Independent-Observer from Conrad, Montana • 4

Thursday October 1 2009 Conrad Centennial Issue 100 years firstbrick building Built in 1905 Like the mythical Phoenix the Orpheum rises again New Machine is Installed on 100 Years! Oofliito Q3dt Qfh VOUC T50 Church 51 Scotts www3riversner '9 5 The Orpheum Theatre in the new Ritchey building on ourth Avenue will open to the public on April 5 with the Paramount production Sale of the featuring Ann Little and where serious water damage from the leaking roof threatened to render the structure useless At that point the Pondera Arts Council (PAC) went to work renovating the building Through local donations and a $5000 grant from the Montana Community oundation the PAC purchased the building paid off the build ing and replaced the roof all in the first year rom then on the renovations were divided into projects and were completed as funding became available until the project was complete In an ad from March of 1918 the theatre boasts of the original structure and movies The best pictures obtainable will be shown at the Orpheum Theatre which we hope will de mand the appreciated patronage always be pleased to show them our plant There are perhaps hundreds of people in this very community who read the large daily newspa pers every day and the magazines as well and know very little about 1 Maryland Conrad (406) 271 3937 II 400 12 5 Main St 270 5922 3 RIVERS 100 COMMUNICATIONS Conway Tearl from the novel by Str Gilbert Parker pictured and personally directed by Stuart Blackton In addition we will show a Mack Sennett comedy with special music by the Rachac Orchestra The weekly program included new movies each day for nine straight days April 6 An Aircraft produc tion featuring Douglas airbanks in Modern a one reel Burton Holmes Travelogue Manchuria to Korea April 7 A Paramount produc tion featuring Wallace Reid in one reel educa tional picture one reel Mack Sennett comedy April 8 A ox Standard pro duction featuring Dustin arnum in "Durand of the Bad and a'ox comedy attier's i 9 "An 'Artcraft produc tion featuring Marguerite Clark in also a two reel Roscoe Arbuckle comedy April 10 A Metro production featuring rancis Bushman in also the Uni versal Animated Weekly giving the latest war news April 1 1 A stupendous seven reel Jewel production the of which made Blase New York stand up and cheer like mad April 12 A Blue Bird special in five reels one reel educational magazine one reel current event giving the latest news April 13 An Artcraft produc tion featuring Mary Pickford in also Burton Hol mes Travelogue "Singular amazing to see how much things have changed while still staying the same The movies may have changed but 90 years later the people of Conrad are still going to The Orpheum to watch the latest and greatest accomplish ments of Hollywood After the Petersons moved out in 1913 Hirshbergs re opened their mercantile and built an ad dition to the north of the original building It was initially planned for an opera house and apartments However evidence of those plans being fulfilled was not found The Sunnyside Store Company bought the Peterson Bros Imple ment in 1914 and changed the name to Power Wilson Company with the stockholders being JC Morgan AE McAdam and Wilson Later that year the building was destroyed by fire Tempo rary quarters were set up in the new addition to the Hirshberg building until a new building was fs completed on the same spot as the old one in March of 1917 In 1921 Power Wilson moved to the old Withee Building on Main St with plans to build on the lot to the south of it The Pondera Valley Auto Company moved into the build ing vacated by Power Wilson Co Previously they had been located to the north edge of town The bricks were claimed to building nearby to the south tobe brighter and a more be used for their warehouse and desirable color! than the bricks storage ft which had been made earlier in Choteau They were terra cotta (red) color The first bricks and the corner stone were laid on Dec 1 1905 by Pings contractor for carpentry A second kiln of 140000 bricks was fired As a result of labor problems with the brick makers in January of 1906 a car load of 10000 bricks was ordered from Great alls to complete the building which was moved into in March Two years later an implement warehouse was built just to the west of the railroad tracks on 4th Ave and on the railroad right of way Peterson and SW Pe terson took over the Hirshberg business in 1912 for a short time and changed the name to Peterson Bros Implement The following year the broth ers moved their business out of! the Hirshberg Building on ront Street and into the Hirshberg warehouse on the railroad right of way They constructed another Compiled by the 1 0 staff GeorgeHirshberg arriving in Conrad in 