The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (2025)

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The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (1)A 'Book Is 'Born •••

One of the most challenging projects in this area's annals During the second year of the pre-publication efforts,
germinated in February of 1988 with the formation of the concern was expressed regarding the[...]ffer directing recruitment sizing and captions.
of volunteer workers, the venture immediately captur[...]were individually checked
seemingly endless array of talented individuals-historians, to insure proper placement of titles, texts, photos and captions.
artists, writ[...]th project which would
culminate with publication of this 700-page volume in late 1990. Staff memb[...]commended most highly for their dedication and generosity.
The response generated a deluge of data; family histories, Many of those workers devoted thousands of hours-as well as
feature stories, poetry and song-along with a wealth of rare substantial moneys from their own pockets-to provide the
photographs-were soon in various stages of processing. quality product which you[...]tical and factual accuracy
under a single mandate of "revision only when absolutely To al[...]ary.'' Every attempt was made to retain the color of that enduring gratitude. Our pioneers, our county and all of its
era, the character of those pioneers, the humor and the pathos, citi[...]through this
the courage and the stamina in face of sometimes publication and throu[...]the- It was, in every respect, a labor of love.
throat emotions. The photos, too, were precious in their
graphic manner of depicting those people and their times.[...]were withheld and
~ill be published in Volume II of Beaverhead 's history; other
contributions were revised to meet guidelines established by
the book's Board of Directors. The immense quantity of
submitted material further challenged editors, wh[...]ide many excellent feature stories simply because of
space limitations. Throughout this aspect of preparation, focus
was maintained on the family h[...]iled
to meet deadlines (which were extended twice for their
convenience); coordinators were unable to l[...]e remedied through
inclusion in the second volume of this series.

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (2)[...]COUR'IJY
Volume I (1800-1920)[...]Beaverhead History-I
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (3) A gem of rare brilliance •••
The heritage of an area is formulated by visionary citizens who b[...]ional and enduring.

Such has been the role of Mrs. Elfreda Woodside, to whom this volume is res[...]loyalty,
perseverance and integrity typical of Beaverhead County's populace, past and present.[...]to Dillon as a seven-year-old,
and, except for brief absences, has resided in this city for 85 years. Following graduation from Beayerhead Co[...]Fred Woodside, an aviation and automotive pioneer of that era, she embarked on public-service projects, foc[...]on the Beaverhead County Museum and preservation of this area's rich history. Those efforts culminated in 1950 with the
building of our present-day museum-a log structure appropriate to its role, erected at a then substantial cost of $13,500.

And that was but a beginning for this determined "Lady of the Hats," who would serve 25 years as curator for the museum's ac-
claimed collection of Beaverhead memorabilia.[...]teriorating mining
camp of Bannack, birthplace of Montana history. With the aid of a sizeable loan from a banking friend, she secure[...]and, the following year, donated it to the State of Mont~na. She subsequently[...]ys were overcrowding facilities, dictating a need for extra storage space.[...]secured in 1967 at a token price of $1,300 and transported down the hazardous mountai[...]enlarging of the Museum. Elfreda was equally prominent in the[...]deserved-accolades attesting to her profound love for, and dedication to, Beaverhead County. Inde-[...]admits) yet never did she lose that unique sense of humor or that talent for communication with young[...]Through that incomparable dedication to city, county, state an[...]compiled an enviable record of achievement while bequeathing a legacy of pride which envelops[...]In a region noted for vast human and mineral treasures, she is a gem of rare cut and[...](As of this writing-January, 1990-Mrs. Woodside is appro[...]alike with charm, wit, and her remarkable memory of individuals[...]and events comprising a near century of Beaverhead County history.)[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (4)[...]man-Mrs. Elfreda Woodside

Board of Directors: P[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (5)[...]Estelle Blomquist and
Area 5, City of Dillon Jane Johnson
Leone T[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (6)[...]re approximate.
I Each square is six miles or one township.[...]I[...]Locations of places in close[...]. : I. '1W[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (7)[...]ed a mile east of present day Lima, this was a relay station[...]Garrett Dingley kept by Dan Allerdice. That land became part of the George[...]moved a mile north where it
(INTRODUCTION:) Many of the early day residents of was known as the Allerdice station[...]er.
temporary reader. This series identifies most of the settle- The name was changed to Spring Hi[...]860 to 1920. Please take AMESVILLE-Named for Dr. Anzel (Elijah or Azel)
into consideration that Montana has many duplicate place Ames and located on Horse Prairie about three miles west of
names, such as Elk/Elkhorn (near Helena, near Pol[...]he operated a stage station, two-
per Centennial Valley), Marysville (near Bannack and story[...]oon. It had a post office from 1884-97,
northwest of Helena). The creeks and mountains are worse.[...]map opened two years later.
shows many of the towns and stage stations. Resources used[...]larly from
Cheney, Roberta; "Names on the Face of Montana." 1886-1929 and first postma[...]ARGENTA-Located 13 miles northwest of Dillon and
Dillon Tribune, 1880-1887.[...]ly called Montana. Chartered in 1865 at the mouth of
Dillon Tribune, 1898 Holiday Edition.[...]clined quickly when the bottom fell out of the national silver
Through Southwestern Montana.[...]It is still home to a few dozen families and some of
Johnson, Everett; Stage station map and descri[...]one of the handsomest coves I ever saw." Now beneath the
Montana Historical[...]ice from 1907-1962
Oregon Short Line, 1923 map of Montana and owes its exist[...]Pittsburg Rail-
Petite, Wm. Stibal; "Memories of Market Lake Vol. II." road. Carl Decker was the first postmaster. Named for Har-
Prohosky, Ruby; Oral interviews.[...]81 time table Ogden-Mon- northwest corner of the Scott and Decker Ranch. Armstead
tana.[...]became the starting point for the ill-fated Gilmore and
Other newspaper and[...]ndard gauge line running to Salm-
oral interviews of long-time Beaverhead people, and on-site on[...]1902, the
trips were utilized by the author. Many of the locations have 99.9 mile long line finally[...]and closure in 1941 (some say
taken. (If you know of places that are not listed, contact the 1939). The railroad[...]AURORA-Located in the southern portion of the Big
Hole Basin. Post office operated 1889-189[...]ostmaster.
ALICE- On the road leading west out of Red Rock BANNACK-The first major[...]ed near here on July 28, 1862 and the mining camp of
along Medicine Lodge and the other continued west[...]was spelled Bannock, after the Bannock
a quarter of a mile west of Wellborn's present house. Horace Indians who[...]erious circumstances. No one knew she was missing for Medicine Lodge Pass to Bannack. Two cemete[...]d nearby, one on the hilltop and one to the north of the
she had died from eating poison water[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (8)The town was the first capital of Montana Territory in 1864 rial counties cre[...]ook it away in a close Clark as a landmark for her Shoshoni people. Disagreement
election. On Au[...]Barrett's south of Dillon or the "Beaver's head" near the[...]Madison County line also known as Point of Rock. The only[...]town of Monida- and the Centennial Valley were taken from[...]the Beaverhead Rock/Point of Rock area.[...]head of Clarks Canyon about 15 miles south of Dillon.[...]of Dillon is a long thin valley famous for its hay stacks,[...]but it was located at the county line and many of its resi-[...]cause of its closeness to Dillon. At Point of Rock, it had a[...]BOE'S TOLL BRIDGE-Located at the mouth of Trap-[...]BON ACCORD, BO_N ACCORD-Located at the site of[...]nack, it had a post office for several months in 1899 with[...]BOWEN-Located northwest of Wisdom off the main
BARRETT'S-Orginally called S[...]ber as first postmaster.
'River was built as part of the Great Beaverhead Wagon BRENNER-Located at the junction of Horse Prairie
Road, a toll project awarded by th[...]illiam and Trail Creeks, historians believe that fur trappers led by
Sturgis and James Ryan. Late[...]M. station and later a water station stop for the Gilmore and
bought Henneberry out and he ran a stage station that Pittsburg. It had a post office from 1[...]BRISTON-Located west of Wisdom, it had a post office
BEAVERHEAD ROCK-also known as Point of Rock from 1899-1919. Alfred Sha[...]post office from 1869-1871 and operated as part of the stage BROWNE'S BRIDGE-Built in 1867 by General Joe A.
station, later considered part of Madison County. See Point Browne. He had a grant from the territorial government
of Rock Station for details. This is the place many historians aut[...]sent bridge was built to
nearly meaningless name of 'Point of Rock, which carries no replace the original[...]station stop be-
Rock will do; but may the gods of tradition and of history tween Lavon and Melrose, opposite Browne's Toll Bridge,
forefend us from the pseudonyn of Point of Rock!"' on the Oregon Short Line Railroad.
BEAVERHEAD COUNTY-One of the original territo- BR[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (9)discovered in the spring of 1871 by George Pettingill, Ben
Peabody, Jack Raft[...]ated the
Pettingill at Deweys and added the names of Frank Graves
and Pat Dempsey-storekeepers from Bannack, Bill Peck-
saloon exchange keeper of Bannack, and Jerry Grotevent as
members of the company. The following summer they went
over[...]e included in the company.
This was the beginning of Trapper City, Lion City and
Hecla. These towns were located 15 miles west of Melrose.
This section developed into the large[...]-1896. Twenty-five to thirty-five million dollars of ore
was taken out. The district included the Cleo[...]d other claims.
BURFIEND STATION-Located north of Dillon, this
stage station was operated by Chris,[...]d on the present Pete Rebish ranch CENTENNIAL VALLEY-In Beaverhead County when
was still standin~ in r[...]someone refers to the "Valley," chances are they mean the
BURNT PINE-Located[...]Centennial. It was named in 1876 in honor of the nation's
had a post office from 1874-82. Dani[...]first centennial by Mrs. William C. Orr, wife of one of the part-
postmaster. ners of the P&O Ranch on the Blacktail Deer Creek. The
CABBAGE PATCH-An area at the north end of Dillon P&O used the Valley as summer range before it became a
where the "Und[...]the early decades, bound- semi-popular locale for homesteading in the 1890s and at the
ed loosely from Butte to Franklin streets and Main (now turn of the century for hunting clubs for sportsmen who
Montana) to the alley east of Idaho streets. The China Gar- traveled by tra[...]fowl in the area. In the
dens are described under that heading. Near the corner of mid 1930s, a major portion of the Valley and the Red Rock
Butte and Main stood a two story[...]he rare
thriving establishment where young ladies of ill-repute of- trumpeter swans nest. There are still severa[...]ntlemen. Across and private residences in the Valley. Originally in Madison
the street was the "The Green Tin Can" for the poorer County, the residents had gr[...]county seat of Virginia City in the winter. They began peti-[...]te government in the 1890s to make them part
core of Cabbage Patch, a collection of small log cabins where of Beaverhead County. This request became a reality in 1911.
the down and out population of Dillon, usually single men,
could live. If they b[...]e cabins, in
slightly better condition, available for rent. Several were
owned by Myrtle Taylor and her[...]NIAL (town)-A small community in the Cen-
tennial Valley near what is now the 7-L, near the Jones[...]say CHINA GARDENS-An area on the north edge of Dillon in
it never existed and only shows on one map. the 1880-1920s where most of the Chinese, who arrived as[...]I
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (10)[...]de ing countryside-a dell or secluded valley. The post office
their living growing outstanding[...]sold DEWEYS/DEWEY/DEWEY FLAT-Named for David
his produce to the housewives, grocers, res[...]abin in the area, the original townsite was south of the
Dillon residents in the early years and were[...]ack Rafter
bragging in the display advertisements of the newspaper discovered rich prospects in Portshill District in 1869/70.
that they neither hired Celestials nor did business wi[...]After the town changed
CHINA TOWN-A community of Chinese miners who its name to[...]office reopened in 1890 and ran
worked the claims of Jeff Davis Gulch in Horse Prairie in until 1913. Now Dewey has a row of mail boxes on a long
the 1870-80s. Because of the hatred for the Chinese, any area board to indicate its[...]men might live would be called ing point for curious visitors looking for Quartz Hill and
Chinatown. Segregation was hearti[...]Vipond Park mining areas.
ticed by many of the wealthy leaders of the county. DILLON-Named for Sidney Dillon, the president of the
COLD SPRINGS STATION-Stage stop between Mi[...]s wanted the town to be called Washington City in
of Elkhorn Mines lived. Now a ghost town, it had a post honor of Washington Dunn, constructor of the railroad. It
office from 1922-32 with Evan Woolman first postmaster. became the county seat of Beaverhead County in 1882 when
CRABTREE-A stage station run by "Pink" Crabtree many of the same men who purchased the land from Deacon
u[...]their personal assets to underwrite a bond issue for
Utah and Northern turned it into a railroad stop.[...]the new courthouse, In its first few years of existence, stray
name was changed to Kidd. The st[...]fights and lynchings that occurred with regularity. Wood
CROWN-Had hopes of larger dreams when its people plank sidewalks were laid the length of Main (Montana)
applied for a post office in 1898 with Matilda Brown in[...]unknown. Since 1893, it has been the home of Western Montana Col-
DAL Y'S SPUR-Located south of Barrett's Station near lege. Dillon is[...]ced a boom or a
the Utah & Northern, it was named for Marcus Daly, one of bust although the dreamers have always had high hopes for
Montana's famous "Copper Kings," who ran a spur f[...]he city.
main railroad to here to get out the ore for making flux to be DOGTOWN-A mining community near Bannack. A
used in Daly's Anaconda smelter. Many of the ranchers and woman who lived there gave the town its name because of
homesteaders in the area knew Daly personally because he the numerous stray dogs that also called it home.
came to visit his investment[...]-Located above Brenner, this was
DARLING-Named for a family of pioneer settlers, it originally the[...]th Cora Rand as its first postmaster.
River south of present day Melrose.[...]e. Some researchers the east crossing of Blacktail Deer Creek two miles south of
say William A. Clark was the first recorder, othe[...]d
received $6,000 (some say $60,000) as his share of the earn- the Eliels moved to Dillon and that was the end of Edgerton.
ings. From 300-400 people were in the camp at one time FARLIN- Northwest of Apex and located on Birch
which lasted until the[...]orked Creek about a mile above the mouth of the canyon. William
by Chinese men and became kno[...]and 0. D. Farlin located rich lodes of silver, copper and iron
Baine and Morris Jones we[...]Farlin with iron ore which was used for flux. Indian Queen
DELL-Located between Lima a[...]e was discovered by William Farlin and flourished for
Red Rock (second) when the Utah and Northern term[...], William Al-
settled there in 1880. See Red Rock for details. When the lise, Joe Annear and[...]built a copper smelter. The smelter operated for only one
community was given its present n[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (11)[...]h
people lived there at one time. One story goes that for sever- Nesley as postmaster, others say J.C. W[...]mall log building still stands behind the
drawer of a sewing machine in a woman's home. An official[...]n was named after U.S. Grant, but others, knowing that
FEBES-Located at the Febes ranch on the upper[...]itive it was named after the local
was once part of Madison County and had a post office from[...]-On July 28, 1862, John
FISHTRAP-In north end of Big Hole Basin, it had a White and o[...]m 1900-01 until mail was routed to bonanza of placer gold along this creek, originally known as[...]Willard Creek, and established the town of Bannack soon
FOX-NamedforthefamilyofWalter Fo[...]e gold discovery, the area was used by the
north of Wisdom. A post office was established in 1891 with Grant family for fattening worn out cattle that had been
Walter Fox as postmaster. The post offi[...]ls in the early 1850s. Captain Richard Grant, who for-
GALLAGHER CREEK STATION-Located where the merly worked for the Hudson's Bay Company, and his two
old freigh[...]e sons John and James had several hundred head of cattle and
of the road between Pipe Organ Rock and Daly's Spur. Run horses. Johnny Grant sold beef to the miners of Bannack
by a man named DeFreight, it consisted of a store and and established his home[...]il the railroad GRAYLING-A station stop for the Oregon Short Line
came through and put the o[...]men would ride
GIBBONS-Located on the north fork of the Big Hole Riv- the southbound train to Grayling where the cooperative
er, northwest of Wisdom and named for General John Gib- conductor would drop[...]HECLA-Located west of Melrose, it was the base for the
GLEN-Originally a Union Pacific station a[...]or simply close by. and closed as the mining of silver surged and receded until
GLENDALE-Post[...]HENNEBERRY HILL-A hill on the road south of Dil-
trict was active since 1871. Located on Trapper Creek, it lon that became so slippery in a rain or snow storm that
served as the smelter location for the Hecla Mining Com- passengers would have to get out of the wagons, buggies and
pany. It once supported a population of about 4,000 resi- later automobiles and w[...]the hill. The road had been
the western portion of Beaverhead County, which consisted built with pink clay that turned to muck when wet.
of the mining districts where the constituency felt[...]crash brought the town to a halt and by 1890 much of the mail was sent to Amesville.
Hecla M[...]es had ceased. Now fam- JACKSON-One of three communities still active in the
ous for the coke kilns that still stand, it was the home of the Big Hole Basin, the town is "20 miles from[...]ere and Lewis and Clark lingered at the
-the turn of the century between Lima and Dell and a ranch- hot springs for several days in 1805.
ing area where the[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (12) 1870s. He is a man of vision. When he founded New Jerusa- dums).[...]rict was formed October 15, 1863,
lem he bragged that "The streets are paved with gold." Ore with[...]ill at Centreville, a situated on the west side of the Grasshopper Creek about
town half way between Pageville and Point of Rock, for half a mile from the stream. The lode or[...]the curve of a high mountain, the surface of the ground
JUNCTION RANCH-Probably located at[...]having a full half pitch. Some think much of the gold in the
of two stage and freighting lines which served Virgi[...]renamed in between Dell and Kidd.
honor of a passenger train conductor who was murdered MEDICINE LODGE (Area)-A creek and valley that
about 1910 by a highwayman who had robbed a saloo[...]n the area. The road
lodges, and other businesses for a few decades. (See also joins Sheep Creek[...]Corinne to Bannack
1938 when the area was bought for the bird refuge. and at one time wa[...]er route prevented that dream from ever becoming reality.
LAVON-A stat[...]MEDICINE LODGE-Located one quarter of a mile east
Bridge on the Oregon Short Line Railroad. of the earlier Alice, it was once a stage station for the Medi-
LEMHI PASS-On the ancient road trave[...]e road was built, received a post office that operated from
headwaters of the Jefferson River and buffalo country. Here[...]yaz was
Lewis and Clark rested, met a large party of friendly Sho- the first postmaster and Jule[...]ie
shoni with horses, and were able to get mounts for their trip Wellborn lives there now.
to the Co[...]ce opened in June 1881 with Charles
the upper end of Horse Prairie Creek. Shively as postmaster. It became a departure point for the
LIMA-Located on the Red Rock River about 1[...]Northern Railroad, and finally received the name of Lima MIDWAY-Stage station midway betwe[...]ne shop and changed teams. Located east of Gottlieb Schooners home-
roundhouse for decades in Lima and the town was a bustling[...]onsolidated Snow, livery and stables that took care of 60 horses, and was
with Pocatellos facilities, th[...]ted near Interstate 15. ed a sawmill that provided timber for the Bannack mining
LION CITY and LION MOUNTAIN[...]e was changed to Hecla in provide lodging for the freighting wagons that traveled from
the mid 1880s. Lion Mountain was the site of many mining Bannack and Virgina City toward the Big Hole and points
sites for the Hecla Mining Company.[...]ated between Shambow and Lake- for the tractors that hauled ore from Polaris mines to the
view in the Centennial Valley, this community operated a Gilmore and Pi[...]sters being Emma and MONIDA-Named because of its closeness to the boundary
Gene Williams and H[...]and a half miles from Ban- tant stop for stage coach traffic and freighting once the
nack, it was named for Mary Wadams (Waddams/Wa-[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (13)[...]th- was built there, its design copying that of the pinnacles. It
ern Railroad line. has since burned.
Part of Madison County until 1911, a post office operated[...]The sheep sheds are standing just south of the main ranch build-
office reopened again in 18[...]a
1964 when it became an independent station out of Lima. relay stage station on the Virginia City road.
Monida was also the departure point for the Monida-Yel- POINT OF ROCK-Also known as Beaverhead Rock,
lowstone Stage Coaches that took early day travelers to visit this refe[...]Yellowstone. Located on the promontory that puts a bend in the Beaver-
MONTANA-Located at the mouth of Rattlesnake head River about[...]was a popular route from Bannack and later Dillon for
H. D. Weed. The name was changed in 1871 to Argen[...]Gutchough built the stage station which consisted of a long
from the mine nearby, where its owner, who hated Indians, low building that housed the hotel, post office and saloon
was su~pected of shooting any who came to the area and plus some outbuildings for the stock. Unfortunately for the
stuffing their bodies down the mine shaft, th[...]e town had a vided an ideal place for robbers to hide while waiting for the
stage station with a large livery, a store, a[...]until 1885 or later. The station was run for years by Annie
one time the town had a physician and a school. Many of the Martin, then Sim Estes, and later Ben[...]e seen from Highway
MORRISON-Located southwest of Argenta, it had a 41. The post o[...]but the facility continued to be a mail drop for some time.
nearby town is called Glen. Later the nearby town of Blaine became the official postal
NICHOLIA-Located southwest of Lima near Rock station.
Creek[...]ng country.
NOLAN STATION-A stage station west of Amesville
on Horse Prairie road to Idaho and Salmon River mines
OLIVER-Named for William Oliver, who operated a stage
station on h[...]ued and moved to the Willis ranch at the
crossing of Willow Creek.
O'NEILS-A stage stop for the Deer Lodge Stage on
Rattlesnake Creek, coming[...]Point of Rock Hotel and Stage Station, 1895.
PHILOSOPHY[...]rhead POLARIS-Located north of Bannack on Grasshopper
River by Lewis and Clark i[...]reek, this was an important silver producing area that
PHILANTHROPY RIVER-Name given the Ruby Riv-[...]ing Company. Harry Armstead built 40 miles of road from
PINE BUTTE STATION-Located one and a[...]mstead where the ore could be transported on
west of Monida, this was a very important station because[...]fice opened in 1898 with Mary Pierson in
because of the snow. Willows were used for markers on the charge, and has continued[...]post office from 1893-95 with Louis
miles south of Dillon that resembles the pipes of a giant Fyhrie as postmaster.
or[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (14)[...]sengers could get off and catch the stage for Alice, Medicine
trict. From 1878-1889, Quartz Hil[...]Rock declined, leaving it a st ock loading
south of Dillon, now called Beaver Rock. The legal descrip- railroad stop for the ranchers in the· area.
tion of the boundaries between Madison and Beaverhead REICHLE-Named for the family of first postmaster
counties gives the land east of Beaver Head Rock to Madi- Margareta Reich[...]en Willis became
son County, so if those in favor of the rock south of Dillon Reichle. Its name was later changed t[...]eclared the "real and true rock," Dillon and much of settlement was called Willis Station after Ozias Willis, an
the ranch land east of it would be shifted to the county to early rancher who donated land for the Reichle School
our east.[...]Ryan's Station was a toll gate for the Great Beaverhead[...]d
crossed Big Sheep Creek about a half mile south of present
day Dell and about eight miles north of Spring Hill/Lima.
An old cellar is still there. This was a dinner station where
one of the biggest hold-ups ever staged in the county wa[...]RED ROCK (Second)-Located about 40 miles south of
Dillon, this was a stage station on the Great Beaverhead
Road. It became the first terminus in Montana for the Utah
and Northern Railroad Company line. The railroad was
brought to this point early in the spring of 1880. It was given
the nickname of the "Dives" for "Devil's Dives," probably
due to the notorious reputation for the "Hell-on-Wheels"
nature of the railroad terminuses. The post office opened i[...]SHAMBOW-Located at the Shambow ranch in the
valley the name of Red Rock because of the "gurasic" (per Centennial Valley, a post office operated from 1889-90 by
G. Metlen[...]placed by one called Mag-
op." The Red Rock River that flows through the Red Rock dalen.
Valley comes from the Centennial Valley to the southeast SHEEP CREEK STATION-[...]is considered by some to be the "true" headwaters of the (first), it was a dinner station located[...]Creek crossed the road about eight miles north of Lima. One
bluffs or buttes. This town later became Dell. Some of the of the biggest hold-ups ever staged in the county took place
businesses that operated there in later years continued to[...]to
took the name Red Rock with it, stopping south of what is Salmon. A cart trail led to Salmo[...]a- road from Ed Roe's ranch house west of present day Red
tion stop for the Utah and Northern Railroad after the[...]Pas- SNOWLINE-Now the headquarters of the Snowline

