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Resources
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The purpose of this section is to give the student access to all primary and secondary resources for Unit 4.1: Building a New Montana - 1945 to 1965.
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Historical Documents
"'A new age in Montana journalism began June 1, 1959,' was the view of Montana Standard editor Bert Gaskill. That year, Lee Newspapers, a Midwestern chain headquartered in Iowa, purchased seven daily and two weekly Montana newspapers from the Fairmont Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anaconda Company. The Anaconda Company's interest in controlling the press had its roots in the war of the copper kings. Ultimately, its papers accounted for over half of Montana's circulation. As Anaconda's economic interest in Montana diminished and other media rose to challenge print, owning the newspapers became less politically useful, and Anaconda decided to sell. Years later, Don Anderson, who helped broker the sale, asked several longtime Montana newspaper men to describe what working as a journalist was like in the era of Anaconda Company control" (Montana Historical Society).
"Controversy over establishing power sites on the Clark Fork River typified the concerns such development fostered. Two different proposals to dam the Clark Fork galvanized citizens, who debated public or private power development, environmental issues, corporate domination, and balancing jobs/progress with farms/lifestyle. The Corps of Engineers' Paradise/Knowles alternatives clashed with the Buffalo Rapids plan, proposed by Montana Power Company. Groups aligned behind these dissimilar projects as their interests warranted. From the first suggestions in the late 1940s until the issue faded in the 1960s, the controversy over site and size of dams on the Clark Fork colored political campaigns, led to virulent rhetoric and animosity, and accomplished little in the field of hydroelectric power development. S. R. Logan, a retired educator living near Charlo, and Sam B. Chase, Montana Power Company executive, voiced opposing views" (Montana Historical Society).
Sam B. Chase Letter
S. R. Logan Letter
Websites
