One hundred years ago, a group of eager Chinook citizens got together and formed a civic group to help the town and its members. The name of that group was the Lions. The organization was a branch of the recently formed national Lions founded by Melvin Jones in Chicago Illinois in 1917. They became International Lions when Canada started clubs.
On May 5, Chinook became the 4th Lions Club in the state of Montana behind Billings, Great Falls, and Forsythe, and has been going strong ever since organizing events and projects, which benefit the city of Chinook, and its Citizens.
Blaine County Museum Director Samantha French and assistant Olivia Downs have been putting together an exhibit of the club’s history that will be on display starting June 7. In addition to a timeline of Lions Club projects the past 100 years. There will be photos, artifacts and items from the past including banners, vests and pins Lions have worn over the years along with awards.
The Lions Club Motto is “We Serve,” and serve they did over the years, starting with a clean up of town for the dedication of the new sugar beet factory. Many out of town dignitaries including the governor showed up for the dedication arriving by train.
Some members of the Lions Club were also influential in bringing the factory to Chinook as the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company was trying to decide between Chinook and Malta. The Sugar Beet factory, although abandoned, is celebrating it’s 100th anniversary as well.
Early members of the club included, Harry Harlan, Harry Bouen, Ed Walters, James Griffin and Ed Fredlund.
Another early project was improving the Chinook Cemetery. Lions purchased 180 green ash trees in 1927 and planted them around the border of the cemetery. Planting trees has been an ongoing project for the Lions for years. They also aided in developing the irrigation system at the cemetery.
According to French, the Lions were also instrumental preserving the Bears Paw Battlefield. In 1928, a mystery shipment of a sandstone monolith arrived with instructions for it to be mounted by Nez Pierce Indians at the battlefield.
Around the same time, President Coolidge signed a bill that protected the battlefield. The Lions worked with the Daughters of the American Revolution to secure a monument for the site. Later members of the Nez Pierce tribe staked out significant sites of the battle.
A few years later, surveyor and Lions member C.R. Noyes, with others including L.V. McWhorter, a historian in Native American culture, surveyed the site, helping locate and preserve important areas of the battle. McWhorter later noted, “… In the marking as proposed, the Chinook Lions will go down in history as men who were not swayed by partisan impulse, but more the spirit of recognition of the valor displayed by a mere, crippled remnant of a patriotic people.”
The club was also the prime mover in creating a sports complex on the east end of town that became the football, baseball and softball fields, later named Hoon Field. It is also the current location of the Lions Club’s most recent project, a skate park.
Other construction projects the Chinook Lions have assisted in include developing an ice skating rink, helping fund the original swimming pool and financing the wading pool at the present swimming pool, as well as giving funds for the future facility. The Lions also formed and sponsor the local swim team.
Lions also helped build the community basketball courts and tennis courts. They also helped build the grandstand and bleachers at the fairgrounds. Money was collected for the construction of the Girl Scout House at Sweet Park. The Lions teamed up with the Jaycees at the time to build a new softball field.
Another main objective of Lions International is to support improved vision, and prevent blindness. This was thanks to an appeal at one of the earliest Lions International Conventions by Helen Keller. Lions collect donated eye glasses to give to those who can not afford them.
Lions fund many activities throughout the year that include supporting youth activities, providing trip funding, presenting flags to students, and a scholarship program.
The main fundraiser of Lions is the popular pronto pup sales. Sales of the dogs began in 1939 internationally. Chinook began selling pronto pups along with sno-cones later at the fair when the Lions booth was built. The same batter mix is used for all clubs. A recently purchased portable fryer allows for selling pronto pups at other times besides the fair.
If you would like to become a Lion, contact any Lions Club member and they will help you get signed up.
The display at the museum will be available for viewing until next summer.