The Wagon Tongue _________________________________________________________________ Volume 1 Issue 1 Madison Valley History Association, Inc. January 2003 __________________________________________________________________ From the wagon seat: Happy, healthy New Year from the wagon seat and welcome to the first edition of the Wagon Tongue. I am sure this will be the first of many to come. 2002 was a very significant year for the Madison Valley History Association,Inc. Since October of 1998, the association has come a long way. This year the association became incorporated, recieved a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization number, picked the parade theme, put a float in the parade, and had the September Old Time Social. We operated our mini-museum in donated space at Grammaʼs Overflow, thanks to Zoe Todd. We met monthly on the second Thursday of each month, had a program for each meeting and sponsored several field trips.We met with the City Council and named the downtown park The Grandma Ennis Park. All of our activities were successful and enjoyed by all who participated. We ended the year with an early Christmas present. It is a pending gift of land north of Madison Foods. You will be hearing more about this in the coming months. 2003 is starting out to be a very promising year for the MVHA. The Board of Directors will need everyone to help this year and into the future. Make a New Yearʼs Resoulution. Plan to attend the meetings, get involved, share your history with us, become a member, plan a charitable gift and help MVHA become an intergal part of our community. We need to preserve our history or lose it. See you at all of our meetings and activities in 2003. _____________________________Your president and wagon master, Larry Love___ Smitty Overstreetʼs Dream Smitty Overstreet wanted to preserve the history of the Madison Valley. She ran an ad in the Madisonian calling for all history buffs. The first get together was October 15th, 1998 with 19 interested people present. Since then we have held monthly meetings the second Thursday of each month.We have had outings, three Old Time Socials, telling of old stories, and many interesting speakers.The June Hartkopf estate left us many items to sell and we have had several garage sales and tables at the bazaar.The outing to Sterling was great fun as was the trip to the Beaverhead County Museum in Dillon with a stop at the Twin Bridges museum. Zoe Todd contributed space in her shop for a display of artifacts and history memorabilia which has been given or loaned to us, such as M.L.Morganʼs old saddle and rifle and an 1888 Brand book. Smitty reports that her dream is coming true!! __________________________________________________________________ Membership dues are now due for the 2003 year. Please complete the membership application and pay your dues at the next meeting that you attend or mail your application and dues to the MVHA. Thank you for your continued support. If your name does not appear on the 2002 membership roll on the next page, you did not pay for last year. Member Application Madison Valley History Association, Inc. P.O. Box 474, Ennis, Mt. 59729 Our Mission is to develop a museum to house and preserve collections of artifacts, tapes, photographs and stories of historical importance to the Madison Valley and interpret them through display and education. Name_____________________________________________________________ Telephone__________________Mailing address____________________________ City___________________________________State___________Zip__________ ___Student $5.00,___Individual $10.00,___Family $15.00,___Business $50.00, ___Patron $100.00 (Please select one) Madison Valley History Assiciation, Inc. Gordon, Martin and Victoria 682-7527 Membership for 2002. Addresses are Ennis unless 87 Mt. Hwy. 287 N. indicated. Gustafson, Shirley 682-4874 Alger, George and Mary Ann 682-7361 245 Jeffers Road 22 Jeffers Rd. Armstrong, Jean B. 682-4397 Hale, Dave and Pat 682-4191 P.O. Box 694 573 Mt. Hwy. 287, #6 Banks, Robert and Carolyn 683-4867 Hanni, Gene and Ethelyn 682-4348 515 S. Pacific P. O. Box 1575 Dillon, Mt. 59725 Kent, Neil 682-4308 Barnett, Dode 682-4323 P.O. Box 8 P.O. Box 186 Kiefer, Larry 665-1075 Bennetts, Chuck 683-4528 104 North Lewis Ave. 815 S Atlantic Hardin, Mt. 59034 Dillon, Mt. 59725 Klatt, Lester and Bobbi 682-7119 Cheney, Roberta 682-4935 P.O. Box 224 P.O. Box 186 Labrum, Terry Cameron, Mt. 59720 2165Aerie Heights Cove Claassen, Beverly 682-5598 Sandy, Utah 84092 P.O. Box 1375 Larson, Craig 763-789-5975,2989 Clausen, Mary 682-7096 2122 45th Ave.NE P.O. Box 