Powder River Examiner -

Thursday, November 2, 1989

Elementary school to celebrate Centennial Day, Nov. 8

Broadus Elementary School has planned several Montana Centennial Day commemorative activities for Wednesday, November 8 according to Principal Hal Hawley.

An outdoor flag raising and group Pledge of Allegiance ceremony will be held at 8:30 a.m., weather permitting. Mayor Klayton Rogge will lead the ceremony and will deliver a proclamation declaring it officially “Centennial Day” at Broadus Elementary. Music teacher Sue Strehlow will then lead the group in singing “Montana… Glory of the West… We Love You.”

At 10:35 a.m., all students will gather at the outdoor flag pole in front of the school for a “bell ringing” ceremony. Students and staff are encouraged to bring bells and ring them at this event, said Hawley. The Rev. Bob Thaden will deliver a few brief remarks noting the statewide theme “Bells across Montana.”

Students around the state will be ringing bells on this date, Hawley said.

At noon, school cooks Gail Ivestor, Connie Robinson, and Edie Jones have planned a “Chuckwagon Special” which will include good old fashioned cornbread and chuckwagon beans.

During the afternoon a presentation concerning the big cattle drive of ’89 from Roundup to Billings will be delivered by local “experts”. Those invited to the talk include Charles Patten, Slug Mills, and Jim Wilson. During the afternoon activities, teachers plan to show video excerpts form the drive.

A number of donated cakes will be decorated for the 1 p.m. finale and students will sing “Happy Birthday Montana.”

“A special invitation is extended to all Powder River County senior citizens and nursing home residents who are able to attend. Interested parents and community members are invited to attend any or all the day’s activities too,” said Hawley. “Students, staff and parents are all encouraged to dress with a centennial flavor. Suggestions for appropriate dress might include cowboys, Indians, loggers, miners trappers, ranchers, farmers, statesman, or other historically famous Montanans.”

Signal fire guides lost hunters to safety

Two hunters, a male and a female, lost in the rough terrain in northwestern Powder River County for about 12 hours in the freezing temperatures last Saturday and Sunday, were reported safe after finding one of several signal fires lit by area rancher Brian Dice.

“Mr. Dice should be commended for his clear thinking in lighting the fires,” said Powder River County Sheriff Ken Rogge. “He deserves a lot of the credit for the safe return of the hunters.”

Dan Masin, 19, and his sister-in-law, Linda Masin, 26, both of Billings, apparently became lost while hunting in the Liscomb Creek area of Powder River County, at about 2 p.m., Saturday. The local Sheriff’s Department, not alerted until around midnight, responded with manpower and vehicles.

Searchers feared for the safety of the hunters, who were dressed lightly and were unprepared for spending a night in the freezing temperatures. Blowing and drifting snow, up to six inches deep in places, combined with the rough terrain hampered the rescue efforts. Dan Masin had a rifle with only four bullets and a knife. His companion was unarmed and neither carried matches or any type of survival gear, Rogge said.

Joining the search from the local area were Rogge and Deputy Dave Lancaster, Volunteer Fire Department members Vic Ullrich, Steve Vail, Ray Rolfson and Dennis Schaffer, and Game Warden Kevin Holland, accompanied by ranchers Gary Wiltse and his son. Liscomb area ranchers, Forest Service officials and law enforcement officers from both Rosebud and Custer Counties had responded earlier.

The companions spotted the signal fire lit by Dice at about 3 a.m. Sunday. Rogge estimated the couple walked between six and seven miles through the rough hills after they became lost.