Drop Inn. “I know it’s only 11:00 in the morning, but I need some beer. Com’on in. Ya can meet a friend of mine.”
His stomach turned a little. He knew his father didn’t want him in any bars. Besides he was only nineteen. The only beer he ever tasted was the short drink John Nolan gave him when Tomas graduated from Butte High School last year. His father found out and chewed out Nolan pretty good and told Tomas that every dumb thing he did in his life was when he drank. He told Tomas not to drink—now he walked into his first bar.
As David entered the bar, the bartender looked away from the sink and wiped her hands on the bar towel wrapped around her waist. “Well. I’ll be go to hell. If it ain’t the man of my dreams. Where’ve you been hidin’ out? I heard you got yerself a girlfriend—”
David put his finger up to his lips and slightly threw his head to the side. Jackie Johnson picked up on his signal to change the subject as she noticed the young man following close behind David. She came around the bar and gave David a big hug. She whispered in his ear, “I need a little lovin’ from you one of these nights. I ain’t had nothin’ like it for a couple of months. So get yer ass up here without yer little buddy. Follow.”
David laughed and slowly broke the embrace. He managed one arm still around Jackie’s tight waist. “Jackie, this here is my brother-in-law, Tom Anzich. How about a couple of Great Falls Selects for a couple of hard workin’ guys from Butte.”
Tomas spoke up, “I’d like a Nesbitts Orange please. No beer for me.”
She extended her large, tan hand and waited for Tomas to shake hands with her. He slowly shook her hands, but his eyes focused right at her noticeable cleavage. As usual, she left the top two buttons of her white shirt undone. “My eyes are up here, Tom. Not down there.”
His embarrassment disturbed his speech as he attempted to cover the mistake of his wandering eyes. “I, I, I’m happy to meet you Madam.” He had not seen a woman like this before.
Jackie and David laughed at hearing ‘Madam’. She spoke through the laughter, “Call me Jackie.” David laughed even louder and sat down on one of the stools at the bar. He patted the top of the seat next to him to tell Tomas to sit down. Tomas sat down and David playfully tussled his hair with his hand. Tomas shrugged his shoulders. David’s sign of acceptance relaxed him even though he wanted to be a long ways from this bar.
David quickly finished two beers. Tomas drained his soda in between looks at the other bar patrons. The two men said goodbye to Jackie and drove up the highway to West Glacier and entered Glacier National Park.
The town of West Glacier was once known as Belton. It came about as part of the Great Northern Railroad expansion and Glacier Park. The resident population increased in 1915 as three hotels for Belton were constructed. Most residents worked at either Glacier Park, for the Great Northern Railroad, or were hotel employees of the Belton Chalets and Lake McDonald Lodge inside of Glacier Park. It was during this time that the first car and bus transportation, Glacier Park Transportation Company, began to transport visitors from Belton to Apgar and Lake McDonald Lodge in the Park.
In 1949, the name Belton was changed to West Glacier, and the residents were employees of the U.S. Forest Service and Glacier National Park. By 1951, the population increased to three hundred, and it later declined through the 1950s. Hungry Horse dam workers on their days off kept the stores and bars open during the off-season from the Glacier Park visitors.
The early summer day dawned much like the ones before it. Temperatures, warmer winds, and sunshine erased the traces and memories of the hard winter experienced by the locals in the Canyon and its foothills. Hannah worked in her usual way, mind racing with the same questions. “What day is it? What do I have to get accomplished today?”
His stomach turned a little. He knew his father didn’t want him in any bars. Besides he was only nineteen. The only beer he ever tasted was the short drink John Nolan gave him when Tomas graduated from Butte High School last year. His father found out and chewed out Nolan pretty good and told Tomas that every dumb thing he did in his life was when he drank. He told Tomas not to drink—now he walked into his first bar.
As David entered the bar, the bartender looked away from the sink and wiped her hands on the bar towel wrapped around her waist. “Well. I’ll be go to hell. If it ain’t the man of my dreams. Where’ve you been hidin’ out? I heard you got yerself a girlfriend—”
David put his finger up to his lips and slightly threw his head to the side. Jackie Johnson picked up on his signal to change the subject as she noticed the young man following close behind David. She came around the bar and gave David a big hug. She whispered in his ear, “I need a little lovin’ from you one of these nights. I ain’t had nothin’ like it for a couple of months. So get yer ass up here without yer little buddy. Follow.”
David laughed and slowly broke the embrace. He managed one arm still around Jackie’s tight waist. “Jackie, this here is my brother-in-law, Tom Anzich. How about a couple of Great Falls Selects for a couple of hard workin’ guys from Butte.”
Tomas spoke up, “I’d like a Nesbitts Orange please. No beer for me.”
She extended her large, tan hand and waited for Tomas to shake hands with her. He slowly shook her hands, but his eyes focused right at her noticeable cleavage. As usual, she left the top two buttons of her white shirt undone. “My eyes are up here, Tom. Not down there.”
His embarrassment disturbed his speech as he attempted to cover the mistake of his wandering eyes. “I, I, I’m happy to meet you Madam.” He had not seen a woman like this before.
Jackie and David laughed at hearing ‘Madam’. She spoke through the laughter, “Call me Jackie.” David laughed even louder and sat down on one of the stools at the bar. He patted the top of the seat next to him to tell Tomas to sit down. Tomas sat down and David playfully tussled his hair with his hand. Tomas shrugged his shoulders. David’s sign of acceptance relaxed him even though he wanted to be a long ways from this bar.
David quickly finished two beers. Tomas drained his soda in between looks at the other bar patrons. The two men said goodbye to Jackie and drove up the highway to West Glacier and entered Glacier National Park.
The town of West Glacier was once known as Belton. It came about as part of the Great Northern Railroad expansion and Glacier Park. The resident population increased in 1915 as three hotels for Belton were constructed. Most residents worked at either Glacier Park, for the Great Northern Railroad, or were hotel employees of the Belton Chalets and Lake McDonald Lodge inside of Glacier Park. It was during this time that the first car and bus transportation, Glacier Park Transportation Company, began to transport visitors from Belton to Apgar and Lake McDonald Lodge in the Park.
In 1949, the name Belton was changed to West Glacier, and the residents were employees of the U.S. Forest Service and Glacier National Park. By 1951, the population increased to three hundred, and it later declined through the 1950s. Hungry Horse dam workers on their days off kept the stores and bars open during the off-season from the Glacier Park visitors.
The early summer day dawned much like the ones before it. Temperatures, warmer winds, and sunshine erased the traces and memories of the hard winter experienced by the locals in the Canyon and its foothills. Hannah worked in her usual way, mind racing with the same questions. “What day is it? What do I have to get accomplished today?”
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