Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-10-17
BY ROBERT J. CASEY


Whatever became OF Shelby you
know-Shelby, Montana he toWn
where they mad the fight 2
So far as the sports columns OF the
middle west and east were concerned
it had its brief day as 2 COW toMn gOne
broadway Jack dempsey met 4onhny
Gibbons there and mauled him wisely
but not too well. The tumult ana tne
shouting died and overnight tne popu-
lation dw1ndled from ABOUT SO,Ooy ~
Something like 800 most OF whom nau
No place to go) It's diSillusioned CIT
izenry resumed the ministry TO tne
cows. One bank popped, another one
Strateoically closed and for montnS
there was a feeling throughout northern
Montana that prize fighting Is not
very good sport. -, .,,a.a
Naturally enough IN view OF alI sness
happenings the homing sports WrlDefS
tnof II for granted that nothing was
aver going to happen in Shelby again.
IF the populace hadn't contrived 70
better itself under the waCch1m eye
and guidance of the experts ana pun
IicitoTs what could it be expected 10 40
by itself? Nothingl
Town Where Fight Was HE'D
So in that queer literature SO o1Jen
10 be found in the morgues Of newS-
naners' Shelby has renamed always
ps Il was when the writer's last looked
mon ii The odd little coilectlon s %
sSacks north Of the Northern Pacnlc
$780, the other collection OF
shacl~s and tents and new brlck IrO1its
ALONG Main street south OF the = sSAS
the streak of mud that served - q
highway out TO the arena s Sheipy'
the town where they had tne Ile I1',t.a
IF Won come into Shelby on tne BUZZ IVY
- Sfrono tine south, you suddenly 1OA-
1oru the clrving pavement tnrouein aoi-
c,,t in the hill, and then you lV ~
80 i,to :. valley that seems 70 DC LIZ
.'s.-i,,sr Ground for all the neon slsllS
49, world. The prairie-aS one kllo I'VE
F~orn the rnap-stretcheS oue - '. ~
North but something has hap ~ r5S1ich
Il This can't be the prairie Soan.., ~sti1.
the sports writers spent liz c,Sns have
si1en tn carrying lanterns. foL ,,s a
sssso the distance like eartnDo ',a,Dss
asLuso ore clusters of lights. Tney s xeay
seslaS 49, - and intensity and size, put tlley
1-,arch ont in numbers 10 the nOl AA'S--'
Population Of 1000 49,.
The road dips down and ecouio slaas
he deliberated?) cuts accuTaDely - ccr.
fhe spot that was Jack DenlESeSyo 5a II
ner in the arena on July nair If
spc11ooI buildings all brick and glass ella ~
Lou to be about a block long. ~
Iooh " .;e,, thaf estimates the popula-
s 81 somethinp like 1000 souls ana
ttea1 Il curves eastward into IoAs
BUSINESS street. And there > 5nelDy.
Inst for a moment one panseS 70 Le-
member that the fight mas Ree ~. o Az
something more than A3 yes-AS - ore
Sidewalks as far as one CAL ; ~
fiIIed 70 the eurbs with people S l.tS
hundreds of people. Men IN lace Do Doll
dlO'tl0i cord,,roys. or overalls or smart
cuttings and snappy shirts; women,
reosf If them in the current modes %
the movies. A long line OF glaSS-iIVAl n.sS
stores. restaurants, beauty SHOPS, a lIs
taverns is filled with otner huil0l eA''
Can't Find Parking Space
One looks about for the signs VI 2
carnival or special celepraClon' pu .s
there is none. These people, one learns
later will still be in the street long
after midnight. And they, or others IKE IKE
them will be crowding the Sidewalks
tomorrow night and every night
ONE never can find parking space az
fhe curbs of Main street. At least 9
Thousand cars seem to be permanently
installed and others spread OUT II LI.l
the short side streets or, reluctantly
into the garages. ,a
with the great hegira in 192S-lookeo
o,,t at the street through the loppy
vindows of The Rainbow hotel Go
rooms modern, comfortable, perfectly
appointed.') Beside him sat George
Lee who has something to DO WIN Ine
chamber Of commerce. rvas
ssFThe fight" recalled Mr.. InoLnaS'
ooh yes. the fight. 1t was Jack DeInp-
sey and Tommy Gibbons-lo roullSul
.Tlilv 4. 1928. ] remember very wen; =, !
came here to see 1t. Gibbons was stiil
Standing llp at the end. Otherwise 4
think the fans would have killed JACK
Kearns."
Town Has Two Newspapers !,
There are two newspapers III olleag ~,
Trib,lne. has lust taken over that Dig
brick building across the street ~
will have the finest plant IN northern
ssTheres been lot of loose tax
about what the fight did to TINS vown,
proceeded Mr.. Thomas. wen, o. cou1sI'
some of the local promoters lost q ~ Sec
back a lot of the boards IN tne ateA "a
because there wasn't dough enough 70
nav for them. A million board Ieet Oh
lumber. went into that arena. ~. D,
aThere are five hotels in Shelby,
proceeded the man from the CHAMBER
Of Commerce. And that's not to men
ton the well-equipped tourist CABIN
CAMPS Ab each E1Au VI
Thinks Fight Good Thing
personally" personalized Mr.. Thom-
as. IT think the fight was a good thing.
IN 1914 Shelby was nothing but COW
town-a station and cattle pen on the
Great Northern railroad. Inere WEI l,t
a few shacks north OF the tracks, Due
nothing that anybody could call
town. There wasn't much here when
some of the boys got the idea OF aover-
Using the place with championship
fight. .,,,+,, sboDe in
s.,,aIIvS murmured the chamber OF
aTSf course that took p lot Of money,
-asS RFr Thomas. Dempsey had 20
- guaranteed 100000. But there were
a Jew men around mere VINO nau
ss,rasev ike that and the thing got UNI
a. sgav people began to roll in here
srn,a aii parts OF the United States a INC
rs@vssda. Tl1ey filled every vacant loI