Walt and Millie's Diner • 18 E. Lyndale
COURTESY
OF DARCY O'DELL • CLICK PHOTO FOR A BIG
VIEW IN A NEW WINDOW
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Walt and
Millie's was owned by Walter C. Schrock (1916-2003) and Mildred
M. Schrock (1915-1984), who previously managed The
Diner on Neill Ave. They operated at this location, near
the busy intersection of North Last Chance Gulch (North Main)
and E. Lyndale Ave., from about 1955 to 1964.
One wall
of the dining room was covered by a colorful mural, painted
by prolific Helena commercial artist Jack
Kinney (1922-2002).
In November
of 1963, there was a small fire in the attic space, caused
by faulty sign wiring. The Schrocks moved to Superior, Montana
around 1965.
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Jack
Kinney Mural, 1960 - Fate of Mural Unknown
CLICK
ON IMAGE FOR A BIG VERSION IN A NEW WINDOW
This image of
the Walt and Millie's Diner mural was created by combining two snapshots.
Michael
E. Holmes Tells Us About 1958 Thanksgiving Dinner at Walt and Mille's
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"Walt
& Millies Diner holds a special place in my Thanksgiving
memories. In 1958 our family relocated to Helena from Lompoc,
CA as a result of my Dad’s Army duty station re-assignment.
We drove Thanksgiving week from California to Montana and
initially stayed at the Capitol
Motel. My brother and I had never seen snow before so
we fruitlessly tried to make snowmen from the two inches of
powder that had dropped shortly after we arrived.
On Thanksgiving
Day we had dinner at Walt & Millies. Eating out anywhere
was always a great adventure but W&M had a special charm
for an almost eight year old from California. I specifically
recall seeing and ordering goose from the menu, something
I had never had which seemed very Dickensian “Christmas
Carol” when I saw it offered. I don’t know if it
was regularly featured on the menu there and it is rare to
see it on restaurant menus anywhere today. With the gray overcast
skies, snow and exotic bird to eat, Helena was proving to
be a very different kind of place. The family rarely ate at
W&M again (as we seldom ate out anywhere) but that Thanksgiving
goose will never be forgotten."
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Thanks,
Mike, for sharing this wonderful Helena memory!
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