Brochure - Montana Historical Society

The Montana Historical Society presents
The 38th Annual Montana History Conference
September 22–24, 2011, Missoula, Montana
No Ordinary
Time
WAR, RESISTANCE,
AND THE MONTANA EXPERIENCE

No Ordinary Time . . . From the time of the First Peoples to the
present day, conflict has always been part of the Montana story. Join us in
Missoula for the 38th annual Montana History Conference to explore the
role of warfare in traditional Native American culture, the contributions that
Montanans have made to our nation’s wars, the impact that those wars had
on life in the Treasure State, and the efforts of those who fought to resist
armed conflict. To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the United States’
entry into WWII, conference highlights will include sessions on, and a visit
to, Fort Missoula, which served as an internment camp for Italian detainees
and Resident Alien Japanese during World WWII. Thursday’s workshops will
offer hands-on, practical experiences, while Saturday’s field trips will provide
firsthand encounters with historic sites significant to Montana’s military
past. Join MHS and our Missoula partners—The Historical Museum at Fort
Missoula, The Montana Museum of Art & Culture, and The University of
Montana—in this enlightening and informative gathering.
Conference logistics: Unless otherwise noted, all events will be held at the
DoubleTree by Hilton Missoula-Edgewater, 100 Madison St., Missoula. A block
of rooms is being held for conference-goers at the DoubleTree until August 26.
To make reservations, visit doubletree.hilton.com or call 406.542.4600.
Be sure to ask for the Montana History Conference rate or use group block code
MTHI0929 if registering online. Other nearby accommodations can be found at
www.visitmt.com.
Fight between Cheyenne and Comanche Indians (detail), White Bear, colored pencil and
graphite on paper, 1885
2
Montana Historical Society,
gift of Francis Jergens Tobie, x1961.16.02

PAc 84-34
Teacher credit: Up to twenty-two OPI Teacher Renewal Units are available for
conference attendees. Teachers desiring renewal credits may obtain forms and
additional information at the conference registration table.
Pre-conference opportunity: The Montana Preservation Alliance will be hosting
its Preservation Excellence Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, September 21,
5:30 p.m., at the Florence Hotel, 111 N. Higgins Ave., Missoula. For more
information visit www.preservemontana.org or call 406.457.2822.
Thursday, September 22 (Conference schedule is subject to change.)
S 7:30 a.m.–6:30 P.m. Conference registration
S 8:30 a.m.–4:30 P.m. All-day workshops (include lunch)
“ V for Victory”
work party of
Italian detainees,
Fort Missoula,
1942
Educators Workshop Many teachers successfully use primary sources to
engage and excite students about history, teach media literacy, and introduce
the art of historical research. The Montana Historical Society is making it easy
for Montana educators to harness The Power of Primary Sources in the Classroom.
In keeping with the conference theme, the workshop will focus on war
and resistance, from the Indian Wars through the Gulf War. Participants will
learn where to find and how to analyze primary sources relating Montanans’
experience during wartime, including material on the Library of Congress’s
American Memory and Veterans Oral History Project websites, the Montana
Historical Society’s website, and the Montana Memory Project website.
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Hands-on activities will offer participants opportunities to hone their primary
source analysis skills. Participants will also learn about educational technologies
(like Glogster and Animoto) and programs (like Teaching with Primary Sources
and National History Day) that make it easier to integrate primary sources into
the classroom. Presenters will include Martha Kohl, historical specialist at the
Montana Historical Society, Dr. Tom Rust, co-director of Montana National
History Day, and Peggy O’Neill-Jones, director of Teaching with Primary
Sources–Colorado.
Collections Care Workshop The Montana State Historical Records
Advisory Board (SHRAB) will present a workshop titled What to Keep: The
Funda mentals of Archival Appraisal. It will focus on one of the most complex
aspects of archival collection management—deciding what to keep, what to
send elsewhere and where to send it, and what to deaccession if it is already in
your collection. Attendees will gain practical knowledge of how archival appraisal
differs from monetary appraisal, how appraisal affects and is effected by your
collection policies, which state laws effect appraisal issues, and how to document
the appraisal choices that you make. Advisory Board members will lead the
instruction. Attendees are encouraged to bring examples of appraisal problems
to stimulate discussion. This daylong workshop will also include helpful
handouts and information on other resources.
S 8:45 a.m.–5:00 P.m. Made in Montana Tour (vans depart from the DoubleTree,
includes lunch)
Third Annual Made in Montana Field Trip (limited to 20 participants).
This year’s tour will focus on the Bitterroot Valley, beginning at the Rocky Mountain
Labs with a tour led by Dr. Marshall Bloom, Associate Director for Science
Management, Division of Intramural Research. Built in 1928 to investigate
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, today the Hamilton lab employs 400 people
in biomedical research studying vector-borne diseases. Other venues include a
visit to Glaxo-Smith-Kline Pharmaceuticals which is the only place in the world
that makes a specific vaccine for cervical cancer; the Huls Dairy, which has been
in business since 1908—milking almost 400 cows daily—and which three years
ago built a methane digester to turn manure into energy; and the 50-room Daly
Mansion, designed and built by A. J. Gibson, Missoula’s most significant architect,
for Butte Copper King Marcus Daly and his wife.
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S 12:00 P.m.–5:00 P.m. Half-day workshop (includes lunch)
Preservation Workshop The workshop begins with a lunchtime presentation
by Paul Lusignan, Historian, National Park Service National Register
Program, Washington, D.C., who will give a short talk about the National
Register and some of its most interesting properties from across the nation.
Following lunch, Lusignan will present an in-depth look at Demystifying
Modern ism and the National Register of Historic Places. Topics will include the
National Register nomination process focusing on the procedure, requirements,
and challenges of completing successful documentation. Lusignan will also
provide an interesting and helpful program regarding significant properties
from the “recent past,” with an emphasis on Modern architecture.
S 6:30 P.m.–7:30 P.m. Opening reception
Native Words, Native Warriors When the United States issued the
call to arms in World Wars I and II, American Indians answered and some
discovered that words—in their Native languages—would be their most valued
weapons. The 38th annual Montana History Conference will open by paying
homage to these “code talkers” with the display of the Smithsonian Institution’s
traveling exhibit, Native Words, Native Warriors. Join us in honoring these
soldiers and their unique contributions to America’s war efforts, then meet and
greet fellow conference-goers, browse the MHS book store and Museums Association’s
silent auction, have your books signed by history conference authors,
and enjoy light hors d’oeuvres and a no-host bar. Native Words, Native Warriors
will be on exhibit throughout the conference.
S 7:30 P.m.–9:00 P.m. Keynote address
Montana, Lincoln, and the Civil War In a
slide-illustrated presen tation, Dr. Richard Etulain will
provide an in-depth and engaging look at the American
West during the period of the American Civil War.
His lecture will examine the impact that the players,
most especially Abraham Lincoln, and the issues—
like slavery and emancipation, civil rights, political
conflicts, and northern and southern attitudes and
actions—had on the territories far removed from Dr. Richard Etulain
5
Brian Libby, photog.

