This weekly column, as regular readers know, is all about “the news” as reported by the quill drivers of the past – primarily the 1800s into the early 1900s.
Today, I’m going to break from that pattern to offer a story from my family’s past.
This winter I’ve been digitizing old family documents. I encourage everyone – if you haven’t already done it – to ask your parents and grandparents to share stories from their past because, as my father realized, the accuracy of those memories can diminish with time.
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In his words, “When we look back on our lives and try to remember all of those happenings which go to make up our history and our parents’ history we realize we did not listen too well. Whatever is fact, and what is remembered as fact, may be miles apart. But the years cannot be brought back to give us a second chance to correct our errors.”
Lee Harmon wearing his first suit ca 1931Lee Harmon wearing his first suit ca 1931
Today, I want to share my dad’s story about his dad. We’ll call it, “Mistaken identity leads to a lifelong friendship.”
Lee Harmon (my dad, born in 1916) penned a family history in the 1990s, recalling, “Early in 1919 Dr. Clay, who was the family doctor at Malta told (his) dad (John Harmon, born in 1888) that John had what was then called grain asthma and should move to a different climate.”
“In July 1919, John and another carpenter, Tom Mattox, came west to Eureka to look for work as the mill in Eureka was hiring people at the time. When they arrived there, a mill foreman told them that they had all the men they needed. However he said that the J. Neils Co. in Libby was looking for men, so John and his friend came on to Libby.”
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“Tom Mattox was hired as a carpenter, but they only needed one. John was asked if he would like to try sawing in the woods and he took the job.
John D. Harmon with sons, John & Lee ca1920John D. Harmon with sons, John & Lee ca1920
“By September he wrote to my mother and told her he was feeling much better and had built a logging camp shack, and asked her to sell the place in Malta and come to Libby. Mother was not able to sell the house at that time but found a renter, packed most of our belongings and brought me to Libby where I took root and never got dug up.”
“When we arrived here Mother had to get a room at the old Richards Hotel overnight, and dad came in from logging camp the next evening to get us, and take us to camp. It was a very primitive place to live.”
“The camp shacks were built on skids in those days so they could be loaded on railroad flat cars and taken to the next camp site, wherever that might be. Dad always tried to go to the new location and pick as nice a spot as he could for our home to be planted on. Mother was always afraid of fire, so dad had to clear off, as much as he could, the brush and weeds around the site so it was reasonably safe for us when we finally were moved to the new site.”
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Trainer Hill cabins (shacks, actually) ca1919Trainer Hill cabins (shacks, actually) ca1919
“How we ever got our family and a great-grandmother, grandmother, and my mother’s aunt all in the one room shack for a visit I’ll never know. After moving to three different camps, between the years 1919 and 1923, in the fall of 1924 we moved into the house on California Ave (in Libby) which the folks had built for them on lots which they had purchased from the John Roche family who lived across the street from them.”
“Frank Pival who was one of the local contractors at that time built the house for them. It was wonderful to have the bathroom in the house instead of out by the big pine tree – real progress!”
John & Pauline Harmon ca 1924John & Pauline Harmon ca 1924
“At the logging camp, a fellow named Gus Svedin had been sawing with another man and when the fellow quit, Gus needed a new partner. Dad went out with Gus and had a very unique experience – the “mistaken identity” incident referred to earlier.
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“Gus had heard that a ‘much discussed and disliked man’ was going to be his partner. He jerked the saw and banged Dad’s hands against the tree as they (cross-cut) sawed, and did a number of other things to make Dad mad.”
“At the end of the day Dad asked Gus just what he had done to make him act this way and he replied he didn’t want to work with the so & so, and named the other man. Dad explained that he was not that man. Gus said he was sorry, and from then on he and Dad got along very well.”
“Gus (as a single man) was living in the logging camp, which was not very exciting, so Mother and Dad began asking Gus to come to Sunday dinner with them.
He was very happy to eat a home-cooked meal on Sundays. Mother would make a batch of fudge and they would spend the afternoon playing whist.”
“In succeeding years, Gus sold some oil land he had purchased near Kevin, north of Shelby, and moved to the west coast near Bellingham. Gus bought a small dairy farm and eventually got married, and when his first son was born he named him ‘John’ after Dad.”
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“Many years later Dad and Mother went to Bellingham to visit relatives, who took the folks to see Gus and his family who lived near them. It was one of the best reunions Dad ever had. He talked about it for a long time afterward.”
Hopefully this yarn will encourage you to take the time, now, to ask your parents and grandparents to share stories from their past. Don’t live to regret not having done it!
