Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-08-14

n SlQcTeQ a Sissy BAftl6s suitable
Ia as a girls recreation ONLY. but
Dick and Tom Logan came back
from Chicago with their parents IN
1905 with different ideas on the sub
The Logan boys lived in the Windy
City each winter from 1901 to 1905 ano
had seen the male Of the species &C
quire a taste for the court game at the
Chicago Y. M. G. A.
They soon convinced a group OF
friends that the sport could be given q
masculine tinge and 1t was not lone
before Billings first team was organized
under the auspices Of Company K, Sec
ond infantry, Montana national guard
It took several seasons for the mems
popularity to equal that of the girls
team, which had started tossing hoops
in 1903 and in the three years following
captured two state championships.
In fact, the fame of the Skirted five
had spread far and in February, 1905,
the Billings Gazette proudly printed
that There is not a girls team IN the
west that can show an equally fine
record, so the Spalding people Of Chi
cago say"
When the men organized a quintet,
the local citizenry was well acquainted
with the rules and regulations Of the
sport but it took some time to convince
them that the game could be just as
exciting without the presence of girls in
the lineup.
During that same winter, 1905-19O6,
group of boys noting the fast growing
popularity of the mems team, formed
Billings high schools initial cage quin-
tet.
L. E. Terrence, later city clerk Of
Billings and now deceased, was man
ager Of the Co. K five, which was the
forerunner of the famous Triple b
basketball team.
In the Co. K ranks were Dick Logan.
now manager of the Billings municipal
airport; Tom Logan, his brother. de-
ceased: Ralph Morris, Billings Times
publisher; Albert Clanton, now a far
mer on Blue creek; Clifford Chase, now
In the auto business at Wenatchee,
Wash: Charles Hoe, now q bricklayer
at Billings, and VIII Parker, residing
now in California.
Lost TO Sheridan
The boys high school team, which
only played single game that season
lost to Sheridan, Wyo., 6-1-had on its
squad WIN Mckenzie, now a Billings
police officer; Phil Savaresy, present
assistant county attorney; Arthur
''Slick" Hansard, now in business in
Minneapolis, and Lila Camp, Ray Van
Houten and Edwin Shannon, all Of
whom now live in other parts of the
country.
Edith Everett, now in California.
coached the girls team after a Miss
Straub had done the initial menJoring |
In 1903-1904.
On that team were Edythe LaVigne, |
now a teacher at Mckinley school in /
Billings, and her sister, Josephine, with |
whom she lives; Orilla Whitney, now
Mrs. Winford Griffing of Billings; Neva !
Todd, now Mrs. Arthur Hovland, Bill |
lings; Pattie Allen, a teacher now at
the Roosevelt school, Billings; Mabel
Hoe, now Mrs. Fl. J. Coleman, Billings.
Others on the squad were Essie Sum-
mers, now MRS. L. S. Wolcott, Billings;
Minda Mowre, now the wife Of Uni
versity Of Minnesota professor: Alice
Radcliffe, now in Sheridan, Wyo.; Vim
ME Burton, now Mrs. L. @. Piper Of Alb
sarokee; Lulu Railsback, deceased:
Kathryn Williams, now married; Ethel
Mcbride, deceased; Mae Johnston and
Kate Matheson, both married and re-
siding in California. Mrs. Ann Kahn
Plat OF Billings was mascot Of the
1908 team.
The mems club in its first season
played but four games but on the basis
If victories in each instance, placed
claim on the Montana and Wyoming
enged.
Under the headline, Billings Can't
Lose, Boys as Well as Girls play Win
ming Basketball" the Billings Gazette
exported the first mems cage game
which was staged on the top floor Of
ne Gruwel block, now the Clark block.
Feb. 5, 1906.
Those who have never witnessed a
same Of basketball played by young
men, and failed to take advantage of /
he opportunity last evening, have GER ]
atnly missed something worth SEEING |
he paper commented.
Billings defeated Red Lodge that {
light. 25-16, and followed with victor !
IS over the hitherto unbeaten Glen 1
i've team, 17-14; Red Lodge again, 16- [
5, and Sheridan. Wyo.. S5-17. [
Girls Win Title
Billings that winter was a proud bas- !
etban town. as the girls also took the
tate championship, ending the season !
indicated and with a record of IL
1ctorieS in II games played over
hree-year period.
When the first girls team was organ !
zed, practice was held in the old Wash
ngton school building and yard on the
outh side. It's activity during the first I
eason was limited for want Of opposi- /
ion but the group participated in !
nough games to claim the state title. !
Co. K, in searching for site in which !
o play its first game with Red Lodge,
vas donated a large room by Oscar :
iruwell, owner Of the building bearing !
lis name. Phil Grein lent the team a =
lumber Of empty beer kegs across which
blanks donated from the H. M. Allen !
lumber Co. we're placed for seats. Suits
or the team had been brought from
,hicago by the Logan brothers.
A good sized crowd turned out for l
hat initial mems game about which :
he Billings Gazette had the following !
o say: THE contest as played between =
he militiamen Of Red Lodge and Bill ,
ngs, was interesting and fully as ex- =
tttng, If not more so, than the time =
IGNORED game Of football. y
The game was somewhat rougher
han the game the young ladies put up, I
nd this quite natural, but the spec 4
ators enjoyed what little roughness :
here was In last nights game and APP Y
cared 70 enjoy every part of the pro- !
ceilings.
THE Billings team won by a score q
I Is to IS. The visiting players were s
0t quite fast enough for the local u
layers and showed lack of team s
'ork, where In the Billings boys greatly 9
Ecelled.
ralph Morris played center, Dick Il
q