Old Missoula

History

In 1880, Mary Hagen arrived from Switzerland and settled in Bozeman, Montana with her five daughters and two sons. She was Joseph Hagen’s mother, and grandmother to Herman, Karl and Larry Topel. Mary’s daughter Mary Pauline (Lena for short) married Henry Topel in 1882; he had arrived from Germany in 1880. Mary Hagen and Henry Topel founded Bozeman Steam Laundry on the corner of Rouse Street and Mendenhall in 1900. This was the first steam laundry in Montana. Mary Hagen, her children, and one other man comprised the entire staff of the new laundry. Henry continued his career as a tailor, and in 1905 sold his interest in Bozeman’s Steam Laundry to his brother-in-law Michael O’Connell (husband of Mary’s daughter Mary Ada Hagen). This laundry is now called Gallatin Laundry and is currently owned by Mary Hagen’s great-grandson. Gallatin Laundry is the oldest business in Bozeman, and has been continuously owned and operated by the same family.

After working with his mother in Bozeman Steam Laundry, Mary Hagen’s oldest son Joseph moved to Missoula in 1908, and opened the Model Laundry in the basement of the Dorothy Apartments. In 1945, Joseph Hagen moved into a new building on 111 East Spruce Street and called the new operation Missoula Laundry. Mary’s other son moved to Seattle, where he and his four sons established a chain of laundries in Washington. Mary’s daughter Clara married John Sullivan, an employee of Missoula Laundry. John and Clara moved to Yakima, Washington, founding Peerless Laundry and Sullivan’s Cleaners with their three sons. Peerless has been sold but Sullivan’s continues to operate today. Another daughter, Elizabeth, married a Potomac rancher named Mike Flynn, and worked as a seamstress at the Missoula Laundry for many years.

Henry Topel’s sons Herman and Karl worked a short time for the Bozeman Steam Laundry. Herman also worked with his uncle, Joseph Hagen, at Missoula Laundry soon after 1915. Herman then purchased Domestic Laundry in Helena, where Karl joined him. In the mid-1920’s Herman and Karl consolidated with Capital Laundry, calling it Capital Domestic Laundry. In 1936 Herman and Karl, together with their youngest brother Larry and financial help from other family members, bought National Laundry in Great Falls. Herman moved to Great Falls to manage National Laundry while Karl remained in Helena to operate Capital. At this time Larry moved to Missoula to learn the laundry and dry cleaning business from his uncle, Joseph Hagen. Larry also attended the National Institute of Dry Cleaning in Silver Springs, Maryland in 1937. Larry returned to Missoula to complete his training, then on to Capitol in Helena, and eventually to Great Falls where he opened National Laundry’s first dry cleaning operation. Herman, Karl and Larry Topel purchased Missoula Laundry and Dry Cleaners Company from their uncle, Joseph Hagen, in 1947. They sold their interest in Capitol Laundry at Helena. Jim Robinson, a nephew of the Topel brothers, eventually purchased and operated the Capitol until his death in 1964.

Captions of 3 Photos appearing on Page 18, section C:

Masterpiece Hangs in Elk Temple

“Custer’s Last Stand,” depicting the battle between Cavalry troops under Gen. George A. Custer and the Sioux, is considered artist Edgar S. Paxson’s masterpiece. This 6×9 foot painting containing some 200 figures hangs today in the lobby of the Elks Temple where Dr. V. R. Jones, a member of Hellgate Lodge 383, gives a close look at the impressive work.

Lewis and Clark Camp at Lolo Creek

This Edgar S. Paxson mural in the Missoula County Courthouse depicts the camp of Capt. Meriwether Lewis and Capt. William Clark on Lolo Creek about 11 miles south of Missoula. The famous explorers on their westward journey stopped for two days at this scenic spot in October of 1805.

Fancy Car in Front of Early Missoula Home

 

This fancy auto owned by Fred T. Sterling, Missoula Mercantile Co. official and later president of the Western Montana National Bank for many years, was the talk of the town around 1910. In the background is the home of Francis L. Worden, one of the founders of the city, on East Pine street. Mrs. Sterling was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Worden. (Courtesy of Robert E. Jones)

Kaimin Appears in June 1898

The first issue of the Kaimin, Montana State University student newspaper, appeared in June of 1898.