14-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (15)[...]asion- probably never passed 200.
al truism that this is where the snow stops falling when[...]mp their loads on Monida Pass. of Dewey named for John Vipond who discovered a lode
SPRING HILL-[...]quipped mill was in operation, but when the price of
STONE'S PRECINCT-Located on the John Stone[...]ning districts in Beaverhead County.
er northeast of Dillon. It was a relay station and used to[...]pened in station, this was on a branch line of the Great Beaverhead
1868 with Stone as postmaste[...]ocated ranch and City. A post office opened that same year. Estes, who came
often a school and a p[...]changed, dinner served to passengers, and a bed for the
south of Dillon. It was named for William Sturgis who was traveler if desir[...]office opened January tions." It was named for Major Watson, a prominent blacks-
1868. Sturgis a[...]en passenger service on the railroad
construction of what became known as the "Great Beaver- replaced the stage coach business in the valley. Across from
head Wagon Road," which opened for business in 1866. The Watson was the Rya[...]eral home-
TERMINUS-This was the original name for present steads were in the area. A few of the outbuildings at Watson
day Dillon. The town w[...]still exist, but the area is primarily known for the picnic
when the portable terminus tents and w[...]d River, and the East
were set up as a rail point for construction crews laying track Bench diversion[...]o Creek about 30 miles from Dillon, site of one of the most
owned a large stock ranch on the Beaverh[...]key operations in the county dec-
to sell a right-of-way to the Utah and Northern Railroad, 12 ad[...]September 17, original discovery point of gold on Willard Creek. Discovery
1880. They immediately negotiated a sale of the right-of- was made July 28, 1862 by John White, Je[...]C.
TEN MILE-Located about ten miles southwest of Dil- Beckwith.
lon on the road to Big[...]CREEK-The name given by Lewis and
south and later for ks to Bon Accord and Bannack (via Road Clark in 1805 to the creek that flows through Bannack. Later
Agent's Rock) to Ban[...]to it was changed to Grasshopper because of the abundance of
Ermont Mine. At the junction of these irregular crossroads, hoppers that summer and fall.
an enterprising individual built a way station for the big, WILLIAMS-This was a famous home station on the
plodding freighting outfits that were able to make only ten Corinne-Montana[...]operated by Ben Williams, the station was built of logs and
THORPE STATION-Located north of Dillon, this contained a hotel,[...]Railroad in 1880.
mountains west of Melrose, this community became part of WILLIS-Near the present town of Glen at the crossing ·
the Hecla Mining Company's extensive operations. Its of Birch Creek near the Big Hole River, it operated[...]d to Reichle.
worked the lush mountains in search of furs. Its population WILLIS STATI[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (16)[...]doy Range (Lima Peaks) rises between Lima Valley and
The southernmost county in Montana, Beaver[...]County is also the largest, encompassing an area of 5,619 The Ruby Range, including the Blac[...]at the north, and 75 at the south. It is also one of the while the Snowcrest Range rises between the[...]g been created February 2, Basin and Centennial Valley.
1865. The interior drainage of the county, eventually to the
Geographical bou[...], main
and Beaverhead Range on the west form part of the Conti- tributary of the Missouri. Red Rock Creek, headwaters of
nental Divide. On the north, the Big Hole River s[...]Lodge, Silver Bow and Madison corner of the county at Upper Red Rock Lake, situated at
Co[...]oundary is man-made and follows the head of Centennial Valley which is nearly 50 miles long
along legal subdivisions of land instead of natural geo- and as much as 15 miles acros[...]Headwaters of the Big Hole River are near the western
The interior landscape of Beaverhead County is moun- rim of the county at the south erid of the Big Hole Basin.
tainous but is described more accurately as a collection of The river flows in a semicircular path, first[...]e central form the Jefferson River.
part of the county across the Big Hole River well into Deer The climate of Beaverhead County ranges from semiarid[...]es while win-
Willis on his ranch at the crossing of Birch Creek. The ter readings have been r[...]then until melting in May or early June of the following year.
Reichle and finally Glen. Except for some high peaks which remain snow-covered
WILL[...]se between Kidd and Red Rock (third), free for the greater part of the year.
the station was run by Mrs. Al Young who sold butter and With the major portion of its land in range &.nd forest,
hardtack to the tr[...]was discontinued before the railroad a density of 1.4 persons per square mile. Agriculture contin-[...]y 260 farms
WISDOM-Located in the upper middle of the Big Hole and ranches having an average size of 6,800 acres and aver-
Basin, this settlement was originally called Crossings, and age value of $300,000.
when the post office was being consider[...]. James Gerry was postmas- estimated, amount of money to fix the direct road from
ter. Later the[...]condition was speedily raised. A party of workmen have
WISDOM RIVER-The original name giv[...]gone out on the road, and the work of repairing has already
and Clark in 1805 to the Bi[...]WISE RIVER-Located in the extreme northern part of the Blacktail Canyon and build bridges[...]'s post office was opened in 1913 in Centennial Valley and repair the road thoroughly as soon
with Ellen[...]om/Big Hole River. the National Park, for in addition to its being the shortest, it
WYNO-[...]d near passes through a section of mountain country the magnifi-
what would later be the G&P Montana-side switchback. cent scenery of which is unequaled on the American Conti-
They operated a stage station for the heav freight wagons nent.-Dillon[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (17)[...]Flows by the cinders
Of its dramatic
Glittering past[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (18)[...]during the winter of 1862-63.
BANNACK: 1862-1920 Under the leadership of Henry Plummer the badmen[...]ining his
Bannack, located 25 miles southwest of Dillon, possesses fellow citizens' trust, and[...]ourt election as
much historical color. The site of many "firsts" in Mon- sheriff on April 1,[...], first school, Bannack entered upon a period of violence which lasted as
first territorial capit[...]de discovery- long as he was in office. Most of the crimes were committed
Bannack well deserves[...]The first white men to view the area were members of the agents were said to have killed at least[...]up the Beaverhead robbed an unknown number of others. After George Ives,
River. On August 14, 1805, the now-known Grasshopper one of Plummer's henchmen, was hanged by Virginia City
Creek was named Willard Creek for Alexander Willard, a Vigilantes, other arrests and executions followed in rapid
member of the expedition. On July 7, 1806, while returning[...]ng, January 10, 1864, Henry Plummer
present site of Bannack. and two of his deputies were hanged in Bannack from the
The area was the scene of many contacts between "Moun- gallows which Plummer had erected for the execution of a
tain Men" and missionaries with the Indians in[...]e thief. Within a few weeks all the known members of
following the Lewis and Clark expedition. It is possible that the gang were hanged or banished. A picture of the old
Grasshopper Creek was the source of Father DeSmet's "rich "Boot Hill", then loc[...]e hill,
gold" story, since he passed through the valley with his shows some 11 graves. The origina[...]ays to the Bitterroot. ers of the road agents have long since disappeared.[...]not to really begin until During the peak of road agent activity in March of 1863,
almost 55 years after Lewis and Clark, whe[...]annack became part ofldaho Territory. The capital of this
and party discovered gold, July 28, 1862. W[...]miles upstream from the point at recognized that Lewiston, hundreds of miles away, over
which Grasshopper Creek empties[...]ld never provide them
er. White, who was looking for Mort Lott's Pioneer Creek with adequate government. Activities of the Plummer Gang
discovery, filed the first recorded mining claim. Unaware of proved their point. A _crowd of miners assembled in a Ban-
the Creek's previous[...]nd drew up a petition to Congress
Creek" because of the dense 'hopper population in the area. requesting that a new territory be cut from Idaho. Signa-
Like many "original" gold strike discoverers, White di[...]The newly appointed Chief Justice of Idaho Territory,
As news of this fabulous strike flashed across the nation,[...]nephew, Vigilante leader Wilbur
and was the topic of worldwide speculation. Fisk[...]and he declared Bannack the
boasted a population of 400. By the following spring over territor[...]vened on December 20, 1864.
The camp was named for the Bannock Indians, affiliated In spite of the intrusion of Civil War politics (one pro-
with the Shoshoni, s[...]ecause he wouldn't
Bannock were particularly fond of camus root cakes. Ban- take an oath to su[...]e capital followed the stam-
fire. It is believed that the town's name received its change pede of miners to Virginia City in 1865.
in spelling when[...]lode claims
D.C. the "o" was inadvertently taken for an "a". proved unimportant, and the first lode to be worked consis-
As in the case of most early gold strike communities, the tentl[...]fully, was the Dakota (Dacotah), patent-
majority of the populace were honest, hard working citizens; ed in November of 1862. To serve this gold bearing quartz
but along[...]first stamp mill in
do-wells. Early authors state that it was probable that there what was to be Montana Territory. The mill was built out of
never was a mining town of the same size that contained old wagon parts, water[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (19)[...]the school had an average attendance of 52 children a day.[...]After the turn-of-the-century, a number of companies[...]success was short-lived for those investors.[...]The period closed upon a sad note for Bannack's citizens,[...]"King alcohol, after a reign of 55 years in Bannack, has[...]nack is dry six months in advance of the time fixed by law[...]Professor of History (ret.)[...]There by a little digging, we could get a pile of gold.[...]to bring water to Bannack, And some will be of low degree and some of high renown.
mainly for use in hydraulic mining-one from as far away as They don't care a jot nor tittle of who they are that buys
30 miles on Coyote Creek. These ditches and[...]enewed interest in placer mining and
enabled much of the abandoned ground to be worked. Th[...]7, when They say their trade it is to cure; I say it is to kill.
word reached camp that Chief Joseph's Nez Perce had de- They'll d[...]they make you
feated General Gibbon at the Battle of the Big Hole and sigh
were moving toward B[...]built on the high points above town on each side of or die.
Hangman's Gulch, while the women an[...]assed the But at the present there's no lack of spiritual food.
town. The bodies of the settlers were brought to Bannack The kind I refer to will make you laugh or cry,
and buried b[...]'Taos'-Root, hog or die.
the unusual large number of men in town to build the still
existent Bannack C[...]expected county seat fight-with the usual
charges of conspiracy, graft and corruption, the county seat[...]he Beaverhead. · of an old friend. "How did ole Bill die?" asked the[...]ing," answered his buddy. "What
residents claimed that all the houses were occupied and that was he doin' up there?" "GETTIN' HUNG!"[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (20)[...]water was so cold and work so laborious that the men com-
By FRANK HARM[...]covered that day (August 12) and camp was made about a
(Frank[...]below what is now known as Lover's Leap-
versity of Iowa. He served as a professor of history at the nearest of any expedition camps to the current site of
Montana State Normal College - now Western Mon-[...]e miles but found
faculty ranks at the University of Southern Califor- the river almost i[...]th his men in water three-
nia. He was the author of 13 publications, four of them fourths of the day. They passed the mouth of a "bold run-
dealing with Montana themes. The following article, ning stream I call McNeal's Creek (now Blacktail Deer
first pub[...]storians and WMC Pro- high point of limestone rocks" (Lover's Leap, just west of
fessors Stanley Davison and Dale Tash.)[...]outskirts of Dillon). According to Professors Tash and Davi-[...]wis and Clark
Beaverhead County were four members of the Lewis and Route where today's hiker can be so certain that he stands
Clark Expedition (Lewis, Drewyer, Shiel[...]exactly where the explorers stood."
who at that stage of the journey were in advance of the main On the 14th, they camped at the foot of Rattlesnake Cliffs
band.[...]major site in the greatest exploration mouth of Grasshopper Creek. On August 16, the party
of American history. It was here that the expedition virtual- passed what Clark called "Service berry vallie" which now
ly attained the source of the Missouri; it was here that the entails the stretch between Pipe Organ R[...]ft the river and took to land travel; it was here that Canyon.
the people of Sacajawea were met and horses secured for the August 17 was a day of major importance for the Lewis
trip over the mountains; it was here that the ascent of the and Clark Expedition. In the morning, t[...]de was begun, bringing the party to the last half of its at Two Forks, Clark coming upstream from the north and
journey. It was here, too, that the expedition reached its Lewis down Hors[...]hwest after
climax and felt comparatively certain for the first time that having been across the Divide. At noon the ma[...]. which Clark had been leading alone for the past week, ar-
On August 8, 1805, the expe[...]eaverhead Rock, also called It was here that Sacajawea, the bird-woman, recognized
the Point of Rocks (a landmark still clearly visible where Cameahwait, chief of the Shoshoni, as her brother and the
State Highwa[...]were united· amid great rejoicing. The locality of Two
way between Dillon and Twin Bridges). They camped that Forks (where the town of Armstead would later be sited) is
night about sev[...]from the present bound- among key points of the entire expedition. Here, the main
ary line be[...]nd Madison Counties. party camped for a week from August 17 to 24. Canoes were
On Au[...]ions crossed unloaded and sunk and much of the equipment cached.
the river and proceeded up the east side of the river, cross- From this point, they advan[...]er Creek and followed a "plain Indian road of canoes, to carry supplies.
which led toward the r[...]in entrance." Following On the morn"ing of the 18th, four horses were secured from
that trail, which led them over the present site of Dillon, the the Indians and at 10 o'clock Clark[...]ate noon rations at the present men and most of the Indians-set out up the valley of Horse
station of Barretts. The cliffs at that point were called Prairie Creek to cross[...]spent the following week directing a large cache of supplies
the "Two Forks" of the Missouri-Le., the junction of Horse destined for the return trip down the Missouri the following
P[...]is ad- year. By skillful management, that cache had been dug,
vanced 10 miles up the valley of Horse Prairie Creek and, filled and cover[...]t
northeast," which must have been near the mouth of Trail and about 50 Indian men, women and[...]On the morning of the 24th, Lewis purchased three horses
While L[...]camp at Two Forks and started up Horse Prairie valley. Six

20-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (21)[...]he East side through
camping just below the mouth of Trail Creek. The trek Sarviss Vally and[...]fertile which we call the
his companions were out of Beaverhead County and Mon- Beaverhead V[...]nd spent the Thus concludes the account of Lewis and Clark's Expedi-
winter at "Fort Clatsop[...]Rock to Lemhi Pass, returning to
Pass and camped for four days in what is now the southern Armst[...]k again by the same pass; Clark traversed
portion of Missoula County. On July 3, the two captains[...]Pass and
separated, Lewis with nine men destined for the Missouri once from Gibbon's Pass via A[...]ty spent 17
and Sacajawea and her child departing for the Yellowstone days in this county (August[...]party crossed the county in six days (July 6-11). Of
bons Pass on the north fork of the Big Hole River (Trail their 10 camps b[...]y, they traversed 25 miles toward cally was that at Two Forks (Armstead).
the southeast (through what is now Jackson) and continued Many of the present names derived from that expedition,
down Grasshopper Creek to Bannack, an[...]h~ad rivers, Beaverhead
Two Forks where the cache of supplies and canoes had been County, Beaverhead Rock, Point of Rocks, Rattlesnake
left. Everything, with the exception of a single canoe, was Cliffs, Two Forks, Shosho[...]ad) to Beaverhead Rock, the Several of their designations, however, were renamed. For
trip was made by both water and land (canoes and[...]e from Clark's account, we receive his impression of Hole River, Wisdom River; Ruby River, Philanthrophy Riv-
the Beaverhead Valley proper as he again entered it after an er; Black Tail Deer Creek, McNeal's Creek; Rattlesnake
absence of 11 months:[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (22)[...]salary of $65 per month. Somewhere along the way the
BEAV[...]school was know~ as the Nelson School instead of the Bish-
SCHOOL DISTRICTS op School. A majority of the taxpayers voted to become[...]January 5, 1960.
Dates of Organization
(still operating in 1989)[...]n. Miss Anna Coffin was hired in 1878 at a salary of
(Grayling) - 1897 20. Medicine Lodge - 1897 21. P[...]month. Twenty pupils were enrolled. The last term of
(Gras&hopper, Scudder Creek) - 1897 22. Dell - 18[...]5. Kirk School- Riverside School, built west of the Beaverhead River, be-
1899 (So. Jackson) 26.[...]ck Creek) came District 3. Pupils living east of the river attended
27. Blacktail (Lovell) - 1903[...]ns (North Fork) - 1906 Clemans, a relative of Mark Twain. Miss Clemans taught
(Bowen) 33. Nicho[...]dated 1897, when M. Koepp was employed for a term of six
Bannack School District 1 months with a salary of $55 a month. School terms were held[...]voted.to consolidate with Dil-
The first term of school began October 1863 and lasted lon Di[...]ban-
about three months. Miss Lucy Darling, niece of Sidney doned August 4, 1971. It is interesting to note that the
Edgerton, was the first teacher. School was h[...]d the same from the date it was orga-
gerton home for lack of suitable quarters elsewhere. Twenty nized unt[...]to Dillon.
pupils were enrolled. The second term of school was in a new
building on the bank of Grasshopper Creek. This building[...]e Dis-
trict 21. The Bon Accord School was opened for eight trict, Silver Bow County, on Jan[...]consolidation
Her salary was $60 a month. Pupils of the Bannack School dissolved but were unsu[...]illpoint School in 1947-48. The two districts of the people. Once again it was designated District 5. I. M.
were combined, keeping the •District 1 desi[...]was the earliest teacher on record with a salary of
Millpoint and Bannack Schools were both operating[...]ool was declared abandoned
1950-51, the last term of the Bannack School. The Millpoint and was ann[...]trustee to the effect that an election for trustees was held in
Bishop School District was[...]was probably in the late 1860s. Two more sections of land teacher named was M. E. Potts, employed for four months
were added to the district in 1891 fr[...]onth. The district was declared aban-
the efforts of W. R. Gilbert and James P~ Murray. Janie[...]iver District 11, May 22,
Carter is listed as one of the earlier teachers, receiving a 1962.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (23)[...]Upper 1896, from the western portions of the Dewey District 6.
Grant, to name a few. Distr[...]0 named Brenner but it was declared aban- of transportation was very evident at that time. The Wise
doned and returned to Grant, February 27, 1947. From 1951 River School was opened for its first term, April 19, 1897 to
to 1962 there w[...]September 3, 1897. The first teacher was Elma I. Duglas,
Upper Grant and Lower Grant. The Upper Grant School salary $55 a month. Parts of the Elkhorn District, all of the
was discontinued in 1962 and combined with Lo[...]ding to the records available, the first term was for five Wise River. The Wise River School is still[...]According to available records, the first term of school
was for about six months beginning September 14, 1896.
The records that are available indicate Hecla was an oper- Two[...]to 1906. Lida Humphreys was the a salary of $80 a month, and Ida M. Clyme, $70 a month. The
first teacher, employed for four months, salary $60 a month. Lima Distri[...]tain parcels of land were also added to the Lima District in[...]Briston School District 13
Register for 1897 was Kate E. Van Emon. The term was for
four months, salary $50 a month. A petition to es[...]on as the first
new school district from portions of School District 9 was teacher for the first term, October 1896 to May 21, 1897,
gra[...]0 a month. The district operated until June 1960.
of Reichle. The Birch Creek School was declared aban[...]illian Bradeen, salary $50 per
ed an entire block of land (where the St. James Episcopal month[...]n 1947 and portions
was erected in 1881 at a cost of $2,500. The second story was were attached to[...]ol District 15
ed in 1910. The Mary Innes School, for primary grades, was
later built, east of the Bagley School. Miss Mary L. Innes T[...]n
was listed among the early teachers. She taught for many of District 14. From 1897 to 1905 it operated out of District
years and then became school librarian a[...]14. Frank Kleink was the first teacher employed for one
brarian at the Dillon.Public Library.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (24)[...]large as originally The first term of school was for a period of four months in
planned and encompassed a good part of the Big Hole Ba- 1897, taught by Lillian[...]n 1896 another division was private school for five months from December 1911 to April
made to f[...]The Medicine Lodge Dis-
from the northern portion of Wisdom, call Elkhorn School trict was dec[...]stead
District 35, formed in 1911. The first term of school listed District in 1947.
in the Teacher's Register was for three months in 1897,
taught by Augusta F. Johnso[...]Polaris School District 21
school districts of Briston, Bowen and Gibbons were an-
nexed to Wisd[...]inuous operation since 1892. There are no
Many of the districts, especially in the Big Hole Basin, old records existing in the office of the County Superinten-
must have been created bef[...]The first record available reports the first term of Dell School District 22
school[...]to September, 1897. Mar-
guerita Koepp was hired for $50 a month. The District oper- The Dell[...]until 1937 when the Gosman School closed and all of
ed with Wisdom in 1961.[...]listed for the Dell School was Lizzie Price for a seven-month[...]term, salary $60 a month. The first term for the Gosman
West Fox School Distri[...]School was started in November 1912 for five months, sala-[...]was annexed to it in
1898, A. J. Noyes petitioned for his property to be added to 1947. An election[...]1963 to consolidate with Lima
Briston District 13 for the convenience of his children. By District on March 20, 1963.[...]trict was created. The Teacher's Register reveals that Upper Wise River School District 23
Dotia Martin was employed for a four-month term in 1897,
salary $50 a month. Th[...]ated until 1958. The A school was held for a four-month term in 1897. Craig
district was dec[...]district consolidated with Wise
The first term of school in the Teacher's Register was for River District 11 on July 1, 1930.
three month[...]was employed as the first
teacher, with a salary of $50 a month. In 1947 a portion of Jackson School District 24
R[...]edicine Lodge School was reopened in 1953 as part of the became Jackson School District 24. The[...]declared abandoned and annexed to the Jack-
Lodge for seven years before being elected County Superin-[...]1948. In 1961 West Fox School District 18
tendent of Schools. The schools, Armstead and Medicine[...]the Teacher's Register was Emily Martin, employed for
doned and the district was divided and att[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (25)[...]trict 25 ued, the six sections of land previously removed from the[...]children were sent to District 10. The first term of about
Jackson School District 25. The first term of school was three months in 1905 was taught by Elizabeth Drummy,
held for about three months, taught by Josephine Holt,[...]Wright taught the first term of school in 1905 and was paid[...]to 1923. However, it was not annexed to the Grant
of the Birch Creek School District 9 was granted in[...]hle School District 26.
Mamie French was employed for the first term of about five Barretts Station School District 31
months in 1902, salary of $45 a month. A school was estab-
lished at Rock C[...]at WMC while the new buildings take term of school was for three months, taught by Francis
shape.[...]Nicholas at a salary of $50 a month.

Blacktail School Dis[...]5, 1905, to
School District 27 by dividing a part of District 10 and all divide District 17 in order to create the Gibbons (North
of District 3 lying east of the Beaverhead River on Decem- Fork) School District 32. The name of Irene LaSage is
ber 21, 1901. A small portion of the Red Rock District was listed in the Te[...]Katherine Knudsen
Converse taught the first term of six months at $50 a month. taught a term of four months in 1907, salary $50 a month.
The Blac[...]rict 28, commonly called
East Fox. The first term of school was for eight months A petition was granted, March 1, 1906, for Lima School
beginning in 1904, taught by Lizzie K[...]he School District 33. The first term was for eight months,
students were sent to Jackson and West Fox for the balance taught by Miss Thompson, salary $50 a month. Nicholia
of the term. The Fox District was declared abandoned and School operated from 1906 until 1949. For three years the
annexed to West Fox in 195[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (26)[...]Lakeview Distri(!t. The Board of Trustees in the two dis-[...]tricts filed a written request that School District 36 be
A petition was granted[...]as Lakeview District 36.
from the southern part of District 21 and the northern
portion of District I to create Millpoint School District 34.[...]strict 1 was declared abandoned and
made a part of District 34 to be known as Bannack-Mill-[...]from October 1910 to
Ward taught the first term of three months and Lillian July 1911, sala[...]re- from 1910 to 1951, when three pupils of the Monida School
ceived a salary of $60 a month. The Millpoint School operat- were[...]. The first Eva Williams taught the first term of six months in 1911,
term was taught by Ruth R. Cernaghan for four months, salary $60 a month. School[...]ol District was created in 1911 when
, Centennial Valley was being settled by homesteaders. Thfa
distric[...]Jones School District 37

Fifteen sections of land, situated in the middle of tht
Doyle School District 38, were transferred to create the This log school house, a branch of the Medicine Lodge
Jones School District 37 in[...]by Carl Hansen and Claus
taught the first term of three months in the summer of 1911, Anderson to serve the three Hansen child[...]car. It was located about one-quarter mile east of the Han-
1933 the Jones School District 37 was abandoned and an- sen Ranch and was in use for five years. Desks were bor-
nexed to the Doyle[...]Hansen. The first teacher was Dora Porter of Stevensville,
The Doyle District was created in 1911. Miss Carlson followed by Mary Buyan of Glen (pictured).
taught the first school term of eight months, salary $55 a[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (27)[...]One school year started with 18 pupils. Those that at-[...]from $90 to $115 per month and they paid $25-30 for room
ty on the road to Brown's Lake. Thaddaus "Teddy" Mauz and board.
donated the land for the school. In 1916 Christ Rieber, Fay[...]tests. She also visited the school twice a year. I graduated
pictures of Washington and Lincoln on the wall. A teacher's from grade school in six years. All pupils that graduated
desk was in front of the rows of desks for the pupils. from the Rock Creek Scho[...]al completed college.
and overshoes. A bucket of water and a long handled dipper, On Arbor Day a special train took us to Butte. We rode on
that each pupil used to put water into his own tin cup[...]umbia Gardens. The
near the door. It was the duty of one of the older pupils to fill merry-go-round, roller[...]signs and green lawns
washed our hands in a basin of cold water. One or two pupils were especially beautiful. These trips were free for the
were responsible for putting up and taking down the flag sc[...]tmas program in which every pupil
gave the Pledge of Allegiance.[...]t Lavon, attended school.
Some children went home for lunch, but most of us brought
our lunch in a five-pound lard bucket[...]no playground equipment, so we played games.
Some of our favorite games were Run Sheep Run, Pom-Pom
Pu[...]16
and Baseball. Sometimes the girls played house i!l the wil- ROCK CREEK PUPILS: (From le~)[...]John
we played indoor games such as Tic Tac Toe, I Spy and a Rieber and Otto Sass[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (28)[...]born January 14, 1890, in a log
cabin on the site of the present cook house of the Matador
ranch. She was the first child born t[...]& 0 ranch to a small farm about
three miles south of Dillon. This was in the imnmediate area
of the first settlement in Beaverhead County. That settle-
ment consisted of a schoolhouse (Known as the Poindexter
School), which is still in existence and was used for many
years as a granary on the Victor Carrigan pl[...]t to stay here be tormented by the likes of you." She was so angry
Billy Sunday. May was bapt[...]ilroad, which constituted a
life to the education of children. walk of several miles.
Since a high school deploma and[...]tate However, walking was never a hardship for May. She told
Teachers Examinations were all that were required for of walking from Willow View school to Dillon, from H[...]She used walking as a safety valve and a means of commun-
moved to Willow View School, a little log[...]The school at Millpoint was taught by May for nine
drive as far as six miles to the brick River[...]children in their homes or in her own home. Many of these
in attending school was to make life miserable for teachers. children were in need of special attention. Many of them
One morning as May was riding to school the[...]were able to succeed in their lives because of the wonderful,
out of the bushes along the road, causing her horse to s[...]cated teach-
and throw her. This incident, on top of frequent smaller er.
ones such as dead ca[...]nds. Her teaching in the Big Hole country was one of the
brought things to a head. By her own admissi[...]"Miss Sprin-
ment caused May to lose her temper for the only time in her kle was a wonderful pers[...]ral years
teaching career. Walking into the room that morning, she while she taught our school.[...]e." Mrs.
terms. She said, "The world is too full of fine people for me Peterson continued, "May redid the sign with[...]tion To a Friend's house, the way is never long.' I am sure[...]After her retirement May did not stop caring for children.
(Continued from Page 28)[...]Lady", as many small
was the big event at the end of school, with games and races children stopped by her house and conversed with her and
as part of the day's activities.[...]ing
The Rock Creek School served the community for nine known most of their parents and many of their grandpar-
years and then closed in 1925. The building was purchased ents. They were a source of company and joy to her.
by Christ Rieber and is s[...]suffered
planted are still there-as are a wealth of treasured memo- much pain without a[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (29)[...]built by Steve Kambich on a corner of his ranch near the[...]h boys and
an old grainery (with a room added on for a bunkhouse) on girls from the surrounding ranches. Many came for miles on
the Arthur Butts ranch. The second year[...]seback or wagon. After a time it proved too small for all
built about a mile south of the Butts place. the pupils. Steve Kambich then donated an acre of his land
The first teacher was Leilia F. John[...]this school during the first few cozy barn for the students' horses, and nearby was a red coal[...]plant a tree on Arbor Day. Eventually a long line of
Baldwin; Bessie, Elenore, and Emily Olsen; Walte[...]ees lined the fence and irrigation ditch in front of the
sie Hungate.[...]ther-
bad, read on, and learn about other tricks of tricks. ine Finnegan perhaps had the longest tenure. Frances
Bessie said the most aggravating of all was boys who Moran of Butte married Carl Kambich and stayed at Glen.
would sit all day long, chew on pieces of grain, and then spit In the late 1920s the R[...]who they wanted, where they wanted. This for the children from the Rock Creek area. Later the[...]hey were also first cousins who lived right of that area of Madison County also came to the Reichle
close to each other. One night they slipped out of their School.
houses and took all of Arthur Butts' (Ed's dad) turkeys and Befo[...]t morn- the Reichle School was the center of many happy gatherings
ing-oh! what a mess! But th[...]hool. He would tie the hook and cheese on the end of a library. This addition was later connected[...]oom, and the Reichle School boasted two teachers.
of the school-grainery. He caught more than one mous[...]old days were ending as new things were purchased for
way so he could continually keep the teacher and[...]latest in teaching and pupil aids. For a time the school was
Another time Everett and Ed filled an empty buckshot even the source of a community newspaper printed by the
shell up wit[...]avail! In a short time the
learning was dismissed for the day. It took kids and teacher dear old building that had so many happy children enter its
all day to c[...]way was no more.
Those were the good old days? I think it must have taken At present the students are taken by bus to use vacant
a lot of perseverance to be a teacher in that school! rooms at Western Montana Colle[...]passed and construction of a new school is underway.
-DARLENE HILDRETH
From the memories of Bessie Olsen Hildreth and[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (30)[...]OF