947-247
the eastern battlegrounds. Etulain, who is Professor Emeritus of History at
the University of New Mexico and author of almost fifty publications, is widely
regarded as the premiere American scholar on the topic of Abraham Lincoln and
the American West. This session is sponsored by Humanities Montana and is
free and open to the public.
Friday, September 23
S 7:30 a.m.–5:30 P.m. Conference registration
S 7:30 a.m.–8:50 a.m. Plenary session (breakfast
included)
Rethinking Warfare in Traditional
American Indian Societies Following
breakfast and a welcome by MHS Board of
Trustees President Steve Lozar, Mike Jetty—Indian Education Specialist with
the Montana Office of Public Instruction, Helena, and enrolled member of the
Spirit Lake Dakota—will provide historic examples of the ways in which Montana’s
Tribal Nations structured their warrior societies and how the concept
of warfare was perceived. Mike will also share contemporary examples of how
warrior society traditions are being maintained and revitalized today.
S 9:00 a.m.–10:15 a.m. Concurrent sessions
Mike Jetty
Friends and Foes From territorial days through present times,
the presence of military installations has had a significant impact on
Company “E”
Third Infantry,
Fort Ellis, 1886
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the communities in which they were located. This session will examine two
early examples of the interaction between the military and its civilian
neighbors. In War and Prostitution: The Makings of Miles City, Lael Morgan,
photo -journalist and instructor of media writing, University of Texas,
Arlington, will explore the ties between war, prostitution, and the growth of a
major Montana city with an entertaining focus on the characters who insured
this successful byproduct of military planning. In My Duties Are Not So Clearly
Laid Down: Mission Clarity, Political Pressure, and Operational Frustration on
Montana’s Military Frontier, Dr. Tom Rust, professor of history at MSU–Billings,
will—using Bozeman and Fort Ellis as a case study—examine the frustration
encountered by U.S. Army officers charged with the dual, and often conflicting,
missions of protecting civilians from Indian incursions, as well as Indians from
settlers’ provocations and exploitation.
The Civil War in Montana History and Literature In Montana,
the Civil War was fought over two questions: What would be the relationship
between the territory and the federal government? And who would be considered
inside the body politic and who would be the outsiders? In We the
People, Tim Lehman, professor of history at Rocky Mountain College, Billings,
and Robert Swartout, professor of history at Carroll College, Helena, will
explore these issues from the historian’s perspective. In Telling Tales of War,
Ken Egan, executive director of Humanities Montana, Missoula, will show how
these themes play out in both early Montana writing—such as the memoirs
of Yellowstone Kelly and Andrew Garcia—as well as in more contemporary
renderings such as James Welch’s Fools Crow.
Rather than War During World War II, for the first time in American history,
the Civilian Public Service (CPS) program provided conscientious objectors
a legal alternative to military service. This unusual church-state partnership
afforded more than 12,000 men the opportunity to perform “work of national
importance,” but not as combatants. These men undertook work ordinarily
accomplished by federal employees, primarily through camps administered
by the Quaker, Brethren, and Mennonite church organizations. By focusing
on specific aspects of this story our three speakers will, together, provide an
overview of the CPS program across Montana: Marcella Sherfy Walter, former
education officer for the Montana Heritage Program, Helena, will present
Memories from the Civilian Public Service Camp #55 Crew Who Maintained Glacier
National Park; Terri Wolfgram, BLM Archaeologist, Belgrade, will share her
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957-943, A. B. Coe, photog.
research into Civilian Public Service Camp #64 at Terry, Montana; and Shandy
Lemperlé, Archives Manager, USDA Forest Service, Missoula, will discuss
The Role of Conscientious Objectors in Smoke Jumping during World War II.
S 10:15 a.m.–10:30 a.m. Break
S 10:30 a.m.–11:45 a.m. Concurrent sessions
The Archaeology of War—From the Ground to the Public
Domain This session will examine three perspectives of war and conflict
with an archaeological twist. Tom Milter will describe the context and history
of the Battle of the Rosebud, exploring how recovered munitions may reveal
troop movements. Helen Keremedjiev will examine Public Interpretation
Methods at Montana’s Historic Battlefields, focusing on the Bears Paw, Big
Hole, Little Bighorn, and Rosebud battles. Jackson Mueller will tell Tales from
the Trash: The Fort Missoula Garbage Dump, exploring the daily lives of ordinary
soldiers through what may be their most intimate legacy, their garbage.
All three panelists are anthropology graduate students at the University of
Montana, Missoula.
Minorities in the Military MHS Interpretive Historian Dr. Ellen Baumler
will provide an overview of the role played by African Americans in the military
in her presentation, Vignettes of Valor. Baumler will examine the important
Tenth Cavalry escort party at lunch, St. Mary’s, 1894
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and varied contributions—both on and off the battlefield—of such notable
Montanans as Isaiah Dorman who fell with Custer at the Battle of the Little
Bighorn, fourteen-year-old James Crump who served in the Union Army and
became Montana’s youngest civil war veteran, and WWII army nurse Octavia
Bridge water who fought for the rights of black nurses. Billings historian,
preservationist, and genealogist Ann Ferguson will reveal in-depth The Story
of Horace Bivens, a Virginia native who settled in Billings following a colorful
and meritorious military career that spanned three decades.
Success and Failure on the Military Frontier In Camp Cooke:
First Military Post in Montana, Rodger Huckabee, educator and historian, Kuna,
Idaho, will relate the ups and downs of Montana’s first army post, from the time
it was established at an ill-advised location on the banks of the Missouri River
in 1866 until it was closed and soldiers moved to Fort Benton less than four
years later. Jim Court, Billings resident and former Superintendent of Little
Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, will tell Stories from the Battlefield
as he discusses the 1876 battle, modern archeological work at the battlefield,
and life as superintendent of one of the nation’s best known, and often
controversial, historic sites.
S 12:00 P.m.–1:30 P.m. Awards luncheon
Food, Power, War Following the presentation
of the 2011 MHS Board of Trustees Heritage Keeper
Awards, Dr. Mary Murphy, award-winning author
and Professor of History, Montana State University,
Bozeman, will explain how those gleaming, innocuous
Mason jars of preserved vegetables took on
many meanings during WWI. Murphy will examine
the homefront through the lens of gender, as issues
of food production and consumption fell squarely
on women’s shoulders, increasing their political participation during the war
years. Women cast their traditional tasks of cooking, preserving, and serving
food in the light of patriotism; they raised concerns about food production
and distribution in the context of wartime profiteering; and they turned “spy”
when they deemed necessary by reporting rationing infractions to the Food
Administration.
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Dr. Mary Murphy

