Lake County: A century old and looking to the next 100 years

Retired District Court Judge Jim Manley reminded an audience of several hundred Saturday that the 1923 election that created Lake County was probably “the first time most women here ever got to vote,” thanks to the 19th Amendment, passed in 1920.

Of course, another portion of the new county’s population – its Native American residents – did not yet have the right to vote. Still, the decision to carve Lake County from Missoula and Flathead counties passed by a margin of 78%, making it the youngest county in Montana. And a majority of voters (2,118 to 1,451) voted that same day to make Polson the county seat – a fact that still aggravates Ronan resident and Lake County Commissioner Gale Decker.

“I personally have never gotten over that,” he told the crowd during centennial festivities on the courthouse lawn. “What made it worse is we lost to Polson – it may take me another 100 years to get over that.”

Still, the mood at Saturday’s gathering was reminiscent of an old-time community celebration, from the parade of floats, vintage vehicles, fire trucks and even county road equipment that preceded it, to the speeches and music that followed on the shady courthouse lawn.

Commissioners introduced current and former elected officials, and an honor guard stood at attention while Cathy Gillhouse led the Mission Valley Choral Society in the National Anthem and Montana’s State Song – a tune any native Montanan can hum along to (“Montana, Montana, glory of the west, of all the states from coast to coast you’re easily the best”).

In his speech, Manley pointed out that a business that was in the business of building courthouses helped stir up sentiments to create the new county. Although much campaigning went on as the vote neared, “it struck me how civil and respectful it was, at least until the very end.”

A committee from Kalispell tried to derail the outcome by warning voters that the new county would be the poorest in the state with only $352 of taxable valuation per capita and if created, property taxes would jump from $19 to $50 per year. Still, the measure passed “by a landslide,” he said.

The vote for which town should be named county seat – Polson, as a transportation hub by virtue of train and steamship, or Ronan, the valley’s agricultural center – was closer. Manley speculated that Polson’s proponents helped its cause by putting together a road show with food, entertainment and speeches to woo outlying communities. The weekly Ronan Pioneer “took the unprecedented step of publishing a color edition” to promote its virtues – but as commissioner Decker lamented, Polson still won.

“Since then we have often fought as siblings would but have come together in the face of challenges and overcome the withering poverty of the Depression years and World War II,” Manley reminded the crowd. “We did all those things by pulling together.”

Over the years, Lake County has produced some notable citizens, including State Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Turnage, the longest-serving Speaker of the House of Representatives John Mercer, and world champion boxer Marvin Camel.

Manley wrapped up his remarks urging the county’s citizens to once again overcome their differences and work together. “We have challenges facing us – environmental challenges – that none of us has ever seen before so we’re going to have to pull together because these things aren’t going to be solved by any of us individually,” he said.

“It’s my hope for the next 100 years that 100 years from now people will gather in this place – it will still be the most beautiful place to live and to raise families in the country and we will, together, have overcome these problems.”

A highlight of the afternoon was a performance by the Flathead Reservation Traditional Dance Troupe and Buckshot Singers – a colorful reminder that most of Lake County was a reservation well before it was a county.

Patrick Matt, who introduced the group and performed with the dancers, offered his own history lesson, telling the crowd that the lake and river were called North Pend d'Oreille Lake and River before the name was changed to Flathead because it was easier to pronounce for homesteaders.

He noted that 111 years before the formation of Lake County, the first documented traveler to come through this area was explorer David Thompson in 1812, who camped on the shores of the lake, and sketched it in his journal.

“That evening he was approached by two young Pend d’Oreille warriors who swam across the bay and gave him two huge trout,” Matt said. “If you pay attention, every spring and every fall during Mack Days you’ll see that the Tribes are still trying to get everyone to eat our fish.”

He ended his story with an invitation to everyone to join in the Round Dance. “You don’t need an outfit – just a little energy,” he said, as the plaza in front of the courthouse filled with people celebrating Lake County’s centennial together.