A hundred years ago wood blocks were carved and inked to put images in the paper. Above is an expamle of one of these blocks.
The Bear Paw Mountaineer
Volume 1
Big Sandy, Montana, March 2, 1911
Main headlines read:
BILL FOR COMMUTATION NORTH OF THE MARIAS PASSED CONGRESS THIS WEEK.
Editor's Note. This is an article written in the first Mountaineer paper. It is printed here in it's entirety
A GROWING TOWN AND IT'S FUTURE PROSPECTS
MUCH DEPENDS ON THE WAY OUR CITIZENS DEVELOP OPPORTUNITY
HAS GREAT TRADE TERRITORY
LAND FOR MILES AROUND US WHEN SETTLED
IS BOUND TO MAKE BIG SANDY
A LARGE TRADE CENTER
Big Sandy has a future before it that the business men of the city must develop. Situated as it is in the center of a vast area of farming land which is settling fast, it is time to act for the best interests of the town. Other places are alive to the situation and will use every possible means to claim as much territory as they can. It lies at the door of Big Sandy and is our country to draw from.
We need a good commercial club in Big Sandy in order to handle affairs amicably to all concerned, and also to have a medium to work.
Letters will be coming in thick and fast in the near future and these would be replied to more impressively if they were answered by an officer of an organization comprised of the business men. More weight would be given coming from a body than from individuals.
Co-operation is also needed. We invite work together. It will be practically easy to convince the adjacent farmers and ranchers that this is the logical trading place if we go at the undertaking together.
See to it that there is something of interest transpiring regularly, offer them attractive incentives to come here to trade and make them feel that we appreciate having them come to Big Sandy.
A good idea which has been a help to a great many towns, is to have a motto on the envelopes of every business man's wherever that mail of ours goes. They will know that we mean business. Make Big Sandy a town of 1,000 inhabitants in 1912. If every merchant would have this printed below their return card, we will be surprising the amount of good it will do. This can be done as well as not if we pull together.
Let's make Big Sandy town of 1,000 people in 1912.