Beaverhead County's first secondary school w[...]DILLON. MONTANA
initial graduating class of 1892 included only two - Dr.
Mark Poindexter and Roscoe Cornell, both of whom would
occupy eminent roles in the growth of this area
Beaverhead County High School had it[...]Piano-"Carn fral of Ve nice," Schulhoff[...]Orntion-"A Problem of the American People,"
Under the new county stat[...]The first BCHS Voca l Solo- ''Fiddle and I ," Emma Burfeind
graduating class wa[...], 1902, with its seven 01·affon-"The Survival of fhe .F'i ft esf,"
members including Eliza M. Selway, Mary[...],; Eah~rs,
by 1913 has reached 98. To accommodate that substantial Mary Adams. F em Sc[...]Dernands,''
high school was constructed at a cost of $320,000, with 45 President J arnes Reid.
per cent of that outlay provided under the Federal Public Se[...]J>re~entation of Diploma,
Hon. E. Hill: Prest. of the Board.[...]ev. A. B. Martin
The first death in Bannack was that of W.H. Bell on
November 12, 1862. First victim of road agents was George
Edwards in January of 1863.[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (31)[...]tion of the Women's Residence Halls in 1919 and 1937. The[...]A trio of major building projects, now the pride of cam-[...]tana College of Education in 1949, Western Montana Col-[...]1965, and to its present Western Montana College of
the University of Montana following merger with the Mis-[...]with bachelor of science degrees in Elementary and Secon-[...]dary Education. Also available are associate of science de-[...]associate of arts with an emphasis in Advertising Design.[...]tana's Third Legislative As- the University of Montana's School of Business.
sembly enacted laws providing for the establishment of a Wes tern's varied scope of academic offerings, its envious
School of Mines at Butte, a State University at Missoula, location, and its trademark of individualized and personal-
State Normal School[...]as a premier teacher preparation center.
funding for the Dillon college and that oversight was not As of this writing (1989), the campus encompasses 34
co[...]during recent years has maintained an average
gan that year on the first building (Main Hall). enrollment of 1,000. The record student body was registered[...]pril 7, 1895, and the in 1988 with a count of 1,097.
building was completed in 1896 at a total cost of $50,000,
INCLUDING FURNITURE.[...]Charles Stauffer
Forty-two students registered for opening classes on Sep-
tember 7, 1897, and, by the close of that year, enrollment
exceeded the 80 level. Faculty included a staff of five-
President D. E. Sanders, A. W. Mell, J.E. M[...]ed from $15
to $20 per month, a matriculation fee of $5.00 was assessed
for each 20-week term and part-time employment was av[...]hilip
H. Poindexter and William C. and Rachel Orr of the famed
Poindexter-Orr cattle empire. That plot was deeded for the
specific "use and benefit of the State Normal College." Re-
vised Montana Code[...]ol's ob-
jective as "the instruction and training of teachers for the
public schools of the State of Montana, inclusive of all
grades and departments."
The original Administration Building of 1897, still fully
utilized and revered by[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (32)[...]dentist. He had
been a railroader but lost a part of his leg in an accident and
the railroad helped wi[...]. His drill was
foot-powered, but he could manage that. His family consist-
ed of his wife and three children, Wesley, Marvis and E[...]House Cafe and Saloon,
which was on the east side of the tracks. The Opera house
was used for dances, road shows, home talent shows and
communi[...]was very
constable and his wife was postmistress for a number of proud of his service to the "North." He had toured with a[...]group of actors in Illinois, Ohio, and Kentucky and was a
The Peat Hotel Cafe and Saloon, on the west side of the very prominent figure at all Fourth of July celebrations,
tracks, was operated for a time by John Peat, Sr., and later where he would serve as master of ceremonies. He bought
by Charles Truax and his da[...]enjoyed his gardens.
livery barn on the west end of that lot. He planted two crab[...]and lawns were not considered essential.
affairs of Knights of Pythias. Th[...]made locally from the clay found at the south end of town.
ing the west side of the town, with a spring which furnished These bricks were also used to build the roundhouse that
water to the railroad. Water was such an importan[...]d the wooden structure in 1902. The brick section of
modity for the steam engines and the railroad allowed the[...]his drug store
Lima residents to avail themselves of the water that was was also made of local brick. This store had the Post Office,
piped into town. The Peats sold some of the lots adjoining handled gifts, candies,[...]in well as patent medicines and a supply of drugs. Later, it
1916, they donated some lots, north of the school, for re- added a gas pump.
building of the Church, though they were a staunch Catholic Mrs. Aurelia McGown Smith was the first janitor of the
family. They also gave lots for the High School building. brick schoolhou[...]g drinking water from the stand-
meat market here for a number of years. Their family con- pipe over by the livery stable. She raised her two girls, May
sisted of Clarence, Verena and Marvin, who are all buried i[...]e Smith
by a former marriage who married a Shehan of Idaho Falls. married a forest ranger from[...]Bart Hungate school established here.
for a time, then sold to Jack Thiel from Soda Springs[...]Isaac Jacques and his family were active members of the
Jack and his wife Jessie had three boys, Math[...]Catholic community. Their family consisted of his wife,
and the younger boy Warren, born[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (33)A SHORT HISTORY OF
MONIDA
The land where Monida now stands[...]64680 when Woodrow Wilson was President. Prior to that
time it was unplatted and owned by the governmen[...]The Oregon Short Line Rail-
road purchased right-of-way for their first road bed, a nar-
row gauge. Prior to the purchase of the ground from the
government, a man by the name of Samuel B. Burnsides
built a small store to accommadate the people living in the Monida at turn of century -
Centennial Valley. In 1889 the railroad came through.[...]n the Burn- ida became the railroad terminus for the Monida-Y ellow-
side Store. Since the railro[...]stage barn for the Monida-Yellowstone Stage Line still
The r[...]W.
hotel to aid in housing the good-sized number of people M. Miller built the first garag[...]ling through. Pine Butte Station was the terminus of ally sold his lands to B. H. Paul, who sold various parcels to
the railroad for some time; and the wagons from Helena and[...]tilda) Miller.
Woods was married to one of the founders of the Woods Monida was the railhead for most of the livestock in the
Livestock Corporation. Centennial Valley and the surrounding area. Until the initi-
All the buildings in Monida, or spring Hill, were made of ations of large trucks and livestock vans, Monida did a lan[...]wns, the town office business in shipping of livestock. According to old
was destroyed by fire[...]rds, Monida shipping was as large as 100,000 head of
all the logs left from the fire to rebuild the hotel. The termi- sheep and 48,000 head of cattle per year. Consequently, the
nus at Pine Bu[...]Hill went on to the steady population of 75 to 100 souls and even sported a
next terminus,[...]house that had as many as 25 students. Mrs. M. B. Beards-[...]vans, so the town of Monida went downhill. In later years[...]the land-owners in the Centennial Valley recognized the
fact that the Centennial Valley was an ideal summer range,[...]and, due to the harsh winters, not an ideal place for winter
livestock operation. Because of this and the lack of railroad[...]some families using what facilities are left for weekend re-[...]and actual Railroad documents, and old abstracts of[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (34)Red Rock - Early Day Hub
for Freight Wagons and
Travelers
Today the remains of what was once the thriving town of
Red Rock lie about one mile south of Clark Canyon Reser-
voir on the west side of the Red Rock River. The first settler
of the area was recorded in 1864. This was a man nam[...]Red Rock
Clark who built a cabin near the canyon that bears his name
a few miles north of where the town of Red Rock would later consisted of 90 head of horses, 14 Concord coaches, and 12
be located.[...]s B. Ryan passengers and 1,200,000 pounds of freight and express an-
received a charter from t[...]Beaverhead and Red Rock tana. The fare for a passenger from Red Rock to Salmon was
Rivers. The road was completed in a short time and was $8 for a one-day trip traveling daylight hours. This sta[...]e and Pittsburgh
up travel through the canyon and for many years, until the Railroad started serv[...]n.
railroad was constructed in 1880, long strings of wagons Around the turn of the century Red Rock was a thriving
pulled by mul[...]by J. W. and Laura T. Scott. There were a number of
Joseph Shineberger was the first to build here[...]other enterprises also. Below is a partial list of people and
lished a ranch at this location and ca[...]en from R. L. Polk
houses were built and the town of Red Rock was founded to and Co.'s Beaverhe[...]_
serve the freight wagons and travelers of that time. Joseph Emerson Hill Store, selling[...]s,
Shineberger was appointed the first postmaster of the new farm implements and vehicles;
town[...]Fred Lamp her, saloon;
Cook at the home of Simeon Estes. This was the first mar- J[...]approximately 110 miles beyond Company;
that.[...]er, Western Union Telegraph;
During the height of this operation they were running 4- Rev.[...]almon Co. and Gunsmithing Shop for many years/ Buildings still[...]Renfro home built in 1894, an old barn that housed horses
for the stage line, the post office, Mr. Shineberger'[...]and the old blacksmith shop. The foundation of the store[...]1910 with the growth of Armstead, five miles north at the
juncture of the Gilmore and Pittsburgh and Oregon Short[...]Special recognition to Dorothy Simpson Rawson for[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (35)[...]Robert Boatman was appointed justice of the peace for
our valley. Woe be unto the sage-brush tourist caught kill-[...]y and burn fencing, etc.
spondent from Centennial Valley from 1893 to 1930s. Hank Stamps we[...]Dillon Tribune - March 9, 1897:
Valley It looks like some of the women in this valley will soon be[...]entitled to divorces if their husbands don't spend a little
(Submitted to area newspapers by L[...]much.
(Note: Lillian Culver was the correspondent for Dillon Tribune - March 22, 1897:
the Dillon Tribune, the Madisonian of Virginia One of our residents got a little too much oh-be-joyful one
City, and occasionally for other regional newspa- day last wee[...]it their permanent home, as the
in the Centennial Valley in 1887 and lived there homestead[...]s
until her death in 1936. Remarks in() are given for on all sides that they felt a little cramped, but alas, things
clar[...]filed on as many sides of their land, even locating a half-mile
Dillon Tribune - August 21, 1895: strip that lay vacant between Mr. and Mrs. Fitch's land.[...]m Lima has made three trips somehwere, but maybe it was only an accident.
and we are told by good[...]ther day as Albert Metzel and Ralph Peterson were
for sale. This ought to be put a stop to or we will soon have on their way here from the Ruby valley, they saw five grey
none of the sacred birds on our lakes.[...]Why is it that that man in Helena wants to reduce the
Dillon Tribune[...]t on wolves to $5? Why
Messrs. Leeds and Stacy of Bozeman are looking up a could it not be[...]e left on coyotes
location to put up a club house for a New York club. He as it is. We have no grey wolves in this section of Montana,
thinks it will be at the head of upper Red Rock lake. but the coyotes are running in bands of from 15 to 25.
Wm. Reed of lower Centenenial has let his ranch and Madisonian - February 10, 1899:
stock to Ben Wal ton for two years and is going east on an The How[...]father died. George Carner and wife take care of this beauti-
Dillon Tribune - August 3, 1896:[...]mute he con- Your correspondent is glad that the efforts made while in
cluded he could not do[...]rned him out Dillon some time since to have our valley annexed to Bea-
to browse.[...]d returned home yesterday from St. Mark's of Beaverhead. The Virginia people are very c[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (36) kind and obliging to do business with, but the trip th[...]right to vote to take the trouble to register. If that is all
back is very hard on both body and poc[...]ter step out
our thanks to our Dillon friends for the interest they have and let the women st[...]or our valley yet, and we do not care for a call.
Madisonian editor's insert:[...]blers, to look after the peo- Miss Farley of Marysville, Montana, will teach in district
p[...]County in Madisonian - July 19, 1900:
I 1911.)[...]Miss Janet Davis, our county superintendent of schools,
Dillon Tribune - March 21, 1899: has been rusticating in the valley for 10 days past and
We hear it rumored that a saloon will be started in the seemed to enjoy the exercises on the Fourth.
valley .in the spring, but we hope this is not true, and in The sad intelligence comes to us that J. Whitman and J.
saying "we" I mean a large majority of the citizens. If it were Courtney have been sentenced to five years in Cheyenne
not for whisky and the evils caused by it, there would not be prison for killing game inside the National park limits, or[...]pay $1,000 each. Mrs. Courtney has the sympathy of her
Dillon Tribune - April 24, 1899:[...]from Portland, Oregon, is in tion.
the valley and bought the beef steers of Massingell Broth- Madisonian - July 30, 19[...]e Lakeview boys won
Monida today. Prices paid for 2 and 3-year old steers were again 37 to 2[...]filled house. This is the first ordained preacher that has Mr. Hanson went to Monida and received them from the
cared enough about the people of this valley to put himself United States fish car on th[...]ven the mosquito is scarce but four inches of the beautiful fell.
they will make up next month for lost time. A 16-room hot[...]A big band of Indians are camped above J. Blair's. They[...]have about 100 ponies with them.
the building for a grocery store. This will be a great improve-[...]ment to Monida and a convenience to the people of this It takes two days now to get the mail for those who live
valley.[...]extent, and now she is trying to marry took of the bountiful supper provided by Mrs. W. Smith.[...]o would pay any atten-
tion to gossip in this valley would be lacking in good sense or School marm M[...]keep right on talking tennial Valley School 37.
till she gets tired.
Dillon Tr[...]tore was a grand success.
There was about 50 of the valley present. The music was
furnished by Bert Bre[...]Tribune - November 2, 1899:
There was 17 of our citizens that did not think enough of[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (37)[...]on extra teams to accommodate the large number of tour-
perfect satisfaction.[...]he horn country and reaching along the north side of this
won the praise of all, and especially Mrs. Smith, the hostess, valley clear to Beaverhead county line on Blacktail and[...]e government, is creating considerable talk
more like Matthew.[...]ismissed and another put in her band of ponies with them.
place. We expect teachers to se[...]dollar more on a ton now that cattle are high and those
There is or has been[...]with ago. Wages are also high and lots of the hired help is incom-
tracks.[...]petent. Still, those handling large bunches of beef stuff kick
Madisonian - May 2, 1902: at paying a little more for hay, but want to get it at same old
The steel[...]another at the week end of school.[...]car of beef steers.[...]bank of Upper Red Rock lake. A beautiful place in summer.[...]four pounds each. Mrs. Culver has an ideal place for a fish she did not care to give up the name of Ruegsegger. We
pond. think that Mrs. Arthur Wilson sounds quite as nice and is
Ma[...]e carpenter work on a club No place like Montana for school teachers who are tired of
house at the Narrows for H. Wetmore, where the latter teaching[...]r plan.
Two or three coaches pass through this valley every day, Dillon Tribune - October 2, 1914:
heavily laden with passengers for the park. Henry Wetmore .... this year built a new log house of
Mrs. Culver and Freeman Marble had a slight mi[...]ch make the place very attractive at night.
owned for years. Upon being convinced of his error, Mr. Dillon Tribune - January[...]the obstruction to the The suffragettes of Centennial valley have turned out in
flow of water which he had placed in the ditch.[...]eting, and are now planning-and can even tell you
for B. H. Paul. Her husband is carrying the mail to Lake- what is going to happen to this part of the country after the
view.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (38)[...]le Mountain
in hopes to be able to visit the fair for a few days. By[...]lon Tribune - December 14, 1915:
The residents of this particular section of the world were There are different stories[...]last Tuesday, when several dis- Centennial Valley area, and why the mountain received that
tinct earthquake shocks were recorded, which resulted in name. Some say it was because of a big range war between
rattling dishes, shaking[...]dirt came through the sheepmen and cattlemen. I do not think that was the reason.
roof, making tables waltz around[...]adopted, a large part
women and children so badly that neighbors went to each of this area was in those days called "open range."[...]fairly close so the fight was on-
The morning of July 2nd, when the people of the upper bucking range.
end of the valley looked out, after arising from their slum- It is often said that this is where the Battle of the Danes
bers, they found winter had taken possession of their beau- was fought, as many of the sheepmen involved were Danish
tiful valley. Everything was white and there was six inches immigrants. My uncle Albert Anderson said, when the Tay-
of snow on the level. The snow did not entirely disa[...]sed hell with
until night and then followed frost for two nights which the Danish Reserve when they passed the Taylor Grazing
fixed the wild fruit that was in blossom and some of the Act."
gardens were affected.[...]My father John H. Anderson, Sr., was one of the sheep-
Dillon Tribune - April 11, 1930:[...]1914 his
Mrs. Agnes L. Buck, census enumerator for Centennial sheepherder was shot by a cowboy several miles east of
valley, has gone to Monida to begin the work.[...]known as Cayusey Springs. The
Miss Mable Lane of Three Forks, Montana, has come to spring[...]ere are seven pupils was called Cayusey because that is what he called a coyote.
in school and more to[...]Mrs. Selby's last week. A delight- boy working for Jimmy Dodd who operated a cattle ranch,
ful time[...]yer as the Centennial Live-
is the last club meet for this season. stock Company. Some say this happened because of a fight
Dillon Tribune - June 20, 1930:[...]ea at Mr. and Mrs. This murder was the result of an old feud between the two
Blaz Lugar's at Idlew[...]ham Hotel at Lakeview fills a long needed of Battle Mountain.
want and is doing a good business. A grocery store is run in I can remember when there were nine bands of sheep
connection.[...]camped all around Battle Mountain, competing for the
Dillon Tribune - December 1, 1930: grass. It was somewhat of a game to mix sheep and keep
Mr. and Mrs. Al Forsyth have gone south for the winter. them corraled so someone would yield and move to another
(Note: Within a few years, the valley would experience a area. There were those[...]r and feud over the range.
ment would buy up much of the land around the lakes and It was a[...]n
lodges would be torn down, leaving little trace of their exis- the lands known during this era as the days of the open
tence. Larger ranches would buy up many[...]nge.
steads. The cabins would be demolished, used for fence
posts and fire wood and possibly decorating walls of new Brown's Lake Resort
family rooms and summer homes.
The road through the valley is still unpaved, although Not many people could afford the luxury of a summer
there was a drive on to get it paved dec[...]k Jr. was an
tennial telephone company flourished for several years, but exception (nothing like having a rich father). He conceived
now phone ser[...]ilable only to ranches at the west the idea of a resort at Brown's Lake. Clark engaged J.B.
end[...]to visit and camp. Brown, a builder, to develop that resort, and another at
The trumpeter swans still[...]ined by a graded trail. Brown showed he was ahead of his
-SALLY GARRETT[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (39)[...]was whitewashed. trains into town, much like today when you flag down a taxi.
Albert Stamm and family were often invited as friends of The Phil Lovell ranch was another popular site for holi-
the Browns'. Guests would leave Dillon by t[...]se at Brown's Bridge where Mr. Brown south of Dillon. Lovell had been a butcher in the early da[...]is guests with a surrey. Pretty Classy! of Bannack and developed his ranch into a very beautiful
Accommodations at the resort were quite good for that recreation site - a summer house and pond s[...]s, along with inside and outside dining areas. of horses for a round trip in one day.
Cabins were built to wat[...]ed boats were Phil Lovell was the grandfather of Philip Lovell, former
available for fishing and exploring the lake. Returning to mayor of Dillon and former County Commissioner who died
Di[...]ime had several men pro-
The initial discovery of silver was made in 1872 by Wil- specting in Mad[...]g their first day
trapping expedition at the head of Trapper Creek. In the in camp.
summer of 73, James Bryant, Spurr's partner, organized a Discovery of new claims came in fast order. Moffet and
party t[...]rlu was discovered by the
to Jerry Grotevant, one of the party, who in searching for Trapper Company, but they, not thinking it wor[...]patched immediately to have it recorded, but news of then discovered by Wash Stepleton and James Cam[...]general excitement, The strong mineral leads of Lion Mountain were next called

40-Bea[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (40)[...]spelling to the Atlantus by a trails down valley to Melrose. Reportedly more than 100
typographical error made in one of the early U.S.G.S. publi- horses were used daily in shifts for frequent and strenuous
cations). Mulligan and Slo[...]oup. The Marc Anthony and The building of a 40-ton lead smelter at Glendale, 10
Ariadne wer[...]ey, McComb, and Bru- miles down the valley, by Dahler and Armstrong in 1875,
baker who sold[...]and Pease. The shortened the distance of haul from mine to smelter and
Franklin mine, situated directly back of the old Trapper assisted in the integration of southwestern Montana as a
town, was founded by Fr[...]a good pro- new center stimulated the growth of a large community. At
ducer. The first shipment constituted 10 tons of high-grade its peak, Glendale boasted a population of over 1,000, a large
ore carrying 140 ounces of silver per ton and a high percent- skating rink, two doctors, a lawyer, two churches, ten sa-
age of lead. The earliest shipments reportedly were hauled loons, a brewery, and a community spirit that pushed it into
by ox-team to the Central Pacific railroad at Corrine, Utah, the race for capitalship of the state at one time. Into its
thence by rail to[...]from there by water to smelter came the ores of the surrounding mining districts,
smelters at Swansea, Wales. Due to the isolation of the area including those of the Highlands and Vipond as well as
from ~melting facilities at that time, only the mining of Hecla.
high-grade ore was commercially feasible. That the ore was
high in grade is evident from the records of some of the early The Hecla Consolidated Mining Co[...]properties. The first mine bought
The rapidity of new discoveries and the richness of the by the company was the Cleopatra, purch[...]tracted prospectors and miners from all over of its organization, and it gradually acquired other claims
the northwest. Communities sprang up and for a time activ- until it controlled most of the better properties in the dis-
ity was intense[...]n entire change in
time, the flamboyant character of the community life be- its management and[...]le. The
came more regulated with the introduction of families, of directors, at the reorganization, tendered the position of
public institutions, and of town law and order. general manager to H. Knippenberg, of Indianapolis. The
Trapper City was the first c[...]in the manufacturing
in single rows on both sides of Trapper Creek just below the business back east and established headquarters at Glen-
workings on the valley slope. The creek itself was bridged to dale, arriving there in April 1881.
form the main street of the town. The old timers remaining In th[...]in the district have either completely forgotten that such a ing the large enterprise in three depa[...]iron mine de-
"Trapper City, Montana." A perusal of the claim records in partment, John M. Parf[...]Soap Gulch). Mr.
Dillon brought to light a sketch of the old parent claim of Knippenberg brought with him from Indianapol[...]company's advent the district passed from
made up of at least 100 people. Today the physical evidence[...]maturity. A mile above Lion City, immediately at
of the existence of this forgotten village is found in rotten[...]Glendale Smelter
testimony of its antiquity by its wood-ped construction.
The discovery of ore bodies of greater size in Lion Moun-
tain caused a gradual shift in the locale of activity. Miners
moved from Trapper City to settle in the broad valley-head
drained by Spring Creek. The Trapper mine was shut down
and in the summer of 1878 the last citizen, Mose Morrison,
packed up his traps and came over to Lion City. A continu-
ous influx of miners and teamsters made Lion City a boom-
ing community of between five and six hundred, with a
school house[...]stores, two hotels, and the inevita-
ble saloons of a mining town. During its early days, huge[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (41) •>-":; ~ I :,'\

:~ ~~: .. :- ~ : ·, •• Production dat& for the Hee lo. District •[...]1~12
!.:i.nin& Oo. I Keokuk, Zlm-Orlu[...]ntus, True
1,15 i.ardng Co. · Piesure, Trapper[...]!tl~tua, Altl. · · I 10, 5?7 or!t 8lUi s le.a•[...]I
>

" 1,22
1,16-[...]I
,I ;. l~en.rly htllt ot tom~e ·I ~02,e2~·-[...]co. ~uth F1s~_ure -4. i.~ostly slag, Gome ore[...]I1 ' P.roduct10n reported[...]1ease• • i[...]--i- or.ly tor 192) & 1925[...]I
1927 thitcd Stn[...]( 230) I
r[...]I[...]! Severr...l cnrs of oro,[...]several tons of slag[...]I[...]i[...]I[...].. .
172, I Fowdation Lion liountnin[...]I"

l~.39 I
i[...]•, I

Heu Arlo.dne I[...](~Jo production 1·eportod I
Lion llt, 1\lnnel for 1931 a?¥i 1?37) I
l
:l:[...]-
1?40- I Old l.riadne[...]I
I[...]11 42.4 ore I[...]I