Jim Harmon is a longtime Missoula news broadcaster, now retired, who writes a weekly history column for Missoula Current. You can contact Jim at fuzzyfossil187@gmail.com. His best-selling book, “The Sneakin’est Man That Ever Was,” a collection of 46 vignettes of Western Montana history, is available at harmonshistories.com.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 17, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from Jan. 17 drawing
08-10-37-54-69, Mega Ball: 22, Megaplier: 3
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 17 drawing
01-04-06-09-46, Lucky Ball: 04
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Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from Jan. 17 drawing
05-15-25-26, Bonus: 04
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.
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Where can you buy lottery tickets?
Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.
You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.
Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Family-owned Decker Truck Line Inc. of Fort Dodge, Iowa, confirmed that it has permanently closed its terminal in Missoula, Montana, citing findings from a thorough review of its operations and freight network as the main reason for the closure.
“This decision was not made lightly, but it is necessary due to the changing freight network patterns and the associated costs of operating a full terminal that is not being utilized sufficiently,” CEO Dale Decker said in a statement Tuesday about the closure.
As many as 18 positions were eliminated at the Missoula terminal, according to NBC Montana.
Decker said a small group of drivers was also affected by the closure but added that the company will continue to utilize truck drivers in Montana to haul freight.
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The trucking company said it plans to work with employees of the now-shuttered terminal to “explore relocation options” if they want to stay with Decker Truck Line.
“As our business continues to grow, our focus will shift more towards core regions. This strategy aims to enhance density in our well-established areas,” Decker said. “However, we will continue to require drivers residing in the Montana area, but we no longer consider it a strategic advantage for having a terminal in Missoula along with the associated overhead costs.”
The 94-year-old trucking company has around 790 company drivers and the same number of power units. It hauls general freight, refrigerated food and building materials, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s SAFER website.
Besides its home terminal in Fort Dodge, which has approximately 190 employees, Decker Truck Line operates terminals in Mediapolis, Iowa; Bessemer, Alabama; and Hammond, Indiana, as well as a maintenance facility in Des Moines, according to the company’s website.
“Although this location no longer offers sufficient value to warrant a terminal, expansion in other regions may prompt new investments in areas that do provide clear benefit to our network,” Decker said.
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Montanans are witnessing an inexplicably vicious attack on the ruling by the state’s Supreme Court that the plain language of the constitution guarantees “a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations.”
What we haven’t heard is why a dirty and unhealthful environment is good for anybody — or the future of our state.
Truly, why would anyone think they or their kids or grandkids would be better off with a degraded and toxic environment? Yet, the court’s decision has sparked a misguided rebellion against the environmental laws that protect all Montanans — and an attack on the judiciary as if it’s some kind of enemy of the people.
But it seems pretty clear that enemies of the people don’t rule to protect the people. And ensuring that the laws passed by the Legislature comply with the Montana Constitution is the primary job of the Montana Supreme Court. It’s the foundational checks-and-balances upon which our system of government relies to ensure the executive and legislative branches stay within constitutional mandates to preserve the rights of the people.
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Making war on the environment is a dead-end street — which we’re increasingly finding out as the tragedies driven by atmospheric pollution stack up along with the hundreds of billions of dollars to deal with the aftermath. So, where’s the wisdom in deciding to protect polluters at the cost to the rest of the populace?
How about this little truth: Pollution does not discriminate between Republicans and Democrats, nor Independents, Libertarians, or any other organizational clusters regardless of what they call themselves. Nor does polluted air or water recognize any boundaries — we all need clean air and water, which is not only a shared resource, but a shared responsibility to provide those vital necessities to nourish, not poison, our people.
The fact is, we have many good environmental and conservation laws on the books that serve all our people well. There’s simply no good reason why one political party or another should be against those laws, none at all.
Perhaps one of the greatest mistakes of the “environmental movement” was attaching itself at the hip with the Democratic Party. Yet, in Montana’s history, it has often been Democrat governors who have been responsible for some of the worst environmental decisions.
In the mid-1980s, Democrat Gov. Ted Schwinden cut the coal severance tax in half to supposedly make Montana competitive with Wyoming. He succeeded in losing hundreds of millions of dollars for the Coal Tax Trust Fund, but it didn’t save the coal industry because distance to market was the deciding factor.
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Democrat Gov. Brian Schweitzer morphed into the “Coal Cowboy” within one year of taking office. His mission? Save the coal industry by peddling economically ridiculous proposals for coal-to-liquids when fracking was producing record amounts of cheap oil and gas.
Democrat Gov. Steve Bullock allowed radioactive waste from the Bakken fracking operations to be disposed of in Montana’s landfills — because it’s illegal to do so in North Dakota.
Of course Republicans have their own rogue’s list of bad decisions and policies — but there’s not room in one column to cover all those.
There’s absolutely no reason whatsoever why a clean environment should be partisan. The great attractions of Montana are our clean rivers, our blue skies, and an abundance of fish and wildlife that are the envy of the nation and world. The Constitution plainly states: “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana” — and that’s a legacy worth upholding.
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