It was once mused that the character of a city is formed by the character of its founders; this rings true especially when we discuss the towns of the Flathead Valley. Late in the 19th century, the city of Kalispell was brought to life by settlers hailing from all across the country. They all shared […]
history
Before They Had Cat Ladies and Old Maids….
…the Flathead Valley had these fellows. This photograph taken from a historical book about the Flathead Valley caught my eye. Two of the men in the photograph advertising “Wives Wanted” are holding cats. Adventurous men traveled to the Montana frontier in the 1800’s and 1900’s looking for work and hoping for success. Many […]
The Haunted Hospital in Kalispell?
I imagine that the condominium across from the elementary school is haunted. In 1911 a large brick building was constructed to make Kalispell‘s first general hospital. For over 60 years the Eastside Brick building served as the city‘s hospital. In 1973 it became a branch of the courthouse. The hospital was refurbished in 2007 […]
Commander’s Palace Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce: Today in History: Pre-sliced Bread Ban
Sliced bread from the grocery in Montana is different and I don’t mean in a good way. It’s not as soft and fresh as I am accustomed to buying in the south. Perhaps it is because there aren’t any commercial bakeries in town or maybe it is a regional preference of westerners to prefer stale […]
History of Christmas Cookie Traditions [3-Ingredient No-Bake Oreos Cookies and Cream Recipe]
Many of us love to bake, exchange, and eat Christmas cookies. But how many of us know the history behind this time-honored tradition? Let’s go back about 1,000 years to Medieval Europe where the practice of baking cookies at Christmastime originated. As you can imagine, sugar was a precious commodity in those times. People commonly […]
Flathead Valley Cherry History
According to Flathead Lake Cherry Growers, the first cherry trees planted in Montana were in 1866 by a man named Thomas W. Harris. They were planted in the Bitterroot Valley, which is located about 170 miles from here in Kalispell which is in the Flathead Valley. Growing cherries in the Bitterroot Valley ended, […]
Poverty Point
Sitting here pondering our lost past, I witness evidence of a dynamic planet that leaves little of the past intact. Surrounded by the mountains, I sit next to a lazy late summer river, gazing across wheat fields in the flat lower valley. I realize that this is but a temporary face shown during our experience […]