I
.1?42- I JJeu Ariadne[...]53
1~
I
l[...]143,254 '
I[...]I
- - Est101ted To[...]I[...]I -[...]I .,[...]I[...]. ..:lo,r: 728 i:261
-Cor:pUod Crom l:1nern[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (42)the base of Lion Mountain, the company built the mining[...]looked or bypassed by the company. As a
community of Hecla. A warehouse, office, stable, magazine,[...]good one but as the
boarding houses and a number of cabins were erected at this following paragr[...]ore shoots known as the Atlantus and True
slopes of Lion Mountain among the numerous entrances of Fissure were worked by J. Henry Longmaid of Helena under
the mine workings. Two men were empl[...]as brought over from the Elkhorn dis-
slope clear of snow.[...]oday,
In 1882, to handle the increasing output of ore and to practically dismantled. Electri[...]ought into the
minimize the difficulties and cost of haulage, a concentrator basin from the Montana Power Company's Big Hole station
with a capacity of 100 tons per day was built about three in[...]e relatively low-grade ores pay by the
miles down valley from Hecla. A narrow-gauge railroad ran introduction of efficient modern methods. Long before his
from He[...]long and erations.
having a vertical fall of 200 feet. Near the concentrator was In 1920, the owners of the mining claims (Knippenberg,
erected one board[...]his community was given the name Conway of Helena who induced eastern capital to have a
of Greenwood by Knippenberg. thorough investigation made of the feasibility of reopening
By 1885, the company was working the[...]eopatra and consulting mining engineer of New York and Philadelphia,
Ariadne, True Fissure,[...]and Alexander N. Winchell, consulting geologist of the Uni-
later proved to control all the important ore bodies of the versity of Wisconsin. Two reports were made to the Hecla
district. Outside of the Hecla Company, the Monroe Mining Devel[...]all options had been as-
Company owned the Pride of the West, Wall Street, Con- signed. The syndicate was under the trusteeship of H. A.
dor, Minnie Gaffney, and Moffat and Maynard claims. Joe Stone and L. P. Stradley of Philadelphia with Mr. Conway
Young & Co. owned th[...]perintendent.
owned the Oneida mine in the center of the Lion Mountain As a result of the reports, which were based on extensive
claims[...]underground surveying and geologic mapping of all the old
which during this period appeared to be one of the impor- mine workings, the options were extended in order that
tant mines of the district.[...]1, the 1923 all the important properties of the district were pur-
Hecla Consolidated Mining[...]chased by the Hecla Development Syndicate for an estimat-
a gross value of $15,000,000. The published reports of the ed $230,000. Between 1921 and 1923, $152,000 was spent for
Company show that it paid dividends of 6 % per annum and development work. To avert bankruptcy, the syndicate was
1 % extra for 20 years up to 1900, with the exception of the forced to refinance the enterprise in 192[...]nt in aggregate to stock under the guise of a new name and organization, Hecla
$2,250,000. The quantity of ore taken out over this period Consolidated[...]mmon law trust the
can be appreciated by the fact that over 20 miles of tunnels new company had an authorized capitalization of 1,000,000
were driven in Lion Mountain alone. Table 1gives the pro- shares of no-par stock and 1,000,000 par value of certificates
duction of metals in the district from the year 1773 to 1912. of indebtedness, for the purpose of purchasing and operat-[...]ng the Hecla properties. By transfer and issuance of the
Period of Decline new stock a total deficit of nearly $400,000, including mort-[...]as liquidated.
clined. In 1904, after three years of extended exploration in The change in the legal structure of the enterprise, how-
the basin, the Hecla Consolidated Company went out of ever, did not change its fortune. Money for development
business, owing to the depletion of ore reserves and litiga- work was dispensed cautiously and in the attempt to make
tion. The withdrawal of the company marked the end of the ends meet, lessees were encouraged int[...]areas considered to show the best promise for development
solidated Company holdings were sold at public auction to were reserved for company mining. The return on the royal-
Henry Knippenberg. Production since that time, although ties, about 15 % on ore m[...]ate development work which in 1924
the production of the last 40 or so years has been achieved wa[...]s, and
pany dumps and tailings, and in th~ mining of small ore Cleopatra properties. A[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (43) for adequate ore reserves, further effort by the company was al decay and inactivity. Lion City consists of a score of old
discontinued and by 1926 the district had reverted again cabins; one the home of Charley Arrigoni who had mined in
into a leasers' camp under the supervision and control of G. the district since 1893 and who at the age of 75 remained as
B. Conway.[...]ts since 1926 to revive the mains only a few of the company cabins chosen as living
district. In[...]ny did extensive development work in ter of the old district, is now a typical ghost town. Th[...]ting into production. By popular report it era of vigorous activity.
appears that the withdrawal was caused in great part by a[...]option. In 1928, Con-
way obtained major control of the district by purchasing
most of the principal claims including the Cleve-Avon[...]smelting town, is located five
Foundation Company of Utah which planned to reopen the miles west of Melrose. The first smelter was built in 1875 by
L[...]in
the Canyon Creek side, apparently in the hope of tapping 1879 and a new one was erected at the cost of about $20,000.
secondary enriched ores at a lower[...]general manager, G. G. Earl as superintendent of reduction
extensive underground operation. Over a[...]works and James Parfet as superintendent of mines at He-
he drove over 1,000 feet of drifts and crosscuts off the old cla. In 1881[...]urned to G. Earl remained superintendent of reduction works and
Conway. More recently both th[...]logical Samuel Barbar was superintendent of mines.
Survey and the Anaconda Copper Mining Comp[...]wn itself and within the
From 1930 to the time of his death in 1945, options for surrounding area the population was about 5[...]hotels, a livery stable, opera house, two
Foreman of Dillon, who previously had been shipping Glen-[...]up-to-
dale slag under lease, obtained the option of the entire dis- date medical supplies. It had[...]skating rink in the northwest.
The production of the district since 1912 has been small Th[...]with Louis Schmalhausen
but continuous. The bulk of production is made up of old as postmaster. There were Masonic and[...]from Glendale was shipped dur- 50,000 pounds of hops stored.
ing the period of the First World War, and during the Sec-[...]or knobs
made it profitable to ship the remainder of the slag dump in and some solid brass. It was[...]e smelter shut down in 1900 as the ore
5,963 tons of slag shipped contained 6.4 % lead and 7.8 %[...]tons shipped contained 2.5 % lead and All that stands today of this once thriving community,
10.0 % zinc.[...]which had once been in the race for capitalship of the state
The present aspect of the district is that of a grand old of Montana, are the smokestack, the office, and the school-
mansion showing the mar ks of past greatness despite gener- house.[...]Centennial Valley
This vast valley, running east and west for some 65 miles[...]was named Centennial Valley in 1876 by Mrs. William (Ra-[...]cattle here in that Centennial Year.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (44)[...]xiety in all directions. An area in
the upper end of the Valley is called Alaska Basin. It is said
to have been named by Mr. S.B. Burnside, for its excessive
snow depth in the winter and, at the time, some of Burn-
sides' relatives were living in Alaska. The Valley however, is
the very definition of 'Cattle Country' with its abundant
mountain grasses and profuse springs and creeks. The old
timers tell of grass so lush you could have mowed hay on top
of Monida Hill, and 'nutgrass' that was like oats for your
horses. No wonder so many were drawn to this[...]us lists some 500 resi-
dents here.
It is said that the first permanent settlers were the Levi
Shambo[...]owever was more typical, revealing the durability of
conditions which would drive so many settlers away. The
number of people residing in the Centennial before 1888 is larger ranchers in the business of expansion. Numerous
not known, but a wooden heads[...]rs after the provings but a few stayed on and put
that there were at least some temporary inhabitants in the down roots that were deep enough to last two or three gen-
Centen[...]erations.
An excerpt from the book, "LIFE OF FATHER Due to the extreme[...]er months in various schools and homes. Teachers, for
PLORER," states that Father DeSmet cut the date' July 23, the m[...]0' on a rock in Hell Roaring Canyon, while trying for a certificates. It is said that nearly all of them stayed when
better examipation of the fountains that gave birth to two courtship and matrimony b[...]t rivers." The quotation refers to the birthplace of the There were no church buildings in the Valley but services
headwaters of the mighty Missouri and Columbia Rivers. were held in various homes.
Each of thes·e tributaries in Hell Roaring Canyon ultimately With settlement came the need for communications. Old
flows to a different ocean, yet their beginnings are only four records tell of settlers collecting money for a telephone line
to six miles apart.[...]up the Blacktail,
A geological study was made of the area in 1872, but an turning east up the north side of the Valley, around Red
extensive study, exploring and examin[...]Rock Lakes and west down the south side of the Valley to
headwaters, was completed by Jacob V. Brower i[...]Brower, known. Lillian Culver wrote news of the Centennial Valley
who wrote and published a book of his endeavors. to area papers as early as 1895.
Marcus Daly owned notable portions of Centennial Mail service was an integral part of the Centennial Valley
ground in the late 1800s. Believing the high alti[...]elle unofficially car:
increase the lung capacity of his horses, he aspired to own ried mail from Monida to Henry's Lake. Sawtelle's son Eben
the whole Valley and fence the perimeter. Also, stating that later continued the practice. William Reed was postmaster
the place was not fit for man nor beast in the winter, Daly 10 miles east of Monida in 1892. When discontinued from
built horse barns in the Valley, some still in use today. He this location, s[...]am Culver was Monida's postmaster. Eventually all valley
and Cattle Company, or through various individual[...]· days a week all of the way to Henry's Lake. Drivers changed
The sett[...]good times and bad. Most The Centennial Valley was originally part of Madison
arrived in the 1890s. Gold's lure beckone[...]o be done in Virginia
ers to Montana and a number of Valley citizens had migrat- City, many inconvenien[...]City when the early 1900s manifold numbers of Beaverhead County
their claims didn't pan out. Th[...]ad County paying Madison County a $2500 migratory
that would, at the end of three years, be sold to ambitious fun[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (45) Valley to Beaverhead County. An estimated one fifth more[...]entennial waters have always been ideal locations for ALLEN, Bobby ..... Was in the Valley in 1897. He worked
hunting and fishing. Trumpeter swans are native to the area for the different ranchers and was a very good worker. He
as are an abundance of ducks and geese. The Wetmore lived at[...]ut in 1930s he was
family had the earliest lodge for all sportsmen on the Lower living in Alaska Ba[...]d shipped them to zoos and buyers a native of Edna, Texas, where he was born September 26,
all over the United States. A large yield of ducks and geese 1878. He was unmarried and no[...]s. Other since the same day, was suspected of being the murderer but
valley citizens operating hunting clubs were Renfros and[...]ARNOLD, Herb ..... Had a homestead and worked for the
and Butanna Hunting Clubs were owned by Butt[...]P & 0. Probably proved up on his homestead for the P & 0.
conda professional people.[...]rcantile store in
This fertile and picturesque valley has been home to all Lakeview that later burned.
kinds. First it was home and huntin[...]and squatters, cowmen, ranches. It's said that he had a housekeeper. This was not
sheepmen and r[...]stops, mines, un- weren't greatly accepted for this and avoided by some. Some
solved murders, a[...]e made reference to them as, "Here
The history of this place is facinating and colorful. Names co[...]Mother Worst." Billy only lived in the
and places like the Corduron at Shitepoke, Wabash Road, Valley for a few years.
Twitchell Bridge, Dead Horse and Bul[...]lough and Hidden ranched on the south side of the Valley. Louis, Monroe,
Stills are now remembered by only[...]r Monroe. It is
nicknames are now fading memories of days gone by. unknown if it was on[...]cident. Later Monroe
Dances held at various homes that lasted til the wee hours bought the Cowboy[...]ing the music or salmon being hauled from it for years .... away from brother Louie.
Henry's Lake to Monida in bullboats made of frozen ox CALNON, Bill ..... Homesteaded in the Alaska Basin. He
hides and pulled like toboggans to be sent by rail to market lived[...]elbys and
time never to be experienced again. All of these people and drink homebrew with Fay. Af[...]songs from his childhood. After Bobby Allen
tling of the untamed Valley, now known as the Centennial was found dead, they looked for Bill but he was never heard
Valley. of again. See Bobby Allen brief for details.
"There were giants in the earth in those days: and also CAMPBELL, Joseph Adam ..... Worked for B. H. Paul. He
after that, when the sons of Qod came unto the daughters of had five children: Bonnie, who married James[...]adys, who married Roy Holm-
mighty men which were of old, men of renown."-Genesis lund; Julia, who marr[...]ng World War One. He was also a watch-
Centennial Valley Person- man for the railroad and its water tank. The whole family[...]was very musical and they played for dances in Monida in[...]ilding next to the hotel. Mr. Chantry could
(Many of the following names were remembered by play any kind of horn. Mrs. Chantry played the piano, their
Bill M[...], who with her husband Fred Stibal, for the ranchers around him for a living. He worked for Mrs.
run a summer ranch in the Centennial[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (46)[...]Monida and also had a ranch in the upper end of the Valley.[...]ELKINS, Rudy ..... Worked at the 7L for Fred Clark. He[...]FRUIN, Jesse ..... A homesteader in the upper end of the
Valley. Jesse was knownfor his carpenter work. He was[...]killed by a fellow that worked for him. There is still a creek[...]for the P & 0. He always carried a pistol on his hip.[...]from the DuBois area of Idaho. There were three brothers,[...]n southern Califor-
Louis Bucy, Centennial Valley cowboy nia. Clark Gauchay also worked for the P & 0 before leaving
for Will Boatman. It's unknown whether he proved up on the area.
his land, but the creek that comes down the canyon is still GOBLE, Ora ..... Had a place on the north side. For many
called Cole Creek.[...]also drove
COLE, Jim ..... Broke horses and rode for W etmores. A stage for the Monida Yellowstone Stage Line.
bachelor while he lived in the Valley, he later moved to GRAHAM, Vern ..... He w[...]on the north side by Bucks. He also worked for other ranch-
proved up on it for the P & 0. ers.[...]In later years,
DAVIS, Tom and Clara ..... Worked for Bucks and remem- having sold his ground[...]esteaded in Alaska Basin. They was full of yarns that wereunbelievable. Some of the remem-
divorced and she later married Frank J[...]bered: His father's farm was so level that he could run water
DINGLER, Will L ..... Drove stage for Shambows, lived in either way. He was always going to raise some money or dig
Monida. For a time he operated the telephone company and it up. He would say, "By grab, that Gum Myr is great salve.
took care of the lines. He was married and had three daugh-[...]d a spider cancer on his arm. He put Gum Myr
ters that we know of, Alta, Alice and Ruth. He and Bill on it and in just a few days he pulled that cancer out by the
Miller, Sr., built the present road over the Monida hill into roots."
the Valley. HALL, Orrin "Red" ..... Worked for John Bray. He mar-
DUFF, Bob ..... His first wife[...]M-Y driver die. They ran the store in Monida for a time. Hope Hall was
and known as an excellent teamster and had a great way postmaster there for a time.
with horses. Both Duffs were from Missouri and brothers .. HANDY, Herman ..... Worked for John Bray. He married
His second wife was Nettie.[...]Forsythe's
DUFF, Joe and Belle ..... She was one of the Valley mid- store in Lakeview. He worked for Blakes and some think he
wives and called Granny.[...]d a
DUNHAM, Charley ..... Was another good friend of Lillian row, they would outdo one another[...]south at the upper end near always asked for everyone's bread recipe and then added a
Tom Cree[...]ek. He sold his place turned out. Both were kind, friendly people and especially
around 1902 and w[...]nice to children. At one time he was a driver for Miller and
Hackett and his sister, Lillian Culver[...]operty in HERRICKS, (unknown) ..... One of the first settlers in[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (47) Monida. He was a depot agent for the Oregon Short Line. NOBLE, Rom ..... s[...]PARKS, Leva ..... Was a postmaster in Monida for quite a
HUMPHREY, George ..... Probably a squatt[...]d Eva Walters were twin sisters. Another
was west of Lakeview. He was known as a great hunter and[...]missing Monte Kent who lived on the northside of the Bob Luger
and never found. His gun, a 32-40[...]place. Their father was Gene Kent who came to the Valley in
loaded and ready to shoot. His brand was on th[...]Lew worked
KARBER, Mark ..... see Newman, Scott, for brief. for Smiths at the store in Monida. Both died during t[...]on the flu epidemic within a few hours of each other and are buried
Bill Hollingsworth plac[...]She had three children: Maggie, Glen drove for the M-Y and worked for Wetmores.
and Doris. Glen and Doris attended the[...]lon and Idlewild Hunting Lodge, this side of Lakeview a couple of
known as "The Preacher." He bought his ground abo[...]came to the Valley from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and had a
LARSEN, Lars[...]carpenter
tine Forsythe. He tended bar in Monida for Joe Smith. His and built the school in Mon[...]mother lived in Idaho Falls and he was the oldest of eight Valley. He married Myrtle Olive Jones and moved to Or-
c[...].. Lived up a canyon from the present
were in the Valley often during the summers to help various For[...]SMITH, Billy . . . ..Another of the Centennial bachelors.
MARCOTT, Bert and Carri[...]as crippled either in his legs or hip. A sidekick of
Valley in the 1920s. They lived in a cabin up Jones Creek Arkansas Slim, he worked for various ranchers.
where Bert made moonshine. Late[...]and Bert worked as a mechanic. a log cabin for many years at Grandpa Franklin Jones' ranch
Every[...]the 1900 census it lists just him
was a mechanic for Garrett Freightway. They had two girls, and[...]d, who
MCCURLEY, Ed ..... A single man who worked for Brays drowned in the Red Rock River.[...]nd Al Forsythe. He ran a "speak-easy" in Lakeview for a Stella Edwards. Mrs. Edwards and Mrs. Twitchell both
while. A customer could get a shot for 25 cents. He home- worked for Roselle's in Monida. Twitchell's homestead was
st[...]d adjoining the Severn's place on on ground that is now under the Lima Dam. There used to
Long Cre[...]idge. He was a musician.
kansas or Arkansas Slim. Of course, he came to the Centen- WHITE BEAR .[...]her, Mark Karber, spring and fall in the Valley. He would stop at the Jones
and friends Rom Noble and Doris Hooper. Don't know how place and spend a few days. Th[...]ll lives in Arkansas, the Centennial Valley, early 1900s.
guys all left Arkansas for Montana because the law was after
them for making moonshine.
Slim had a cabin in Lakeview[...]saw him in West Yellowstone packing pint bottles of booze
in a basket. He got on the train and probab[...]ging the revenuers before finally doing some time for
income tax evasion.
Noble had a still on concrete and could make 250 gallons a
day. A brother of his hauled it to California and knew all of
the law officers along the way. He paid them off in moon-
shine. Rom finally had to do some time for his endeavors.