S 1:45 P.m.–3:00 P.m. Concurrent sessions
Serving Splendidly C. Milo McLeod, retired Master Sergeant, Montana
Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve, Missoula, will introduce this
panel which will provide an overview of The Montana National Guard and Its
History. Dr. Orlan Svingen, Professor of History, Washington State University,
Pullman, and editor of the recently published book, Splendid Service: The
Montana National Guard, 1867–2006, will provide
the back story on Writing Splendid Service,
explaining the process that led to publication
and the issues faced by the contributors and
the editor. Dr. Suzanne Julin, independent
historian, Missoula, will discuss Slow and at
Sometimes Discouraging: Building the Montana
National Guard in the Interwar Years. And
Dr. Diane Krahe, assistant research professor,
University of Montana History Department,
Missoula, will detail the guard’s aerial history
in Launching an Air Squadron into the Big Sky.
Julin and Krahe are both contributing authors
to Splendid Service.
Fighting Prejudice at Home Matt Basso,
Assistant Professor of History and Gender
Studies and Director of the American West
U.S. Food Administration poster,
ca. 1918
Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, will present Wartime Wildcat: Butte
Miners, the Roosevelt Administration, and the Limits of Popular Front Interracialism.
Basso will discuss a little-known wildcat strike launched by miners in 1942
in response to the government’s effort to place furloughed black soldier-miners
underground in the Mining City. The strike, which featured a diverse cast of
Butte locals, called into question the reputation of Mine Mill’s rank and file for
being at the forefront of Popular Front struggles for an interracial working class
movement. Lyndel Meikle, interpretive historian at Grant-Kohrs Ranch, Deer
Lodge, will examine Better than the Alternative, telling the story of how the
Anaconda Company used the threat of hiring blacks and Mexicans to force the
union to accept the marginally more acceptable (but still strongly objectionable)
hiring of females during WWII. Both the company and the union will take hits,
and a few voices of reason may be heard whispering in the background.
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Library of Congress

