Soil Conservation Service, the Beet Growers Association, 4-H clubs and home demonstration clubs met at the community hall. In 1939 the city of Chinook, who appreciated that local children had refrained from heavy use of fireworks, hosted a party at the park and bussed some 200 kids from Chinook for the afternoon event with hot dogs and ice cream. Even 40 years later the community hall was constantly in use by all sorts of groups.

In 1966 Chinook Lions club members gave the park and hall a facelift, installing five new picnic tables. The Harlem club joined in the effort and added six new picnic tables. Both groups made improvements to the playgrounds. The Chinook Opinion of June 9, 1966 reported: “These tables were built by the Chinook and Harlem high school shop department[s]. It is understood that a new resurfacing of the highway to the park [today’s Park Road] will be done this summer, and the park will be put in first class shape.” Zurich Park remains well maintained today as these images prove. Rural life and community events have changed in the 21st century but Zurich Park remains as an important legacy of the Great Depression decade.

Choteau Cemetery, Teton County

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Choteau Cemetery is one of the oldest public spaces in Teton County as it dates to the platting of the town itself in 1883.

The beautiful, well manicured grounds of today did not always exist. For the first four decades the county “kept” the cemetery but merely as a burial ground for residents and the poor (the county bought 10 plots for indigent burials in 1895).

In 1927, during a decade of beautification efforts happening in towns, schools, and ranches across the country, city officials decided to introduce a levy to pay for the irrigation of the cemetery and the planting of a beautiful grove of trees to further dignify this community place.

A sign reminds everyone not to drive over the pipes, which can be clearly seen throughout the cemetery (see below).

In 1928 the city purchased lawn seed and acquired the first set of saplings to plant. Thoughtfully maintained ever since, even when with some controversy cemetery leaders removed 70 diseased trees in 2015, the Choteau Cemetery is an impressive sight, and worth a thorough investigation as it approaches its 100th year as an irrigated public property.

There is a range of fraternal markers from the early 20th century.

Woodmen of the World marker for Harry Haynes
Women of Woodcraft marker for Amelia Armstrong
Masonic marker for former sheriff Kenneth McKenzie

There are delicately carved stones in Victorian themes reflective of the Civil War era.

And as you expect there are veterans of the US Army from the Civil War and all subsequent wars buried here.

Then there are those markers that hint at a bigger story and you miss you knew more, such as this blending of the pillow and heart motifs for Mary McDonough and erected by Minnie Reese.

The cemetery is large but not overwhelming. Its straight forward linear design and rectangular shape are common. But the evident care and commitment of today’s residents to the past is commendable and worthy of note.