48-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (48)[...]seconds will be more than plenty for me!"
Some say that the series were identifying code numbers[...]that explanation was later discounted since it was cer[...]that other members of the vigilance corps were involved-[...]The influence of those numbers continued through later[...]usual time and place Sunday evening. As business of impor-
Monroe "Roe" Severns and bride Myrtle Jone[...]d on ed secret to this day-a major oddity of Montana history.
the place now known as the Breneman ranch on south side
of the Valley. He sold to Jim Doyle.
WRYLONS, Bert R ..... He c[...]o Jail Break
the Valley and worked for Grandpa Jones on Long Creek.
After Grandpa Jones died, he stayed on and worked for On last Wednesday evening, the 25th[...]onalities Jones:
and experiences, age of maturity and famiy influ- "At sup[...]were being fed at the table in the kitchen of the jail, Sheriff[...]three of the six prisoners-Horner, Conners and White-[...]ensued, but the three men were too much for the Sheriff,
who knocked one of them down. The Sheriff was overpow-
Mystery and controversy surround the precise meaning of ered and his pistol taken from him quickly.[...]Conners holding the pistol at the Sheriff's head-
of the Frontier's most-feared symbols for desperados. tied the Sheriff's feet together, and finding a pair of old
Some said it was the dimensions of a grave-three feet handcuffs, put them on[...]en back into the cage and secured, and
ly certain that it represented a measurement of time-rath- Sheriff Jones was dragged into th[...]ing three hours, seven minutes and 77 bunch of keys, the worthies locked the doors of the iron
seconds, the deadline to depart town or[...]e
numbers on the tent flap. Said the badman, "So, I've got characters took the keys ..... Sher[...]even minutes and 77 seconds to leave camp, of $600 for the capture of the three, or $200 for each prison-
have I? If you fellers will help me catch my hors[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (49)[...]r d
Nestled adjacent to the mountains of the Continental local gh heir ugh[...]d
Divide perches the once thriving little hamlet of Lakeview. cow orne bucked ou a i
First named Shambow for its original settlers who arrived in not j[...]hi par fth le
that many or more in a two or three mile radius. There were who helped e Ii h and
demands and pursuit of others to be engaged in businesse which look o the expan e o
to fulfill the needs of the area people. Valley and the Red Rock Lake .
Mr. E. A. Baily opened[...]Glendale ha a complete working health r aniza i n and
Osmer Upham was one of the last owners. Most of the time deserves great credi for he promptne di pla ed in pr -
there were two stor[...]ott was an extremely good venting the spread of mall-pox. Mr. George tager of Glen-
machinist and could fix anything or make an[...]Pike and later a Miller and Gayle the nature of his malady was a certained.-Dillon Tribune,
who w[...]keview
There was a hotel which provided lodging for passengers Lakeview Landmarks - From len (to[...]ore and former Forsythe home. Second row:
No town of that era was complete without a saloon or two Sa[...]Third row: (Unknown)
and others who made homebrew for added income. and Lakeview[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (50)[...]r the hot springs at today's
The Big Hole Country of small resort town of Jackson. Clark must have loved the
Southwestern Montana valley at first sight, or he would never have given it t[...]ers, too, must have been impressed by the valley, for their
The Shoshone Indians called it Ground Squirrel Valley; writings hold detailed descriptions of the surroundings. One
Capt. William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition ren- of these was fur entrepreneur Alexander Ross, for whom
amed it Hot Spring Valley, but the name that has stuck to Ross' Hole was named. Ross went through the Big Hole
the "land of 10,000 haystacks" is the Big Hole Valley. Valley in 1824, only 18 years after the Lewis and Clark party
The long valley just east of the Continental Divide in had been there.
southwestern Montana lies northwest of Dillon and south- The Big Hole River, whose headwaters are formed in the
west of Butte. It is famed for its grass, hay and prime cattle, Big Hole Valley and fed by snow runoff from its lofty moun-
fine[...]small western resort town in the valley retains the name
The name of the Big Hole Valley probably was given it which the river[...]The first wagons to pass through the Big Hole Valley were
whom a large valley was a "big hole." those of a Mexican freighter called Emmanuel Martin; he[...]w a fence on the Tom Clemow ranch in the Big Hole Valley, framed by the Bitterroot Mountain Range.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (51)traversed the valley between 1850 and 1854.[...]1853. • In the spring of 1863, eleven men including A. Graham,
Joe Ketc[...]with the Creek and the southeastern tributary of the stream was
Fisk Expedition in 1866. The first[...]do Creek. George and Jacob Yearian, brothers,
the Valley was Hattie Noyes, wife of Al Noyes who wrote the were mining Colorado Gulch with hydraulics in August
book, "The Story of Ajax-Life in the Big Hole Basin." 1867[...]overed Jeff Davis Gulch. The ditch had a capacity of 1,000
into the valley for fattening, on Christmas Day, 1883. Others inches and was built at a cost of $15,000. Ordinarily the
had driven cattle through the Valley before this, men like brothers hired about 30 men and operated five hydraulics.
James and Granville Stuart of Deer Lodge, who bought The placers[...]rt Hall in 1860 and drove them through the of the ground to some Chinese who often followed white
Grasshopper and Big Hole Valleys to Deer Lodge for fatten- men in placer mining. The mines bec[...]"China Diggings" and the settlement took the name of
to pioneers heading for Oregon. Chinatow[...]hinamen worked hydraulics along the gulch.
wealth of the Big Hole Valley grasses, other men began There were two companies of them, one headed by Boise
moving in stock. Today, the valley is known throughout the Sam and the other by Hong W au Tau. It was reported they
West as the land of 10,000 haystacks. Its cattle command took[...]hey washed the grav-
top prices in the stockyards of the West and Midwest. els of the gulch until about 1882.
The Big Hole Valley has witnessed raw drama. The Battle In 1877, when Chief Joseph's tribe wandered through
of the Big Hole was fought here in the year 1877, wh[...]General Gibbon attacked the sleeping Indian camp of and burned some of their homes as many of their guns were
Chief Joseph, Too-hul-hul-sote, W[...]from The Yearians mined the balance of their claims until 1895
battle engagements in Ida[...]to B. F. White, Otto Clemm,
It was not defeat for the Nez Perce, for they escaped, J. E. Morse, and J. C. Brenn[...]operated the
continuing their incredible journey of almost 2,000 miles placers by hydraulic me[...]was named "The Brenner" and was launched to float for
Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of Civil War fame, who many a day as it had a mile-long basin to work and claims
was in charge of Indian campaigns in the West, came to the e[...]summit to summit. The dredge was steam-
Big Hole Valley in 1884 to inspect the monument erected at operated and elevator buckets held five cubic feet of materi-
the Big Hole Battleground, a site today v[...]perated successfully until 1904 when it
thousands of tourists. closed down because of its worn condition.
Another illustrious visitor to the Big Hole Valley was The fame of the diggings did not rest upon the recovered
Tedd[...]wealth, but rather upon the activities of W. A. Clark, who
Creek, named for Charlie Pintlar, for whom the Pintlar gained a start for his later fortunes.
Wilderness was also named. Al[...]ly Teidt's, located on the creek called barrel of whiskey, a tent, some grub and a few boxes of cigars
Pintlar. Teidt told Al about Teddy's appearance after a long for a man by the name of Baugh, to the new "diggins"'.
day's hunt. Clothed[...]anding before the fire when he said, "Just think, I am one Gulch using the rear hounds of their wagon and a yoke to
of the 400 of New York, if I want to be." It amused all the haul the dirt[...]No serious stock war ever raged in the Big Hole Valley. Clark returned in the spring of 1864, having bought out
There was no rustling, no[...]before, and teamed with Harrison
about violation of the "customary range." Perhaps the Bro[...]hers' isolation perpetuated fellowship among men, for By fall they sold out and realized $7,500.[...]Old-timers tell of Clark becoming ill with pneumonia and
During ha[...]up, ranchers help each Brown nursed him for some time, finally carrying him on his
other. Their strong spirit of loyalty boasts a past when their back to Bannac[...]ez Perce. coom of Montana.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (52)[...]to Fred was Jim Barrett.
an historical place all of its own, and probably received its The Barret[...]now. Next
name from the Tendoy Indians. The top of the beautiful was Al Morrison, followed by Dad Sommers. There was also
range of mountains on the west side is the border between[...]ch and played the
Montana and Idaho, and is part of the Continental Divide. violin.
Range after range of mountains can be viewed from these H[...]ed magnificent ridges. There is feed in abundance for place. Charlie Law and Joe Metlen had pl[...]and creeks crop up all Hildreth homestead that later became part of the Hildreth
along the Medicine Lodge canyon.[...]Ericson Creek. There is also a Sweeney mine that is on the
wagons used to travel from Bannack to t[...]with the range going up to the Idaho Divide that connects
and into South Medicine Lodge, (which is[...]the Evan Huntsman
then on to Corrine, Utah. Stops for these wagons were at the ranches. Evan boug[...]stop was just below what is now the Jim valley once bustled with cattle and sheep ranches, home-
Barrett place, where there once was a pile of ox shoes, al- steaders, miners. Gradually[...]then on to Medicine Lodge and not all of them make their home on
Dead Man Creek and to Pio[...]Medicine Lodge. The creeks that feed the main Medicine
The trail was started i[...]used until the late Lodge Creek were named for the original families that used
eighties when the railroad came into existence in this part of them.
the country. The first lumber on the Ho[...]horses were a very profitable business, selling for as high as
used to build Martin Barrett's home on[...]se sold
The North Medicine Lodge has a variety of metals such as for $50 and a good milk cow sold for $40. After the Spanish
gold, silver, copper, and coal that have all been commercial- American War, pric[...].
ly mined at one time or another. There are beds of oil shale The people on Medicine Lodge o[...]ockhound can find precious stones and Rock for their mail. Later the old G & P Railroad would
in[...]the mail station was moved to Arm-
To the best of Bob's memory (as of August, 1980) the stead. When Armstead was condemned for the dam, mail
following families were original ho[...]ers. was once again delivered at the mouth of the Lodge with
Starting at the mouth of Medicine Lodge and going south each fa[...]post area has had quite a history.
office for that area, plus a saloon, and this was a stopping One of Bob's special memories was as a young boy watch-
place for freight wagons going to Idaho. Their place is now[...]reight being hauled from Armstead to Salmon.
part of the Welborn Ranch. Wagons were pulled by six or eight teams of horses, depend-
Next on the Lodge were Mr. and[...]ew where their resting and snacking place was and that's
Bell Waddam. Then going south up the Lodge were[...]dream as a small boy was to be a driver of such an outfit.
Johnson, Antone Swartz, Jim Alway[...]o Beaverhead County. A surprise to most people is that
ran the ranch as Hansen Livestock Co. Leonard sol[...]led his first deer in 1909 he made
under the name of Hansen Livestock Co.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (53)poison was used against the coyotes. With the predators like The two-story home on the corner of Pacific and Dillon
the wolves and coyotes under control, young fawns had a Streets is the largest of stone dwellings in Dillon. Built for
chance to survive. Wolves were especially hard on livestock the Lovell family, it is massive and of excellent proportions.
and could in one bite brea[...]nd The side walls have center buttresses for strengthening the
leg. Down would go the poor cow and the wolf would have a great expanse of the walls and also serve to frame the win-
delici[...]g stained glass within an
killing a horse a night for about three weeks in a row before arch heade[...]on coyotes and The home at the corner of Pacific and Cornell Streets was
wolves. From about 1915 to 1940, hides were worth $8.00. built for the Blair family. An attractive alteration at the[...]The home at 425 South Washington Street was built for
from where the Paul Hansens' hired man lives. Lat[...]raming the windows on the side
it was much easier for more children to attend. Later it was wall.[...]A charming little building in the middle of the zero block
Gulch. Because of the school being so far away and bad road[...]their own chil- on the south. It was built for Dr. Bond's medical office. Dr.
dren in the family[...]physician whose career was cut short when he died of
As was the custom of the time, people who had commod- influenza in 1918.
ities like milk, butter, cream, chickens, or eggs would sell[...]stead, or Dillon. They first block west of the courthouse was the office of Pearl I.
would usually just exchange them for other needed items. Smith, a community[...]intels on the front are supported by
service and, of course, the road is in better shape. It is a two columns with Greek capitals of the Ionic Order.
beautiful area in which to backp[...]trim of stone around the base of the walls framing the base-[...]same fashion, as a trim around the base of the walls.
The Frying Pan Basin lying northwest of Dillon was the Perhaps our finest example of stone masonry is the City
scene of much volcanic activity in milleniums past. A deep Library at the corner of Idaho and Glendale Streets. Not
layer of volcanic froth was laid down andcompressed suffi-[...]well to saw or chisel, being light in weight and of all angles.
a spongy texture. A landmark for early-day travelers was "The Stone
John S. Forrester, grandfather of Roy Forrester Jr., to- House" at the crossing of Rattlesnake Creek about ten miles
gether with a partner, John Cusick, opened a quarry there west of Dillon on the old Dillon-Argenta Road. It seems
before the turn of the century. John Forrester was a stone logical that this landmark be built of stone as it was just a
mason and cut blocks to si[...]jump over the hills northward to the Frying
some of the stone buildings in Dillon.[...]quarry.
Despite its quaint charm and the look of permanency, the The same volcanic upheaval that spewed froth all over the
stone was not widely us[...]d, Frying Pan left a tremendous amount of granite, now evi-
shelters were built of whatever material was available. In dent in the Birch Creek-Willow Creek area. After eons of
the case of Dillon, timber was plentiful and near at hand.[...]ng, and churning, much
The first homes were built of logs. Very soon saw mills were of the granite is fractured or decomposed. It is not[...]into action and dimensional lumber was available for ered to be of a quality suitable for building stone. There may
frame houses. Wood was[...]y
The stone buildings in Dillon are remarkable for their used it for that purpose in early years.
distinctive styling and the look of old-world durability.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (54)[...]He acquired bottom land just south of the Guyaz proper-[...]96, lured here by Ford. After 11 years of living with dreams, he and Miss Cora
kindred, being a nephew of Mrs. Dave (Venora Bridwell) got togethe[...]were married on Christ-
Metlen, and a grandnephew of Mrs. Eliza Harrison Mason mas Eve, 1919.
who lived on a ranch in the Grasshopper Valley. After a year They settled down on Duke's little ranch. Cora, a genteel
of working on the Mason ranch, he attended Montana S[...]to country life and shared her hus-
Normal School for two years. band's zeal for raising cattle, sheep, chickens, and pigs. Be-[...]rural life, they enjoyed reading and
ver to work for the Pentecostal Union, a growing religious owned an impressive library of inspirational books, includ-
organization, setting up a bible school and print shop. Duke ing a copy of Duke's own publication, "Flashlights from
learned[...]Mountain and Plain," published by The Pillar of Fire of the
chine was installed, he was promoted to the editorial de- Pentecostal Union of New Jersey in 1911. His writings were
partment, where he did typing, proofreading and writing for of everyday life and experiences of cowboys and ranch
"The Gospel Weekly".[...]just west of the Davis ranch, organized an outdoor Sunday[...]School and social event for area ranch people. Prior to, and[...]and persuasiveness which held the attention of children and[...]ts alike. The service included the usual reciting of pray-[...]choose the hymns, so, of course, they chose the more spirited
of the old familiar gospel songs. Being outdoors, th[...]mountains. The reverberations of "the little brown church[...]head of Medicine Lodge.[...]orse Prairie Creek, the kids went swimming in one of the[...]they were born."
saturated with the strict tenets of this new religion - as he The Givens and Davises left lasting memories of good
said, "They worked at it all the time."[...]n to all those lives they
A romance was budding for Duke, as he found favor in one touched.
Mis[...]the
peculiar ideas the founder and superintendent of the Bible sturdy log home caught fire and b[...]se, they rebuilt, this time
National Headquarters of the Pentecostal Union in New a smaller[...]le
Jersey. By 1914, Duke grew restless and longed for the wide domestic life.
open spaces of Montana. He felt smothered by the intensity[...]when Cora developed can-
and dictatorial policies of the "Holy Rollers." In 1914, lead- cer and passed on. Duke stayed on at his little cabin until his
ers of the church sent him by ship down the coast[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (55)[...]lived on the moss for a long time, finally they got onto the
Centen[...]nd we took the colts with them and
Blair, one of the earliest white men to come to the they got through the winter alright.
Centennial Valley.)[...]most of his and they lost nearly all their horses on Elk[...]e was lots offeed on the mountain but their
I received your letter and was glad to hear from yo[...]now and when a point
know you were both well. I will try and give you all of the where the wind blew the snow off was grazed bare their
information you asked for, my memory may be a little hazy horses wou[...]on the dates so you had better verify the date of the hard spot. Finally hay gave out and the[...]where they
winter. Milt Bean can tell you but I think it was 1890 and could save part of their cattle was on the hills around Elk-
'91[...]Lake. Watson and I were in the cabin about 1 ½ miles from
Hackett and I came to the Valley in 1887 when there were Elk Lake so they all[...]rs in our cabin. It
a few _cow outfits in the Valley, P and O on Clover Creek, was 14 feet by 14[...]it camped at the spring on the old blizzard I went to the creek to shoot some ducks, the bliz-
Blake Ranch. I think his name was Stodier. There were a zard got so bad that I did not dare leave the open creek to try
few settlers in the upper end of the Valley. Freeman Marble and find the cabin. I know I was not very far from the cabin
and his fathe[...]came close to my face which gave me the position of
1
is, and a little deaf man on Elk or Shitepoke, and some the cabin.
1 relation of the Mattox's where the O'Conner Ranch now is Most of the cattle that got on the hills around Elk Lake
where Picnic[...]lived.
The winter of 1890-91 set in pretty tough in December. I cannot remember the amount of stock that died as some
Frank Watson and I were trapping around Cliff Lake, our los[...]rt.
horses got uneasy and we took them to the Valley and A man by the name of Cooly from the lower Madison lost
walked back[...]below Henry's Lake at the meadows. He ran out of hay and
Valley, and from that time on it was one storm after an- tried[...]crust in March. He only
other. It would snow for three days at a time so one could not got a few head to Elk Lake and only one lived of the ones he
get out of the cabin and those who had stock could not feed[...]liam Bray Louie Derme, Ben Hart, If I can help you in any way let me know. Ben Hart and
and a man with a wooden leg came to the Valley in the fall of Milt Bean can give you information.
1890 a[...]l this
brought their stock in to winter, none of them had time to month. Today it is spitting snow. Some places in Ohio they
build shelter for their stock. Their stock was thin. ar[...]night. She is not well but a lot improved. I am feeling fine.
son and I wintered in his cabin. We had a few head of horses I had a letter from the Forsythes in Los Angeles. A[...]inter set in it was impossible to haul to the Valley. He said he was no better. Did you see the
en[...]The storms usually lasted three clipping I enclosed in Thelma's letter about the Platina Fox
days and one did not dare go out in them on account of skin that sold for $11,000.00? They had two of the skins here
getting lost. The people who put up hay for their cattle at a store untanned, valued at $1500.00 for the two. I went
could hardly find their hay stacks, instead of pitching hay and took a look at them. I did not think much of them, the
off the stack they would have to di[...]tails were very small and very light, on the side of the neck
find the stack and sometimes the hole would fill up with they were white. I did not see the bellies but suppose they
catt[...]rift with were white, too. The backs looked like a poor quality of
the wind and when it cleared up you could follow where the coyote. I have seen lots of coyote fur that I thought was
cattle went by the dead cattle. prettier and badger I think lots prettier. The whole fur was
Frank and I had to turn our horses out on the hills and quite light. I have not heard from the Beans for quite a
they got through all right. Elk Creek kept open all winter while.
and there was lots of moss in it. We watered our horses at the Wit[...]The snow was four or five feet deep on the banks of[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (56)[...]white canvas tents of the mountain logging camps, so that
Hole Ranching[...]cook for a crew of 40. At the time Burl came to get his sister
In any discussion of Big Hole history, especially the peri- to cook for the Hairpin, she was second cook in the Northern
od of transition from horse-drawn modes of transportation Pacific Hospital in Missoula. By flagging down the passen-
and manual labor to that of the implementation of gasoline- ger trains and riding on the loco[...]nton. Ollie was fond
which inevitably comes up is that of John Krause, who is of her position at the hospital, as the earnings allowed her
closely associated with the mechanization of Big Hole certain indulgences enjoyed[...]sing a
by him which revolutionized the techniques for harvesting Ford Model "T" car. Brother Burl had to convince Ollie of
and storage of hay in the Big Hole country. Because John the urgency of the situation at the Hairpin Ranch before she
and his wife, Ollie, were so well known to the citizens of would agree to follow him over the treache[...]ributions so firmly into the Big Hole Valley, where she was to meet her future
woven into the social fabric of the valley, it may be surpris- husband and remain for the rest of her life.
ing for some to learn that neither were Big Hole natives, but When haying season was over that year, John Krause
came to settle there by a series of events that so often play a proposed to Ollie and they were[...]ia. John was Springs. John's knowledge of mechanical things was always
the second oldest of nine sons. In 1914, the family relocated in d[...]7, the same year their
from the farming community of Artis, N.D., to Black Eagle, only son, Joh[...]John joined his on the south end of Jackson. There was a dance hall on the
brother, E[...]opportunity to make money by team of horses moved the building into town where, with
s[...]d, he fashioned a John was also a trapper for the Government. At the time,
pair of wooden skis for himself and set out alone to cross the coyotes[...]a serious threat to Big Hole ranch- /
Centennial Valley. Because of the sun's brilliant reflection ers. In those[...]he stayed in a room at the Metlen think of ways to build a motorized snow sled.
Hotel until[...]ed. The idea of a propeller driven snow sled was not original[...]arly as 1901, a New York inventor
Prairie working for John Peterson, or "Johnny Pete," as he patented what he called a "screw propeller," and for a short
was called. Later, Peterson transferred J[...]propeller driven machines. In the Centennial Valley there
young man from Clinton, Montana, who contin[...]torcycle engine and propeller
ed about the merits of his sister's cooking. As fate would on a s[...]ine on a bobsled. A more successful
haying season of 1924 imminent, so Burl was sent to bring[...]a motorcycle handlebar to steer with, and looked
of the summer. like a pipe rack with skis. Unfortunately, the weight of the
Ollie and her identical twin sister, Olive[...]n and Alice Flansburg. turned to the idea of using airplane engines, which have one-
The twins[...]ly third the weight per horsepower. The body of the first plane
relocated to High River, British Columbia, where they be- had no cab for shelter, but since he was soon bagging 10 to 15
came loggers, and this line of work took them to Bonner's coyotes per da[...]nd wind. From this prototype the sleek snowplanes of the
Milltown, Montana, and finally to Clinton in[...]The fact that it was nearly impossible to keep the roads[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (57)[...]John Krause
of snowplanes as a means of transportation for isolated through the years by feature writ[...]rst ranchers to have snowplanes custom- For a number of years John was a Standard Oil dealer and
built we[...]fts were powered by a helicopter engine, but most of the cars. He was also the first fire chief of the Jackson Volunteer
snowplanes had either Lycom[...]liked to compete in rodeos
plane bodies were made of fiberglass airplane cloth and trapshoots. He was well known for his generosity in
stretched over a framework of welded steel tubing. The skis, helping people d[...]elfish
steamed and bent in the Jackson shop, were of oak or his- and unassuming person which was evidenced by his many
kory, and had a running surface of sheet steel. friends and acquainta[...]owplane in as little Ollie Krause was a cook for a period of time at the Dia-
as three weeks, and by 1959, they had built about 75 of them mond Bar Inn and was a charter member of the original
for ranchers in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, the Dakotas,[...]used a 220 also active in the Royal Neighbors of America. Ollie was
HP engine to transport up to 10 guests of the Diamond Bar well-known in the community for her seemingly endless
Inn to and from the ski lift south of Jackson. Snowplane reservoir of cosmetic, creative and culinary skills. A lifelon[...]event, and the "snow bowl" as it was friend of hers recently stated "Ollie Krause could do any-[...]g and do it well. Once someone brought an armload of
ers from all over the northwest. There was a Big[...]the
plane Association, which entertained members of the Butte midst of shingling the roof, thought nothing of climbing
Town Club annually. The volunteer fire d[...]ck- her own work before dark. This was typical of Ollie's willing-
ing a snowplane up to the burnin[...]the propwash. Ollie was also well-known for her ability to prepare a
In addition to the snowplanes, John experimented with delightful meal for unexpected guests at a moment's notice.
other mec[...]rakes (buckrakes), hay hoists, and created a fork-like appa- many or what hour they arrived, were alwa[...]ed their 50th wedding anniversary on No-
800 head of cattle in just a few hours, where previously it[...]. Both are buried in Mountain View Cemetery.
part of the Big Hole landscape as the famous wooden bea-
verslides. His accomplishments have been written up for[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (58)[...]about in
1901, largely through the aggressiveness of Alma Bridwell
White, who had developed her own style of worship and was
bent on enveloping the whole worl[...]on. After
having served as a Methodist missionary for 18 years in
Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and the Pacific northwest, she
renounced the church, proclaiming that "the Methodists
are a fallen people." In her opinion, the "powers of evil" had was reclaimed."
taken over the church[...]ora Bridwell Metlen, was so over-
holiness in any of the old line denominations." whe[...]she induced her brother in the movement that she transferred the deed to the Met-
Charles, a M[...], 20, Blk.
her to Dillon, where they had a number of "unsaved' rela- 3, original townsite of Dillon, June 23, 1905, Beaverhead
tives.[...]County record of Deeds.) There was much ado in the Metlen
Alma[...]as a teacher in 1882, drawn to the area by of certain city officials Dave Metlen managed to res[...]the family. There may have been some legal hanky-
Valley. She taught but one term in Bannack and was re-[...]enerally known how this was accom-
leased because of her persistence in giving too much time to pl[...]ol. She also taught one Alma White alleged that ... at Dillon there was no
term in Lima, a summer[...]indered the
school three and one-half miles south of Dillon, and one course of law, and property was confiscated and held from
term at the Nelson School, eight miles north of Dillon, its rightful owner as it was in the da of the Inquisition.
where she boarded at the John Bi[...]e. The records in the county seat of Beaverhead County will
It was in Bannack that she first met Kent White, a mis- show one of the mo t devilish schemes that was ever con-
sionary. They spoke briefly one day in a doorway, and it was ceived in the minds of so-called civilized men to defeat
at that moment that "God manifested" that one day she justice. It stands as a black deed on t he records of those who
would marry Kent White. Amazing Grace![...]the guilty will quake under the zig-zag lightning of
Colo., where they were taking classes at the Univ[...]Alma and Charles, along with a growing number of con-
Alma left two children in the care of her husband and her verts "kept the revival f[...]and her treatment. Alma wrote in one of her books, ' We notice that
brother, the Reverend Mr. Bridwell, arrived in Di[...]people who have good religious ancestory back of them
expected to make use of the Methodist Church to spread the make good shouters and prayers." Wave after wave of glory
doctrine of holiness and deliver the Dillon souls "from the deluged her soul when she told of a man who was converted
bondage of their sins." Her oratory was profound. Her deliv- on a Saturday and shouted until he was so hoarse that he
ery was so overpowering as to frighten the Met[...]ollowing Tues-
erning board into refusing her use of the church. She also day.
was rejected by t[...]d against us." because of their custom of praying. Following Bible reading,
Not to be put down, she sent to Denver for a large tent, sermons, and singing, they gat[...]nd other emotional
"We put it up in the center of town," she related. "The expressions of entreaty. Fist pounding, rolling, bodily gyra-
people of Dillon had never seen anything like it before, and tions, and shouting amplified to the point of frenzy, resulted
naturally it attracted a great deal of attention. Attendance in a cacophony that was frightening to the uninitiated.
was good from[...]ldest brother, who had been a backslider, for other evangelical pursuits. Charles stayed[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (59)[...]-EDITH PALMER
evening when a group of the more undisciplined young fel-
lows of the community, some of them coming out of burrows Sources: "Looking Back from Beulah[...]y
The rogues so quickly surrounded the victim, that citi-
zens on the street were unable to come to h[...]olled in the leaves on the The recent death of Mrs. Lota Wilson Tyvand brings to
banks of Beaverhead River." memory happenings of the era in which she was born. She
The Rocky M[...]a ranch at Birch Creek. The ranch was north of the creek and
member of Pentacostal Union of Denver, went to Dillon, east of the railroad and contained the tract Mr. Wilson
Mont., for the purpose of establishing a branch of the work donated for a community cemetery.
there. He was accompanied b[...]ongenial families on
earnest were their endeavors that the work moved along Birch Creek in the[...]Jennie Wilson. All three
"The peculiar methods of the Pentacostal sect did not women were g[...]in need.
ings and singing and shouting the ferver of its religious joy, I was at the Hopp ranch in 1899 and as I remember it, I
while the oppositional feeling continued to grow.[...]to the Wilson ranch to usher, or help bring,
mob of some 15 or 20 young men appeared at the hall one[...]ok the preacher out, divested wife and baby for a day or two. Those kindly deeds one
him of his clothing and applied a coat of tar roofing paint." cannot forget.
Alma White was in Los Angeles at the time and read the I recall that the first wedding gift my wife received in
story in an area newspaper. In one of her later books, she March, 1891, was a batch of eight speckled laying hens-all
wrote an account of the incident, " .... when the holiness were marked that way-from Mrs. Wilson's flock. My wife
people were engaged in their services at the home of Rev. thought it was a wonderful gift and immediately set two of
C.W. Bridwell, a mob comprised of about 20 young men the hens and they each hatched a brood of chicks. Some-
gathered and began to bombard the p[...]wn an old lady 67 The Wilson children I remember-six of them-The-
years of age, and striking a man on the head with a club w[...]ured the leader, and taking him nearly a mile out of town, happy family if there ever was one. We used to exchange
gave him a coat of roofing paint." wor[...]missionaries, harmonious arrangement.
some of the more responsible citizens urged them to go[...]home and lock their doors, and suggested the out-of-town ans of the Civil War and many times I heard it being fought
evangelists should consider leaving Dillon. After the heat of over again.
the night had cooled, the Reverend was left to the mercy of I used to visit the Wilsons when they lived near th[...], .
succeeded in removing the mixture fearing that the closing I saw an account in the Dillon Exami:ne:r recmtiy about
up of the pores of the flesh would cause his immediate my old friend, Kate Fitzharris. I -did considerable horse
death."[...]e tent, located on an empty lot immediately north of Frying Pan Basin for Billy Philb.ps. The lro _k wu.s quarried
the old[...]er, was and used to build the first section of tl}~ Dillon I ,P,lement
struck. Personal effects were p[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (60)[...]made good moon, as attested to by several people of
Centennial Valley today. Arkansas Slim' ran a still for himself and later the[...]Roselles at both Sham bow Creek and across the Valley at
By C[...]evenuers came by and gave
The early Centennial Valley was a location of resourceful chase. He ran off with very few clothes on and had to go to
personalities who made use of available sources to survive. the neighbors w[...]h rawhide, which the coyotes ate in the winter, like he was looking for unwanted company all of the time he
giving the constructor a spring fenci[...]omrades ran a still under Sheep Mountain. An
sion of distilling a common practice and with prohibition, it interesting note here was the use of the mash to fatten hogs.
was somewhat profitable.[...]a drunk hog has very little reason to be mobile,
of a way of life than just making enough for personal use. consequently, tending to be ve[...]o by the locals.
placed on law enforcement people that weren't welcome and This next enterprisi[...]made good. A gentleman from
prewarn the residents of an intruder in the Valley well Henry's Lake was a supplier and Henry Wetmore recalls
ahead of his arrival. Could have been called tell-an-inhab[...], which he
tant. Often the sheriff would go ahead of the revenuers and and his brother would drink[...]who traveled at night to avoid
The Centennial Valley and Monida at one time would detection by one of the local midwives. At one time he
rival the modern supply side of economics. Monida was the employed Bill Miller to repair his still which was in bad
trail head to the valley even before prohibition. When Mon- shape bein[...]which hit his still a few times
sell $1,000 worth of whiskey before breakfast, or three car- before[...]who lived on the north side, had a
It appears that about every person had a hand in the stil[...]used prohibition and who interesting note of this area is that it was called horse heav-
used the sugar sacks for clothing needs. The sacks were used en, in that horses would become trapped there in the winter
for underclothes, especially the flour sacks that had Yellow- and starve to death; that is where horses went to heaven.
stone Flour writt[...]fork, where the cabin remains. This was a family of several ·, '·\°t"'t:-- l
boys and[...],, ( :-... - ~ \ ~, I[...]-,.

The stories go that another brother was consistently given I

the jail time when the operation fell into disfavor with the
law. The one sister of the family was an interesting charac-
ter in her[...]d fit herself with a body
bagand walk the streets of Dillon, selling moon on demand,
a resourceful way[...]wever, not as much
is known ab'out the management of their manufacturing.
Movhng up the south side of the Valley, in the Price Creek
area t here was a Dutchman, but little is known about him.
The next place of action was a husband and wife team who
could make so:rp.e of the' best beer in the Valley that they
marketed to the s:heepherders in the area, w[...]y way to
accumulate a few more dollars. On up the Valley at Bean
Creek, moon was fabricated at the mouth of the creek.

