Link to info on the "four schools of irvine flats"

https://www.polson.k12.mt.us/community/community-resources/historical-school-districts-of-lake-county/the-four-schools-of-irvine-flats/irvine-flats

Pearl Harbor News on December 7, 1941, stirs emotions for Irvine Flats ranchers

How did Pearl Harbor affect people in the Irvin Flats area?

George (aka known as Georgie on this blog) Halverson remembers that on the day of December 7, 1941, the day the Japenese bombed Pearl Harbor. He was riding home from school on his horse and a car came zooming down the road towards him.  It was the Merritts, homesteaders that lived above the Halversons, and they were telling George about the Pearl Harbor bombing and how terrible it was.

It is my understanding that one of the Merritt boys enlisted in the Army soon after the bombing.

George would turn 8 years old on December 11th of 1941.

George said that during the war the people would hear about all of the battles of WWII on the radio.  He remembers quite clearly about what was going on as even though Irvine Flats was miles away from the WWII action it was prevalent in every one's mind. 

In fact, George remembers having fears that the Japanese would fly over Irvin Flats and bomb the area.

Information on the Green Mountain School which George Halverson attended

Click on link below from the Polson School district archives to read about the Green Mountain School which George (Georgie)Halverson attended for most of his grade school years. 

The Green Mountain School closed before his 7th grade year began so he and the Irvine Flats children were bused into Polson. 

George and his grandparents moved into Polson and so he didn't ride the bus into town for his 8th grade year.

If I understand correctly, the Halversons, after moving into town, leased their ranch for grazing.

The Halverson ranch was not sold until the early 1970's.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&ved=0CEgQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.polson.k12.mt.us%2Fphs%2Fcountryschools%2Firvineflats%2520folder%2Firvineflats%2FPages%2Fgreenvalley50.html&ei=ecXnUKT4GYTtiwKatoFQ&usg=AFQjCNFlfodqIE7Bdc8LUsM7A356tmSjQw&sig2=lPUcW-YHt4oK1W6efMs3wg&bvm=bv.1355534169,d.cGE

Irvine Flats named after William ( Billy) M. Irvine - an early pioneer in the Flathead area

In the link below one will read about William M. Irvine.  Irvine Flats, a ranch area west of Polson, Montana is named after Irvine.  He was also known as Billy Irvine.

genforum.genealogy.com/irvine/messages/1239.html

Some quotes from the article follow:

"A biography and portrait of William M. Irvine, rancher/stockman of Flathead Valley, is included in "Montana, Its Story and Biography", Vol 3, page 859."

and -

"Irvine was born near Post Creek, June 15, 1856.  His father, Perter Irvine, came to western Montana as an employee of the Hudson's Bay Trading Company.  He settled at the Fort Conan Trading Post on Post creek and there married Angela Ashley, a Flathead Indian woman. Billy was the oldest of nine children. He amassed a great deal of livestock and property in the late nineties."

and -

"William M., b. 15 Jun 1856, was son of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Irvine. He grew up on a ranch and worked as a cowboy and traveled and worked with cattle outfits all over the West and Northwest. Later he settled in Flathead Valley country and owned 5,000 acres in that and Sanders County, where he raised cattle. He lived in the Flathead Valley for 29 years and then moved into the Town of Polson, MT."and -

"William M. married Mrs. Emily Larivee, a native of the State of Washington."
and -

"Irvine returned to his native Flathead in 1886 and went into the cattle business for himself, Charles Allar, Sr., staked him to his first small herd and the Irvine ranch in its heyday totaled 3,000 cattle and 100 horses.  He located west of Polson, which now bears his name, Irvine Flats. In 1896, he married a part Indian woman, Emily Brown, who died in April, 1937."

Family memories -

My grandmother, Lilly Ryan, who was raised on a homestead on Irvine Flats remembers the Irvine family.

She remembers that the Irvine ranch was a very nice place.  She also remembers a Mr. Larivee, who must have been the brother of Emily, who always played Santa Claus in the Christmas gatherings in the area.

Lilly remembers that the Irvine's (or was it the Larivee's)  had a daughter named Kathryn, who was a friend of Lilly's older sister, Rena.

She believes that a log school house was near the Irvine ranch or on the property of the Irvine's.
This writer will check on the accuracy of Lilly Ryan's memories when she visits her next week.

Georgie Halverson on a horse in 1935.



Georgie on a horse with grandfather George in approximately 1935

This is a picture of my dad, George Halverson, on a horse with his grandfather, also named George, standing beside him on the ranch on Irvine Flats, just west of Polson.

I am told by my father, who was called Georgie when he was young, that this picture must have been taken in about 1935. Georgie was born in December of 1933. He thinks he was only about 2 years old when the picture was taken.

My family members were homesteaders on Irvine Flats near Polson Montana

My family members from way back in the early 1900's came to Montana from as far away as Chicago in America (Norway before that) and from as far away as Bozen, Austria in Europe in order to homestead. On my mother's side they came from Missouri and Utah and before that, of course, Europe.

Many of my ancestors settled in the surrounding farm and ranch land near Polson, Montana, in an area known as Irvine Flats with some family moving into the city of Polson itself after farming for awhile.

They came to Montana because of the 'Homesteaders Act" in the early 1900's.

To be up front with everyone, I'm really not that sure of a lot of my family’s homesteader history. Perhaps, however, this blog will help me get going and learn about it a little bit more at a time.

Happy Trails, Everyone!