Recording the Call to Arms MHS Government Records Archivist
Jeff Malcomson will provide an overview of the Military History Resources at
the Montana Historical Society, highlighting notable collections—including the
Montana Adjutant General’s personnel card files, diaries of service members
from various military engagements, oral histories, and related photographic
collections—gathered by MHS over the past 150 years. Ellie Arguimbau, MHS
Senior Archivist, will delve in-depth into The Hargis Westerfield Collection,
which documents the service of the 41st Infantry Division in World War II
in the Pacific. The collection consists primarily of Westerfield’s compilation
of letters, reminiscences, and diaries of servicemen for articles in the
Jungleer Magazine. Arguimbau will reveal some of the challenges encountered
while working with the collection, as well as its significance to World War II
military history.
S 3:00 P.m.–3:15 P.m. Break
S 3:15 P.m.–4:30 P.m. Concurrent sessions
Over There, Over Here In his presentation, Jusqu’au Bout—To the Bitter
End, MHS Oral Historian Rich Aarstad will recount the story of the 10th and
20th Engineers Forestry in World War I. Aarstad will tell how this specialized
unit was recruited and trained from the ranks of those who worked in civilian
occupations related to the lumber industry and how—after receiving basic
military training upon their
PAc 76-26.212, Walter Dean Jr., photog.
arrival in France—these
troops were moved into the
timbered regions of that
country and began cutting
and manufacturing lumber
for the war effort. In War and
Marriage and the Montana
Experience, Martha Kohl,
Historical Specialist at the
Montana Historical Society
and author of I Do: A Cultural
History of Montana Weddings,
will examine how wartime
exigencies have intersected Draftees leaving for training, Forsyth, ca. 1917
12

