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Programs > We're Making History: Billings First 125 Years
We're Making History: Billings' First 125 Years
an on-demand audio archive
 The city of Billings celebrates its 125th anniversary this year. The Western
Heritage Center has been looking back at the early days of Billings through
their High
Noon Lecture Series. YPR is pleased to present four
of these lectures, covering the early growth of the "Magic City," the
importance of the railroad, a partially built prison that never housed an inmate,
and a survey of the extraordinary women who helped shape the city of Billings.
Speakers include Dr. Carroll Van West, Kevin
Kooistra-Manning, Dr. Keith Edgerton,
and Sue Hart.
This radio series was produced by YPR Arts and Humanities Producer Leni
Holliman.
Audio Archive
These programs are available as on-demand, streaming audio
using the Windows Media format, and as MP3 files encoded at 64kbps.
The Early History of Billings
Dr. Carroll Van West
 The Early History of Billings (WMA)
 The Early History of Billings (MP3)
The early development of the city of Billings is a story of investors, boosters,
and strong leaders who believed in the future of a small town in the Montana
prairie. Dr. Carroll Van West has published books on the history of Billings
including Capitalism on the Frontier: The Transformation
of Billings and the Yellowstone Valley in the 19th Century and Images
of Billings: A Photographic History.
The Railroad Shaped Our Town
Kevin Kooistra-Manning
The Railroad Shaped Our Town (WMA)
The
Railroad Shaped Our Town (MP3)
Railroads helped shape most of the towns along their lines, and it was common
for railroad executives to make decisions on everything from where towns would
be built to locations of courthouses, parks, and streets. Kevin
Kooistra-Manning, Community Historian at the Western
Heritage Center,
shares the impact of the railroad on the development of Billings.
The Eastern Montana Penitentiary
Dr. Keith Edgerton
The Eastern Montana Penitentiary (WMA)
The Eastern Montana Penitentiary (MP3)
The Eastern Montana Penitentiary, located on the eastern outskirts of Billings,
was never completed and never housed an inmate. It ended up as a country club,
then a private home before it almost became a federal prison. MSU-Billings History professor Dr. Keith Edgerton tells the story of this building that
has now disappeared into the history of Billings.
Amazing Women in Billings History
Sue Hart
Amazing Women in Billings History (WMA)
Amazing Women in Billings History (MP3)
The city of Billings has been home to a wide array of amazing women, including
the wife of the town's first mayor, the Sisters who founded the first hospital,
Calamity Jane, and the women who made and sent supplies overseas during both
World Wars. MSU-Billings English
professor Sue
Hart highlights these and other
women who had a hand in shaping the city of Billings.
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