Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-03-16

chance only to get train ride. Those
who wanted to go and were afraid the
trip would be a dud, solved the prob
lem simply by staying at home. There
IS no question that the gate would
have run to $4,000 and over, had
not Encouragement, mistrust, greed
and other elements crept in. It was a
big job staging the Dempsey Gibbons
fight, though badly done 1t could have
been a sweet job had common sense
been the motif
Here's How 1t Started
Mayor Jimmy johnson of Shelby
and 10y Molumby, state Legion COM
mander of Great Falls, were the or
ig1nal promoters. The idea was a
brainstorm of Johnson's who thought
that boxing fans would go anywhere
to see a worlds heavyweight cham
pionShip fight-even to Siberia Po-
dunk or Shelby Jimmy had lots of lots
to sell and he anticipated a killing
in these lots, oil leases, range and
grazing lands. He would create a real
old-time boom and Shelby would be a
big city overnight or in a few weeks
Mike Collins was engaged as pro-
motional director and wires were sent
to Kearns and Eddie Kane, managers
stated his demands; Gibbons would
take so percent of all moneys over
$4,000. which was to go to the cham
pion. The world was told the news.
Where is Shelby?" and a lot of such
questions were asked by fans and
writers. Even Kearns akSed the queS-
ton and he had lived for some years
in this state.
Lesson in Geography
1t didn't take long to tell the world
just where Shelby could be located in
the geography books. Not before or
since was there such a mobilization of
writer's sent To Montana for any one
event. They were here 200 strong. A
visit by the president of the United
States would have 20 or Is writers in
the cavalcade. Sports writers, lecture
writer's, sob sisters all came to Shelby
and Great Falls. Dempsey trained at |
the latter city while Gibbons set up
camp at Shelby. The sports experts |
arrived, set to work and flooded the /
mails and telegraph wires with colorful |
copy. The daring of the little Montana |
town to stage costly championship |
fight was told and retold
Copy was sent out on the fighters, !
the managers, promoters, the citizens, +,
Indians, the tent shows, cowboys, |
mountains, hot afternoons in Montana /
and the cool nights. Verse and prose, |
wit and humor, the news In straight /
doses, amplified by hokum and press I
agentry made the world Shelby con-
scious. The ION again, off again" tao
tics Of the last few days made for a
field day with the writers, who enter
tanned their readers with story stew
with tragedy, humor, abuse,
compliments and added a
strong essence of doubt to the ultimate
possibility Of the event taking place.
Expected Many Thousands
Shelby was prepared to handle a
crowd of 10000. Maybe it would have
If the financial troubles were not aired
far and wide. More than 100 special
trains we're at one time chartered;
less than is made the grade. The Great
Northern railway built eight depots at
Shelby IN various yard locations to
accommodate an anticipated 10000.
These depotS were all within a mile
radius. AS it was tine paid crowd of
1900 and something was the largest
ever drawn to a bout In this state,
though 1t was also the smallest as
sembly to watch heavyweight cham
pionShip bout. The receipts amounted
to $201 .485, and, this was of course,
The biggest gate ever poured into
an average of $40 Top seats we're
marked at $50 The federal tax amount
ed to $22, 448.
The frenzied excitement was over
as the special trains moved out on the
night of the fight. Soberly Shelby, on
the following day, set about to bury
It's dead and get acquainted with the
loss as computed in dollars 1t was es-
timated that 100000 would cover
the loss to Shelby and Montana
sportSmen If the arena lumber could
be salvaged for $4,000. Moving pic
lures would net $4,000, maybe. Kearns
and Dempsey were short $4,000 Of
heir guarantee, but only the two
Jacks took time out to worry about
his item. And they couldn't do any
hing about it.
Dempsey was still the champion.
later he was to become extremely
popular