Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 41 HIGH UP IN THE PIONEER MOUNTAINS, about halfway be- tween Wise River and Polaris, sits a small cemetery and one of Montana's many historical markers. The plaque overlooks the now-empty valley and tells the tale of homesteader Joe Maurice, his wife, and their two young daughters. In Janu- ary of 1905, Maurice's wife died of either diphtheria or com- plications from childbirth. The couple's infant daughter had just been born, so their father grudgingly packed up the girls and took them to what was then known as the State Orphan's Asylum in Twin Bridges. Records from the orphanage indi- cate they were admitted in May of 1905, and the girls were known there as Amy and Elsie Maurice. Joe Maurice buried his wife up on the nearby hillside and would return to the Orphan's home in the fall. Amy Maurice, approximately two years old, passed first near the end of August. Less than one month later, baby Elouise Maurice passed away. Absolutely heartbroken, Joe Maurice collected his daughters from Twin Bridges and brought them home to be buried next to their mother. He remained at his homestead until he was 93 years old, when he finally was convinced to move into a nearby care home. He passed just four years later, in 1967. EARLY DAYS What happened to the Maurice family is just one of the many stories of the Montana State Orphanage, later renamed the Montana Children's Center. More than 5,000 children called the facility home over the 81 years that it operated, and there are people all over that still have a degree of con- nection to this place. Established by the 1893 legislature that recognized the need for the "care and education of orphans, foundlings, and destitute children," the State Orphan's Asy- lum opened in 1894. Originally the 100 acres donated by the Lott family had been intended for a state teacher's school at the lobbying of Twin Bridges officials until a recommenda- tion of the governor caused the plan to be altered last-min- ute. It was decided that the State Children's Asylum be built there instead, and that one large building would suit them for the first few years. Thus, a large Victorian-style structure, dubbed "The Castle," was built. The orphanage opened with five children ready to move in and accepted any child un- der the age of twelve. Kids older than twelve were accepted or denied after being reviewed by the orphanage's board of directors. First, the children were quarantined so as not to spread any disease, then sorted by age. As the facility grew, the groups would be housed by age and gender in four large dormitories. The state orphanage offered myriad activities to the young- sters, as the goal was to nurture these unfortunate children to become well-rounded members of society. They went to school on the property until eighth grade, with high school- ers attending the nearby Twin Bridges High School. There was a gymnasium, a heated indoor pool, basketball courts, a field for baseball, softball, and soccer, a theater, as well as many buildings of utilitarian use. The children over the age of five spent more time working than playing, as the ad- ministration believed that the chores provided a necessary distraction. The children kept busy, helping in the nursery

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