62-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (61)[...]er dam. A engine and taking it to Spencer for a dance, or following the
good place to keep it s[...]rain with a car, which required keeping the light of the
his still was for personal use, which one could say he sold the train in sight and generally costing the owner a set of tires.
ranch and drank the profits. Another fello[...]pass in deep
Wolverines, probably as an associate of Ora Roselle. snow. It pulled a toboggan carrying a keg or two of bootleg.
Most of the early saloons in Monida at one time or an- A local barber was one of the teamsters. One of the local
other were owned by Ora Roselle, my fat[...]he bottle was kept in a trap cellar, just outside of the ... for problems at the Canadian border.
door. One day th[...]re able to get a drink from a Some tell of taking a keg to Spencer to a dance and filling
lo[...]raw on the boys. The revenuers hit him along side of had a ring across their noses from getting the last drop out of
the head and carted him off to jail. By the time they got him the jar. One fellow tells of attending a dance in Humphrey
to jail, Ora had ma[...]rn train back and they had a problem with one of the local residents
to his post behind the bar. A[...]g scrape with drinking their moon. The use of a little laxative put the guy
the law happened in Idaho Falls. The Roselle operation had out of commission for the night and also helped in the prof-
just finished bottling a keg of whiskey when the law moved its.
in on a n[...]ty sheriff would try to catch these locals
bottle of whiskey which they threw out the window to a when the train left for Monida, but they would hide in the
waiting office[...]throw the keg up on the coal car and hang on for the trip
ing the evidence. There was no evidence[...]and a little
Ora Roselle ran a still just out of Monida. His helper dangerous with half-b[...]spark a young lady at your pockets full of cash it helped even if you got burned.
the hotel.[...]Ora before the revenuers. deliver a load of moon.
Clay Roselle had a still on the island in Upper Red Rock The downfall of Clay Roselle came in Idaho Falls with
Lake, near[...]heard in a cafe and followed to their still later that day,
called Ross Spring, and worked there until t[...]s which was on the island in the middle of the Snake River.
hauled the still out on a pole. This operation was one of the The boys were caught. Clay had been on his way to Monida
best, if not the best in the Valley. All materials were trans- but when he returned and posted bail for the crew, they
ferred by pipes and pumps, very cl[...]ed it and Clay got a term in the federal pen. One of the
Roselle's moon classed with the best. When it was blended others went to the pen in Arkansas for either this case or one
and bottled, it became store quality, minus a tax stamp. The before.
barrels for their use came from the Butte Bottling Works[...]olesale are now forgotten. The makers of the stills were notable
would supply sugar, yeast[...]laim the information to be the
The ingredients for 10 gallons of moon were: 25 pounds of exact truth, but after interviewing several residents who
rye, 75 pounds of sugar, one pound of yeast, and one gallon were born and raise<;i. in the area and knew of the bootlegging
of molasses. Put it in a barrel and fill with water, let stand business, it appears that theirs was a different way of life.
for nine days, strain the grain off and feed it to th[...]ple worked together even if they weren't the best of
liquid went to the still and made ten gallons of 100-proof friends. They also talk of the past as if this generation has
whiskey. It's said that if you made it too strong it would take lost something, which I hope that this article will at least
the hide off your tong[...]ner would distill help in the understanding of the resourcefulness of our fore-
snow water for Clay, which would be used to make gin. It's bears.
told that my father Ora made gin in the bathtub in their Many thanks to all of the people who have told me of the
apartment of the old dance hall in Monida. past, which is not personally acknowledged. I only hope the
With Monida being right on the Idaho border, a lot of view and perspective is somewhat correc[...]ed over the state line and in many
forms. Several that I have heard tell of are the use of a tire,
with whiskey placed where the tube goes a[...]Argenta was chartered January 6, 1865 as the Town of
young lads of Monida to roll it over the state line to w[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (62)[...]He pecks the eyes out of lambs and newborn calves and can[...]that way. All efforts to reduce the magpie population[...]In the early Twenties, a group of ranchers and sportsmen[...]cents per dozen was offered for magpie eggs, to be delivered[...]office of Dillon's power company, which operated two wa-[...]ter-powered turbines. One was three miles south of town[...]electricity for the city. Hugh Bates, bookkeeper for the
Line drawing of Mary J. Hamilton's brick residence[...]town kids as well as
late 1860s at the upper end of Horse Prairie and it became the country kids busy locating nests and climbing trees.
famous for fine draft horses. Once when Hamilton was away The magpie nest is a remarkable structure, built of tan-
on a business trip, his helpers broke the ho[...]th an upstairs.
and the horses all broke to work. That lake is still in use. The bird itself is[...]ish-black body and white wing patches. It is one of the few
new brick residence was built. The house[...]animal lovers and after long buggy Some of the more enterprising youngsters in the Beaver-
r[...]ted ranch to Dillon, they often talked head Valley devised a system of leaving a "nest egg." They
about the lack of a public watering spot for animals. Mrs. may have learned this trick[...]ouse, a common practice with farm
1907, in memory of her husband who had died in 1905, and flocks.
established a $2,500 trust fund for its upkeep during the Nest eggs were made of milk glass, the size and shape of a
years. The fountain included a horse trough, a[...]chicken egg. The stratagem took advantage of the hen's
fountain for the public, and a small watering spot for dogs built-in compulsion to reproduce; to[...]by visitors hatch a family. This was deception, of course, as the real
and residents of Dillon, rather than thirsty horses, and is[...]ay, but it kept the hens laying.
located in front of the Beaverhead County Museum on Th[...]The new requirement worked satisfactorily for the kids
specialists in Butte, in 1905 for a weekend retreat from the near Dillon, as they could get to town frequently, but it was
stress of living in Butte. They employed Marcus Rand as[...]n the brick house. In later years, she was a of dead baby birds can get pretty ripe after a few h[...]ch" on many maps. In defense of this controversial bird, and recognizing the[...]-RUBY PROHOSKY theory that every living thing on this planet serves a pur-[...]states, disposing of carrion on the highways and country-[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (63) Big Hole Valley Schools

Wisdom School, 1915 - Teacher, Miss A[...]ilies have since moved out of the valley to send their chil-
School started in the Big Hole Valley in the spring of 1884 dren to high school. Students also board w[...]choolhouse built about one and a half miles north of friends, and since the early 1960's a schoo[...]ch. The Wisdom to Dillon (a distance of over 60 miles one way) has
school house was a one[...]de, and the door facing east. There were two rows of teachers moved into a new school built alongsi[...]te Highway buildings are now, and school was
held for six months with Miss Sims as teacher. Frank Wilke[...]Antone family history
has written in his memoirs that the stage at the Community that in 1892, the Jackson School District reached from[...]original schoolhouse until 1914, miles south of Wisdom to the Idaho Line. The same teacher
when a[...]The old schoolroom with taught three months of the year at Fox, and taught the next
the stage is[...]le with two students in each seat. Rock and brick for side south of the present site of Jackson on what is now part
the new school, built in 1914, came from Steel Creek and the of the Hairpin Ranch. The Jackson families moved bac[...]rick to the site. High school was advantage of six months of school a year. They boarded the[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (64)[...]Jorgensen Lane, 1894
Fox, at that time, was the center of activity for the area. It
was located eight miles north of Jackson on the road to It is not kno[...]da Hirschy Olsen
school section a half mile south of Jackson, which is now told of the four older Hirschys attending school east of the
owned by Dale Strodtman. Those early day teachers got $35 Big Hole River the summer of 1894 after the family arrived
a month and had to board with families that had children from Indiana. There were no[...]have a
tin was the teacher earning $50 per month for a three month railing, but the water ran over it and they nearly always got
schoolterm. Holding school for a nine month term started in their feet wet[...]the early 1900s by B. B. Lawrence, with the help of neigh-
Fox, 1893[...]southeast of the Lawrence Ranch buildings, which are now
Fa[...]Bawyon, Olga Sandstrom and Mary
eight miles north of Jackson. About 1897 the district was Ferr[...]me building built on School was a niece of Mrs. Bender, who rode eight miles
government land at the junction of Burma Road and Peter- every day from the[...]th the Gibbons district and this nice
distinction of being a winter school of nine months instead building was torn down and the lumber salvaged.
of the usual three or six. After the district was cl[...]Briston, 1890

The remains of the first school in the Briston District still
stand at the end of Briston Lane. It was built of logs by Dan
Tovey, Daddy Stephens and Hiram Lapha[...]R.
Stevenson, later assisted by his wife, was one of the first
teachers and had 31 scholars. It is also remembered by Earl
Willey that another early teacher was Frank Hazelbaker,
who at one time had 50 students in that tiny log school-
house! Another school was built on the hillside in the early
1900s, just west of the old one. In 1922 the district built
again abo[...]r holding Louise, Ed
until consolidation. Remains of that house still stand at the Kirk, Johnny Kirk, Ralph Quigley, Raymond Kirk,
foot of the hill west of the old peat moss plant on Jim Weiss' L[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (65)[...].
Marguerite Pendergast, Nellie Pendergast, Kate

for the school was donated by Al Covey (property whic[...]roeder, windows), used as shade and shelter for livestock these days
Al Covey, Weldon Else and ot[...]a testimony to a time when many families lived in that
Knutson was one of the first teachers. The district was dist[...]20 school was held sporadically as school-
closed for a while, and reopened in the spring of 1915 age chilren were there. It was eventually abandoned and
through the efforts of Weldon Else, again becoming a sum- annexed to Jackson District 24 in 1948.
mer school. In the summer of 1918 a new schoolhouse was
built at a new locatio[...]ce, using three four-horse reportedly held for a short period in 1890s up on the hill in
teams with sleighs. It still stands in the yard of the Lester Lapham's field for the children of Jack and Rose Pender-
Else Ranch after having bee[...]y schools played an important role in the history of[...]the country dances and, by far the most exciting for the
bered that a three-month summer school located on McVey[...]ething wonderful is gone
Creek, eight miles north of Wisdom was held from 1884 for a from the way of life in the Big Hole, but the colorful history
few years. The children of the Herman and Antone Jackson of these districts lives in the hearts and memories of many.
families, Callens, McVeys, Wratons and Paddocks and oth- With the consolidation of all the country schools into either
ers attended[...]which have become the hub of community involvement.
Kirk S[...]-ANN HIRSCHY
The first available school records for Kirk School District
25 show this school was held for three month summer terms, (Informatio[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (66)[...]Bannack. He was reported to have been a member of the[...]more than oneoccasion of a hanging.
ing A fellow member of the Vigilantes, William Rowe, came[...]later became a brother-in-law to Joseph
The first of these, The First National (presently Norwest),[...]m Philadelphia,
was organized in 1884 by the trio of Sebree, Ferris, and came to Bannack in 18[...]arrett and Shineberger formed the
business in the Valley before the coming of the railroad. On Cross Ranch in Horse Prairie[...]ed partners until
January 14, 1884, Howard Sebree of Salt Lake City, Eddy F. they dissolved their partnership in 1871.Shineberger then
Ferris of Bozeman, Benjamin F. White, Leonard Eliel, and[...]wn land near the Red Rock area. Martin
Otto Klemm of Dillon signed the organization certificate. Barrett, a native of Ireland, came with Shineberger to the
The capital stock of the association was $50,000 and the area[...]ained on the Cross supplying the min-
bank opened for business March 1, 1884. Sebree, Ferris,[...]fiend were the bank's first di- The last of the original founders was by far the youngest
rec[...]rst officers were: Sebree, President; Burfiend, of the group. In 1899 A. L. Stone was only 36 while most of
Vice President; White, Cashier; and Klemm, assist[...]nk's president in 1891 and continued worked for the Dillon Implement Company until the State
to hold that office until his death in 1920. It was said of Bank was organized in 1899. The original founders were also
White that "with a disdain for conventional banking meth- bound by their[...]emocrats. In
ods, White loaned money on character of which he must contrast, the First Nati[...]to-
a stockman came into the bank to borrow money for oper- rial Governor in 1889. The State B[...]r a brief conversation with White, was handed of its original building location at the corner of Idaho and
a checkbook, advised to go ahead and wh[...]owned the second floor
to come in and sign a note for the amount drawn. No other and roof.
secur[...]The era of 1880-1920 was the last to witness the old bank-
In January of 1910 Howard Sebree disposed of his inter- ing methods when money was loane[...]ker was bound only by his own judgment. With
June of 1911 the building was enlarged. On December 4,[...]nation.
bank in southwest Montana, with a footing of over $4 mil- LIZA NICHOLAS
lion. President of the Daly Bank and Trust Company of
Anaconda, E. J. Bowman, was elected president of the First
Natioal on January 11, 1921, and J. H.[...]l Bank. This unfortunate institution was a victim of
SPEECH"
the Panic of 1893 and closed its doors that same year. In the pioneer era, expressive words were chosen to de-
The third bank of Dillon's first 40 years was the State scrib[...]st emphatic notice given a
has reliable authority that the most prominent and substan- chap to leave a room or ranch, or to escape a revolver.
tial citizens of Beaverhead County are establishing a bank[...]ation. Everything
... whose names are a guarantee that the new institution was an "outfit," from[...]pocketknife, even a wife, a
will take rank as one of the most solid banks in Montana." horse, a[...]out" was any proposed enterprise, from organizing
Valley citizens, most with mining backgrounds. F. L. Graves a state to digging out a prairie dog. Anything that has been
was a veteran of the Confederate Army and after whom the tried-from running for Congress to bumming a drink-has
first electric dr[...]r placer mining color" expressed the saddest of failures. "Gum hooters"
for a number of years, constructed the first gold dredge[...]Graeter also ranched in Horse Prairie, southeast of gold.

68-Beaverhead Hist ory

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (67)[...]es Leach in a barber
shop on North Montana Street for 22 years until ill health
forced his retirement.
He was active in fraternal affairs, ranking as one of the oldest
members of Apollo Lodge No. 15, IOOF, and a past noble grand
of that order.
His wife Josephine died October 27, 1918, the first victim of
the flu epidemic in Dillon.
Both Mr. and Mrs. A[...]ed in the Orr Mansion and had gone to Birch Creek for a
Wisc. and was the son of Col. John Madison Adams (of the picnic one Sunday. When they returned that evening, almost
Union Army in the Civil War) and[...]ry was on Sebree
George, and a sister, Effie, all of whom had to work as soon as Street. Many th[...]e educated, had saved all his life. Some of the things were found in Butte in a
grade school[...]l was always served white was a member of the Elks.Lodge, Rotary, and all of the Masonic
bread and the children brown, which t[...]Lodge organizations. He was the Potentate of the Bagdad Tem-
Louis went to Omaha, Neb., and[...]nterest, as did the other stockholder, Mr. Turner of California,
Bluffs, Wisc., on Nov. 10, 1870. She was one of four daughters to the Montana Power Co. Now free, he spent winters in Tus-
and three sons of John and Lucy Knox. John did not have a[...]mber
special trade and never settled in one place for long. Ruby was 10, 1943.
named for a river they had crossed as they traveled across[...]n Cashmore, great-grandsons Timo-
Richland Center for a few years. Railroad engineering took too[...]a correspondence school connected with the Univ. of Wiscon-
sin; he recieved his degree in Electrical[...]Donnell T. Albee
ager of the power company.[...]ee. He was their third child
where he was manager of the power company for three years. and came to Montana in a covered wagon in 1882, riding most of
They moved to Rexburg, Ida., in 1904 where he aga[...]box, with his parents, an older brother,
manager of the power company. They moved in 1905 to Dillon.[...]lie Gertrude; and a younger brother,
Louis worked for the light company and in 1908 he became the William. Four related familes settled in the Deer Lodge Valley
manager and stockholder of the Union Electric Co. The plant while the remainder of the wagon train went on to Eastern
had two waterwheels for power. One was near Lovell's Lake and Was[...]ot interested in school but was a worker. In
Part of the plant building still stands on the Barnes' pr[...]ing the winter months. The wires area that he went home to ask his father to help him[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (68)[...]Albers
place from William A. James 12 miles North of Wisdom on
Howell Creek. Don filed on a homestead joining the first place. One of the wealthiest and most highly respected citizens[...]ister Allie also filed on the Beaverhead Valley in the late 1800s and early 1900s was
adjoining l[...]" After making his home at Leavenworth for two years, he was
held it for 30 days and sold it at a good profit. In 1917 the Big attracted west by the stories of the great opportunities that this
Hole property was sold to George Arnott and[...]attlemen and in 1932 Don drawn by two yoke of oxen, via the Oregon Trail. The trip
took the pro[...]countered several chilling
new home to replace on that had burned. He invited everyone he experiences with Indians and outlaws.
saw and knew and on the night of the housewarming 419 guests Upon arriving in this valley, Mr. Albers secured the job of
signed the guest book on a wet rainy night in September and stock tender for the Wells-Fargo station at the company's stage[...]went to Kansas and bought 30 head of good grade Durham
cattle and a team of horses and brought them to this valley. He
ran his cattle on the range, and for two years was employed by[...]located 12 miles north of Dillon along the Beaverhead River.[...]doned in favor of the First National Bank, in which Mr. Albers
danc[...]erhard married Christine Louisa
After the sale of the Big Hole ranch in 191 7, Don purchased M[...]helmina
the historic 72 Secvtion P.N. Ranch North of Winifred, Mon- Fricke at Schulenburg, Ge[...]only 17.
Don was a good cowboy, took good care of his livestock, Gerhard and Christina[...]The Albers children at-
"have a good banker ahead of time so if you found a bargain you tended sc[...]on one trip, prompted
by his frienship with some of the Chinamen who lived inButte at
the time. He ha[...]going through the
ice on the Judith and Missouri for several days. An old bachelor
living down river helped him out of the river and nursed him
several days until well enough to report back home that he was
alive.
Don Albee never married but did e[...]. He
had many friends among the business families of Butte, spend-
ing many nights in the city[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (69)[...]Gulch near Anaconda, Mont. He attended
became one of the largest stockmen of the Beaverhead, running schools in Deer Lodge County, graduated from the Helena
9,000 sheep, 500 head of cattle and 150 fine horses. These peak Busin[...]ar-
operations were reached in 1887, and the year of greatest profit vard University.
was 1889, ac[...]Richard, Jr.
Gerhard Albers as owning 5,297 acres of ground, valued at Allen was employe[...]he
Mr. Albers was a tall, well conditioned man of the hardy resigned to take over his father's mining interests at French
pioneer type. Of unquestioned integrity, he never indulged in[...]g property there and formed the
the popular sport of "long looping," with the possible exception Allen Gold Mining Company. About 40 men mined the Spain
of the customary practice of eating nothing but the neighbor's and McKin[...]rray Hospital In 1900, he installed one of the first large dredges to be used
in Butte, Mon[...]s Daly's Anaconda Company needed large quantities of
Rattlesnake Creek on a Tuesday and received a small cut on one timber for charcoal at his smelter and for stulls in the Butte
of the fingers of his left hand. Not thinking it would prove[...]and within a few days, Mr. Albers became so ill that he had bis State Legislature as a Republican[...]In
son John take him to his home 12 miles north of Dillon. He grew 1907, he was Speaker ProTem,[...]nd selling his timber business,
affliction a case of blood poisoning and ordered him taken to a A[...]capital to Montana. He helped
hospital in Butte for treatment, which was done. However, it org[...]the San Francisco Fire
ducted by Rev. F. E. Dodds of the Methodist Church. The large and Marine[...]illon. Christine's obitu-
ary told she had a host of friends throughout the country who
were deeply gr[...]She had considerable city
real estate at the time of her death.
After Gerhard's death in 1909, his[...]h. Leona Montana, only nine
years old at the time of her father's death, lived with her mother
at the[...]d John Gloss Septem-
ber 12, 1921.
Information for this story was taken from an article written
by Gerhard Albers' daughter, Dora Albers Bell, for a piece
entitled "Livestock History," dated March 28, 1940, and from
the obituary of Gerhard Albers in the Dillon Tribune, Frid[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (70)With the price of silver rising, he began buying claims in 1911,[...]r- Horse Prairie area. Angie, at 16, left for Grand Island, Nebras-
ty, were so impressed with what they found that they recom- ka, to attend business schoo[...]The stage line vanished with the completion of the G & P
$1,500,000, was completed in November 1[...]ow moved by rail. This
two gas cars. This was one of the last narrow-gauge railroads to brought about the town of Armstead, a booming town with
be built in the United States. In 1940, the last rails of the cabaret, bars and a hotel, which was m[...]Smith and his mother built a home for her in Armstead.
A telephone line was built to[...]e after President Coolidge. Allen was a supporter of Annie C. Nugent, from Butte. They were m[...]hurch in Dillon by Father Clifford. They lived on
that nominated Coolidge as the party's candidate. Cool[...]arie would be
a thriving town with a large number of single miners and 20 to stillborn. On June[...]mes passed away at age 38. Just one
Completion of the railroad led to construction of a mill for year later (1921), Rozella Mapes Smith died[...]ith built a house
was completed in 1922 at a cost of $900,000. It was operated by after Francis (Roy) Ames was born on March 31, 1922. After
steam heat that came from electricity produced by 52 electric[...]The financial depression in 1920-21 and decline of metal On July 5, 1928, Florence Smith[...]hip in 1923. W. The family has no knowledge of the whereabouts of Richard G.
R. Allen resumed mining operations on[...]Albert C. and Pedersine Anderson
The advent of the railroads to the west and the great curiosity Albert C. Anderson was born in Denmark on August 11,
of the unknown stirred Edwin M. Ames Sr., his wife,[...]Dillon by 1880. operations.
Still in quest of adventure and a more secure life, they heard[...]coming acquainted with the country and accumulat-
that a new stage line was starting from Red Rock to Sa[...]on government land was
ing; to homestead a parcel of land and to build what was to be free for the taking to the first one there.
the Ames Stage Station. This station included meals for weary In 1910 Albert sold his sheep and returned to Denmark for a
travelers and drivers, tack, feed and fresh horses for the end of three months' visit with relatives. While on v[...]de, Pedersine (Sine) Rassmusen.
With the birth of Edwin M. Jr., May 19, 1883, the overbur- In the spring of 1911 Albert, Sine, and a number of young
dened Florence brought her mother, Rozella Mapes Smith Danes, several of whom later worked for Albert, came to the
(January 15, 1835), wh[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (71)[...]her said as a boy he read
They reared a family of three children: Cora (Mrs. Arnold about the Indians and the exciting life in the West and
Benson) of Dillon, Ejner Anderson of Wendell, Idaho, and Ebba determined he woul[...]soon as he was able. When
(Mrs. Chester Gilbert) of Bozeman, Montana. he was[...]ith the Beaverhead.
financial assistance of B.F. White, president of the First Na- He needed a job and went t[...]ur-horse team and he could, so he got the job.
ed of about 12,000 sheep, and other holdings consisting of Life was as exciting as he had anticipated. On one of his
Spring Creek, Galiger Foot Hills, Grasshopper[...]nd a large grazing area where the sheep were held for food. One night Father was sleeping in the wagon and he felt
shearing and sorting out of lambs in the fall. They had a large it jiggle[...]une 10. Some years it became quite a task because of rain. The loud he frightened not only that bear, but all the bears in the
cook had to cook for 20-25 men for an extra 10-14 days. The Park.
usual crew consisted of twelve shearers, three or four wranglers, S[...]several trips back to Ohio and in 1893 he
member of the Evergreen Masonic Lodge of Lima, the Bagdad married my mother, Harriet Johnson. She taught in Mar-
Temple of the Shrine and the Danish Brotherhood in America. ion, Ohio, when Warren G. Harding was president of the
Albert C. Anderson passed away in 1961 at the age of 80. local school board. Alvan and Harriet[...]dren,
Mrs. Anderson died July 7, 1981, at the age of 92. Hugh born in 1894, and Julia[...]miles north of Dillon. Uncle Clark and Aunt Ella lived on[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (72)[...]Clarence and Laura Andersen
One of the interesting things about the ranch Mr. Bishop[...]came to America and the Dillon area in the spring of 1905.
of a white man's camp. No other white man had been Four of his five brothers (Chris, Andrew, John and Hans)[...]or near
Lewis and Clark Expedition. We know now, of course, they Beaverhead County.
were throu[...]Over the next several years Clarence worked for the Ames
and Valley.[...]ns were always "Lincoln Republicans." My of young Danish emigrants found employmer.t.
father[...]ed in politics and was a County In April of 1914 Laura Hansen who was also from Denmark,
Commissioner for several terms. In addition to handling ac[...]arried in February 1915 at the Presbyterian
tions that today would be carried out by several different[...]in politics They lived on Blacktail Creek for about a year and a half
and was active in the wom[...]hen women got the Creek, where they lived for the next 35 years. For approximate-
right to vote in Montana. She was also a lifelong member of ly 30 of those years they operated a sheep ranch. In the m[...]es befell our family. My mother was sick 19 51 that they moved to a smaller acreage near Dillon, upon[...]g their holdings on Grasshopper Creek.
bus, Ohio, for exploratory surgery. She died December 5, One of their daughters, Laura LaBuff, makes her home in[...]Denmark, the fourth son of Johan and Johanna Andersen, and
On Thanksgivin[...]knew the He attended school in Denmark for the required number of
war was over because we had celebrated Armistice[...]wn when to expect Hugh to come home. We of 10 brothers and two sisters: Andrew, Claus, John,[...]ed up from the table and rushed to him with cries of Albert, Matt, Marie, Thomas, Peter, Kristine, and two brothers
joy, and hugs and kisses. Now, like everyone else, we looked who died in childhood[...]retentive mind, fortitude in the face of harsh adversity, and[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (73)hunger for freedom, he decided to make plans to come to Amer[...]J.E. Morse. He was the
ica. To acquire the money for the ship's passage he worked in a manager of the ranch where they ran 10,000 sheep for 10 years.
brick yard at Odense. It required a lot of physical labor and The children had to travel by horse and buggy or sleigh to the
strong muscles for which he was well equipped.[...]He was 18 when he arrived in Dillon in the fall of 1893. weather. This was one of the reasons he decided to sell the Ames
Rasmus He[...]d the lower Grasshopper place to his brother
ment for the winter. In the spring he went to work on the[...]ok up residence in Dillon to attend
Gilbert farm. That fall Chester Gilbert died and Hans and his[...]rs, then bought a place on the lower have range for his sheep. On July 8, 1922, he purchased the
Grasshopper Creek, acquired a band of sheep and moved there. William J. Hollingsworth farm for $33,000 (located six miles
Thomas and his family stayed there and finished out the two south of Dillon on Carrigan Lane). He bought for taxes, through
year lease and then returned to Denmark. B. F. White, president of First National Bank, the mining town
After becoming established in business Hans felt the need for of Bon Accord. The buildings were torn down and John[...], garages, and a chicken house. He
musen, in June of 1902. They returned to Dillon. There was not purchased the Leadore Silver Mine in Idaho for $30,000 from
a suitable home on the ranch propert[...]uses until their home was completed on the corner of Wash- He was fortunate in achieving every one of his goals, blessed
ington and Normal Street.[...], or money. His word was his bond.
In the fall of 1911 Kristine, with her children, went to Den-[...]o hours after business and mankind.
the birth of her fifth child, Kristine Hansine on May 15, 1912[...]-OLGA E. SCHINDLER
The children were cared for by grandparents, Uncle Thomas,
and Uncle Claus.
Hans went to Denmark in 1914 and brought all of the chil-[...]John H. Anderson
dren back to Dillon, except for baby Kristine who was left with John H. An[...]r 28, 1873, on the island
her grandparents. Later that year Hans married Anna Marie of Areo in Denmark. His father was a custom butcher[...], Harry Erick, was born December 6, family of eight sons and two daughters. When John was 16 he[...]e to visit her sister and brother Ras spring of 1889. He worked on his uncle's farm for three years
Ericksen who was employed by the Ames[...]forming the Ames In the early spring of 1892, he arrived in Dillon and went to
Sheep Company, situated six miles west of Bannack, with his work for Mr. Selway on his ranch that bordered Dillon on the[...]leased the Billy Gilbert Ranch north of Dillon for two years.
Hans, and Kristine; front row: Anna Ma[...]Then John and a Danish friend of his, as partners, operated a
tine.[...]dairy business, like all ambitious young men, he tried the life of[...]cowboy. John trailed fat steers from the Big Hole Valley to
Butte for the Butte Butcher Co.[...]In 1898 John went to work for J.E. Morse, a rancher with[...]working with the sheep and that business soon became his way
of life. He was the sheep foreman for Mr. Morse from 1900 to[...]bought their first two bands of sheep in 1905. John homesteaded[...]rter Creek in Beaverhead County, seven miles east of[...]while John continued to work for J.E. Morse until 1908, when

