Old Missoula

Hoover Happy Over Prospects of Good Fishing in Western Montana (1937)

“Oh, I’m very happy!”

A good dinner under his belt, and prospects of good fishing for this morning, ex-President Hoover leaned back in his chair at a table in the New Grill café Saturday evening and talked affably with a number of Missoula citizens. He is on his way by car from Yellowstone park and the Wyoming ranch country to his home in Palo Alto, Cal. Accompanying him are Dr. Saxton of Yale University faculty, a young Stanford student who joined the Hoover party in Wyoming, and a chauffeur.

Howard Toole, Missoula attorney and ardent fisherman, tipped Hoover off to the best fishing spots along his route between here and Spokane. His description of the opportunities for good fishing along Western Montana streams pleased the former Chief Executive, and he looked forward to a good morning at the Waltonian sport. He asked particularly where good pools could be found close to the road, as he did not want to spend too much time tramping from the car and back. It was upon Mr. Toole’s advice that he decided to spend the night at St. Regis and fish there this morning. He did not wish to stay here overnight because he is taking advantage of every hour of daylight on his homeward trip.

“I hear you caught a six-pound fish in Yellowstone park,” commented Dr. George Finlay Simmons, president of the State University.

“Oh, I caught a fish, but it wasn’t that large,” replied Hoover.

Dr. Saxton, upon learning that Dr. Simmons was in the adjoining booth, had expressed a desire to meet him.

Completing his dinner of steak a la carte, the ex-President refused to bother about dessert.

“That was a very good steak, dessert would spoil it,” he declared.

He pulled out road maps and studied them, asking Pete Canelis, waiter, about routes westward and about fishing streams. Canelis introduced Mr. Toole to him, and the local attorney spent some time with the former President telling him of Western Montana’s fishing streams and giving him the names of people with whom he could stay at St. Regis. Derwood Washington also contributed his knowledge of fishing streams to the advice given Mr. Hoover.

More than an hour was spent by the party in the café. They arrived here at about 6:30 and left for St. Regis shortly after 8 o’clock.

Waiters and others who met him or merely passed by his booth to get a glimpse commented on the unassuming demeanor of the former first citizen of the land. He had on ordinary clothing, talked at length with the waiter about mutual friends, and rubbed a day’s stubble complacently.

When the party left the café, Hoover turned to the proprietor and waiters, nodded pleasantly in farewell, and went out to his car.

 

The above article appeared in The Daily Missoulian on August 15, 1937

https://www.newspapers.com/image/349159621/

 

The New Grill Café was located at 113 W. Main St. The building belonged to the McCormick family heirs and was built in 1931 on a site occupied by older buildings, including the old Grill restaurant. The proprietors of the old Grill restaurant in 1931 were George Bravos and Samuel Poulos. They closed the New Grill restaurant in 1957. Jake Abuya, the tailor (and later bar owner – Jake’s), also occupied part of the razed buildings. One Missoulian article stated that the McCormick family occupied this property since 1869, “when the first residence in Missoula was built in the block. . . In 1891 the house was moved to the corner of West Spruce and McCormick streets . . .”[1]

Herbert Hoover was a mining engineer early in his career. He was later known to fish on the Madison River in Montana.

“Grubstake – A Story of Early Mining Days in Nevada”[2] is an entertaining miner’s story written in the 1930’s that was dedicated to Herbert Hoover.