It was the ninth of December 1916, and for the next dozen months, sometimes more regularly than others, Randolph kept an account of life on his family's homestead in Missoula's North Hills.
The Randolph parents, William and Emma, had come to the cabin hidden in a hollow between the hills in 1907. There, they had three children: Keith, Robert and baby Bill. They sold eggs and cream, and sometimes coal dug from a hillside mine. They planted an apple orchard, and raised a cow or two for beef.
During the school year, Robert walked to town most mornings, helping with chores before and after. At night, he used the three little lines allotted for each day to tell his comings and goings.
The diary, pocket-sized with gold-edged pages, eventually found its way inside a box within a box within a box stored in the attic of the old wooden cabin. There it was found, not long ago, by the city of Missoula's historic preservation officer, Allan Mathews, as he cataloged the possessions left after Bill Randolph's death in 1995 and the sale of his family's property to the city in 1996.
When he opened the still-white pages and found Robert Randolph's carefully cursive notations in the diary, Mathews knew he had unearthed a treasure: A sweetly unassuming story of boy in a little Montana town not long after the start of this century.
Randolph's diary entries are reprinted here, just as they appear in the little book, with gaps of his own making, spelling of his own invention and the honest emotions of a 13-year-old, then and now.
Name: Robert Edward Randolph
Residence: 2 miles north of Missoula, Montana
My weight: 106 pounds
My height: 5 feet, 4 inches
Complexion: Fair, brunette
Age: 13 (Aug. 15, 1916)
In case of accident or serious injury, please notify: William H. Randolph, Missoula, Montana, 2 miles north of the city
December 1916
9: This book was bought by M.R. for Robert. Signed the Cool leese today.
10: Went hunting rabbits, but didn't get anything. Got good and tired. Snow ankle deep.
16: Snowed 4 inches. School.
12: Went to school.
13: Went to school. Wind drifted snow clear tonight.
14: Went to school.
15: Went to school, got out at 2:30.
16: Wached miners. Tended to chickens. Halled straw - 2 loads.
17: Tended to chickens. Coasted from chicken house down the road. Went up and looked at mine.
18: Went to school. Snow about 12 in. deep, thawing today.
19: Went to school.
20: Snowed 1 in. Went to school.
21: Went to school. Snowed 1 in. Hard east wind.
22: Went to school.
23: Stayed in house. Coasted down road.
24: Stayed in house. Coasted.
25: 1 1/2 below zero, wind blowing. Got knife, handercheif for Xmas.
26: 7 below zero. Coasted.
27: 8 below zero.
28: 1 below zero. Ground bone.
29: 1 above zero.
30: Zero.
31: 1 above zero.
January 1917
1: Warmer. Coasted. Didn't go to school.
2: 30 above zero. Went to school.
3: 32 above zero. Went to school. Went to Coit's birthday party.
4: Warmer. Went to school. 40 above zero. Hunted calf.
5: Warmer. Went to school. Went to show.
6: 36 above zero.
7: Cleaned chicken house. Coasted and skied with Coit's skees.
8: Warm. Went to school. Had to stay.
9: 43 above zero. Went to school.
10: Warm. Went to school. Started skis.
11: Went to School. Work on skis. East wind tonight.
12: 15 above zero, east wind. Went to school. Road home. Finished skis.
13: 5 above zero. Went up to mine. Skied and coasted. Set 2 traps for weasel.
14: 8 above. Went to look at traps. Skied. Soked skies at Coit's place.
15: 5 above. Went to school. Looked at traps, one trap was triped with white hair in it.
16: Zero. Went to school. Got out early. Made candy at Coit's. House examinations.
17: Baby sick tonight. 2 below zero. Went to school. Got 72 in Arith. Got home at 1:30. Got coal at mine.
18: Baby sick. 2 below zero. Went to schoo
l. Got out at 11 o'clock . Went skating.
19: Baby very sick. 12 above zero. Skied. Helped miners. Mined 3 buckets of coal.
20: Baby very sick. 12 above zero. Helpt miners. Watered chickens. Skied.
22: 4 above zero. Baby getting better. Went to school. Got out early. Helpt miners. Helpt feed cattle.