PAc 85-90
with the decision to wed. Kohl will relate stories that illustrate how the prospect
of war adds urgency to romance, how military regulations and wartime scarcity
shape wedding ceremonies, and how the movement of large numbers of single
men provides new courtship opportunities.
Bases under the Big Sky Missoula author and publisher Stan Cohen
will tell the little-known story of World War II’s Lend Lease Program which
saw the delivery of over 8,000 aircraft to Russia from Gore Field in Great Falls
via Nome, Alaska. Included as cargo were many personal items, industrial
plans, and possibly even atomic secrets. Kate Hampton, MHS Community
Preser vation Coordinator, will present They are our B-17s! a history of Norden
Bombsight training facilities in Lewistown, Cut Bank, Glasgow, and Great Falls
during World War II. The U.S. Army Air Corps constructed these unique and
now extraordinarily rare facilities to train squadrons in navigation of the B-17
“Flying Fortress” and use of the top secret Norden Bombsight.
We Won’t Go In this year’s “Real Voices” session—which will be moderated
by Helena journalist and former Montana Kaimin managing editor Chuck
Johnson—three participants will discuss their personal experiences with
Student Resistance to the Vietnam War on the University of Montana Campus.
Diane Sands, Montana State Representative and Development Director, Historical
Museum at Fort Missoula, will talk about her work with draft resistance and
other anti-war activities; Charlie Briggs, Vice President, Easter Seals–Goodwill,
Missoula, will discuss how the Vietnam conflict caused him to quit Air Force
ROTC and his work with UM’s Campus Reform Action Movement (CRAM); and
Flo Chessin, one of the founding members of Missoula Women for Peace in
1970, will talk about efforts of that group throughout the Vietnam War and its
subsequent antiwar activities.
CCC Camp serving
conscientious
objectors, Terry,
WW I I
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Schedule at a Glance
Unless otherwise noted, all events will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Missoula-Edgewater,
100 Madison Street. Conference schedule is subject to change.
Thursday, September 22
7:30–6:30 Conference Registration
8:30–4:30 All-day workshops (include lunch)
Educators Workshop
Collections Care Workshop
8:45–5:00 Made in Montana Field Trip (includes lunch, limited to 20)
12:00–5:00 Preservation Workshop (includes lunch)
6:30–7:30 Opening reception—Native Words, Native Warriors
7:30–9:00 Keynote address—Montana, Lincoln, and the Civil War
Friday, September 23
7:30–5:30 Conference Registration
7:30–8:50 Plenary session—Rethinking Warfare in Traditional
American Indian Societies (includes breakfast)
9:00–10:15 Concurrent sessions
Friends and Foes
The Civil War in Montana History and Literature
Rather than War
10:15–10:30 Break
Guard mount in buffalo coats, Fort Keogh, 1879
14
981-359, L. A. Huffman, photog.

10:30–11:45 Concurrent sessions
The Archaeology of War
Minorities in the Military
Success and Failure on the Military Frontier
12:00–1:30 Awards Luncheon—Food, Power, War
1:45–3:00 Concurrent sessions
Serving Splendidly
Fighting Prejudice at Home
Recording the Call to Arms
3:00–3:15 Break
3:15–4:30 Concurrent Sessions
Over There, Over Here
Bases under the Big Sky
We Won’t Go
5:00–8:00 Exhibit reception—War Torn: The Art of Ben Steele, The Montana
Museum of Art & Culture, UM Campus
8:00–9:30 Presidential Lecture Series keynote address—The Cultures of War:
Pearl Harbor/Hiroshima/9-11/Iraq, University Theater, UM Campus
Saturday, September 24
7:30–9:30 Conference registration
7:45–9:30 Concurrent sessions (include breakfast)
The War against Disease
The Cold War in Montana
Rush to Glory
10:15–11:45 Plenary session—Enemy Aliens, Post Headquarters Courtroom,
Fort Missoula
12:00–1:00 Lunch, Fort Missoula
Post-conference activities
1:00–1:30 Public Dedication Ceremony, Post Headquarters Courtroom, Fort Missoula
1:30–4:30 Fort Missoula Tour
1:30–4:30 Mullan Road/Council Grove Tour, departs from Fort Missoula
(limited to 20)
2:00–4:30 A. J. Gibson Walking Tour, departs from DoubleTree Hotel (limited to 20)
15

Curated by George Horse Capture, Sr.,—a Montanan and member
of the Gros Ventre tribe—for the National Museum of the American
Indian, Smithsonian Institution, this traveling exhibit tells the
remarkable story of Indian soldiers from more than a dozen tribes
who used their native languages as a weapon against the enemies
of the United States. Although World War II’s Navajo code talkers
have received the most recognition, this exhibit tells the rest of the
story—the role of code talkers in World War I and the contributions
made by Montana tribal members.
This exhibit was produced by the Smithsonian Institution’s Traveling Exhibit Service
(SITES) and brought to the Treasure State by the Montana Historical Society through
the generous support of:
Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, Missoula
Indian Gaming Association
Janene Caywood, Cultural Resources Consulting Services, Missoula
Lone Rock School
Marine Corps League Great Falls Detachment 688
Marine Corps League Donald J. Ruhl Detachment 620, Helena
Montana Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs
Tamara and Myron Laib, Valley Hub & Laib-ation Station, Great Falls
Smithsonian Institution, Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C.
Wal-Mart

