Distinctly Montana Magazine

He DEPARTMENT ritage Kings of Be-bop Rhythm THE OZARK CLUB s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s ss s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s BY KEN ROBISON T here was just something about the Ozark Club. For three decades from 1933 to 1962, this African Ameri- can-owned nightclub evolved from a "colored club" into an entertainment sensation in a most improbable place— Great Falls, Montana. Nestled in the heart of the vibrant working class lower Southside, on the edge of the railroad district, the Ozark Club on Third Street South was surround- ed by seedy bars, cafes, hotels, and houses of ill repute. From its founding in 1884, Great Falls practiced a "soft" form of segregation, with African American residents re- stricted to the lower Southside. Over the years this segrega- tion became more rigid, with blacks excluded from union membership, jobs at the copper smelter and rail repair yards, barbershops, nightclubs, and restaurants. Blacks worked downtown in service industries or for the Great Northern Railroad, worshiped at the Union Bethel Afri- can Methodist Episcopal (A. M. E.) Church, lived in black hotels, the porters' quarters of a few family homes, and sought entertainment at "colored clubs." After 13 long years the failed Prohibition experiment ended on December 5, 1933, and Montana became "wet," serving alcoholic drinks. That night young Leo LaMar opened a new colored club, the Ozark Club, in a small house on Fourth Alley South. The Ozark was an immediate success, and by the fall of 1935, the Ozark Club moved to 116-118 Third Street South on the upper floor of a large wood-framed building. Downstairs was the popular Ala- bama Chicken Shack Restaurant. www.distinctlymontana.com Owned by dynamic Leo LaMar, the Ozark Club anchored black nightlife in Great Falls during the 1930s. The outbreak of World War II, brought hundreds of white and black sol- diers to Great Falls to operate two Army air bases. The Ozark achieved fame for its quality entertainment featuring some of the best jazz musicians in the western United States. DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL Return to Montana's past jazz era Go to www.distinctlymontana.com/ozark114 According to his daughter, Sugar, Leo LaMar was born in Chicago in 1902, the son of an African American mother and a Chinese father. The Great Northern Railroad brought young Leo LaMar west to Great Falls in 1920, and for many years he worked as a dining car waiter on the Havre to Butte line. Within weeks of his arrival in Great Falls, Leo began boxing as "Kid Leo," and he fought an early bout as a lightweight in 1921, defeating "Rough" Reed, a heavier white boxer in two rounds. Sports writers reported that 'Kid' Leo "took the 'Rough' out of 'Rough' Reed" and called him "one of the cleverest youngsters who ever appeared here." Over the next five years, Kid Leo fought other bouts winning most of them. His fighting name and reputation stayed with him over the years. From its opening in 1933, the Ozark Club was known 45 C ome dy! Burlesque! A ll T hat Ja z z!

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