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Wilma (Blewett) Puich has a penchant for collecting historical facts and trivia. These include records of disasters and genealogy from both sides of her family. “This is the first of its kind at the Archives,’’ Puich said. She isn’t done yet. She hopes to write a book on her exploits in gathering the information, and she’d like to do a history of Methodist Churches in Butte. She credits Ellen Crain and staff at the Butte Archives, and her dear late friend, Pat Kearney, for encouraging her to publish the book. Kearney once told her to forget her scrapbooking approach and put the school information in a book. “This book is for him,’’ she said.
But perhaps her most public collection comes forth in a new book, “A History of the Buildings of Our Schools.” It is the culmination of 11 years of research that started with her love of the Emerson School. The book addresses 69 school buildings in Silver Bow County, their addresses, years of service and the history of nearly all of them. To call the project a labor of love is an understatement for Puich, 76. She loves doing research, gathering information and organizing.
“Now, like the mines, the churches, the wonderful collections of pictures of Butte, the neighborhoods, we now have a document with the history of all of our school buildings which I am the most proud of," she said. “From the beginning of Butte, through good times and bad, the people of Butte have supported their schools. This book shows the results. “
The project originated in 2004 during a discussion of upcoming 50-year reunions for Butte High classes of 1956 and 1957. Someone mentioned how great it would be to have pictures of all our schools for one of the reunions. “With my already research interest in the Emerson I was off and running to get them all," she said. All consisted of 32 schools from 1944 to 1953, which eventually were also supported by the eighth-grade graduation classes of all of the schools, complete with names. The project was placed on display for the reunion in 2007 plus individual placemats were made for every attendee. “Since then, this project has been used by many class reunions including a Central reunion this year," she said.
But Puich, who retired in 2006 as the county’s longtime director of disaster and emergency services, wasn’t done after the 2007 project. “I just kept on going. Every picture I found and every piece of history to support it — I met people all over the country who provided the information and who have in many cases become friends, including one in Cornwall, England." she said. The book includes over 100 pictures.
HOW TO ORDER:
You can call the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives at (1)(406) 782-3280 and order direct.
The cost is $15.00 for the book plus postage and mailing of $7.50. Total $22.50
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Page created: Nov. 24, 2015 and modified: Nov. 25, 2015