It more closely resembled a literary magazine. Student opinion, as reflected in the publication, seemed to center on purely literary and mental attainments, for the issue contained short stories, critical essays, poems and an article by Professor M. J. Elrod of the biological department on “How to Spend Your Vacation” with cuts illustrating scenes in Yellowstone Park.

 

The title “Kaimin” was derived from an Indian word meaning “written word.”

First Cars Appear On Streets

After what was described as “long and anxious expectation,” Missoula’s first automobile arrived in the city April 17, 1901.

The “modern conveyance” arrived from an eastern factory for the Missoula Mercantile Co. and “speedy work” was started immediately to put the machine in condition for road use within a few days.

Manager Joseph Menard of the Mercantile Implement Department “had eagerly awaited the arrival of the auto which he has set aside as his own particular charge.” The Missoulian of April 18, 1901 reported.

Although the make of the auto was not given, it was described as “of the most modern manufacture, and so handsome in its architectural design that even though automobiles were numerous in town would the particular beauty that arrived be admired as something to be proud of.”

Apparently the second auto to arrive in Missoula was one ordered from a Milwaukee factory by Frank Smith of City Livery for rental purposes. The vehicle arrived in the city May 14, 1901.

The Missoulian reported: “Its shiny and well varnished sides make it an object of fright for high spirited horses, but this will soon be overcome, and the success expected for the machine will make them objects of common use before long.

“Mr. Smith states that a speed of 20 miles an hour can easily be attained without danger. The method of propelling the machinery is a gasoline steam engine. This is ingeniously concealed in the bed of the carriage box.” The car was controlled by a hand lever.

It was announced that D. H. Peet, who had visited the factory in Milwaukee and learned how to drive the vehicle, would be in charge of the machine.

The article above appeared in the Missoulian-Sentinel Centennial Edition in 1960.

First Cars Appear On Streets

After what was described as “long and anxious expectation,” Missoula’s first automobile arrived in the city April 17, 1901.

The “modern conveyance” arrived from an eastern factory for the Missoula Mercantile Co. and “speedy work” was started immediately to put the machine in condition for road use within a few days.

Manager Joseph Menard of the Mercantile Implement Department “had eagerly awaited the arrival of the auto which he has set aside as his own particular charge.” The Missoulian of April 18, 1901 reported.

Although the make of the auto was not given, it was described as “of the most modern manufacture, and so handsome in its architectural design that even though automobiles were numerous in town would the particular beauty that arrived be admired as something to be proud of.”

Apparently the second auto to arrive in Missoula was one ordered from a Milwaukee factory by Frank Smith of City Livery for rental purposes. The vehicle arrived in the city May 14, 1901.

The Missoulian reported: “Its shiny and well varnished sides make it an object of fright for high spirited horses, but this will soon be overcome, and the success expected for the machine will make them objects of common use before long.

“Mr. Smith states that a speed of 20 miles an hour can easily be attained without danger. The method of propelling the machinery is a gasoline steam engine. This is ingeniously concealed in the bed of the carriage box.” The car was controlled by a hand lever.

 

It was announced that D. H. Peet, who had visited the factory in Milwaukee and learned how to drive the vehicle, would be in charge of the machine.

Paxson Art Gets National Acclaim

Work Still Displayed In Local Buildings

Edgar S. Paxson was not a builder in the ordinary sense. The only building he erected in the Garden City was a little frame structure of a story and a half located on the back of a lot in the 600 block of Stephens avenue.

His trade was painting – painting wagons as his father had constructed them. But his painting went beyond wagons. The man Missoulians remembered as a quiet little man – except when he took it into his head to stand at the corner where Kelley’s was in 1928 and howl blood-curdling Indian yells in order to laugh at a tenderfoot passing by – emerged with artistic genius.

He was born in New York April 25, 1852, of Quaker parents. His father, William H. Paxson, was a carriage maker and Paxson eventually took up carriage painting in the shop. He got his early education in a log school and attended Friends College. He toured the country for a time, but returned to New York where he married Laura Millicent Johnson in 1874.

He turned westward with his wife, worked his way through the Dakotas and arrived in Montana Territory in 1877. His first long stop was at Ryan’s Canyon where he was a hunter and scout for some cattlemen. At one time he was a messenger between Ryan’s Canyon and Iron Rod and was captured by 30 Indians.

