WWI in Yellowstone County

Billings, Montana during World War I

Emma Rosendahl

During the war, a group of Billings citizens terrorized anyone who sympathized with the Germans or did not support the union cause. The people were told to report these "enemies" so that they could be dealt with promptly. This photo shows the view of North 27th Street of downtown Billings. It was taken in 1925 and it showcases the location where, in 1917, a group called “The Third Degree”, composed of nearly one hundred people, rounded up three men. The three suspects were accused of harboring pro-German sympathies during World War I, and as a result, the group banded together to arrest them. 

Billings had become a prosperous trading center in Montana by the 1900s. This was because of the railroad that allowed more efficient trade to become possible. The prosperity allowed new buildings to rise and businesses to start up. The railroad began to transform during World War I as new construction in Billings continued. After the war, development began to redirect away from the railroad. However, even after World War I, Billings continued to grow and establish itself.

This photo was taken around the holidays in 1917. Many homes had vacant chairs at the dinner table as many sons and daughters were off at war, fighting, training, or serving as nurses on the front lines. Just before Christmastime, Montana troops were deported to the battlefields. Reports of the casualties had not yet made their way back to the Montanans with family or friends at war, so hope still lived. However, spirits that Christmas were not as high as before World War I.

During the war, a group of Billings citizens terrorized anyone who sympathized with the Germans or did not support the union cause. The people were told to report these "enemies" so that they could be dealt with promptly. This photo shows the view of North 27th Street of downtown Billings. It was taken in 1925 and it showcases the location where, in 1917, a group called “The Third Degree”, composed of nearly one hundred people, rounded up three men. The three suspects were accused of harboring pro-German sympathies during World War I, and as a result, the group banded together to arrest them. 

Billings had become a prosperous trading center in Montana by the 1900s. This was because of the railroad that allowed more efficient trade to become possible. The prosperity allowed new buildings to rise and businesses to start up. The railroad began to transform during World War I as new construction in Billings continued. After the war, development began to redirect away from the railroad. However, even after World War I, Billings continued to grow and establish itself.

This photo was taken around the holidays in 1917. Many homes had vacant chairs at the dinner table as many sons and daughters were off at war, fighting, training, or serving as nurses on the front lines. Just before Christmastime, Montana troops were deported to the battlefields. Reports of the casualties had not yet made their way back to the Montanans with family or friends at war, so hope still lived. However, spirits that Christmas were not as high as before World War I.