The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-27
IN BOZEM MAN.
A Town Improvement League Formed by
the Citizens.

Special Correspondence of the Standard.
Bozeman, April 25.--For some years
past the town of Bozeman has been
| called "B0zeman the Beautiful that
| is, in the summer months. Those Wis
| itors who come to the town for day
or two go away with the impression
that it is the prettiest city in the state,
! but those who make it their permanent
| home would like to see it prettier. For
| this reason the Town Improvement
| league was formed about a month ago
| by some of the citizens. with a view to
| improve not only those portions which
| are always before the eye, but also the
| back alleys and side streets, which have
| never been kept in very good condition,
| and are an eyesore to those who wish
| the town to have the right to be called
beautiful
The league was addressed by Direc-
tor Emery of the experiment station
| about two weeks ago, who. during the
course of his remarks, gave some very
excellent suggestions as to cleanliness.
One of his suggestions certainly coin
cided with those of many other inhab-
itants, and it was that Main street
should be properly drained in order to
do away with it's disgraceful and dis
agreeable condition in the spring and
fall, when the mud is a foot or more
deep. Last Thursday evening another
meeting of the league was held in the
offices of Nichols & Steele. The ladies
had been requested to be in attend
ance and responded nobly to the CALL
in fact there We're more ladies than
gentlemen. Remarks and suggestions
were made and offered by many pres
ent as to the best way of cleaning up
and, metaphorically speaking, washing
the face Of the city. A gentleman from
ST. Paul, Mr.. Morrow, who happened
10 nh
of his being lost in the rank growth
of weeds around the Northern Pacific
depot while visiting the city last sum-
mer. He said that he went down
Church street and then struck across
the open ground, as he thought, for the
depot, to make short cut, but before
he knew it he became hopelessly en-
tangled in a thick jungle of almost inn
penetrable sunfloWers and lost his
train. CThe brewery is located in the
center of the weed jungle). A com
mittee reported to the league that the
railroad company had intimated that it
would clean up it's yards and APP
proaches and help in whatever way it
could the good work in that section Of
the town. Plans were then discussed
as to the proposed planting of double
row of trees from the depot to the lower
part of Church street and the grading
of nice walk. 1t was also almost de-
cided to form a large committee who,
when the flowers We're in bloom, should
meet every passenger train passing
through the town in the daytime and
present each lady traveller with a neat
bouquet of flowers. The committee
would Of course take turn about in
meeting the trains.
The league was treated to very in
teresting paper by Mrs. Marshall of the
art department of the agricultural col
lege during the meeting. The following
Is a synopsis of her paper, which was
full of excellent suggestions and sound
logic and delivered in Mrs. Marshalls
inimitabe way:
There is a saying that Character is
Destiny" This is doubtless as true of
corporate bodies as of individuals.
There are, then, two questions for us
to study. What do we most desire as
| the future destiny of the town in which
| we live? What is the present character
of that town? Those who live in place
| have many interests connected with it
social, political and financial. Our
own comfort, and the comfort, health,
| morals, manners and education of our
| children and their fitness for success in
| business and in good society depend
| greatly upon the character of the place
in which we live. Can We SO order the
| town that it shall be destined to sup
ply all tndI we might IcdSOlh1bly tt-
| sire under these heads? Towns, like
individuals, make their own reputation.
| The management of town greatly re-
| semi les housekeeping, only on a larger
scale. A good housekeeper always looks
after the condition of her cellar first
first She then proceeds to clean up
and wages war against rats, mice,
| moth, mould, mildew, dust and rubbish
Of every kind. Eternal vigilance is the
only price of liberty from all these
pests. Her house then smells sweet
A town must begin with thorough
| drainage, pure water and perfect Ven-
tilation of public buildings. The edu-
| cational advantages are great in col
| lege town. We have an endurable sum-
mer and can always sleep at night.
Why should not Bozeman be as popu-
| lar in summer as Santa Barbara or
Los Angeles in winter? But towns, like
people, need an attractive exterior.
Cleanliness is the first thing in a city,
together with perfect drainage. We see
dirt, rags, orange peel, tin cans, broken
glass, saliva and rubbish of every kind
on the streets, and the alleys and va
| cant lots are always encountered with
debris. No woman could sleep wink
if she had anything like it in her own
| house. Then, why endure it outside
We have many things to learn from
| our neighbore over the water. Spftting
seems unknown IN IDfelSn IUWnS III
Paris the sergeant de Vile scolds you
roundly if you let a piece of orange
peel fall out of the window by acct
dent. But even European towns are
not perfect. Many of you are familiar
with some of the charming Eastern
towns, such as Old Windsor, Spring
field, Fairfield, Lenox and others There
the sidewalks are in perfect order, the
grass borders well kept, and everything
is spick and span. If BoZeman was
decently kept travellers would stay over
as they came from or went to the Vel
lowstone park, and also manufacturers
might become infatuated with the town
| and locate here.
A rather rare sight was witnessed on
| Tuesday afternoon on Main street. II
was Captain James Ponsford acting as
motorman of the electric car and Joe
Kountz holding on to the broken troll
ley pole of the car with both hands
Every few yards Kountz would raise up
the broken pole to the wires and a
flame of six inches in length or more