Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • S P R I N G 2 0 1 7 64 Medical advice included an admonition not to smoke or drink in the morning. One alleged medical practitioner advised, "You can drink more and smoke more in the evening and it will tell on you (hurt you) less." Dr. Kellogg, of cereal fame, was a great promoter of healthy eating, and other cereal makers were happy to promote the notion. Breakfast posed a particular difficulty for in- mates planning an escape from the Territorial Prison at Deer Lodge. Nighttime escapes were typically discovered to be missing at breakfast. Several inmates escaped in March of 1871, and the first to be recaptured was taken at a stage stop, having break- fast. ree years later it was found at the morning count that several inmates had "made arrangements to domicile elsewhere." ey were caught at the Beaver Creek stage station, ordering breakfast. In 1878, an escape was discovered at the usual time, but apparently the escapee had eaten a hearty supper and successfully avoided recapture. Stage stations frequently supplied some sort of meal, and passengers had about twenty minutes to order and consume it. One review by a guest at the Warm Springs Hotel near Anaconda appeared in the New North West paper of 1872. "ink of the breakfast," he wrote, "Coffee, clear, dark and fragrant, flanked with rich cream, biscuits crisped and browned to artistic beau- ty, opening their hearts to the golden butter; here a juicy steak and a plate-length trout, and there a broiled chicken, while between, the lesser-virtued dainties tempt and triumph." In such an establishment, it would not have been enough to simply stumble sleepy-eyed into the breakfast room. Certain rituals were involved. Em- ployees started the guests' days by waking them with a discreet tap on their door. Ladies, in particular, were careful to dress becomingly, as social notes in hometown papers often printed their names, described their gowns and even provide their itinerary. One "accessory" a proper young lady was careful to carry to the breakfast table was a book — the larger the better — as it was deemed a mark of her intelligence. After a few cups of coffee essence, a raw oyster or two and a plate full of saleratus-laced biscuits, an intelligent young lady would have been wise to make that a cook book. Limoges oyster plate Construction projects are complex. Your construction fi nancing doesn't have to be. At American Bank, we manage all aspects of your fi nancing in-house, keeping a close eye on your bottom line throughout the construction process. That way, you can focus on what really matters. americanbankmontana.com Bozeman l Big Sky l Big Timber Livingston l Whitefish Member FDIC

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