1904 lease'd the Kingsbury building to start his mercantile while his own new building was constructed start ing in 1905 It appears that the Hirshberg Mercantile building was con structed in three sections at different times at the northwest corner of 4th Ave and ront St At a cost of about $10000 the first section was the first brick building to be constructed in Conrad Building stone for the base ment walls was quarried four miles west of town and was claimed to be finest stone The bricks for the building were manufactured from local clay from the excavation from the basement for the first kiln firing The location of the kiln was unclear but supposedly nearby Possibly a windstorm blew the covering off of the kiln before the first firing had started I Eight carloads of slab wood were used in the firing of those first 160000 bricks which took 10 days to fire Stop bcj Hardware rar all liouf fell fertilization needs! Photo courtesy of Helen Elliott TQWN CELEBRATION This photo shows the irst National Bank building at 4th Ave and Main St during an early town celebration The town band is playing in the middle of the intersection the has yet to be put up and just down the street from the bank is the Orpheum Theatre Local Telephone Business Phone Systems High Speed Internet Digital TV wu nave utiun uiessea eo oe parr wj of this community for 72 years rom the members of the ISHII Assembly OGOD 99 1 Maryland Conrad nM By Adam Jerome 1 0 Reporter The Orpheum Theatre has Changed hands numerous times since its construction in 1918 but is the only business in Conrad to have the same name for over 90 years making it synonymous with Conrad itself Constructed in 1918 and opened in April of that year the Orpheum represented the latest of the in motion pic ture construction The Rachac Orchestra accompanied the silent movie shown on the opening night The theatre was on par with those in Great alls Bill ings and Butte as the advertise ments boasted The building was a testament to the 20th century The original owners were Lock Lavih Proprietor They of Conrad and the In ad sold (Me theatre in the to dition to having the best1 pictures Kluth'Inc Who later sold to Larry we also have the best equipped lesch of Shelbyin the mtlTiir NgRHfTMontTria'' 'years passed lesch struggled to keep the aging theatre in business against competition from new theatres in Great alls When closed in 1996 the the atre had deteriorated to the point Congratulations Conrad Harry Donald represent ing the Intertype Corporation of San rancisco California spent several days with us this week erecting a model Intertype for the Observer office This is the first typecasting machine ever installed in our little city and Jhe machinery with which they edition of the Conrad Observer naturally we feel pretty proud of are made: This machine is exactly with the frit 'the mo it modern addition to our like those used on th'emetfopoli '4 used inConradf i equlpmentl heydays 1 composition in the majority of cases and in fact except for dis play stuff are past This machine has four magazines each carrying four letter mats thus giving the operator access to eight different faces of type at all times without leaving the machine The Model is the most modern and is equipped with all the up to date conveniences known to the trade There is no better machine and it cost a lot of money but our increasing busi ness demanded its installation and now we have reason to believe we are the best printing office in this part of the state In face of the war crisis and the threatening financial condi tion the above venture took considerable nerve but we knew in so doing we could handle our business more expeditiously and satisfactorily to our customers We have every reason to believe that the people of this community will appreciate our progressive spirit in this particular In addi tion to the regular equipment we have a typewriter face wh ich wi 1 1 permit us to give our customers the best of service in the way of circular letters We will also be able to handle all kinds of counter slips counter checks circulars bulletins and circulars of any description and also compete in price with any printing concern We now have an equipment and plant of which any public spirited citizen justly feel proud and when your people or friends from elsewhere come to see you can bring them here with civic pride and we will The Ancient Days Are Over Can Handle All Classes of Printing tan publications We kindly solicit the various' kinds of printing which in the past you have been compelled to send away from home for Editors Note: This article was printed word for word in the 1918 100 Great Tears John Mcarland Owner 107 Main Conrad 278 3612 Congratulations Conrad on KK1JE I i A GeS zi s' sC 1 A atbawHcJESSS 1 80 a W'W.