Carroll College - Hilltopper Yearbook (Helena, MT)

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The South Wing under construction in 1923 adding five stories of expansion. 22 Mount Saint Charles College was widely noted for its drama proauctions. Since there were no co-eds, men had to play women's roles.

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World War I saw more than the football team on the athletic field. ROARING 20’S—TIME OF PROSPERITY With the advent of the 1920s there existed a need for more room. The South Wing of Saint Charles Hall was added in 1923. The new addition served as a residence hall and library. Fourth and Fifth South would not be finished until 1948 and Third South was the only residence area. Saint Charles Chapel was built on Second South. The twenties also found Mt. Saint Charles gaining more recognition for her academic achievement. In 1924, the College was approved and registered by the Board of Regents of the University of New York. The College's fame and respectability was growing. The era was aiso marked by sadness and great loss to the Montana Catholic Community. On September 3, 1925, Bishop Carroll, founder of Mount Saint Charles College passed away. His fame was noted throughout the state as he had firmly established the institutions of the Catholic Church not only throughout Western Montana, but erected the great Cathedral of Saint Helena and the college in a predominately Masonic area. The presence of the church could not be ignored. The college lost a great friend, but his contributions will always be remembered. After long somber funeral rites in the Cathedral that he built, the remains of Bishop Carroll were laid to rest in Resurrection Cemetery next to Bishop Brondel. Seven years following his death, in 1932 the name of Mount Saint Charles College was changed to Carroll College in honor of John Patrick Carroll, second bishop of Helena. The college continued to prosper through the twenties, but hard times rapidly approached, culminating in the stock market crash of 1929. The following decade would determine the survival of Carroll College. 21

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MT. ST. CHARLES COLLEGE IN 1928 THE 1930’S: A TIME OFTRAGEDY. GLORY, PERSEVERANCE The Depression struck Carroll a damaging blow. The faculty subsidized the educational operation by accepting drastic salary cuts. With a lot of financial belt tightening, Carroll moved on. Amidst the Depression the college also enjoyed glory on the football field. In 1931 Mount Saint Charles produced one of its greatest football teams. Coached by Bill Jones (an understudy of Knutc Rocknc of Notre Dame fame) Mount Saint Charles emerged undefeated, untied, and un-scorcd upon. Her victims included both Montana State University and Montana State College (Bozeman). This team set records to stand for all time. In the mid-1930s, Montana was rocked by a series of earthquakes and in October of 1935 a major quake occurcd. The damage reaked havoc on all the church's institutions in the Helena area. Bishop Ralph Hayes sent out a plea for immediate assistance to help the plagued diocese; Our diocese faces a grave crisis. I am appealing to the charity and the generosity of the Bishops throughout the country to come to our assistance. Our own zealous priests and people of the Diocese of Helena must give the first example of generosity and charity. Not one of our eight Church institutions in Helena and East Helena escaped without severe damage; several of them arc total losses. St. Mary's combination church and school is practically stripped of its brick walls. The rectory is severely damaged. St. Vincent's academy has been condemned as a total loss and will have to be replaced. The Children of St. Joseph's orphanage spent several nights in a bam. While they have now returned to the main building, they arc not permitted to occupy their dormitories, and their school building will not be opened for many months. At the House of the Good Shepheid, the laundry - the principal source of revenue - is a total loss. The girls have not been permitted to return to the main building, and at present arc finding shelter in the unoccupied Bishop's house. St. John's Hospital has been forced to suspend activities and the damage is so great that it has to be entirely rebuilt. 23