Varied Experience

Cowpunching, Indian trailing and hunting gave him experience which built up the background from which he depicted the days of old.

In Deer Lodge he evidenced his first interest in art. His fame soon spread and in 1880 he was called to Butte to paint a panoramic view. He satisfied the customer but never received the $800 which his customer had agreed to pay. He spent 24 years in Butte painting signs and buildings, in the meantime acquiring the skill which made him famous.

Starts Long Work

During this time in a studio perched high up on Anaconda hill, he painted his masterpiece, the Custer Battle. He started the work in 1895 and completed it after the Spanish-American War. It was the product of a long, detailed study. Paxson spent years investigating even the most minor details.

Of the 200 figures in the picture, 36 portraits were of men who were recognized by those who knew them. Much human emotion is shown – excitement, fear and viciousness.

His subjects were not strange to him, as he took an active interest in the Nez Perce War, 1877-78, and served ten years as a private rising to a second lieutenant in the First Regiment of the Montana National Guard. He served as a first lieutenant in the First Montana Infantry, U.S. Volunteers, in the Spanish American War.

Six – Year Tour

The Custer painting was exhibited at the World Fair at Chicago and was sent on a six-year tour of the eastern cities. His paintings were exhibited at the Louisiana Purchase exposition and he was represented in all the national expositions from that time on. His Custer painting hangs in the Elks Temple in Missoula.

Missoula County received an art treasury for $1,000 not long after the courthouse was built. Paxson covered the work of an interior decorator in 1912-1914 with the “Arrival of Father Ravalli at Fort Owen,” “Lewis and Clark’s Camp at Lolo Creek,” “A Montana Roundup,” “The Flatheads in the Buffalo Country,” “Lewis Party Crossing the Clark’s Fork,” “Flatheads Leaving Their Bitter Root Home,” “Governor Stephens’ Treaty With the Pend d’Oreilles, Flatheads, and Kootenais at Council Grove,” and “Early Transportation.”

Death on Nov. 9, 1919, ended his career. But his contributions and artistic genius were destined to live on. Paxson Grade School on South Higgins avenue was named in his honor.

The above article appeared in The Missoulian-Sentinel  Centennial Edition in 1960

Below is a link to an article by Heidi Kennedy on the story of Paxson’s Custer Painting:

http://www.truewestmagazine.com/custer-a-the-war-between-the-states/

Also, below is a link to an article on Paxson’s paintings by Hipolito Rafael Chicon, commissioned by the Missoula Art Museum:

http://www.missoulaartmuseum.org/files/documents/exhibits/PaxsonChacon.pdf

 

 

Paxson Art Gets National Acclaim

Work Still Displayed In Local Buildings

Edgar S. Paxson was not a builder in the ordinary sense. The only building he erected in the Garden City was a little frame structure of a story and a half located on the back of a lot in the 600 block of Stephens avenue.

His trade was painting – painting wagons as his father had constructed them. But his painting went beyond wagons. The man Missoulians remembered as a quiet little man – except when he took it into his head to stand at the corner where Kelley’s was in 1928 and howl blood-curdling Indian yells in order to laugh at a tenderfoot passing by – emerged with artistic genius.

He was born in New York April 25, 1852, of Quaker parents. His father, William H. Paxson, was a carriage maker and Paxson eventually took up carriage painting in the shop. He got his early education in a log school and attended Friends College. He toured the country for a time, but returned to New York where he married Laura Millicent Johnson in 1874.

He turned westward with his wife, worked his way through the Dakotas and arrived in Montana Territory in 1877. His first long stop was at Ryan’s Canyon where he was a hunter and scout for some cattlemen. At one time he was a messenger between Ryan’s Canyon and Iron Rod and was captured by 30 Indians.

Varied Experience

Cowpunching, Indian trailing and hunting gave him experience which built up the background from which he depicted the days of old.

In Deer Lodge he evidenced his first interest in art. His fame soon spread and in 1880 he was called to Butte to paint a panoramic view. He satisfied the customer but never received the $800 which his customer had agreed to pay. He spent 24 years in Butte painting signs and buildings, in the meantime acquiring the skill which made him famous.

