The Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia), an attractive, tall-growing heirloom coneflower with yellow blossoms, is also known as the "outhouse plant" and "shithouse daisy", since it was a popular choice, along with hollyhocks, for planting around privies as screens. It enjoyed great popularity in the U. S. following World War I, but eventually fell out of favor due in part to its allergy-causing and aphid-attracting properties.
In early 1919, the Commercial Club of Helena began a campaign to select an official flower for the city. Following a newspaper referendum by the Rotary Club, the Helena City Council designated the Golden Glow as Helena's official flower in Aprill of 1919.. 65% of respondents to the Rotary's referendum voted for the flower.
In May of 1919, many Golden Glow bulbs were planted along Helena Avenue by High School boys as part of the local promotion.
In early 1920, a contest was held by the Commercial Club of Helena to choose a verse about the Golden Glow and Helena to be printed on promotional postcards. The winner, Ida Stone Mead of 10 Washington Place, received a $5 gold piece. One of those postcards is pictured above.
In May of 1920, the Commercial Club distributed, free of charge, 1,000 Golden Glow bulbs to various Helena institutions. The following received 100 bulbs each: Wesleyan University; Mount St. Charles (later Carroll) College; St. John's Hospital; St. Peter's Hospital; St. Vincent's Academy; House of the Good Shepherd; Montana Children's Home; Vocational School; St. Josephs' Home (orphanage). The Florence Crittenden Home and the Deaconess Home each received 50 bulbs. Thousands of bulbs were sold in Helena as people and businesses were caught up in the hoopla.
The campaign continued in September of 1920 with the mounting of the Golden Glow Pageant, complete with a ball, the selection of a queen (Miss Marie Mosher) by popular vote, and a big parade. Between 18,000 and 19,000 votes were cast in the Golden Glow Queen contest.
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