World War II was a scary time for the majority of the world. But despite the chaos and battles halfway around the world, life carried on (almost) as usual here in Montana.

During the official years of WWII (1939 – 1945), three out of every 20 Montanans left. West Coast factories were paying $7.75 a day, the same as the mines in Butte, but the working conditions were much safer and more pleasant. Those who weren’t fighting in the war or working in those factories were trying to make the most of things at home.

1. The cowgirls marched at Billings' annual Go Western Parade in 1939.
Arthur Rothstein / yale.edu
2. The carnival carried on in Bozeman in 1939.
Arthur Rothstein / yale.edu
In the dark, it doesn't look all that different from today's fairs, does it?
3. Although the first official Miles City Bucking Horse Sale began in 1951, cowboys in Miles City were riding bucking horses long before that.
Arthur Rothstein / yale.edu
This cowboy was riding in 1939.
4. The Stockman Bar in Miles City became a gathering place for locals to hang out and gossip.
Arthur Rothstein / yale.edu
Not much has changed in that department.

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5. Wisdom looked a lot different in 1942...
John Vachon / yale.edu
6. ... but Dillon actually doesn't look all that different today.
Russell Lee / yale.edu
7. The current population of Wolf Point is only 2,800, so we can only imagine how deserted it seemed in 1941.
Marion Post Wolcott / yale.edu
We also wonder how much those rooms cost.
8. These gamblers at a bar in Birney shows people trying to live their lives as normal.
Arthur Rothstein / yale.edu
Birney's population is around 108 today, so we'd imagine it wasn't very lively back then.

It’s fun to look at old photos of Montana and get a glimpse into our past. However, these images make us grateful for modern photography.

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