Old Missoula

Out of the Dust – Western Hotel Rooster Fights and Charley Pride

Kicking around in the rubble across the street from The Missoulian office, where the Western Hotel stood until a few days ago, we stirred up more than dust.

Among the ghosts unearthed were recollections of the rooster fights that used to be staged in the rear of the hotel building.

Back in the 30s, those cock fights were regular Sunday morning fare. While more worthy citizens were attending church services, a score or more of hard core “sports” were cheering their favorite birds, and betting heavily, by “Depression” standards.

One businessman, with 100 dollars wagered, saw his prize rooster spiked and killed in two seconds.

As the last bricks were being smoothed out in the lot last week an old-timer, Fred Chaudoin, was among the bystanders. “I came here in 1903, and I watched them build the Western Hotel in 1906,” he remarked. Of the hotel’s history between then and its demise, probably the less said the better.

Before the roosters flung their spurs around in the Western, the cockpit was located out on West Broadway, around the 1300 block, which then was the west city limits. The building was located on the city-county line. That made it rather easy for the city cops to turn their backs on the illegal activities, with the bland assertion that the fights were taking place in county jurisdiction. Likewise, the sheriff’s men took the view that it was the city’s responsibility. Either way, the cock fight promoters won.

A Matter Of Pride – Watching Lawrence Welk on TV the other night, we got a lift out of the fact that Charley Pride has made it big – in television, not baseball.

In case you don’t recall Charley, he’s the lad who hitch-hiked all the way from Nashville, Tenn., to Missoula to try for a place on the Timberjacks some eight or nine years ago. I first met Charley in the Moose Hall, at a “Meet Your Timberjacks” open house thrown by Nick Mariana. Charley regaled the crowd with southern songs and guitar music.

It turned out that he was a better entertainer than he was a ball player, and a few weeks later found him playing with the East Helena team in the old Copper League. His guitar playing in an East Helena night spot provided his livelihood. After a time he graduated to night clubs in Great Falls, and hit several other Montana points.

Last summer, when Welk was an attraction at the Great Falls Fair, he gave Charlie an audition. Result: Last Saturday the guest star on Welk’s Champagne Music Hour was Charlie Pride, billed out of Nashville. Now he’s singing Western tunes, not Southern, and doing a good job of it. It’s probably a good thing he didn’t make it with the Timberjacks. They folded a year or so later, but Charley’s going strong.

The above is from Deane Jones’ column, “Keeping Up With Jones”, in The Missoulian on May 2, 1967.