Starts Long Work

During this time in a studio perched high up on Anaconda hill, he painted his masterpiece, the Custer Battle. He started the work in 1895 and completed it after the Spanish-American War. It was the product of a long, detailed study. Paxson spent years investigating even the most minor details.

Of the 200 figures in the picture, 36 portraits were of men who were recognized by those who knew them. Much human emotion is shown – excitement, fear and viciousness.

His subjects were not strange to him, as he took an active interest in the Nez Perce War, 1877-78, and served ten years as a private rising to a second lieutenant in the First Regiment of the Montana National Guard. He served as a first lieutenant in the First Montana Infantry, U.S. Volunteers, in the Spanish American War.

Six – Year Tour

The Custer painting was exhibited at the World Fair at Chicago and was sent on a six-year tour of the eastern cities. His paintings were exhibited at the Louisiana Purchase exposition and he was represented in all the national expositions from that time on. His Custer painting hangs in the Elks Temple in Missoula.

Missoula County received an art treasury for $1,000 not long after the courthouse was built. Paxson covered the work of an interior decorator in 1912-1914 with the “Arrival of Father Ravalli at Fort Owen,” “Lewis and Clark’s Camp at Lolo Creek,” “A Montana Roundup,” “The Flatheads in the Buffalo Country,” “Lewis Party Crossing the Clark’s Fork,” “Flatheads Leaving Their Bitter Root Home,” “Governor Stephens’ Treaty With the Pend d’Oreilles, Flatheads, and Kootenais at Council Grove,” and “Early Transportation.”

 

Death on Nov. 9, 1919, ended his career. But his contributions and artistic genius were destined to live on. Paxson Grade School on South Higgins avenue was named in his honor.

Letter Starts  Branch Here

A branch of the American Association of University Women was established in Missoula when Mrs. C. A. Duniway wrote to the secretary of the Association of College Alumnae, the parent organization of the AAUW, in February 1909.

The eleven women who qualified to become members were Mrs. C. A. Duniway, president; Mrs. A. W. Cooper, vice president; Miss Emily Miladofsky, secetary-treasurer; Mrs. E. T. Carey, Mrs. John Clifton, Mrs. W. B. Greeley, Mrs. J. E. Keach, Mrs. E. W. Kramer, Mrs. V. S. Kutchin, Mrs. J. T. Thomas and Mrs. A. W. Richter.

Officers in 1960 are Mrs. Mason Bohrer, president; Mrs. Henry Loeffler, vice president, Mrs. Herbert Bartron, recording secretary; Miss Rosemary Morse, corresponding secretary; Mrs. Stuart Vokel, treasurer, and Mrs. Philip Johnson, past president.

 

AAUW is a member of the International Federation of University Women which has united associations in 49 countries.

Lady Macabees Become Part of WBA in 1901

The Women’s Benefit Association absorbed the order known as the Lady Macabees in 1901. That year the Missoula WBA Review 32 received its charter with 29 charter members and many transfer members.

The oldest active member of the Missoula chapter is Sarah Earheart. The first president was Agnes Pope. Other officers were Marian Hassett, Mary Pepparo, Cabbie B. Collins, Berta Webster, Phebe Kendall, Nettie Gregary, Bessie Pope, Delia Collar and May Rhodes. There were 29 charter members.

 

The social group in Missoula of the WBA is known as the Happy Times Club. Current membership is 100. Officers are Myrtle Hughes, president and press correspondent; Eileen Rambo, vice president; Margaret Stears, acting past president; Mamie Anderson lady of ceremonies; Mayme Pope chaplain, Minnie Shearer, treasurer and musician; Ann Counter, financial secretary; Lois May, recording secretary; Louise Hatfield, sergeant; Mable Hooper, inner hostess; Blanch Sutherland, outer hostess; Minnie Benward, audit member; Sarah Eaheart, welfare chairman.

Race Club Organized

The Missoula Racing Club was organized March 6, 1901, in an effort to revive interest in racing in this area. T. C. Marshall was elected president; Charles Johnson, vice president; George C. Higgins, secretary, F. L. Darbee, treasurer, and J. P. Mulroney, Dr. W. P. Mills, Tyler Thompson, Charles Marsh and Sam Dinsmore, directors.

 

Named to a committee on repairs and estimates were Darbee, Sam Elder, A. L. Stone and J. M. Keith.