Synopses & Reviews
From its beginnings as Bull Hook railroad siding in 1887, Havre, Montana was a tough town. Saloons, gambling halls, opium dens, and brothels lined its streets, and with Prohibition came a flurry of bootleggers eager to exploit Havre's proximity to the Canadian border..
It was during this era of depression, drought, and violence, that successful businessman and philanthropist C.W. "Shorty" Young, rose to power as the leader of the organized crime element. His Montana Hotel - known as the "Honky Tonk" - catered to all man's carnal desires, gaining notoriety throughout Montana and as far as Seattle and St. Paul.
Among the West's roughest and most lawless towns, Havre proved to be one of the hardest to tame. In Honky-Tonk Town, biographer and historian Gary A. Wilson recounts a half-century of wild times.
Synopsis
From its beginnings as a railroad siding in 1887, Havre, Montana was a tough, wide-open town with plenty of saloons, gambling halls, opium dens, brothels, and cheap cribs. With the passage of Prohibition, it was a natural hub for smuggling illegal alcohol across the nearby Canadian border.
Honky-Tonk Town tells the story of this wild and woolly frontier town.
Synopsis
From its beginnings as a railroad siding in 1887, Havre, Montana was a tough, wide-open town with plenty of saloons, gambling halls, opium dens, brothels, and cheap cribs. With the passage of Prohibition, it was a natural hub for smuggling illegal alcohol across the nearby Canadian border. Honky-Tonk Town tells the story of this wild and woolly frontier town.
About the Author
Gary A. Wilson's previous books include
"Long" George Francis: Gentleman Outlaw of Montana and
Outlaw Tales of Montana. As a biographer, historian and publisher, Wilson has been researching the history of northern Montana since 1978. He is a founding board member of the Fort Assinniboine Preservation Association and is active in several local and regional tourist and historical organizations. He lives in Havre, Montana.
Table of Contents
Introduction; The Last Frontier; Havre Reforms; The Homesteaders' Invasion; Havre Versus the State of Montana; The Border Saloon Raid; The Bootleggers Organize; The Murder of Jack Hardin; The Bank Robbers; The Deadly Game of Cat and Mouse; The Honky Tonk Burns; Booze is Legal; The Vice King is Dead; Epilogue; Appendix; Bibliography.