A Champion of History
By Suzanne Waring
Channing Hartelius, 77, has always loved history. Over the years he chose to go beyond being a reader of historical events and people. To him history needs to be enlivened in the present, and he has done just that for Montanans.
Hartelius grew up on a farm near Vaughn, Montana, and attended the one-room Neuman Elementary School through the eighth grade. His last year at the rural school, he competed in the state history examination and received second place. That competition sealed his interest in history. He attended Great Falls High School and was active on the speech team and continued making speeches and debating through college at the University of Montana. From there he went to George Washington University in Washington, D.C., to earn a law degree. For three years, he resided right in the middle of “history being made,” which expanded his interest; but he wanted to go back to Montana to participate in preserving history as well as to practice law.
It wasn’t long before the first opportunity to do something about history surfaced. The historic facility at Boulder Hot Springs that included the acreage and facility was for sale. Hartelius and a friend bought it. The Boulder Hot Springs has a rich history going back before white men settled in Montana. Native Americans from the different tribes would come to bathe in the healing waters. Although hostility often broke out between tribes, the hot springs was for everyone, and no Indian wars were fought there.
After several years of working together to make improvements, Hartelius sold his interest in the hot springs to his partner in 1978.
His next venture into making a difference occurred when he became the lawyer for the committee to “Save the Stack” at the former Anaconda Company plant, which for a good eighty years had been the industrial symbol of the Great Falls and Black Eagle communities. Because of insurance and maintenance problems and in spite of the committee’s efforts to save it, the stack was demolished in October 1980. “When a part of the stack was still standing after the first attempt at demolition, a tremendous cheer arose from the crowd which warmed my heart,” Hartelius said.
He was not discouraged. Hartelius continued contributing to historical projects. Over the years he was involved in the Arvon Block Restoration downtown on First Avenue South, Great Falls; became the Secretary of the C. M. Russell Museum for a good ten years; was active with the Portage Route Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail; and taught history at the University of Providence in Great Falls, along with his busy law practice. He now serves on the committee to recognize the historical significance of Mary Fields in Cascade, Montana; is presently the chairman of the Great Falls/Cascade County Historic Preservation Advisory Commission; shares the history of the historical homes located in the northside Great Falls neighborhood during organized walks; and does impersonations of George Washington for various events.
Over the years Hartelius has seen so many important historical structures demolished. “Once a structure of historical significance is gone, there is no way to bring it back. We need to be cognizant of our history and preserve what we can. If a structure can be utilized in some fashion, such as the restoration of the Arvon Block into a hotel, restaurant, and bar, that’s all the better,” Hartelius said.
In 1999, he was able to buy the Floweree Mansion in Great Falls. For years, the Strain family who ran a business in downtown Great Falls owned the mansion. When the last Strain family member passed away, the mansion was willed to the C. M. Russell Museum. Deciding that the mansion was not part of its mission, the museum wanted to sell the mansion. Channing bought it. He and his wife, Donna, made it into a Bed and Breakfast Inn.
Before they opened for business, they held an Open House for the community. “I was astounded,” said Hartelius, “People were lined up down the block, waiting to see the mansion.” He and Donna estimated that close to a thousand people visited the mansion that day.
Their most famous guest at the Bed and Breakfast Inn was President George W. Bush. “I don’t see how the assassination attempt on Former President Trump escaped notice of the Secret Service. When President Bush stayed with us, they had snipers on top of the apartment building across from us, and they also brought in additional trees to camouflage the backyard where the limo drove up and President Bush exited and entered the house,” Channing said.
Even though they no longer maintain an inn, Channing and Donna still own the mansion and keep it in mint condition.
This couple’s latest foray into history took place when they had the opportunity in 2019 to purchase Charlie and Nancy Russell’s honeymoon cottage in Cascade, Montana. Gene Dwyer had cared for it for a number of years. Before he passed away, he told his wife that Channing and Donna wanted to buy it, and she should sell it to them. The honeymoon cottage had been a bunkhouse where Charlie Russell, the famous Western artist, had stayed when he was not working as a cowhand on ranches. He also used these bachelor quarters to paint. When Charlie and Nancy decided to get married, Charlie added a lean-to that served as their kitchen. The Dwyers painted the cottage and remodeled the interior to fit the period.
When Channing and Donna became the caretakers of this wonderful piece of Montana history, they added to the interior items such as quilts, clothing, and other relics. Charlie’s saddle is on loan for viewers to see. Every spot in the house has something of interest that is authentic to the late nineteenth century.
The Harteliuses make the house and grounds available for various events, such as poetry readings and art exhibits, and they want to increase the number of those events in the coming years. They are pleased that they can make this contribution to the history of Montana. MSN
