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Your trusted local news source since 1910
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Do you know why Lady Liberty's torch has been closed to the public since 1916? Lady Liberty, officially named Liberty Enlightening the World, was designed by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, a Frenchman who conceived the idea of building a colossal statue as a gift to America. It was meant to celebrate and honor the shared love of liberty that bonded the French and American people. Lady Liberty stands 305 feet tall on an 89-foot pedestal set atop a star-shaped foundation. The Statue of Liberty's p...
You may have seen members of your local Friends of the Library group without even realizing it. Perhaps you’ve purchased books at one of their sales, not knowing that the volunteers were part of a group dedicated to supporting your library. But what exactly is this group? Friends of the Library organizations are nonprofit groups that champion libraries within their communities. Run by volunteers, these groups exist in the US, Australia, France, South Africa, and the UK. It’s important to understand that Friends of the Library groups are ind...
If you were alive in 1970, more than one in four birds in the U.S. and Canada has disappeared within your lifetime. According to research published in *Science*, wild bird populations in the continental U.S. and Canada have declined by almost 30% since 1970. Bird numbers naturally fluctuate, which explains changes from month to month, but many bird populations have been declining gradually and consistently for years. In a comprehensive 2019 study led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, researchers examined 529 bird species in the U.S. and...
Wedsworth Memorial Library extends an enormous thank you to everyone who attended our recent book sale. Your generosity was overwhelming, and we deeply appreciate your support. It is so encouraging to see that the community values the Library and the services we strive to provide. Thank you for making us feel like an important part of the community. We couldn’t have accomplished the sale without our wonderful volunteers. They were outstanding, dedicating countless hours to bring the sale to life before anyone even stepped through the doors. A...
So many ghosts. Chilling stories and frightening first-hand accounts. Let’s travel to where real ghosts live—not far to go. A short tale away for bone-chilling stories of encountering the paranormal. Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art [The Square], a former school, is number one on our list. The top haunting tale of The Square is of a young boy who drowned in the pool in the basement. “What pool??” Some debunk it, but the creaky old floors and cranky boiler tell a different story. Unseen children playing in the halls or singing from the music r...
The USS Zuni was a United States Navy Cherokee-class fleet tugboat, formerly known as the Navajo class. It was named for the Zuni, the popular name given to a tribe of Pueblo Indians indigenous to the area around the Zuni River in central New Mexico near the Arizona state line. Launched on July 31, 1943, she was deployed as a Navy tug to the war-torn Pacific. Hopping from island to island, she towed torpedoed warships to safety and performed routine missions, assisting broached landing craft and laying submerged fuel pipes as the U.S. drove...
We have rocks— all kinds of rocks. Rocks that sparkle. Rocks that are misshapen. Rocks that are perfectly round, square, and oblong. Rocks that are just a bit different. So, if you’re missing a few, stop by the library and see if yours might have rolled in. Check out our display for your rock. Have you ever taken a moment during a hike to admire a uniquely shaped stone or felt fascinated by a jagged cliff looming overhead? If so, you’ve dipped your toes into the world of geology. Rocks are more than just the rigid, passive materials they appea...
Have you marked it on your calendar? Are you ready for the social event of the year? Are you doing your stretching exercises and walking the miles? Ok then, on your mark, get set, go! Go to the finish line at Wedsworth Hall. The Friends of the Library and the Library will be holding their annual book sale at Wedsworth Hall on Saturday, October 12th, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and Sunday, October 13th, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. If you are willing to help with the book sale in any way, shape, manner, or form, please call the library to enlighten...
Once again, Wedsworth Library has a AAA treatment program for Bookaholics. The first step is admitting it. The second step is to keep right on reading. You might be a Bookaholic If: When trouble strikes, you head to a book sale. You will either be able to solve the problem, or simply have something to read as the world crashes down on you. You might be a Bookaholic If: You occasionally turn down invitations to go out because you are in the middle of a good book. When you are cold, you buy a book. You’ll still be cold, but you’ll have books! The...
We hear it on the radio. We see it on TV. We get the fliers in the mail. We see the billboards. And you know, through time the mudslinging and questionable actions have always been a tad bit ugly and often quite malicious at times. If you think it is bad now, try taking a look at the viciousness of the past. Alexander Hamilton, the man whose image graces our ten-dollar bill, was born out of wedlock in 1755. A number of his political opponents made sure to remind the world of the circumstances of his birth. Perhaps foremost among these...
The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn’t just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s. Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June. Since they were starting to smell, brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married. Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the p...
Raconteur - A person who is skilled in relating stories and anecdotes interestingly. Wedsworth Library hosted Philip Page, singer and raconteur, bringing Montana history to life on Monday, September 09, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. Philip Page is a singer, songwriter, working cowboy and saddle maker based in Dillon, Montana. He has traveled across the intermountain west as a storyteller and played his songs at the National Cowboy Poetry gathering in Elko, Nevada. Through Cowboy Music and Authentic...
We Promised. We promised never to forget. Yet, around the world the descriptions and messages of textbooks and curriculums vary widely. In the U. S. memories and details are fading away. An ever-growing number of Americans have no personal memory of that day, either because they were too young or not yet born. Americans watched in horror as the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 left nearly 3,000 people dead in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The enduring power of 9/11 is strong and vibrant for those who...
