50 years ago in Expo history: Montana was excited for its own tourism boost thanks to the nearby fair in Spokane

Washington wasn’t the only state counting on an Expo ’74 tourist boom.

Montana Gov. Thomas Judge said he was expecting a considerable boost in tourism, his state’s third-largest industry.

“Montana experienced its best travel year during the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962 and we expect a repeat of that tourism boom from those thousands going to and from Expo this year,” the governor said.

Montana was one of several states planning an exhibition at Expo ’74, and Judge provided a few details about what was in store. The Montana exhibit would feature four Charles Russell paintings, as well as several of Russell’s bronzes. A slide presentation would feature the beauty of Montana’s natural attractions, including Glacier and Yellowstone national parks and the Lewis and Clark Caverns.

From 100 years ago: Three high school boys were credited with helping nab Thurston Davis, charged with “the daring daylight robbery” of the Brotherhood National Bank in downtown Spokane. A lone gunman had walked into the bank, fired a shot into the ceiling and shouted, “Stick’em up, everybody!”

The robber pocketed a large amount of cash and fled into an alley. Two high school boys had just parked their bikes nearby when they saw a man fleeing the bank while stuffing a revolver in his pocket. Their suspicions were aroused, and they followed the man. They were soon joined by a third boy. They saw the man rush to the Liberty Theater box office, buy a ticket and duck into the theater.

The boys then alerted police, who entered the theater and found Davis in possession of the stolen currency.