While the Gourley Brothers worked to provide Havre with the traditional bread of life, another Havre original worked to provide residents with something practically unheard of in the food pantries of Northern Montana.
            Jim Shawlee broke several molds when he first started pushing his tamale wagon around the downtown area of Havre selling Mexican tamales and perhaps a few other spicy treats to the bustling crowds.  Montanans were accustom to the traditional meat and potatoes dining of their Irish, Scottish, Norwegian and German heritage.  Mexican food was just not on the menu.
Known as Tamale Jim to locals, the spicy zip of Shawlee’s creations, were unusual treats for locals.  Despite their uniqueness, they became popular enough on Havre’s streets to allow him to eventually open a permanent restaurant.
            Of course it wouldn’t have been unusual for some of Tamale Jim’s cuisine to give some local residents a healthy case of heartburn.  But the cure for such an ailment was no farther away than a trip to Boone’s Drugstore – our next stop on the underground tour.