The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-04-27

Ten wears ago this month two dozer
cheering Missoula high school boys
dragged their track team from The
university campus across the bridge
and through the downtown streets il
a bus draped in victorious purple and
gold. Missoula had Won the uniVer,
sity's first annual interscholastic meet
1t was the first track meet that most
Missoula people had ever seen, and the
fact that the local team, scarce con-
sidered worthy to compete with attn
letes from Butte, Helena and Anacon-
da, had Won the state championship
after two of the most exciting days
Montana field has ever witnessed pro-
voked an unparalleled demonstration.
Since that day other schools have
carried away the uniVersity's prizes.
Butte, GaIlatin, Flathead and Anacon-
da have had their triumphant days
Missoula has won once since then with
the largest score ever made by a Mon
tana team. Enthusiastic celebrations
have been held since, but never has
there been a triumphal procession as
memorable as that.
Next week the University of Mon
tana holds its tenth in~terscholastic
meet. 1t will be greater far than that
first one; records that won ten years
ago will scarcely win places this year;
but the enthusiasm and the sports
manlike rivalry of the 1904 meet won't
be excelled a bit.
Looking at it now, the idea of a
y4 -. --, HI r. a+ =, ,,nnt MO- n
stupendous thing for the university to
| attempt. 1t took a lot of courage and
hard work to arrange the first meet.
Consider the fact hat Montana is a
little more than 900 miles long and
more than half that wide; that trans
portatiOn facilities are far from per-
feet: that the university had to con-
slider bringing athletes from every
corner of the state by railroad and
| stage and boat, and you viii appreci-
ate the immensely of the undertaking.
The plans We're made and followed
out without a hitch and on May ~,
1904, almost a hundred athletes, rep
resenting 10 high schools, gathered in
Missoula. Downtown accommodations
for the athletes We're out of the ques-
ton then. 1t took every dollar that
could be found to pay the railroad
fares of the high school people. The
bOys were gathered in the gymnasium,
where little sleeping rooms had been
built of canvas, and there they slept
on canvas cots and rough Woollen
blankets. Girls and boys were fed at
Craig hall. But there was no com
plant over the accommodations; the
meet was such a big thing for those
high school boys that they would have
slept outdoors without a Whimper. AS
a matter Of fact they did sleep mighty
little. Athletes who competed in those
early NETS laugh at the present gen
Grafton and tell of the happy rough
| houses thai used to go on in the gym
nasium. professor Aher was in charge
of the gym, and those excited boys
made life miserable for him with pill
low fights and races and general up
roar.
! 1t is pretty hard to describe the first
, meet to anyone who is accustomed to
the ~present-day brand. This meet was
greater than them all, for track meets
were rare events in Missoula and no
one knew anything about the relative
strength of the competing teams. The
whole city turned out. decked in pur-
pie and gold. People had to walk the
whole weary way across the flat be-
tween the last house on the south side
and the university, but the stands
were crowded when the meet began.
And the crowd was repaid with 6
Missoula victory. After two days OF
contest the local team won by taking
the high jump-the last event-aWay
from Butte. Some forgotten Nilsson
liam reporter describes the meet II
splendid fashion. for his story re
fleets the enthusiasm of the city an'
shows how few and far between wer'
track meets. Here is the story:
"Missoula high school won the frs
in~terscholastlc meet ever held in Mon
tana. When Missoula shall have grow
into a great city and the successful
., candidates Of the local athletic team
which snatched a hard fought victor,
from this Montana classic yesterda
shall have grown into active and use
full business men the names or Dlns
more, Demers, Forbis, Jones and Am
brose will be something to impel tn
high school athletes of that day t
newer l%aure's.
TN fourteen sports on track an
field, and out Of a possible 126 point
the Missoula boys won % points, o
nearly one-fifth of the total number
This, too. with eighteen other school
in competition.
witt no desire to exhibit a spirit o
too loud growing, it is their due t
recall the fact that they promised t
make a good showing for their HON
school and they kept their promise
While yet going through their frs
PAGES they maintained that the hig
school tenn that took away the frs
prize would 10 compelled, first, t