Montana Bars (the alcohol kind)

[Robert J. Lawless]

There was an extremely interested article in the Times a few days ago and I wanted to write something up about it.  Basically, the author held forth with a little sociology of Western Montana to which you may or may not agree.  I personally agree. The West was settled with the presence of Christian churches and women except for the western half of Montana, some parts of Wyoming and Idaho.Because the social needs of the inhabitants of these areas were not met by churches, it was the various taverns and bars that filled in the gap.  Their role in society is still paramount in small towns and it differs somewhat from the norm.  Examples: under age children may sit and drink as long as they do not drink alcohol; children are allowed to stand in the bar to get warm and wait for the bus or their parents.  Dancing in the bar will include persons of all ages. There are no real police in any of these small towns and that role falls to the bartender who keeps several pistols and a bunch of bats behind the bar to maintain control. Hooligans from other towns may "attack" the bar and attempt to take control from the bartender.  Patrons are often enlisted to help the bartender repel the "outsiders"  and sometimes serious beatings occur.   I found myself in such an incident in the late fifties in a bar near Twin Bridges, Montana.  A huge brawl broke out after these kids from "Boise" raided the bar. We won big time and though I was drunk, I got in some good swats with one of the bats.  The leader of the pack was so badly beaten by the bartender that he had to be hospitalized, suffering many broken bones etc.  Several of the kids were hauled off in an ambulance.  I thought this all to be very bizarre, no cops, and it was a bit harsh.  The bartender explained that you've got to teach those "bastards" from Boise a lesson.   Since most of us still fish in Montana every now and again, I was wondering if anyone else has any other stories that would fit the thesis that rural Montana is poorly policed and that bars serve a social function much larger than just watering down the crowd.