S 5:00 P.m.–8:00 P.m.
Exhibit reception
Join the Montana Museum of Art &
Culture on the University of Montana
campus for the opening of its
new exhibit, War Torn: The Art of
Ben Steele, depicting paintings and
drawings from the Bataan Death
March. During World War II, Steele
endured 41 months of starvation,
dehydration, hard labor, torture, and
Japanese “hell ships” while crippled Tayabas Road, Ben Steele, charcoal on paper, n.d.
by dysentery, pneumonia, malaria,
blood poisoning, and beriberi. The artist—now a resident of Billings—miraculously
survived and later created a vast aesthetic and historical record that pays
tribute to those who did not survive and offers a message of peace. Enjoy light
hors d’oeuvres and a no-host bar before making the short walk over to the University
Theater for the evening’s keynote address. For more information on the
exhibit and related programming visit: www.umt.edu/montanamuseum or call
406-243-2019.
S 8:00 P.m.–9:30 P.m. Keynote address, University Theater, UM Campus
In conjunction with the Montana History Conference,
the University of Montana’s Presidential Lecture Series
will present Dr. John Dower discussing The Cultures of
War: Pearl Harbor/Hiroshima/9-11/Iraq. Dower—Professor
Emeritus of History at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology and Pulitzer Prize-, Mellon Prize-, and
National Book Award-winning author—has been hailed
as being “without question . . . America’s foremost
historian of the Second World War in the Pacific.” His
Dr. John Dower most recent book, The Cultures of War, provides a groundbreaking
comparison of four definitive acts of violence in
our time, beginning on December 7, 1941, and continuing through the current
war in Iraq. Books will be available for purchase and Dower will sign copies after
his lecture which is free and open to the public.
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Montana Museum of Art & Culture

Saturday, September 24
S 7:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m. Conference registration
S 7:45 a.m.–9:30 a.m. Concurrent sessions (include breakfast)
The War against Disease Dr. Marshall Bloom, Associate Director for
Science Management, Division of Intramural Research, Rocky Mountain
Laboratories, Hamilton, will tell the tale of Battling Yellow Jack in the Bitterroot
during World War II. Bloom will discuss efforts to establish a yellow-fever
vaccine production facility at the National Institute of Health’s Hamilton
laboratories where, after 1942, all yellow-fever vaccines for members of the U.S.
armed forces—up to 100,000 doses per week—were produced. Ellen Leahy,
Director of the Missoula County Public Health Department, will talk about the
worldwide influenza epidemic as it affected the Garden City and the role of Fort
Missoula in the spread of the disease in her presentation on Our Hour of Proof:
The 1918 “Spanish” Influenza Pandemic in Missoula. This session on the Treasure
State’s medical history is sponsored by Dr. Volney Steele, Bozeman.
The Cold War in Montana In his presentation, Keep Watching the Skies,
Montana Department of Transportation Historian Jon Axline, Helena, will tell
the story of Operation SKYWATCH and the Montana Ground Observer Corps.
Beginning in 1952, the Air Force trained thousands of Montana civilians to
scan the skies, report on unidentified aircraft, and plot their positions in case
of a Soviet sneak attack. They were on the
front line of the Cold War until the Air Force
established radar stations throughout the
state in 1958. In her talk, Nuclear Montana,
Molly Holz, editor of the MHS Publications
program, will recount the history of Minuteman
missiles in Montana and show how the
missiles thrust a remote and rural state into
the center of international affairs during the
Cold War. Today, 150 Minuteman missiles dot
the state. Although the missiles themselves
have been upgraded over the years, the launch
structure—the silos, the launch control
facilities, and the cabling system connecting
these with Malmstrom Air Force Base—has
Minuteman Missile Installation,
June 7, 1962
19
PAc 84-91, U.S. Air Force Photog.