1492 Columbia Heights, MN 55421 Cole, John and Gail 682-7097 Lee, Richard and Rosemary 843-5506 P.O. Box 1464 P.O. Box 306 Collins, James and Norma 682-4987 Virginia City, Mt. 59755 P.O. Box 646 Love, Larry and Shirley 682-5780 Durham, Mona 682-4638 P.O. Box 1018 P.O. Box 214 McGlynn, Gladys 682-4820 Cameron, Mt. 59720 P.O. Box 182 Eldredge,Jerald 685-3478 Cameron, Mt. 59720 P.O. Box 122 Neville, Don “Kid” 682-4231 Harrison, Mt. 59735 P.O. Box 254 Eckert, Patsy 682-4256 Overstreet, P.S. “Smitty” 682-4405 P.O.Box 850 450 Varney Road France, Johnny 682-7216 Pasley, Lucy 682-7366 P.O. Box 118 P.O. Box 644 Geddis, Dick and 843-5424 Plath, Phyllis 682-5480 Barbara Brook P.O. Box 27 P.O. Box 142 Rochez,Fred and Darlene 682-5794(Ennis) Virginia City, Mt. 59755 31 Whitewind Lane Gleason, Ruby 682-4234 Las Vegas, NV. 89110 P.O. Box 65 Continued on page 3 2 Membership 2002 cont. from page 2 tions were postmasters in the Ennis Post Rummel, Michael P 619-593-1988 Office for 84 years. 10484 Gretler Place In 1882 the Ennises moved into a 13- La Mesa, CA 91941 room mansion, freeing their old, two-story Rybus, Jane J. 682-4377 home to be a hotel which was run by Mrs. P.O. Box 295 Ennis. In 1889 the Ennises opened a livery Shores, Karen 682-4935 stable and in 1891 they started a telegraph P.O. Box 228 service. The son of William and Katherine Cameron, Mt. 59720 Ennis, William John Ennis, operated a black- Smith, Janet 682-4636 smith shop and opened the first saloon. P.O. Box 1106 A bridge was built over the Madison Cameron, Mt. 59720 River in 1871. The first school was in the Thexton, Don 682- Ennis home and was taught by Katherine 4833 Ennis. The first school building was 335 Varney Road constructed in 1910. A high school opened Todd, Dick and Polly 842- in 1922 and the first graduating class was in 5175 1925. The present elementary school is 41 Duncan District Rd. named the Jennie Ennis Chowning Sheridan, Mt. 59749 Elementary School, honoring the daughter of the townʼs founders who always supported Todd, Peggy 682- the townʼs teachers and the school. 4349 The first church in Ennis was the P.O. Box 35 Methodist in 1916. St. Patrickʼs Catholic Todd, Zoe 682-4360 Parish was created in 1917. P.O. Box 531 Dr.Thomas B. Marquis opened a doctorʼs Townshend,Deb 682-7571 office in Ennis in 1898 and stayed until 1904. P.O. Box 221 A hall was constructed in 1899 and was Cameron, Mt. 59720 later turned over to the Woodmenʼs brother- Valgenti, Frank 586-0256 hood. It was used for club meetings, church P.O. Box 9 services, community dances, school class- Bozeman, Mt. 59721 rooms, moving picture theater, and theater Walsh, Eugene and Lois 682-4898 performances. It now houses the IGA 3055 Hwy 287 North Economy Store. Cameron, Mt. 59720 Between 1898-1900 telephone lines ________________________________ were built linking ranch homes. These lines History Of the Town of Ennis were first linked at the Ennis/Chowning Compiled by Jane Jeffers Rybus from General Store without a switchboard. Pioneer Trails and Trials The Southern Montana Bank opened a William Ennis, an Irishman and a freighter, branch in Ennis in 1909 which continued until brought his hundred or so horses and mules 1935. Later Peter Combs started the First to the Madison Valley for the lush grass that Madison Valley Bank at the same location. grew here, and to rest them after hard trips The Valley Bank, a branch of the Belgrade between the gold fields in Montana and the Bank, was built in 2000. gold fields in Colorado.Once here he looked The first drug store was started in 1912, around and liked what he saw. He had his later becoming Rankʼs Drug Store. The new men build a one-room log cabin and home- Ennis Pharmacy in the same location is own- steaded here, bringing his wife, Katherine ed by Marie Hajny Shriver Ennis and baby daughter, Jennie, to In 1910 Waller S. Angle opened a black- the dirt-roofed, dirt-floored cabin in 1863. smith shop which evolved over the years Two years later he moved a two-story into a hardware store, owned and managed house from Virginia City for his family. by members of the Angle family until it was The William Ennis General Store opened sold in 1998. This business was run by the in 1879. Mail was handled there and in 1881 same family the longest of any other it became a Post Office, with William Ennis business in the valley. In 2002 the Madison as postmaster. His daughter, Jennie Ennis Valley Womenʼs Club bought the vacant Chowning succeeded him and Mrs. Angle Hardware building and now operate Chowningʼs daughter, Winnifred Chowning the Nearly New and Vintage Attic there. Jeffers, succeeded her.