Bruce Clyde Livery Barn

 
 
A tour guide tells the story of "Long George" Francis


            A short step out the rear of the bordello takes the visitor to one of several old boilers that once provided heat to downtown businesses.  Pipes from the boiler would extend through a series of tunnels leading to the businesses.
            Also in the room is a collection of saddles and tack that are representative of the Bruce Clyde Livery Barn and Feed Store.  Originally located above ground, livery stables were an essential part of life in and around Havre.  Cars were just beginning to make an appearance and maintaining mans’ primary means of transportation, the horse, was essential.

            One of the saddles in the barn belonged to local legend “Long George” Francis.  Standing over six feet in height, the saddle belonging to Francis is easily recognizable in the display because of its size and the length of the stirrups.
            “Long George” was renown as a rodeo star and a favorite at the Havre Stampede that was held every year on the east side of town.  Despite his almost hero status, Francis had also earned a reputation as a horse thief. Whether it was a deserved reputation is still a matter of some debate, but what is known is that a warrant was issued for his arrest in 1920 on a charge of “horse theven.”  Tragedy struck before Francis was
able to serve any jail time for his alleged offense.
            On Christmas Eve, 1920, “Long George” left Havre heading west into a blinding snowstorm driving his distinctive 1914 Hupmobile Roadster.  The temperature is reported to have been -22 degrees as he drove to get to his home near what today is Fresno Dam.
            The day after Christmas, his car was found on its top on the icy bank of the Milk River.  Having traveled about 20 miles northwest of Havre, he had almost made it home.  “Long George,” his leg broken in the accident, had managed to crawl about half the distance to his goal before the combination of cold, pain and loss of blood sapped the last of his will to go on.  Removing a knife from his pocket, he placed the blade against his throat and opened his artery.
            Rumors immediately began to circulate that Francis had met with foul play and finally answered for his misdeeds and threats to drag others to prison with him.  It seems 
unlikely that anyone wanting to “even the score” with “Long George” would have chosen to do it on Christmas Eve in the middle of a blizzard when the temperature was –22.  But the myth had already begun to grow and it all became part of the rich texture that is Havre’s history.
            Livery stables and blacksmith shops went hand in hand in those early days of Havre.  It may have been the horse that propelled the cowboy, but when the buggy needed fixing, it was the blacksmith who made or repaired the part.  The next step on our journey Beneath the Streets takes us to the Blacksmith shop that would have been a common sight in the Havre area at the turn of the Century.
            The horse and the cowboy who road it, needed to have their animals well taken care of for one all important reason -- if they couldn’t work the cattle, they couldn’t make a living.  And that living was beef.