X1963.21.01
remained much the same since 1962, when the first two flights were declared
operational.
Rush to Glory The Spanish-American War brings forth images of the
Maine, Rough Riders, and San Juan Hill. But what about Montana’s soldiers
who ended up fighting a very different kind of war? In Montana and the
Philippine-American War, MHS archivist/oral historian Rich Aarstad will present
the reality faced by Montana soldiers when they landed in the Philippines—
not to fight the Spanish—but to put down a popular rebellion led by Filipino
nationalists intent on freeing their country from Spanish colonialism and
American imperialism. Today, Edgar S. Paxson is known as a Western artist who
excelled in depicting American Indians and frontier life. In her presentation,
A Montanan’s Visual Story of the Philippine-American War, MHS Special Projects
Manager Susan R. Near, will relate the rest of the story—Paxson’s portrayal
of a soldier’s daily life in the Philippines 1899–1900 . His amazing sketches
document the firsthand experiences of a Montanan in the midst of this global
military action.
Fort Malata, Manila Bay, after bombardment, Edgar S. Paxson, August 13, 1898, ink on paper
S 10:15 a.m.–11:45 a.m. Plenary session, Post Headquarters Courtroom,
Fort Missoula
Enemy Aliens Professor Carol Van Valkenburg, Print Journalism Chair,
School of Journalism, UM, and author of An Alien Place: The Fort Missoula,
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Montana, Detention
Camp, 1941–1944,
will investigate The
Detention of Japanese
and Italian Nationals
at Fort Missoula. Van
Valkenburg will detail
the story of the Italian
seamen and Resident
Alien Japanese who were
held at Fort Missoula
during World War II.
Dr. Priscilla Wegars,
Research Associate and
Volunteer Curator, Asian
American Comparative
PAc 2008-112 155, Clarence Hewitt, photog.
Collection, University of Idaho, Moscow, will—utilizing research conducted
for her new book—tell the tale Imprisoned in Paradise: Japanese Internee Road
Workers at the World War II Kooskia Internment Camp. Following their individual
presentations, Dr. Bob Brown, Director, Historical Museum at Fort Missoula,
will moderate a question-and-answer discussion and highlight the museum’s
on going interpretive efforts.
S 12:00–1:00 Lunch, Fort Missoula
Post Conference Activities
Alien Detention Camp guards receiving tear gas training during,
Fort Missoula, ca. 1942
S 1:00 P.m.–1:30 P.m. Dedication of Post Headquarters Courtroom (public invited)
S 1:30 P.m.–4:30 P.m. Fort Missoula Tour
Infantry, Internees, and Intrigue Fort Missoula was established as a
permanent military post in 1877 in response to requests from local residents
for protection in the event of conflict with western Montana Indian tribes.
Dramatically remodeled in 1904, the fort saw service as a military training
center during World War I and a CCC camp during the Great Depression before
being turned over to the Department of Immigration and Naturalization in 1941
for use as an alien detention center (ADC). The tour will cover the fort’s colorful
21

134-year history while highlighting its ADC features and the two museums now
located onsite—The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula and the Rocky Mountain
Museum of Military History. Transportation for those needing it will be
provided via vintage and military vehicles. Other surprises are in store.
S 1:30 P.m.–4:30 P.m. Mullan Road/Council Grove Tour (limit 20; departs from
Fort Missoula)
Trail and Treaty Constructed between 1858 and 1862, the Mullan Road,
which led from Fort Benton, Montana, to Fort Walla Walla, Washington—a
distance of over 600 miles—was the first wagon road to cross the Rockies to the
Inland Northwest. Join Montana Department of Transportation Historian Jon
Axline, in a narrated tour of this historic military corridor, which will culminate
in a two-mile walking tour of the Point of Rocks segment of the Mullan Road.
En route, the tour will visit Council Grove State Park, the site of the 1855 council
between Isaac Stevens and the Flathead, Kootenai, and Pend d’Oreille Indians
where the the Hellgate Treaty was signed. Wear sturdy hiking boots for this
somewhat strenuous walk.
S 2:00 P.m.– 4:30 P.m. A. J. Gibson Walking Tour (limit 20; begins at
the DoubleTree)
The Original Man A. J. Gibson is western Montana’s best known and most
beloved architect. Active from the 1880s to 1910s, he defined great architecture
in western Montana and northern Idaho during the Progressive Era and
literally reshaped the western town from a rustic accumulation to a rational
and civilized space. Witness Gibson’s influence firsthand on this walking tour
led by Dr. H. Rafael Chacón,
Professor of Art History and
Criticism, University of Montana,
Missoula, and author of
the definitive Gibson biography,
The Original Man: The Life
and Work of Montana Architect,
A. J. Gibson.
22
Officers of the Second U.S. Cavalry, in camp near
Helena, 1866
957-981

Montana History Foundation
3
The Montana History Foundation is a proud sponsor of the
38th Annual Montana History Conference.
Our vision is to be the leading source of contributions and funding
to preserve and protect history resources throughout Montana.
Go to MTHistory.org to learn more about who we are, what we do,
and how you can help us continue our important work
of preserving Montana’s history.
No Ordinary
Volunteer Group
The Friends of the Montana Historical Society
are proud to Share the Past
by supporting the 38th Annual
Montana History Conference
Library of Congress

humanities
Montana Festival
of the booK
October 6–8, 2011
in Missoula, Montana
humanities Montana presents
this celebration of literary arts,
libraries, and literacy. Events will
include readings by a variety of
Montana and regional authors,
panels, exhibits and demonstrations,
signings, entertainment, and more.
Festival venues are located in
downtown Missoula.
Contact Kim Anderson or
Ken Egan, 243-6022 or
info@humanitiesmontana.org
or see the Festival website at
www.humanitiesmontana.org
University of Montana
www.umt.edu/mansfield
Working toward better understanding between
the U.S. and East Asia since 1983
Literature Grants
Values History
Learn Public AffAirs
Conversation
Libraries refLect
Civility Community
TogeTher InsIght
Film MuseuMs
• grants for public programs in the humanities
• statewide speakers Bureau
• Public Affairs programs
• governor's humanities Awards
• Montana Center for the Book
funding Montana’s cultural Treasures since 1972
311 Brantly • Missoula, Mt
59812-7848 • Phone: 406-243-6022
E-mail: info@humanitiesmontana.org
Website: www.humanitiesmontana.org
Montana’s independent nonprofit affiliate of the National endowment for the humanities