76-Beaver[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (74)Mr. Morse sold the operation of which John was in charge to the migrated to[...]dia Jepsen in Dillon. They had one Big Hole for years, was instrumental in getting John N. and
so[...]ided to return to Sweden,
proximately 28,000 head of sheep. In 1925, John and Pete dis- selling their share of the partnership to John N. Anderson.
solved the p[...]e ranches until he sold out
in the sheep business for himself. to Joh[...]1939 and moved to Dillon.
John lived in Dillon for 28 years, from 1892 until 1920. In the He and Ida resided at 22 N. Pacific until his death in 1949
fall of 1920, he moved his family south of Alder. John continued and her's in 1950.
to e[...]where John and Egidia lived in Alder is the home of with his father. He remained there until h[...]versity
Anderson died January 6, 1950, at the age of 76. His wife, in 1927, Phi Beta Kappa,[...].P .A. in Califor-
Egidia, passed away in October of 1954. nia, and pract[...]tired and moved to Butte. Ebba died in 1981.
June of 1906. They had three children at the time: Arthur[...]Ethel M., born in 1908, attended the University of Mon-
born in 1897, Edwin born in 1899, and Ebba b[...]tana and graduated from the University of Idaho in 1930.
Two children were born in the Big[...]ol and later taught in the Adult Education system for
John N. Anderson was born in Sweden on August 17, the City of San Francisco, where she continues to live.
1867,[...]ent to work in the steel mills in Bethlehem, PA., for $2.00 a University in 1941. She move[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (75)[...]utiful
from Denmark and both came from the island of Aero, Mads diamond ring that she had ever seen! Harry J. at the age of 10
from the district of Ll, Rise and Marie from Trappeskov.[...]re.
Mads, born in 1885, emigrated around the turn of the cen- Margaret promised the ring[...], and Marie, born in 1890, came during the summer of promise was kept and he enjoyed it for many years.
1914 shortly after World War I was declared, sailing In 191[...]their ranching interests
through the mined waters of the North Sea. and invested the fruits of their labor into construction of the
Following relatives to Montana, they engaged in ranching Andrus Hotel, said to be one of the four leading hotels in Mon-
during the follow[...]survive: continued to be the manager of this fine hotel until his death in
Major James B. Hawkins of Ft. Benning, Georgia; Jane 1941. The hotel remained under the management of the Andrus
Marie Hawkins of San Francisco; John Hawkins of Dillon; family until it was sold in 1969. In 1979 it was sold again and
and Russell Jones of Bozeman.[...]Andrus was born in Lafayette, Ind., in 1862, one of[...]tana, in 1866, one of nine children. Her father Antone Rosen-
Harry[...]ontana gold rush camps,
ter Fern with only a team of horses, a wagon and five dollars, building cabins for the miners and business buildings for the
arrived in Beaverhead County in 1897. Tragedy[...]arried in
spread to the buildings, destroying all of the horses in the barn. Boulder, Colo., in 18[...]r two small sons, who Willie, who died of diphtheria; Fern 1896, who married Farnum
died within 20 minutes of each other. Leaving families behind, Schu[...]he Andrus Hotel.
Medicine Lodge, then into Dillon for supplies. Eventually by Harry J. graduated from the Army-Navy Military Academy
traveling much of the way through the canyon in the Sheep[...]rten their journey to Dell and he worked for a bonding firm in St. Louis, Mo., and Chicago, Il[...]until he became Postmaster, a position he held for 32 years.
that the whole load would be lost, cried, "Oh, Harry,[...]my piano!" He replied, "The hell with your piano, I don't -HELEN D. ANDRUS
want to drown that pig."
The children attended country school dur[...]another came to take
her place.
In the course of a few years the Andrus' had acquired 1200
acres of land, some of which they cultivated and some used as
pasture ground for sheep. Eventually through leasing of land,
other than that they controlled, the ranch domain was eight
times[...]square. At one time Harry Andrus owned
7,000 head of sheep and had one of the best herds of Hereford
cattle in the country. He also raised a number of high-grade
horses.
Growing prosperity prompted[...]to sur-
prise Margaret with a special gift. Known for his jokes and great
humor, he wrapped the gift in[...]would be inside to unwrap, each
contained a piece of coal, a chicken bone, a pig's tail or what[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (76)[...]Van Wert, OH., in the Big Hole Basin for his three favorite exclamations: "Dad-
January of 1888, son of Clinton Ellsworth Anson and Icy Dora Burn-It /Gee-For-Socks/ Holy-Cow," which expressions were
(Phillip[...]worth came from his hardly the language of that region in the early 1920's.
Grandfather Clinton's[...]Colonel Ells- Don died in 1971 at the age of 83 years, followed by wife
worth of Virginia. Grace, who died in 1981 at the age of 92 years.
Don was reared in Norwood, Ill., (suburb of Chicago) and[...]BERT ANSON
went to Hamilton, Montana, at 20 years of age in 1908 to work
outdoors for his health as a surveyor on the Marcus Daly irriga-
tion ditch project. He married Grace Bowron of Irving Park, Ill.,[...]d Ida A. Terry
In 1910 Don was employed by the Valley Mercantile Co. in on May 12, 1887, in Mel[...]erry and Eliza-
1915 he began soliciting business for the Valley Mercantile in beth Miller. The Terrys moved[...]They stayed in Glendale for 10 years or so, then moved to[...]1934, as Ida Seymer, wife of George Seymer, in Butte, Mon-[...]ages of $2000 plus $8.70 cost of suit.[...]ace and Don Anson
ment.
In 1917 Don and two Valley Mere employees (Ross McKoen
and Bob Stewart) pur[...]in Lions Club International and served
a number of terms as an elected legislator for Beaverhead Coun-
ty.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (77)[...]l held various jobs in the Butte-Helena area, one of which[...]driving the first two-decker milk wagon in Helena for
The Armitage Family[...]ul girl in
William Albert Armitage, the oldest of six sons and one Butte City. She was the sister of A. J . Noyes (Ajax) who wrote
daughter, was born[...]ily moved to
ily to Virginia City. The story goes that on their arrival they Bannack in 1866. Two yea[...]y moved to Silver Star.
were greeted by the sight of three men hanging. Joshua engaged Maud's moth[...]bove Dewey's Flat. It was located about a quarter of a mile
west of Wisdom. Although it was a toll bridge, it didn't pay for[...]grubbed by hand and thousands of rocks to be gathered and[...]piled. The result was one of the most productive ranches in the[...]home a quarter of a mile away.[...]of years later they moved to the Port Orchard-Bremer[...]to live on the Sunny Slope ranch with his folks, except
for time out to take a draftsman course.in Minneapoli[...]shared happily at all kinds of functions. Agnes and Herb were[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (78)[...]IJ.
where they lived a couple of years; then they returned to the
home ranch on Su[...]rses.
In 1909 Dade Stephens conceived the idea for a more efficient
hay_derrick. He discussed the id[...]tent was granted to Dade
and Herb, May 31 , 1910, for the sliding stacker, now known
known as the Beave[...]Dillon
Maud was the first president of the Wisdom Women's Club, a
member of the Library Association, and active in other comm[...]the
nity affairs. She was very ill the last year of her life and stayed in death of Thomas Arp, Annie married a man named Cook and
Di[...]June 21 , 1935. 1965, at the age of 96 years and is buried in Georgia.
In 1945 Her[...]ght a paint strainer factory which, with the help of
Phyllis and her husband, they improved and operat[...]ars old and went to
jobs, including some building for A. J. Noyes. He married Ivy work in th[...]y sold to Dade, moved to Wisdom and 1898 for the Hecla Consolidated Mining Company. Their
oper[...]s deducted
on the second floor. On the front peak of the roof was a darling from the $3.00.
sm[...]s in America, then went
thought the greatest part of the tragedy was the loss of the small back to Italy to marry his childh[...]continued to operate the garage until the winter of 1943-44 returned to America seven ye[...]e. J. T. died there February 8, 1954. Annie lived for had two boys and one girl. The younge[...]he Briston cemetery. Hecla at the age of 13 months and was buried at the nearby[...]-HALLIE STEPHENS mining town of Glendale.[...]Little is known about James Thomas "Tom" Arp, except that Arrigoni then took his family to Dill[...]Terri- small farm, three miles north of Dillon which is known as
tory as a young man .[...]the Evergreen Farm lots, in 1918. That was the same year
Annie Josephine Seybold was the second child of John Vinson Joseph went to work for the Union Pacific Railroad at Dil-
Seybold and Ma[...]ined the Navy when he was 17 years old and served for 18[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (79)[...]the Army in Alaska and France. John was a member of the place. The old Poindexter school n[...]and Donna, were born to this couple. Jewel taught for
Delores (Mrs. Warren Glower), Butte; and Ida (Mrs[...]homesteaded on a small
acreage three miles south of Dillon. Their house had been an old
store in Arge[...]h
best-dressed woman in Dillon. Her costumes were of the finest
fabric and unusual design, many of which Beaverhead County
Museum treasures among th[...]rth
In 1900, Vica married a well known rancher of the valley,
Owen Carrigan. They lived at the Ashbaugh ranch[...]gings, Wisc., on August 27 , 1859, the son of James Edmund and
Tragedy struck June 9, 1902,[...]much work on the mining machinery of the area .
Samuel Ashbaugh died the next year[...]rn June 17, 1826, in
Washington Street at the age of 91. She was born in Yonkers, England[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (80)[...]but not as hard as some of the others.[...]13, 1877, daughter of Charles E. Retallack, born March 21,[...]Bannack for many years. He also ran a stageline between Dillo[...]and Bannack, and was justice of the peace for Bannack. Eliza-[...]the mine
in the summertime and moved into Bannack for winter and[...]al activites there. Ted at one time was a partner of Frank Lucas Bacon was born on a farm in Raci[...]in the Bloody Grimshaw Bacon - the oldest of three, the others being
Dick District with Geroge[...]. The mine was high in copper with a good showing of At the age of 14, he began working his way west with the
gold a[...]ack. James telegraph operator, then a banker for six years. He kept
Hamilton, born March 12, 1894,[...]extensive personal records on how much he paid for many
Bannack on March 29, 1935. He married Nina F[...]est was born Helena Water Co. were some of the entries listed. A daily
June 14, 1896, and died June 2, 1948. He never married . Ray- entry for bread was $.05, meat was $.15 to $.25, and milk w[...]He $1.00. He could even go out to eat for $.25 a meal. While in
married Daisy Hight. Ann El[...], and married In 1897, he began looking for a ranch, making his way
William George McMannis.[...]llace, Wil- down through the Bitterroot Valley but not finding what he
liam, Jr., Bonnie, Winibe[...]Frank and Mable Bacon
and has for many years.
Ted and Maude went their separate[...]y
places when she was growing up. Her mom cooked for an Indian
School in Polson when Elsie was tiny. She lived with her gran-
sparents ( the Retallacks) for a few years in Bannack. When she
was three years[...]d knocked her flat, so
she was always frightened of horses. She started to school in
Bannack[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (81)[...]nd seeing the Big Hole boys the meaning of hard work and its benefits. Five of the
Valley. Here, the present day ranch, 14 miles north of Wis- six boys have cattle ranches in the area today. All have been
dom, was homest eaded in the fall of the year. hard-working men e[...]After Mable's death, Frank began showing signs of arthri-
chasing items for the ranch. The first heifer he bought in[...]l sclerosis.
December from a neighbor, Mrs. York, for $25. By spring he Although lonesome at times, he had no fear for the future.
had added a cow and calf for which he paid $35 and seven He continued working on the ranch until well into his 80s.
head of sheep with four lambs for $31. He also had chickens At age 82, he l[...]and a-few pigs. Having purchased traps in January for a wheelchair, crutches, and an artifi[...]e winter trapping, only traveling to ill for the last time, he was taken to Butte for trouble in his
Wisdom once every month and sometimes two, for 10 gal- right leg. While there, he died of pancreatic cancer just three
lons of coal oil at $3.60, a sack of sugar for $2 or one of flour days before his 87th birthday in 1954. He was buried next to
for $1.50.[...]n Frank's 65th birthday in '32 he wrote, "Looking for-
buying some of the small homest eads on either side of him, ward that far is a long time. Looking back, it's not so long
one of which was his sister Cora M. McCaffrey's. She had[...]y. He would hire a Iowa. He was the son of Humphrey and Philena (Davis)
man to look after th[...]Eugene and Jason, and two
to a job as an assayer for the winter. T hat way, he didn't sisters,[...]he 1870s, Josh-
have to worry about a stable bill for his horse and he would ua and his brothers[...]oming to work on the "Tie
earn extra money to pay for his ranch. Drive" down the Platte River. Later they all worked for the
At age 39, Frank convinced a pretty, shy,[...]nd Jason as a painter.
Lawrence became the mother of six sons over the next 15 They sav[...]Dell - 1909, Ray - 1912, Ed - 1916, side of Sheep Mountain near Lake Hattie in Wyoming. In
Be[...]istic and a another ranch in Centennial Valley, Wyo.
loving, kind person. When one of the boys would ask her to Eugene and[...]ith pernicious anemia and 14 Baily died of diptheria as a youngster and is buried at Lima.
b[...]his remaining son was picking up
family in times of need. He even trapped wolves in the area[...]osie
herds up until at one time, before World War I, he had over passed away September 3, 1937, and Joshua passed away
60 head of horses. He sold some t o t he army, keeping 20 to September 23, 1944, at the age of 87. Both are buried at Oak
30 head to use in haying season and for feed wagons. At one Hill Cemetery in Central City, Iowa.
time, he had over 100 head of sheep which he and the older Two of his daughters, Philena Zebudah and Clara Edith
boys sheared themselves. He had over 200 head of st ock Baily, married brothers[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (82)[...]county officer in point of service in the state of Montana.[...]r (1881-1906) Born in Echo, Utah, died in Los
~ ~~I:.:. ;J~~ ~· 1-~,.-~.:-[...]3-1974) Born in Montpelier, Idaho,
Southeast side of Lima in 1912. Buildings include d[...]4, 1903 (John Cosgrove was an engineer for the Union Pacif-
house, Baily and Ford Stores (up[...]09-1934), died in Los Angeles. Kenneth Cos-
lena, that if Arby hadn't died at "such a young age," they[...]obably would have had more children!! At the time of her Byron Cosgrove, D.D.S. (1919- ).
death[...]Married Fern Hunsaker July 3, 1914. He was
Some of the facts contained in this writing came[...]to Portland Septem-
from Louisa Mapes Baily, wife of Jason Baily, Josh- ber, 1919. Child[...], born in Portland.
-RAYL. FULLER, great grandson of Joshua Bai- Anna Baker (1[...]m at one time.
daughter of Joshua Baily Children all born in[...]ren, Marvin
and popular public official in Dillon for many years until his and Wendell. All children born to Idanha and Julius were
death in Dillon. At the age of 12 he left his birthplace in born in Minnes[...]g, New York. He became very proficient in the use
of the Morse code, and at the age of 14 became a telegrapher
for the Union Pacific in Wyoming. He served as agent for
the railroad at various sites in Wyoming, Idaho a[...]areer began in
Pocatello, Idaho, where he was one of the first commission-
ers in the formation of Bannock County in 1893. From
there,'he moved to L[...]ile still the Union Pacific agent in Lima, he ran
for the office of County Clerk and Recorder. He was defeat-[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (83)[...]29- ), Jay Knudson (1930- ).
Idanha taught school for many years in Blackfoot, Idaho.
Vera Baker (18[...]was well
known in Dillon having lived there most of his life. He was a
writer, editor of the Dillon Examiner, historian and worked
for the Dillon Chamber of Commerce. Neil worked as a
telephone operator and[...]em- Anna and Andrew Banks
ist for the Anaconda Copper Company in Great Falls. Helen[...]7) born in Lima, died in Port- 950 acres for a price of $500 per year. Their first three
land; married Wi[...]. Child: children were born in the house that is still used today by
Norma Garland (Kandra) (1923- ). After the death of Willis, the Peterson family. Charlie was born[...]lowed by Raymond, born in November of 1902, and Sarah,
Albert Baker (1903-1985) born[...]lls where he worked as son Place. The rest of the children were born here - a girl,
an accounta[...]farming and raising their children. All of the kids went to[...]now the home of Erwin M. (Bud) Marchesseau.[...]County, West boys climbed into the loft of the schoolhouse barn to sneak a
Virginia, on Octo[...]. They were able to
Sarah E. Lee Banks, the third of seven boys. While the boys get one horse out[...]boy, their son, Andrew (Andy), always screams of their dying pets.
wanted to be a farmer. At the age of 28 or 29, after reading On December 23, 1909[...]39
the many famous railroad company ads about all of the· years old. Andy was devastated; it[...]s dead, and he had five children rang-
with water for irrigating was already homesteaded. Rather[...]hildren. In
Andrew had been working in the area for a year or so when no time at all Andy had all[...]until August 10, 1920, when
enlisted in Company E of the First Regiment of Montana the family was hit by another tr[...]ntry Volunteers on May 5, 1898. They had enlisted for a was in the field with a team when lightning struck, killing
period of two years or until the war was over. One year later Andy and one of the horses. Eleven years after their mother
the w[...]and animals were sold. Under the supervision of their Uncle
sas and on November 29, 1900, married[...]ah, 17, Marie, 12,) and one brother,
leased south of Dillon, which is now the Robert Peterson[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (84)[...]extensively the next few years, spending some of the time in[...]t. of 1889. Forest was born on the homestead.
Charle[...]bit Mr. Banning again in 1889 and he
his life in that profession. He married Frances Regina Bar- moved the family to the silver mining camp of Hecla, Mont.
ber on November 2, 1926, and they ha[...]In an article written by Mae Sprinkle for a local paper in
Charles and Robert Mitchell. Cha[...]Mrs. Banning remembered the trip. "In the spring of
Frances in 1988. They had spent their entire lives in Dillon 1889, Abe and I left Idaho in a covered wagon for Hecla. The
and are buried at Dillon's Mountain Vi[...]ader. Sis and Joe, the mules, bore the heavy part of the
jured badly in World War II and had one stiff leg that load. It was not an easy trip with tw[...]had one daughter. spring we had lots of rain and mud to put up with."
His last home was a[...]. Mr. Banning worked in the Hecla mines for a few years. In
Sarah Banks fell down a flight of stairs when she was 1893 a snow slide crashed through part of the settlement,
young, resulting in a bad curvature of the spine, causing her sweeping away the woo[...]tage, and burying a nearby family of seven-only the moth-
they raised their two girls[...]were rescued alive. The same
remembers her as one of the nicest ladies he has ever known. year t[...]urgus R. Banning came to
and five girls. The last of their children was a set of twins, a Hecla. He had been recruited from the University of Ne-
boy and a girl. Leo ran a sawmill on Birch Cr[...]before. They remained close the rest of their lives.
nursing home near Portland, Oregon.[...]t eight miles from Dillon on Rattles-
ranches all of his life and died at the (Jack Brenner) James[...]Lakes and was instrumental in the building of the Kelly
All of Andrew and Anna Banks' children are dead now. Of Reservoir, which took three or four years[...]in the winter
Andrew Banks came from a family of six boys. We do stopped all work except the blasting of rock used for fill in
know that one of them died very young and that two broth- the reservoir. Crops also had to be taken care of so the work
ers came to Dillon. John L. Banks was in the M. V.I. Co. E went slow. This reservoir holds back the water from the
and married Dorothea Meine of Dillon on April 2, 1901. Argenta Lake[...]snake
George Banks married Sophie Marie Burfiend of Dillon on Creek, giving much needed irrigation water to the ranches
January 15, 1902. Of the six children, five, at one time or[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (85)and had only boys, heard of a lovely girl named Pearl at the
Home in Twin Bri[...]anning fell in love
with Pearl and she became one of the Banning children.
Mrs. Banning, once commenting on the changes that had
taken place on the ranch, recalled how she ha[...]rse and buggy to deliver and sold about 35 pounds of
butter a week. The Metlen Hotel was her largest customer.
She got 30 cents a pound for butter and around 75 cents for
chickens while turkeys were always dressed to put in the
oven. She smiled when she talked of the boys doing the
milking, a chore they weren't overly fond of. They tried to
get their father to sell the cows.[...]James A. and Margaret E. Barbour
too much work for Mama to make so much butter.
Lycurgus (Curgus)[...]wn infancy.
in 1908. She was the daughter of William Charley Brown, Margaret Sutton[...]and four daughters: uppermost in the minds of her family. She encouraged her
Della May, Pearl,[...]brothers.
Forest Banning married Martha Berens of Kau Kuna, 1876 was a banner year for the family. Emma, their 10th
Wisc., in 1913. Mart[...]to Mary C. Coon. Webster and Mary became parents of four
sin, where they raised their family of three daughters: children: Clara, Maude,[...]ed Bessie Lavine in 1917. Bessie was a parents of five children·: Edmund, May, Ethel, Roy, and
sis[...]married Alice Cline in 1882. They became parents of
James Ashton Barbour was born in 1820, and liv[...]ildren: Mable, Floy, twins Alta and Atha, Claude,
of his young life in Vermont. Later he moved to Camb[...]e married Margaret Emily Sutton in 1850. that John and Webster set up a law practice in Dillon[...]born in London, Ontario, this time and that Emma attended the local school.
Canada, in 1831.[...]th her brothers as mentors. She became
in the War of 1812. One of the most severe engagements for known for her beautiful calligraphy. When most of the boys
which he was honored was Lunday's Lane n[...]nd man"
Falls, N. Y. Her mother Helen, a resident of Massachusetts, by taking care of the livestock. She made friends with the
c[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (86)[...]Willis. They were the par- ary 2, 1840, son of Thomas and Nancy (McDonald) Barrett.
ents of three children: Pearl, Maude, and Lee.[...]- emigrated to Canada with her nine children, of whom Mar-
1 ents of two children, Raymond and Laura. Walter served in[...]re he became a brought him to such a degree of success in later years. He
prominent attorney[...]Hence at
In 1898 Emma, the youngest member of the family, mar- the age of 15 years he entered upon an apprenticeship at the[...]iter and they moved to Boise, Idaho. trade of tanner and currier, assisting in the support of his
Margaret was their only child.[...]widowed mother and her younger children, a youth of ambi-
In 1901 William married Ollie Malloy[...]ildren tious spirit and determination to make for himself a place in
were born to them: Juanita[...]later years the partnership was dissolved
one of her grandchildren.[...]s if he had lived a few produced 500 tons of wild hay on 1,160 acres. Martin ran
months lo[...]modern in
The Barbours had the distinction of being pioneers in two its appointments, and sho[...]states, Illinois and Kansas, and early residents of Montana. evidences of refinement and culture of those who there
They endured many hardships but they were determined to make their home: the best of literature and fine specimens
make a home in the West and by their devotion to principal of art production showing that Mr. and Mrs. Barrett thor-
they made it possible for thousands of followers to walk in oughly appreciate the ideal phases of life, while the hospi-
their footsteps and to build up the great state of Montana. tality of the home is unequivocal and most gracious."[...]Martin married Alice E. Cook of Omaha, whom he met
-G[...]teacher bound for Bozeman, who became instead the ranch-
Chest[...]ght in the Revolution, her grandfather in the War of
1884, son of Nancy Williams Barrett and Thomas Barrett.[...]itorial legislature in 1879. He served on the
of Annie Kelley Desmond and Patrick Desmond, on Dece[...]in the State
They leased his father's ranch for several years and, fol- Bank of Dillon and served as a member of the board and vice
lowing the death of Mrs. Annie Desmond, moved to the presid[...]Robert, their only child, served as president of the State
entire lives on Horse Prairie. They were communicants of Bank from 1930 until his death in 1960.[...]In 1912, the Barretts sold their ranch for the unprec-
Patrick Desmond Barrett, born June 12, 1920, and James G. edented sum of $350,000, which Mr. Barrett deposited in
Barr[...]Barrett home of Jim and Norma Day. Mrs. Barrett died in 1926 and[...]r. Barrett in 1927. Both were communicant members of[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (87)[...]tter or practiced it more. He was always generous of him-
berger and his sister Margaret Roe, endowed[...]by dark heavy eyebrows. His clothes were of good quality
from the Shine berger family and a land grant of seven acres and he wore them well with pride[...]y
from the State Bank, made possible the building of the old and traditions were important to Ch[...]ous
Barrett hospital in Dillon. The name survives for the newer host, entertaining his friends wit[...]of pinochle, rides in his car, and food which he alw[...]He was a charter member of the Danish Brotherhood
Thomas F. Barrett Lodge, a member of the Farmer's Union Local, and the
Order of Elks. He was always a good booster for the organi-
Thomas Barrett was a native of the province of Ontario, zation and faithful member and gave of his means generous-
Canada, having been born in the County of Waterloo, on ly to all the civic needs of the community.
September 23, 1854. He was the son of Irish immigrants. Mr. The stories told by his countless number of friends were
Barrett was educated in the public schools of Canada and legion, regarding sales, busin[...]. Everyone had some
Barrett, and was so impressed that he decided to locate in experience to share[...]n who lived
Beaverhead County. He took up a tract of government land, among them for a great many years.
located 15 miles west of the village of Red Rock, the nearest His standing in the c[...]t his whole adult life was an honorable
supporter of the Democratic Party and was elected a county[...]a 17, 1960) all the people in Beaverhead Valley stood in
dairy and delivered dairy products to Ba[...]Mountain View Cemetery in a great circle grieving for their
miles north of the ranch. He was a communicant of the friend, their neighbor, and the one that comes no more to sit
Roman Catholic Church.[...]awhile with them and make them glad for his visit.
Mr. Barrett was twice married. In the spring of 1880 he Petra Jensen and Laura Larsen were cousins. They left
wedded Nancy Williams, a native of Kansas. They became their parents in Denmark and traveled together crossing the
parents of four children: Elmer A., Chester M., Nancy E.,[...]in infancy. sisters of Laura's awaited them. They had a taxi cab take[...]girl, took
Barrett married MariaPoirier, a native of France. Mrs. Bar- care of them until Laura's sister, Marie, came for them. This
rett was reared and educated in America, having come here was May 1907.
when a child of three years. They had one daughter, Con- Petra worked for Mrs. Dorthea Jensen, who had a board-
stance.[...]married December 27, 1910, in a
leased the ranch for a few years and it was later leased to Swedi[...]eterson and sold to him in 1934. It is today part of the their attendants.
Cross Ranch.[...]rom Denmark. He took em-
ployment at farms in the valley until he went into farming
for himself. As time went on he worked into the meat[...]ntures in meat markets he went into
the wholesale of meat and buying-selling of livestock.
He did well as a buyer because of his keen interest in
people, his vigorous personality, and a great energy and
capacity for making contacts. No one ever shook hands
m[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (88)[...], 1913, in the Grace Methodist parsonage
the home of a school teacher. There were six children to care[...]William Jensen and his wife Christine were their
for and Petra was only 11 years old. She was at the same attendants.
time walking a half Danish mile for confirmation instruc- Jens was a farmha[...]brother Chris, and later for himself. He purchased some
Petra was a woman of many dimensions--endurance, very fine ground south of Dillon. Many of the same original
generosity, patience, forbearan[...]s were blue. She alfalfa hay. He fattened lambs for market and some years
worked hard caring for the needs of her family. She rented purchased young cattle to fatten for spring sales.
rooms to college women and rented a[...]served on the district school board and the board that
discontinued renting to college women. There was[...]ater rights. He was active in organizing the
deal of work related to her husband's business of selling Lutheran Church and the Danish Bro[...]l or buy animals from the people in Beaver-
liead Valley.[...]cellent cook and many were the people she
invited for meals, and the holiday dinners she prepared. Her
coffee parties were famous for the wonderful fellowship and
beautifully served food. She greatly enjoyed the hospitality
of others, too, and delighted in every activity and[...]ca
Lodge, Farmers Union, Elks, Danish Brotherhood of Amer-
ica, and the First Lutheran Church that she served with
interest and enjoyment to a very advanced age.
House plants thrived for her and she had an old, old
amarillys that bloomed to the happiness of everyone for
years. Flowers in the yard and cut flowers indoors were
always a real pleasure for her.
There were many trips to the hospital dur[...]Jerome and Allie Baxter, early pioneers of Beaverhead
lowed his brother Chris to Beaverhead[...]Anson and
1909. He often related the experiences of the boat trip and Jessie May, in 1900. They[...]aking change until a person able to to work for his brother-in-law John Lusher, when he estab-
sp[...]ed Chris to meet him. Chris had arranged der of their lives in Dillon.
for big Chris Neilsen to drive Jens by b~ggy and team to his Their daughter, Jessie May, died of diptheria when she
home. It was a very fast ride[...]ay recreation was getting together to lege for one year and in August of 1914 was married to
trade horses to ride or drive[...]They had one daughter, Billie, born in 1918.
them for buggy rides. Elizabeth Hansen, a very pretty girl[...]Denmark, had followed her sisters and nia for one year, returning to Dillon when his fat[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (89)[...]nying picture was taken in the fall of 1920 when he and his[...]Jack lived the life of a cowboy from the very first. He told
of "ridin' poison, roundups, branding, roping, ridin[...]and his father, Milton, played for many of the dances. Mil-[...]knew he was out of a job. They moved to Monida, but[...]arts After quitting the P & 0 in the spring of 1923, Jack and
of Beaverhead County playing dances. Anson worked as[...]a homestead in Blind Canyon, a side canyon
clerk of the court and eventually as manager of the Montana of Clover Creek. They got out all the logs for their cabin
Auto for Fred Woodside. Hayesl taught piano to many Dil-
lon children for over 30 years.
Allie Baxter died in October of 1935 at the age of 80. She
had been active in the Presbyterian Churc[...]Anson Baxter died February 22, 1936, at the age of 40.
Hayesl made her home in Dillon until her deat[...]13, 1900, on the old Bean
Ranch in the Centennial Valley. He was the tenth child and from Wolverine Canyon that summer. They were still living
the fourth son of Henrietta Sprague and Milton Henry in[...]Helen Grace, was born in Monida.
the Centennial Valley. He went to work at the age of 13 for Continuing to live up Blind Canyon and running a trap
Joe Buck at the upper end of the valley. In 1916 he went to line in the winters, Jack[...]use logs, and contracted hay.
in the flax fields. That fall he, with his brothers Sunny and On the 25th of December, 1927, their second child, an-
Ellis, we[...]har Place.
He started working for the P & 0 (Poindexter & Orr), In the fall of 1930, they moved to Monida to send Helen to
where[...]them to attend
Too young to serve in World War I, he stayed in the school. On November 2, 1930, their last daughter, Beverly
Valley and remembered well the U.S. Cavalry comin[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (90)[...]attended funeral ever seen in our Valley, not with-
standing the fact that the day was one of the worst we[...]Russ Bean was 20 years old at the time of her death[...]and was dating W.D. Sandy, cowpuncher for the P &[...]Russ and Rosa Bean of a child for the Bean family.[...]Milton Bean and Levi Shambow were the best of[...]Valley. After Levi moved to Florida, Milt leased his[...]property using the land for hay production and graz-[...]and friendship were found in Emmy's trunk.

