I got to wondering what July 4th celebrations were like in Montana – back in the day, as they say. So I did a little searching of newspapers at one of my favorite websites – chroniclingamerica.loc.gov – and came up with a few samples from 1889 (in Helena), 1917 (in Butte) and 1922 (in Great Falls).

And among a list of activities scheduled to take place at a 4th of July celebration in Great Falls on July 4, 1922 —

City-wide voting on most popular man and most beautiful woman.

Boxing bout between James O’Neil of Great Falls and Kid English of Casper, Wyo.; four rounds

Wrestling match between Ci Reed of Red Lodge and Swede Olson of Helena.

Pillow fight on a rod between two men yet to be chosen. [hmmm . . .?]

50-yard potato race for men.

100-yard dash for young women.

50-yard three legged race for men.

Egg race for women.

Broad jump for both men and women.

Cascade-Court of Honor baseball game, seven innings.

Sand Coulee-Court of Honor baseball game, seven innings.

Great Falls tribune. (Great Falls, Mont.), 03 July 1922. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045217/1922-07-03/ed-1/seq-10/>

And although it didn’t make the newspaper (at least not that I’m aware of), here’s a wonderful photograph of my great grandmother Mary Gertrude Rumping as the “Godess of Liberty” in the 1895 July 4th parade in Marysville, MT. She was 17 years old at the time.

Happy 4th everyone!!!