No Ordinary
Time WAR, RESISTANCE,
AND THE MONTANA EXPERIENCE
was brought to you by:
The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula
Montana Historical Society
The Montana Museum of Art & Culture
The University of Montana, President’s
Lecture Series
WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT PROVIDED BY:
Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation
Friends of the Montana Historical Society
Historical Research Associates
Humanities Montana
Library of Congress, Teaching with Primary Sources
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center
Montana History Foundation
Native Words, Native Warriors
Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History
Dr. Volney Steele
THANK YOU!

South Ave. W.
Fort
Missoula
93
S. Reserve St.
93
Exit
101
Mullan Rd.
I-90
93
12
W. Broadway St.
93
N. Orange St.
S. Higgins Ave.
200
I-90
12
Exit
104
S 5th St E
Brooks St. Madison St.
DoubleTree by Hilton
Missoula-Edgewater
Exit
105
E. Broadway St.
University of
Montana campus
Save the Date! Join us in Helena at the Great Northern Best Western
for the 39th Annual Montana History Conference, Opportunity for All?
Homesteading Next Year Country, September 20–22, 2012.
Front cover photo: Company L, 163rd Montana Infantry
Regiment, October 24, 1917, Helena.
Back cover photo: “The Montana colors as they appeared on
the return of the regiment from the Philippines,” 1899.
Unless otherwise noted, all historic photographs are from
the collection of the Montana Historical Society Research
Center Photograph Archives (MHS).
26
Missoula, Montana
(Detailed maps of Fort Missoula and
University of Montana campus will
be available at the conference.)
I-90
This document was published at an
est. cost of $0.61 each, for a total of
$2,477, including $1,777 for printing
and $700 for distribution.

Montana History Conference, September 22–24, 2011
Register on-line at http://mhs.mt.gov/museum/historyconference2011.asp or complete this
form and return it to the address below.
Name
Organization
Street/Box No. City/Town
State/Prov. Zip/Postal Code
Phone Email
Please list any dietary restrictions (vegetarian, kosher, etc.)
Full conference registration includes admission to reception and lecture on Thursday; all sessions, breaks,
breakfast, awards luncheon, and evening reception and keynote address on Friday; and all sessions, breakfast,
and lunch on Saturday. Workshops and some field trips are extra, as indicated below. All amounts are U.S.
currency.
Advance Registration Late Registration
(by Sept. 14) (after Sept. 14) Amount
Regular $145 $165 ________
College student (ID required) $85 $95 ________
Middle/high school student (meals not included) free free ________
MHS Prospector Members or higher membership levels,
call (406) 444-2918 for discount information call call ________
Workshop Registration
Educators’ workshop (includes lunch and breaks) $30 ________
Collections Care workshop (includes lunch and breaks) $30 ________
Preservation workshop (includes lunch and break) $25 ________
Single Day Registration
Friday only (includes all sessions, breaks, breakfast, awards luncheon, $115 ________
evening reception, and keynote address))
Saturday only (includes all sessions, breakfast, and lunch) $50 ________
Field Trips
Thursday: Made in Montana Tour (includes lunch; limited to 20) $30 ________
Saturday: Museums at Fort Missoula $0 ________
Saturday: A. J. Gibson Walking Tour $0 ________
Saturday: Mullan Road / Council Grove Tour $10 ________
Extra tickets
Extra awards luncheon tickets, Friday noon #________ x $30 each ________
Extra lunch ticket, Saturday noon #________ x $20 each ________
Total ________
So that we know what transportation to provide, are you more likely to:
___ ride a bus ____ walk/ drive myself to Friday’s events held at UM (1/2 mile)
___ ride a bus ____ drive myself to Saturday’s events at Fort Missoula (5 miles)
Method of payment
Check enclosed Charge my MasterCard, Visa, or Discover (circle one)
Card number Exp. date
Signature Sec. code
Mail registration form and payment to:
History Conference, Montana Historical Society, P.O. Box 201201, Helena, MT 59620-1201
Or register on-line at http://mhs.mt.gov/museum/historyconference2011.asp
For conference questions call 406-444-4741 or email klambert@mt.gov

225 North Roberts Street
P.O. Box 201201
Helena, MT 59620-1201