Distinctly Montana Magazine

82 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 5 others. It became clear that he was less a Wild West show pro- prietor than a vaudeville performer on the Canadian and Mid- west circuits who borrowed the imagery of the Wild West show for what he occasionally dubbed his "miniature rodeo." The earliest mention of Montana Frank that I could find in the press was an announcement that he would be appearing live along with Hadji the Horse With a Human Brain and a pack of trained dogs — literally a dog and pony show — before 30 min- utes of silent films in a Fort Wayne, Indiana theater. He stayed there for some months, performing weekly. The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette wrote that "Montana Frank with his cowboy fun" would demonstrate "the life of cowboy pastime on the plains," and described his lonesome hours out West "spinning his lariat." It mentions the presence of his pony (not, alas, Hadji the Horse With a Human Brain) and mentions a demonstration of lasso tricks. I next found him in 1916, touring with a five-reel motion pic- ture of the Miles City Round-Up, telling audiences he was from Miles City, something he didn't mention as much in his later years. He took his film to Waukesha, Wisconsin, as well as Oak- land and Moscow, Minnesota. At Redwood Falls, Minnesota, he found that the local theater space didn't have a projector, and was unable to mount his show. He did, however, buy a car; the local paper likened it to a bucking "broncho," with which he was, of course, well acquainted. One wonders what happened to his little pony. The next year he popped up in Wisconsin in June. In commu- nities such as Neenah, Osh Kosh and Fox Lake, he continued to project his film and, most probably, perform rope tricks while providing his own colorful commentary. He continued with his film, which must have been getting a bit out of date if he wasn't updating it every year, until at least 1921, when the Windsor Star in Ontario mentions that his Miles City Round-Up was able to draw a big crowd. In the early to mid-1920s, he seems to have abandoned the film for more standard Wild West fare. The Camden, NJ Couri- er Post records that, for the American Legion Winter Circus of 1924, his show "was an added feature. The cowboys raced their horses around the arena 'shooting up' the armory." After which I was unable to find Frank anywhere for nearly six years. An interview and an obituary claim that he was engaged in silver mining in Mexico and/or mining in Africa. He also said he had two daughters from his first marriage who were now liv- ing in Mexico with their husbands. Does his absence from the press in this period represent a furlough from entertainment? If so, it was only temporary. In 1933, Frank performed at Toronto in August and was in- jured by a horse in Ottawa two months later. Two engagements 'AUTHENTICITY,' WHATEVER THAT MEANS, IS A RARE COMMODITY, SOUGHT AFTER BUT SCARCE, WHILE THE APPEARANCE OF AUTHENTICITY IS A LOT EASIER TO SCROUNGE UP AND SELL. MONTANA IS STILL FACING A SHORTAGE OF EMS PERSONNEL BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION AND GET CERTIFIED WITH WHITELINE TRAINING TODAY! EDUCATION & CONSULTING CPR, EMR, EMT, MEDICAL STANDBYS (406) 750-6178 WhitelineTraining.com VOTE FOR US WIN $500 FOR YOUR CHANCE TO 2025 o f BEST M O N TA N A A S V O T E D B Y R E A D E R S O F VOTE FOR US WIN $500 FOR YOUR CHANCE TO 1931 W. Stevens St. Unit B Bozeman, MT 406.587.4332 www.rmpharmacy.com O U R N E W L O C AT I O N ! 2022-24 o f BEST M O N TA N A A S V O T E D B Y R E A D E R S O F W I N N E R ! Y E A R S WO N 406-925-3743 www.PintlerAdventures.com 10984 Mill Creek Rd Anaconda, MT ANACONDA S U B S C R I B E S U B S C R I B E T O D AY T O D AY A N D N E V E R L E AV E Y O U R D E N ! A N D N E V E R L E AV E Y O U R D E N ! distinctlymontana.com/subscribe f yo chance t o 406-360-3057 www.naturespalliative.com Nature's Palliative Make the Natural Choice 2025 o f BEST M O N TA N A A S V O T E D B Y R E A D E R S O F VOTE FOR US WIN $500 FOR YOUR CHANCE TO G A R D I N E R , M O N TA N A 4 0 6 - 8 4 8 - 7 7 7 7 w w w. y e l l o w s t o n e r a f t . c o m CELEBRATING 47 YEARS! V O T E F O R U S F O R A C H A N C E T O W I N $ 5 0 0 2022-24 o f BEST M O N TA N A A S V O T E D B Y R E A D E R S O F W I N N E R ! Y E A R S WO N

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