23: Warmer. Baby getting better. Went to school. Went to town after honey. Stayed and played cards.
24: Baby getting better. Went to school. Miners quit old tunnel. Started one just above the orchard.
25: Baby lots better. Went to school.
26: Went to manual training. Baby up and around. Went to school. Went girl chasing. Wind and sleet blowing. Ground meat. Friday is hot here. Made mistake in the above Sun. is Mon.
27: Helped miners in knew hole. Helped water cattle.
28: Went skiing most of the forenoon. Helpt water and feed cattle.
29: Went to school. Road around with Dad. Cooler.
30: Went to school. Went up to Coit's. Zero tonight and clear.
31: 2 below zero. Went to school. Went skeeing. Drawed windmill.
February
1: Warmer. Skied to school. Helpt water cattle and chickens.
2: Went to school. Went to manl training. Worked on windmill.
3: Worked on house. Helped miners. Mined coal 2 1/2 buckets.
4: Worked on house. Helpt clean chicken house.
5: Went to school. Thawing.
6: Cattle on grass. Went to school. Froze up this morning, clear to night. Dads birthday. 24 above zero.
7: Froze this morning. Went to school. Water running a little. Clear tonight.
8: Went to school. Had to stay and take some spit ball off ceiling.
9: Went to manul training. Went to school.
10: Helpt miners. Tended to chickens. Made bow and arrow.
11: Worked on windmill. Sweped two rooms. Moved bed out of the middle room. Went after cows.
12: Snowed about 1 1/2 inch. Helped miners. Rod after cows. Snow melted off tonight.
13: Went to school. Played around school with the girls. Helpt around home.
14: Snowed about 1/4 inch. Went to school. Played with the girls. Sat around home.
15: Went to school. Whatched marble game. Helped around home. Hard west wind.
16: Went to school in afternoon. Went to manul training. Peterson mom had a boy.
17: 14 above zero. Helped miners. Tended chickens. East wind all day.
18: 6 above zero. Looked at mine.
19: 8 above zero. Went to school. Took a bath. John worked in new hole.
20: 8 above zero. Went to school. Helpt around home. Started new hole, the miners.
21: Little warmer. Snowed 2 1/2 in. Went to school. Helpt around home. Keith got a job Mon. night.
22: 20 above zero. Snowed. Went to school. Fooled with eraser clener. Helpt around home.
23: Went hunting. Whatched miners. Snowed 2 1/2 in. Miners got good coal. Keith working nights.
24: Whatched miners. Got 1/2 case of coal to use. Hard east wind, snowing, getting colder. Blizzard.
25: 12 above zero. Mined coal. Skeed. Snow is about l 1/2ft. deep.
26: Skeed to school. Went to school. Skeed other side of hill. John hurt his back.
27: Skied to school. Went to school. Dad gave me a watch. John didn't come.
28: 8 above zero. Went to school. Had to stay 4:35. Helpt around home.
March
1: Colder. Went to school. Had to stay.
2: Went to manul training. Went to school. Had to stay until 4:45.
3: Helpt Frenchy. Bill & Lillie came up. Helpd around home.
4: Snowed.
5: Didn't go to school. Helpd miners getting cables. Snowed 1 in.
6: Didn't go to school. But felt all right. Helped miners. Snowing hard.
7: Went to school. Another winter has set in it looks like.
8: Went to school. Still snowing, east wind.
9: Went to school. Heard east wind, colder. Lawerence came up.
10: Jumpt water. Halled coal. Skeed. L. went home.
11: Sat around the house. Played with baby. Studyed peece. Played marbels.
12: Went to school. Played with girls.
13: Went to school. Said peece. Got home at 6:00 o'clock.
14: Went to school. Walked home in 20 minutes. Took a bath.
15: Went to school.
16: Went to school. Road home. V.B. and I went t
o speeking, got 11:50.
17: L.H. came up. Fed chickens. Helpt around.
18: Played around with L.H. V.B. came up this afternoon. Went down to L.H. to get watch. Stayed down at grammas.
19: Went to Lora's till 9:15. Road up on the car to school. Played with the girls.