The Wedsworth Trust/Estate and Wedsworth Library would like to extend a huge thank you to the community for supporting our annual Harvest Dinner. We couldn’t have accomplished this delightful social event if it wasn’t for the help of our volunteers and supporters. The food was wonderful and absolutely delicious. We want to thank the businesses and organizations that supported us with their donations and everyone else who tempted our taste buds with such a variety of scrumptious cuisine. If you missed this delicious food, you missed a spl...
Boom towns have come and gone in Montana. Most are forgotten and do not exist except in the annals of time and history and a few old photos. Ever been to Demersville, Montana?? The town of Demersville emerged 130 years ago and quickly developed into a vibrant boomtown that laid the roots for the modern Flathead Valley. It was the first incorporated town in Northwest Montana. The once vibrant boomtown has long been reassigned to the history books. It was located near what’s now the city of Kalispell. Dillon Tabish wrote in a 2021 story for ...
Sun disappeared and reappeared; the moon shows up sooner and goes to bed later and so will we, as times are changing. We are officially announcing the close of summer and the beginning of fall, or actually, the entry into our winter hours. Wedsworth library is changing to winter hours on Tuesday, September 3, 2024. We will be closed Labor Day September 2nd. Hours for winter are: Monday 9-1; 2-6, Tuesday 9-1; 3-5, Wednesday – Friday 2-5. Does it seem like summer went by way too fast? But please remember you can’t enjoy the Library soon if you...
Remember the Green? It was all available if you just had enough of the green. Those little paper books filled with the valuable green stamps. "S&H” symbolized the Sperry & Hutchinson Co, which Thomas Sperry and Shelley Byron Hutchinson established in 1896. S&H Green Stamps became the most popular trading stamps across the United States. They were found in many households from the 1930s to the 1980s, but it was during the 1960s and ’70s that these stamps reached their peak. The S&H stamp story began in 1896. Salesman Tomas Sperry noted that a s...
With the rodeo right around the corner, Baxter Black defines the true character of the Rodeo Cowboy. There's a hundred years of history and a hundred before that All gathered in the thinkin' goin' on beneath his hat And back behind his eyeballs and pumpin' through his veins Is the ghost of every cowboy that ever held the reins Every coil in his lasso's been thrown a million times His quiet concentration's been distilled through ancient minds It's evolution workin' when the silver scratches hide And a ghostly cowboy chorus fills his head and...
You can create a quilt to look pretty or fancy. A show piece. It doesn’t have to be durable and weather the storms. It isn’t created to warm or protect the group. You want it to win prizes so you can feel good about your final goal. A fancy quilt is cleverly made. All the pieces are cut precisely beforehand, match perfectly, and the design is chosen to make an impression, not necessarily to weather time. An enduring everyday quilt can be a conglomeration of mismatched pieces chosen because the material is what is at hand. The edges are mad...
The 2024 Summer Olympics, set to kick off in Paris on July 26, will include four extra sports. They are breaking, surfing, skateboarding, and sport climbing. Baseball and softball were removed from the 2024 Olympics, but will be reinstated for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Olympians are still being made here in Montana. Montana has the privilege of these talented athletes representing out state and our country. Once again, she has a chance to cheer on several of their own at the July 26 – August 11, 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games. M...
Tiny is mighty. Smoky, a tiny Yorkshire Terrier, was found in a foxhole in New Guinea in Feb 1944. The American thought she must have been a Japanese soldier’s dog, but when he took her to a POW camp, they realized she didn’t understand commands in Japanese. The soldier sold Smoky to Cpl. William Wynne of Cleveland OH for 2 dollars Australian (about $6.44); he needed the money to get back into a poker game. Smoky became the smallest war hero weighing in at 4 lbs. even and standing 7 inches tall. Taking care of a dog during wartime and in a jun...
Have you ever really realized just how important the 4th of July is? So many think of it as day of picnics, day at the beach or lake. Not many see this as a “freedom day,” that we should be thankful for because of those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom and lived through horrendous hardships. If you look at the Fourth of July as a holiday “owed” to you, then you’re missing the whole point of freedom. Freedom came at a cost and we have forgotten what this cost entailed. They declared their freedom. They declared the freedom of these...
Cats were the perfect companions not only in the trenches of WWI, but onboard ship as well. While dogs and horses are often portrayed as wartime workers and companions, cats also played vital roles. It was a cat named “Simon” who won a Dickin Medal, the highest honor for Animal Military Gallantry in Britain. In the military, animal mascots were used to provide friendship and a happy distraction to Canadian soldiers. Various animals such as “Mike” the Saint Bernard, or “Batisse” the goat gave soldiers comfort and affection. Animal mascots wer...
May seems to have just began but then May flies! It is May, and time for mayflowers, mayapples and mayflies! Spring is a season bursting with cherry blossoms, the scent of lilacs, and the landscape devoid of winter white. Just like the mayfly, we are emerging from the depths of winter and able to move into the light. Mayflies are said to have been around before dinosaurs. “After more than 350 million years of evolution, they have perfected the art of life.” They start as an egg, turn into a naiad (water nymph!), emerge from the water, ful...
I’ve been to a lot of places, but I’ve never been in Cahoots. Apparently, you can’t go alone, you have to be in Cahoots with someone. I’ve also never been in Cognito, either. I hear no one recognizes you there. I have, however been in Sane. They don’t have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips. Ever heard the phrase “the real McCoy”? It refers to a ground-breaking inventor who revolutionized the railroad industry. Elijah McCoy was born to parents who fled slavery on the Underground Railroad. Elijah trained as a...
