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The goal of this blog is to help readers locate their lineage and discover the forces that motivated them, and learn how they lived their lives--told in their own words in the BEHIND THESE MOUNTAINS trilogy, from the 1860s to the early 1930s. The indexed names will be published here frequently, along with an excerpt and a historical photograph if available. ** Scroll Archives at right.

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Thank you ~~ Mona Leeson Vanek ~aka~Montana Scribbler



Sunday, October 26, 2014

Montana Farm Bureau Activities: Settlers of Sanders County Montana: Vignette Vol.2 No.4

Vignette Vol.2 No.4
Resource: BEHIND THESE MOUNTAINS ]

Noxon. 1918. Excerpt-With all the forces at work in a nation at war, and the dissentions over them, keeping community unity functioning was almost miraculous. That the little Montana hamlets, by and large, accomplished it is a strong testament to how desperately the settlers had to depend on each other.

Despite the special needs of supporting WWI efforts Sanders County residents kept working together even while they disagreed.

Interest in farm bureau activities was high throughout the west end of the county. It seemed that the government was at last helping the farmer in a constructive way, as Sanders County Independent Ledger's editor was happy to report. He devoted space to the topic two weeks in a row.

January 10, 1918
"A special meeting of the Noxon Community Club was held Saturday evening to discuss the matter of co-operative marketing of fence posts. At a previous meeting County Agent Hillman had been requested to secure data on this subject, and his report was made at this time.
"The advisability of forming an association for the purpose of selling direct to farmers was considered, but for the present it was decided to handle it through the club, the county agent agreeing to take care of the correspondence. In the future, if the plan proves a success and the volume of business warrants it, an association will be formed.
"It is contemplated to deal through similar clubs and through other county agents organizing co-operative buyers, as it is seldom that individual farmers require carload quantities. The purpose is, of course, to eliminate the middleman and to divert the money he would collect for expenses and profits to the pockets of the buyers and sellers."
January 17, 1918
"A telephone message today from F. M. Hillman, who in company with Sam T. Hampton and E. H. Lott, from the agricultural department, is holding a series of meetings in the interest of the farm bureau organization ...
"Successful meetings at Heron, Noxon and Trout Creek ... attendance surprisingly good and practically all favored the plan when once the objects of it were made clear. 17 members were secured at Heron, 32 at Noxon and 22 at Trout Creek ...
"Chosen to represent the communities were: Heron - F.A. Bump, Fred Smith and M.H. Larson; Noxon - J.W. Hammons, Marion Larson and Marion Cotton; Trout Creek - Elihu Wilson, John Larson and A. N. Brooks... "
These quickly became an organization of local County Extension Clubs to aid farmers.

When Montana became a state, certain lands were reserved as land grant colleges with income from them pledged to aid the people of the state in all manner of educational endeavors. The county extension agent literally meant extension of the college to the people.

Visit: Five Star Review

[Resource is also available free online @ Behind These Mountains, Volume II ]

PDF copies of all Behind These Mountains, Vols. I, II & III are available on a DVD - $50 S&H included, plus author's permission to print or have printed buyers personal copy of each of the approximately 1200 page books which contain about 1,000 photographs from homesteaders personal albums.
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Order here:
Mona Leeson Vanek
13505 E Broadway Ave., Apt. 243
Spokane Valley, WA 99216
 
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