20: Went to school. Played around with the girls. Got home at 6:30.
21: Had tooth ach pert near all night. Went to school. Road around town. Road home.
22: Went to school. Watch marble game.
23: Went to manual training. Went to school. Worked on birdhouse.
24: Looked after cows. Worked on windmill. Played marbels. L.H. came up. Keith sick.
25: Mikel and I helpt water cattle. Made windows. Played with L.H. Had tooth ach. Snowed 9 in.
26: Went to school. Worked on birdhouse. 10 above, east wind this morning.
27: Warmer. Went to school. Worked on bird home. Most of snow went off. Mining.
28: Went to school. Warmer. Played with girls. Studyed on wireless. Worked on birdhouse.
29: Went to school. Worked on wireless. Played with girls. Cut cattle out.
30: Went to manual training. Went to school. Worked on wireless. Road home. Helpt with chickens and cattle. Found marbles.
31: Played marbles. Helpt with cows.
April
1: Played marbles. Made windmill. Snowed. Helped with cows. Rosy had bull calf tonight.
2: Made windmill. Helpt with barley. Helpt with chickens. Helpt hurd cows. Snowed 2 1/2 in.
4: Cleaned new birds house.
5: Cleaned chicken house. Worked on birdhouse. Lawerence came up. Went after cows.
6: Played around with L.H. Worked on birdhouse. Wached mouse trap, caught 9.
7: Wached mouse trap, caught 8. Played marbles.
8: Colored eggs. Played with L.H. Lawerence went home. Caught 3 mice.
9: Went to school. Worked on bird house. Got pants.
10: Went to school. Helpt around house.
11: Went to school. Helped around home. Played with girls. Played with ball.
12: Went to school. Played with girls. Helped around home.
13: Went to manual training. Went to school. Had program and played ball, scored 10 to 81.
14: Worked around home. Tended to cows. Went down to Lawerence house.
15: Tended to cows. Played with L.H. Made flag pole. Fixed fence.
16: Went to school. Had to stay till 5:00. Helpt around home. Wind blowing from west.
17: Went to school. Played ball. Helpt around home.
18: Went to school Played ball. Momma and baby went to Mauds.
19: Got up at 5. Went to school. Played ball. Worked around house.
20: Got up at 5:30. Went to manual training. Went to school. Went down to L.H., got home at 12.
21: Trapped gophers. Harrowed.
22: Harrowed and seeded. Lawerence went home. Mamma went down to Grandmas.
23: Went to school. Helpt around home. Made out order.
24: Went to school. Mailed order. Played ball. Went after cows.
25: Went to school. Played ball. Helped around home.
26: Went to school. Played ball.
27: Went to manual training. Went to school. Played ball, whites beat purple.
28: Picked rocks. Disked in afternoon.
29: Disked in forenoon. Hunted gophers. Helpted around home.
30: Went to school. Played ball. Helpt around home.
May
1: Went to school. Played ball at Coit's. Helpt around.
2: Went to school. Played ball till 8:15.
3: Went to school. Played ball. Went after cows. Helpt around home.
4: Went to manual training. Went to school. Helpt around home. Got order of M.W.
5: Looked after cows. Killed badger and skinned it.
6: Looked after cows. Helpt around home. Girls came up. Had a good time.
7: Went to school. Played Central, got beat 3 to 1.
June
12: Sacked 11 sacks potatoes. Looked after cows.
August
12: W.H.R. came from Butte.
19: F. McDonald took spotty cow Rosey cow to milk for their feed.
November
13: Caught 2 coyotes sometime in November.
December
15: Got up late. Swept and scrobed. Helpt bake cookies.
16: Skined Old Kate. Helpt bucher beef. Brot $60. Snow going
17: Went to school. Went to sugar factory. Very mudy. (Raining)
18: Went to school. Got returns from hides. Snow mostly gone. Raining.
19: Went to school. Went over to Bill M. Keith came home from Evero and went back. (raining)
20: Went to manul training and school. Studied and helpt with the cows. Colder. Ground is bear.
21: Went to school. Went to singing. Went thru toy land. Got my order. Snowing.
Editor's note: Robert Randolph's diary ends here. No further entries were made.