Earthquake by Frank Niven

Manhattan's 1925 Earthquake

The destructive earthquakes that struck Manhattan, Saturday evening, June 27, 1925, as I recall, were preceded by a few small tremors during the foregoing weeks, but they did not create much excitement. However, the two sharp quakes, the epicenter of which was in the Manhattan, Three Forks, Sixteen Mile Canyon triangle, secured everyone’s attention, as they were strong and did considerable damage, and left a lasting impression.

 

I was working for Lee Hays, east of Manhattan, that summer, and except for a few things knocked off the shelves or walls in the Hay’s house, the main damage was to the chimney. It, like most others in the area, was twisted around about one-eighth of a turn where it emerged through the roof

Being Saturday night, the Hays family had intended to take in the dance at the Legion Hall in Manhattan, so after supper the whole family, myself included, loaded into their little old car and drove into Manhattan. There was no dance that night, or for some time to come.

When we arrived in town soon after 7:00 P.M., not a soul was in sight on Railroad Avenue and the cornices of nearly every brick or stone building on the street had crashed down onto the sidewalks, necessitating that many walks be replaced. It’s a wonder someone wasn’t killed, but fortunately no one was on the street at that time.

Many small after-shocks continued through the night and for many days to come, so most people in Manhattan slept out on the ground under the trees that first night.

Along with the brick and stone buildings on the main street, the buildings that suffered the most were the two brick school houses both of which had to be practically rebuilt.

The editor of The Rocky Mountain American, published in Manhattan, who had been in Bozeman that afternoon, reported:

“Upon my arrival in town, I saw nothing unusual with the exception of a bottle of ink that had fallen off my desk and broken on the floor. I only stopped long enough at the office a minute or two as I was hurrying to make the hotel in time for supper, and according to reports, two shocks had already occurred, but I was wholly ignorant of it, but as I started to drive up the street, when I got about opposite the post office, I noticed people all running from the building. I saw bricks fall and the dust rise. I could not imagine what had gone wrong until I asked one of the boys I knew. When he told me an earthquake had occurred this was the first inkling I had of it. (His car had been moving during the previous quakes.) My first impression was that some explosion had occurred in the rear of some of the buildings.”¹

 

The editor did not at first realize the seriousness of the damage done, other than it would be necessary to rebuild the chimney of his building, and for a time, seemed to belittle the earthquake damage. In reality, practically every chimney in the area had to be rebuilt. Most frame buildings escaped damage, but the brick buildings, especially the schools, had to be repaired.

On Tuesday, June 30, a delegation from Gallatin County, including Miss Lucile Quaw, County Superintendent of Schools; George Lewis, chairman of the Man­hattan School Board; O.H. Campbell, Superintendent of the Manhattan Schools; R.H. Johnson, Superintendent of the Logan Schools; Senator Wm. Buttleman, of Willow Creek; H.S. Batchelder, of the Three Forks School board; and J.C. Menapace, representing the Three Forks School district, all went to Helena to “interview the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Miss May Trumper, Governor Erickson and Attorney General Foote, to determine IF state help could be secured.”

The committee was without a definite plan and had little hope for help, but had to try something as a last resort. All four school systems were already bonded to the limit of the law, and therefore, had no legal way to rebuild their buildings with tax money and feared that their children would be without school facilities for many years to come.²

As a result of their trip, the middle of July it was announced that Governor Erickson was establishing special county committees to handle subscriptions towards the restoration of the five school houses in Gallatin County, and that W.R. Flew, head of the Department of Architecture at Montana State College would take an active part. It was also stated that “Montana has given gladly and deliberately to Belgian, French, Japanese and other outside relief and this is Montana’s first opportunity to help home people.

“This is not a drive in any sense, but merely an opportunity for voluntary subscriptions to help fellow Montanans, principally children of school age.  “Will the people respond? Of course they will, even more promptly”.

"The reason Professor Plew was selected was that since he ‘was already an employee of the state, it is considered wise in the interest of economy that he take charge of the work.’ The saving in money is the main thing to be considered in the present emergency, and Montana State College is anxious to cooperate in the reconstruction in any way possible.”³

Governor Erickson appointed a county chairman in each county in Montana who was responsible for conducting campaigns to raise the necessary amount. Charles Vandenhook, Bozeman banker, was chairman of the Gallatin County committee. Monday, July 27, was the day set for the drive to commence and the various com­mittees were requesting the support of Commercial, Rotary, Kiwanis, and other service clubs all over the state.

Gallatin County was extensively organized for the drive with E.J. Parkin, chairman of the Bozeman District. J.A. Woodward and D.S. Williams, both associated with the Bozeman schools, were the chairmen of the “outlying districts” in the vicinity of Bozeman.

In Bozeman, the following were appointed and were to choose their own solicitors; District No. 1-L.Z. Copeland and L.W. Truett; District No. 2-W.S. Davidson and L.K. Pence; District No. 3-Fred B. Williams and F.O. Wilton; Districk No. 4-Roy Keister and one other.

Dr. Heetderks, president of the Manhattan Commercial Club, was chairman for the Manhattan District, with John Vanderlaan, R.G. Hibbard, C.C. Vaughn, R.G. McPherson and J.N. Talbot as solicitors. The Odd Fellows Lodge in Manhattan started off the local fund by contributing two hundred dollars towards the quota of $8,000 for Gallatin County. ⁴

In August, Senator B.K. Wheeler contributed one hundred dollars, but the committees serving throughout ''Montana either were ineffective, or were slow forwarding their contributions, so it became necessary to lay off the crews working on the Manhattan schools for lack of funds.⁵

Apparently the subscription drives did not raise much money. In August the Manhattan paper stated:

“It seems that the well-to-do and the able to donate are either making small donations, or none at all, and thus are apt to deprive the little school children . . . (of) the schooling they are entitled.”⁶

At Willow Creek, some of the funds for rebuilding their school were contributed by Mr. Wm. A. Flaherty who staged barn dances and then contributed the proceeds to the school. Frank Collins, from Manhattan, “the professional ’jollier,’ promised to insert pep into the evenings enjoyment.”⁷

In the long run, it was the several boxing cards, with Harry Altenbrand as their promoter, that saved the day for the Manhattan schools. The fights, held in the school gymnasium, were well staged, and the competition between the fighters excellent. There were frequent “grudge fights” that helped draw large crowds. The several fights between Frankie Wine of Roundup and Earl Womack of Ennis were memorable and frequently bloody. Hubert Dennis of Bozeman always gave a good account of himself and received a lot of local support. Several Manhattan boys, trained by Kid Johnstone, made frequent ap­pearances fighting outsiders. Joe Calie and his brother were among them. I was fortunate in getting to serve as an usher for most of the cards, so got to see the fights for free.

The reconstruction of the schools in Manhattan was completed so that school could commence in the rebuilt buildings a little after the middle of September, 1925.