Havre

Travel Montana

Havre Directory Listings

A view from 1939:

HAVRE, (2,486 alt., 6,372 pop.), seat of Hill County, shows what careful planning went into its rebuilding after a great fire in 1892. The presence of the students of Northern Montana College give it an air of youth and sprightliness.

The town came into existence in 1887, when James J. Hill, for whom Hill County is named, sent his railroad-construction camp westward to this point; finding plenty of good water here, he decided to build a branch southward to Great Falls from this point rather than from one in the dry region to the west, as he had planned. Great Northern officials named the town for the French city Le Havre, but its citizens have always pronounced it Hav-ver. It developed as a railroad division point and stock-shipping center.

Havre is popularly known as the coldest place in the United States, but local patriots declare this a misconception arising from the publicity given to the readings of the U. S. Weather Bureau station here. The climatic extremes of the region, coupled with the distances between towns, make it easy to understand the development of a tradition of hospitality. In early days neighborly cooperation was essential to survival.

Northern Montana College (1929), along State 29 in the southwestern part of the city, is a junior college and a unit of the University of Montana. It offers two-year courses in the liberal arts and in pre-professional studies. First housed in the high school, in 1932 it was moved to a remodeled building on a 60-acre campus. Between 1932 and 1937 three buildings were added and the grounds were landscaped, partly with relief labor. The new buildings, of modern functional design-, are constructed of brick made in Havre. The school has a stadium seating 7,000, and an open-air theater with a large stage.

At the annual Music Festival in May more than 50 bands and 1,500 musicians from all parts of the State compete. The event culminates in a concert held in the stadium.

The Municipal Swimming Pool (open 10-8:30; suits 25¢) is on 4th St. between 7th and 8th Aves. The Hill County Fairgrounds (fair in August) are 1 mile northwest of town on State 29. The race track, one of the best in Montana, is the scene of races between fast horses from several western States and from Canada.

Source: Montana: A State Guide Book; Compiled and Written by the Federal Writers' Project of the Work Projects Administration for the State of Montana; September, 1939.