ter of Milton and Henrietta Bean. She was born in Custer[...]Ellis Jordan Bean
Valley with her parents in December, 1886, at the age of four Ellis Jordan Bean was born September 30,[...]Centennial Valley, eighth child of Milton and Henrietta
"Russ," as she was known to everyone in the Valley, was Bean. Ellis never married. He attended the Saunders
one of Centennial Valley's most respected ladies and loved School, worked on ranches for Metzels and Brays and in
by all of her relatives and many friends. Turner for his sister and brother-in-law, Rosie and Ray-[...]er, man was a loner
er, a 13-year-old adopted boy of Mr. Shambow, who took the and did things in[...]Home. The boy carved from a single piece of wood. He was a favorite uncle
told the Tribune the following story of the accident. to all his nieces and nephews.
"I went to the kitchen to get the gun for one of the men to In 1928, Ellis moved to Washingto[...]in the timber industry. He started
barrels. When I took it down, I thought it was on the safety contracting timb[...]ollowed this his profession
catch, but it wasn't. I must have touched the trigger, for one until his death. ·
ba[...]ving their family out to Washington
ing. The load of shot struck the side of her right leg just to work in the timber ind[...]he knee, and they said it tore her right leg off. I mers in the timber and spent winters with Fa[...]y cousin Ida. He frequently returned to the Valley to visit but
noon and then died from losing blood. A doctor was sent for
but he got there after she died.[...]ean
The boy's eyes filled with tears as he told of the sad
accident and the intense regret felt by h[...]m the Madisonian August 27, 1906:)

Dr. Coulthard of Idaho Falls was summoned, but as
the O.S.L[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (91)[...]Ellis was involved with the early labor movement for the
unions in the timber industry. He was a member of the
International Woodworkers of America.
Aunt Ethel tells of one cold winter day she asked Ellis to
watch the[...]when she awoke
she could hear the noisy laughter of the children. Vernadine
had decided to scrub the[...]med
on the floor making it a perfect skating rink for Vernadine
and Vernald. Where was Ellis? - sound a[...]Henrietta and Emma Bean (1902)
She tells of another time when Ellis arrived late one night
wh[...]road construction camp. He had and clothing that belonged to her.
just left Seattle where there ha[...]. Farmer, On May 19, 1909, at the age of 25, she hemorrhaged to
fearing smallpox, called t[...]he
take water and grub to Ellis until he was out of isolation. sold the ranch, wherever he went.[...]ng with
The depression was in full swing and cost for vaccine was $2 mother, Roberta Bean McDowell i[...]illed with memorabilia from the Bean
At the age of 43, Ellis was killed on November 11, 1941, at f[...]ayable to B.H. Paul, August 7, 1900 in the amount of
sawlog rolled on top of him, killing him instantly. Farmer, $50 and signed by Milton Bean. One of the latter checks if
Sunny and Milt went to Washi[...]im back April 11, 1939, to Roe and Fegan for 68 head of yearlings at
to the Valley. Ellis is buried in the Jones Cemetery.[...]rights for Shot Gun Creek and Bear Creek, listed as Centen-[...]nial Valley, Madison County, Montana Territory. Marriage[...]Bean license of Milton and Henrietta, handwritten with pen and[...]ink on plain ruled paper, signed by Justice of the Peace,
Bean in Custer County, Montana on the[...]marriage licenses, one for the husband to retain and one for
Emma was a midget and only grew to three and o[...]first marriage in Custer
moved to the Centennial Valley. All of Emma's life was County on April 11, 1883. I don't know how fast love flour-
spent close to her mother because of her size. She was "Lit- ised in a tent city, but think the Beans could be the second
tle Emmy" to all of her brothers and sisters. They were marri[...]r presents when money was available to $250 for the K Bar J brand to Milton Bean from Ben Mos-
pu[...]Mosbeck in ·
The old family trunk was brought for Emma by her 1912 and purchased by Bea[...]. Grace and Maude, her showing purchases of food, clothing, supplies and equip-
sisters, had accompanied R.O. to Butte for a shopping trip. ment.
He purchased the trunk[...]. Paul, Monida, Janu-
shopping, he spent the rest of the day stopping in all the ary 15, 1901. Many of the invoices are written by my father,
saloons for the rest of his purchases. By the time they were Mac McDowell when he worked for Monida Mercantile and
ready to get back on the tr[...]trunk is going to all their families telling of weather, family deaths, illness
hell." R.O. would[...]ards they were issued). A Confederate States of America note

94-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (92)dated 1864 in the amount of $20 that had been folded and
carried in Milt's billfold for years, a Valentine to Grandpa
from Loretta, and a letter written by me to Grandma in
1933, thanking her for a doll and candy are still in the trunk.
This I must share with you as it shows how they kept fro[...]se in the field with the mares
and take my horse. I may not be here anymore this winter.
You can tell[...]velope under Milt's note)
"October 24, Mr. Bean - I got your horse and put my horse
with the mares. I put the collar in the woodbox". /s/ C.A.[...]Farmer Bean and Raymond Bray
Buck. On the back of the envelope were a lot of numbers
Milt had made, evidently to figure hay to[...]Dillon. They stayed on the Bean ranch for a short time and
It is amazing, but in Emmy's[...]-
attorneys, Milt's brothers and sisters, telling of the prob- ning the Grand Hotel. The next spr[...]to Riverside, California. He had pur- work for a mining company that soon went broke because
chased orange groves and[...]s. Letters from the lawyers Goldmine out of Ivers, Idaho. Vernadine, their oldest child,
state that his last will was destroyed. Milt finally went to[...]ea on August 21, 1927 - two
California and stayed for sometime to attempt to settle the months ahead of schedule.
estate. Nine years after he died, check[...]ned Farmer and Ethel came back to Montana for Christmas in
by Milton Bean on November 5, 1928 s[...]and stayed with the Beans at Ziegler Hot Springs.
of $3237.25 as payment in full for share of estate, R.0. Bean, Farmer worked for W. D. Sandy that winter and they hayed
to Solomon Bean, Emma J. Smith, Jordan Bean and Nettie for the Halligan ranch out of Lima the next summer.
S. Crawshaw, sisters and brothers of Milts. In 1928 Far~er, Et[...]moved to Easton, Wash., where they bought a house
I have given many letters, pictures, documents,[...]Ethel's sister, Vanita. They lived in Washington for 10
checks, etc. to decendants of the family. Contact me, I years. Ethel returned to Montana in 1929 and gave birth to
might have something for you! Emmy's trunk, scrap- their son Vernald on August 8, 1929, at the Sunny Bean
books of Aunt Grace Judy, Uncle Jack and Aunt An- Ranch.
nis Bean, plus the indredible memory of my cousin While in Washington,[...]brother Dean McDowell have
preserved a great part of our heritage.
-LORETTA MCDOWELL CASH[...]Henrietta Bean in Salt Lake City, Utah, the last of 12
children. The family Bible shows his given nam[...]nial Val-
ley and school in Monida. A report card that his son Vernald
has shows excellent grades and an outstanding record of
attendance, very good when you consider the distances and
conditions of the times. As a young man Farmer drove an[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (93)dustry, road construction, and for the Reclamation Service about 3,000 head of horses and mules here.
at Katcheese Lake. They lived at Katcheese Lake for two Sept. 1-Got back from the Fair. T[...]ed but it made a hit with the people. We saw
time that Farmer was sawing wood with a car motor and belt[...]a Sunny and Buck Riley are guarding a man that tried to get
double-bitted axe, which flew back and struck him in the away, they don't like this duty. I was on duty selling dry
forehead. He carried a severe scar on his forehead for the goods, wish they would let me keep on there. I'm sending
rest of his life. you a big picture taken of all the boys in camp, 80,000 of us.
Farmer and Ethel came back to Montona in 1936 for his Sept. 4-We are at another Fair. Mark and I haven't been
mother's funeral. Farmer was working for the federal gov- thrown yet. There are eight of us here to ride-Granny,
ernment building Airway B[...]tand how soldier boys can ride bucking horses. We don't
-VERNALD FLOYD BEAN[...]with measles for 14 days. We would have been transfered[...]n Feb. 21, 1888, to Milton and the first of next month. Col. Wells told Mark next time we
Henrietta Bean in the Centennial Valley on the Bean ride they will give us $[...]hey gave us $150
Ranch, the first son in a family of 11 children. He was a to be split between 14 of us.
typical young man of this era-hunter, trapper, cowboy, Sept. 15-Sunny and I are on duty at the barn but didn't
bronc-buster, and violinist for dances. have anything to do. There is talk of making Cpls and Sgts
Mark and his brother Sunny, who was eight years youn- out of us and keeping us here to train men-I hope not. We
ger, were inseparable and worked together all the time. got out of quarantine last night. Tent city is full again an[...]rses tothe govern- they have to ship some of us out.
ment. They were about the same height and[...]hink with the 19th
was always the boss. They tell of the time they were working Division. Sunny is on KP today. We only made KP once, we
for the Blake Ranch and got into a fight about playing for a missed one inspection. If we don't go overseas I'll try to get
dance at Lakeview, Mr. Blake had to go out to the barn, home for Christmas.
break up the fight, bring them in for supper and send them Oct. 1-We are in quarantine for 72 days, on account of
off to the dance - both with black eyes.[...]4-Over 3,000 men in Base hospital, measles, mumps
for training. Letters in Emmy's trunk that were written to and flu. They sent Mark to the hospital this morning, don't
the family, tell of the army life and the flu epidemic. The know what he has got but think I'll be with him the way I
letters, in a small bundle, describe the history[...]the main camp in four has reached Butte. I can't go out even for tobacco, we drill 2
days. Sunny is here in the sa[...]ll.
Lafe Elliott. Granny Grochet is in Co. 48 and I see him every Oct. 6-Mark is in hospital for 4 days, don't know how he
day. Tom Gilbert and Dale John Anderson are here too. is. I'm not allowed to go see him. I think I'll be in the
Aug. 11-How are Tango and Sorrel Top (horses)? sup-
pose they are fat and sassy; wish I had one of them here as it
would beat this walking all to HELL.
Aug. 16-Sunny and I, Lafe Elliott, Granny and Pinky
Gist are going to[...]th. The
Colonel signed us up and we will be there for a week. This
will be regular Wild West show calle[...]all about the same height so we stayed
together. I wish they would transfer us to France. You ought[...]ave our clothes, guns, bayonet and pack-
outfits. I think we are ready to travel but can't tell. I wish
they would send us to France or turn[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (94)hospital in a few hours the way I feel.
Oct. 10- Sent you telegram about Mark be[...]ital, just heard from him today. So many are sick that
the nurses can't handle them. So the ones that are able have
to go and help out. Ran into Mark i[...]t told me she didn't think he
would be. He is out of his head half of the time. I helped
pack out four dead ones out from the same ward Mark is in.
They are dying like rats-it seems a fright. Am dead on my
feet, have been taking care of them for five days.
Letter to Sunny from Mark, Oct. 10-Dear Brother: I'm
not dead yet but very near. I don't know when I will be down
there you can tell about the way I feel by my writing
Mark died October 14, 1918. Mi[...]. She moved to Kansas with her parents at the age of
Mark 0. Bean is buried in the Jones Cemetery.[...]ece- Times and life for the troubled Bean family improved as[...]were looking for R.O. Bean and said they heard he was on
Milton[...]4, 1861, to the Rosebud. The sheriff said "That can't be your man, he is
Rupel Beene and Elizabet[...]d a respected rancher." Rangers replied
the third of five children-Emma Jane, Nov. 7, 1856; Jordan, "That is the man we want." The sheriff told them, "Watc[...]rrived at the ranch Elizabeth Ann
The spelling of the family name BEENE was changed by knew[...]their outfits. She told them R.O.
mutual consent of the family to BEAN in the year 1890, was[...]ter him. R.O.
tory (Oklahoma), left May 20, 1875, for Del Norte, Colorado had been a Texas Ranger a[...]ay,
supplies were hauled 250 miles. In the spring of 1876 the Gentlemen" and immediately turned his horse into the
family moved to Los Pinos River, by way of Pagosa Springs, brush and escaped. Meantime[...]ton when and came through the Centennial Valley.
he left Colorado. This was necessary in order to[...]R.O. and Milt continued moving on, stopping for a while
bounty hunters.[...]in Spokane Falls, Wash., and then headed for Seattle. There
In 1891 R.O. got word that the law was after him again. on the docks, t[...]up squatters rights. In stayed in Alaska for a short time, returned to the Centennial
1882, R. 0. had Solomon Dobbs bring the family from Colo- Valley and built a cabin close to where the Bill Jones p[...]now. They remained in the valley until it was safe to return
May 31, 1883, Milt[...]ent Milt could not forget the Centennial Valley so he re-
city. There being no church nor ministe[...]G.H. Scheid owns his
in the store by the Justice of Peace. Eleven children were property now and the original cabins that were the first
born to this marriage: Emma Survinia (1884), Elizabeth Bean home in the valley still stand today. Bean Creek and
Russell (1886),[...]n Hill are named after the Bean Family. Milt sent for his
rietta Maude (1892), Grace Leora (1893), Milton Henry family and they arrived in December of 1886. Brother
(1896), Ellis Jordan (1898),[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (95)[...]eveloped milk leg
and was taken to Salt Lake City for treatment. She was
under doctor's care for three months. While his wife was ill,
Milt sold t[...]tah, and moved the family. They had this
business for about two years and Milt liked the city life. His
recreation was the same as most gentlemen of this era -
playing poker and drinking booze. One[...]Mercantile Store and lost the business on a
turn of the card.
Back to the valley again, came the family-and a mad wife.
Milt knew[...]unny Bean
ranch. Henrietta would not allow a deck of cards in her
home. This time he homesteaded on Cl[...]3, 1899, the second child and first daughter of J.E. Blake
cabins, barn and corrals, back in the cattle and horse busi- and Mary Shambow. Both of these important events were
ness.[...]m. Milt told him he would go if he would deed one of the When she was two and he was five an[...]zing, Sunny took Thelma by the hand and presented
Valley. her to his mother. That was their first remembered meeting.
Mark died from flu during World War I service. His Since their families were friends and neighbors, they played
mother, beneficiary of a government insurance policy, re- togeth[...]Ranch. Open house was held grade in the Valley, later attending Butte Business College
all day,[...]ot springs in Dillon. Henrietta died at the ranch of ting lessons. She was a Centennial Belle in the tradition of
a heart attack at the age of 72, October 17, 1935. the old catt[...]hide rope, and packing her .22 pistol.
at the age of 75. On April 5, 1941, at the age of 80, Milt sold Sunny was the favorite son of the Centennial Valley, a
the ranch to J.E. Hughes of the Horse Prairie country. Milt typical fro[...]rivers, and lake, and mountains around him for his private
until his death on May 25, 1943, at the age of 82. Both hunting and fishing grounds. H[...]t better than his contemporar-
tery in Centennial Valley. ies. Then[...](Granddaughter) of his hands from the pitch fork and the saddle horn[...]light touch of the fiddle bow has never been easy. As he grew[...]throughout the county. He worked for the larger ranches to
(The following article was[...]ke Bean, son there was always one of his broncs that seemed to need extra I
of Sunny and Thelma for their Golden Wedding Anni- riding, particularly in the direction of the Blake Ranch
versary in 1968.)[...], 1896, the seventh child, second son in a family of horse had become. But the local ranchers soon[...]ean and Henrietta Sprauge in a sod- the bit of merchandising, it still took a top hand to follow
roofed ranch house in the Centennial Valley, still known as Thelma's riding.
the Bean P[...]Courtship was strenuous in those days. One Fourth of
Ranch, my grandmother, Thelma Catherine, w[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (96)[...]tone to pick up his sweetheart, drove to Lakeview
for the Independence Day celebration there, won the f[...]West Yellowstone, and then back to
Clover Creek. For those of you wo haven't made the trip in a
surry or on hor[...]t was approximately 250 miles.
More excursions of this nature made it obvious to even
this hardy couple that the courtship had to end. Sunny
Bean and Thelma B[...]n Butte, Montana,
June 18, 1918. Probably because of World War I and the
imminence of the draft, as it is today, both families criti-
s[...]daho Falls, the couple
returned to the Centennial Valley and broke horses under
much more convenient circu[...]908
with her mother. Our new soldier was not long for the guns
and drill field, Uncle Sam needed bronc riders for the War in 1919, when Charles was a small i[...]924, and Elfreda in Shelby in the mid 1930's,
out of the chute" in cities and towns across the midwest[...]arles
his name took its place along side chapions like Pinky Guest moved to Washington State, where[...]r Bond drive to the Veterinary ranch north of Monida at Snowline on December 13, 1905.
Corps wh[...]20s they leased the place to a nearby rancher,
ry that he put to such good use for himself and his neigh- and moved to Shelby[...]ells. In the
bors. It was truly a merry Christmas for Thelma when Sun- 1930s they returned to the ranch, and Arby sold his share of
ny was discharged in time to be home for the holidays. the place to Carl on Marc[...]and he remarried in 1937. He
broke saddle horses for $5 a head. Sunny tried mining; Thel- and wife[...]ma sold patent medicine; they even tried a stint of wheat gaged in the real estate business. T[...]was cremated, and his ashes were scattered on his
Valley. There they settled on a 640 acre homestead up Clo- former Snowline ranch.
ver Creek. That winter, while they built their first home, a[...]two days before she would have been 83. How
sad, that both Sunny and Thelma, spent their last years of
life hobbled in town. All three are buried in Mou[...]s, Rose and Elda, who were also born in Mich. All of
them came to Montana after the turn of the century.
Ralph Beardslee married Be[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (97)Charles, a newphew and youngest of Ralph and Bessie
Beardslee after Bessie died in 1[...]Howard worked on several ranches in the of five children. The family lived on the Bell ranch and
southern part of Beaverhead County. In the 1940s Ralph w[...]ped at the station and stayed overnight.
Big Hole Valley and cooked on area ranches. She is said t_o[...]stud in with his mare,
have originated the custom of paying the cook a quarter if[...]which later produced a fine stallion that Frank named
the hired hands forgot to carry their[...]throughout Montana, winning many races. He loved that
Charlie Bell was born in Ishpeming, Mich., and[...]over losing that horse.
him to start a harness business in Wisdom.[...]offer, who was engaged in min-
He built a home for his family, next to the Wisdom[...]ing, ranching and banking in the Beaverhead Valley. Mrs.
Church, and it was known as the Bell House[...]hold chores. It was here that Frank met Ella. Although she
prematurely in 1910[...]y and
When the United States entered World War I, someone in[...]Tonrey and his sister Hazel Tonrey Baxter played for their
went to Missoula and joined the Army, leavi[...]as forced to start all over again.
In the fall of 1922, he moved his family to Gibbonsville,
Idaho,[...]ounty in
Dillon, Horse Prairie, Dell, Grasshopper Valley, and Divide.
A year prior to his retiremen[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (98)[...]on Utah and
Mercury Streets. Soon after World War I, Frank sold out
and moved to Deer Lodge to ranch. It was there that Ella
became sick and died unexpectedly. Frank nev[...]ion. In 1882 they
1939 Frank was getting out logs for his barn up Grizzly again pulled stakes and headed for Montana, leaving behind
Mountain. He suffered a stroke that paralyzed his left side. their eldest child,[...]moved to Dell and worked in the cafe to help make
of his life. He died September 21, 1954, and is buri[...]Peterson. He died at home on March 24, 1917.
I have gathered this information from family histo-[...]Both Frank Bell and Dan Peterson related stories of
ry of John Bell's grandchildren Frank Bell, Dan Pe- John's being a good friend of Abe Lincoln. They split ties on
terson and Mary L[...]the railroad, played some sort of ball game and Indian wres-
County History Book."[...]known for his strong arms. John even watched Abe try one[...]Bell led a colorful pioneer life. He was born of his famous cases in Springfield and win it. Needl[...]rved on a jury in
Rachel Swingle Bell, the fourth of eleven children. In May Dillon and had strong convictions as to what was right and
of 1834 the family moved to Illinois in a covered wa[...]nd many stops were made along the way. kind, and patient.
Because land could be had at such l[...]at Dell. Carrie Lee married
mill, and split ties for the railroad. Ephriam P[...]after working at the Meade Hotel
ton, the second of five children. Her mother passed away[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (99)[...]thers and sisters were very musical, as were
some of his children. Many played the fiddle at dances, and,
of course, singing was a must. "Ole Dan Tucker" was[...]avorite. John had a pet name "Bub"-a name he
used for his grandsons.
John William Bell and his three[...]with her two journeys are truly represen-
tative of American Pioneers.[...]arch 27, 1876, at Oakdale,
Mo., ninth in a family of 11 children. At 21 years of age, he Anna was married to James A. Patrick[...]idle, and bought a ticket as far as his 1923. I left Montana for California in 1925 and got a job in
money would t[...]on the Laws' Veterinary Hospital while I stayed with my sister.
streets wearing blankets.[...]erything was treated from horses to canary birds. I re-
cafe to get something to eat. The proprietor[...]s sitting against by Eliel's and the State Bank for 18 years.
it. In 1930 I went back to California to stay with Dad, who[...]left Montana in 1926. He worked for the Pacific Telephone[...]line for Standard Pacific Gas Company for 20 years. In 1931[...]James David Berry was born in 1870 on the farm of his[...]even at an early age dreamed of going there.[...]ing to enlist. His father had served in Co. 3 of the 7th Cavalry,
a tenderfoot on the job, there w[...].A. from 1861 until 1865 and told Jim to stay out of it.
toughen him up to the ways of the wild west. The Craver Naturally, he went to enlist and was rejected because of
Ranch was his next st op-and also where he met my[...]May was born July 7, 1902. here. He worked for a while for Al De Witt near Armstead
In a year he had a band of sheep and lived on the Hoffman and t[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (100) Jim worked for Bill Deputy in the meat market in the ha[...]cktail during the wagons had made a track. That was in 1920.
summer, a job he held until his deat[...]hine and the crops were tremendous. One
Christmas I remember, he came home for the holiday and
then went back out. He had a tent to sleep in, for he had to
start firing up the engine at 4 a.m. to get the steam going.
They raised bumper crops for several years, and I remem-
ber the grinding noise of the wheels of those big wagons full
of wheat on the snowy roads, and it was cold.
But[...]weeds took over and the home-
steaders left, many of them on the night train, leaving
homes full of furniture. The bank on the corner of Glendale
and idaho went broke and Dad was a heavy loser too.
Dillon was once the largest shipper of wool in the state, Amede and Alzire Bessette with son Adolph
and I remember those big loads of wool coming up Kentucky
Avenue from clear over on[...]Born March 1, 1838, at Beauharnois, Province of Quebec,
job for Blinky Thompson at Red Rock before going out to Canada, Amede was the fourth of five children born to Fran-
spend the summer hayi[...]Educated in Quebec, he studied for the priesthood but[...]When the news of discovery of gold at Virginia City[...]seph, Mo., on March 4, 1864, for the trip across the plains,[...]was engaged as interpreter for the group on the train. He[...]till haying time. Burl Stevens and Don Light and I don't the George Shaffner Ranch. In 1893 he own[...]e others, but then they'd also go to the Big Hole for the Old Red Rock Stage Station, later owned by[...]was a long summer's job, and Pierce, wife of Tom Pierce, Sr.
kids knew how to work. In those days they were willing to He owned a fine herd of horses and in 1882 registered a
make some money. Gordon told me once that Dick Nelson horse br~nd, "S" on the le[...]Prairie Valleys. In 1900 he sold his entire band of
Of course threshing continued down in the valley where horses to Thomas Clement and Randolph Paddock for $10 a
people had irrigation, the ones on the East[...]Active in many things, he was an acquaintance of Gover-
When they ran short of room in the Bagley school, the nor Edgerton, and a member of the Vigilante group who
fourth and fifth graders[...]had a cafeteria, but the college didn't. sion of Plummer's shotgun for 35 years. The old double-
We walked to school and walked home for lunch. If there barreled muzzle loader u[...]escapades, saloon brawls and holdups was the envy of all the
would be a horse drawn snow plow for the sidewalks, or if it miners in the[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (101)tory. It was claimed by Bill Goodrich, the hotel man, for dreds were killed, including many children, Herbert Floyd
debts that Plummer owed him on the day Plummer was Best and several of his student friends saved eight lives.
hanged. Goodrich rented it out for a long time but one day, They pushed a heavy plank out the window and across the
short of cash, he sold it to Fred Pack. Pack carried it for a narrow alley onto the window sill of the theatre. The eight
time but sold it in 1869 to Amede Bessette for the same pople crawled to safety into the dental school.
amount he paid for it. Bessette presented it to the Montana[...]annack and Dillon and practiced there for years, and also for a while in
became parents of one son, Adolph. Alzire was a fine musi- Butte.
cian, taught piano and was active in a variety of musical Dr. Best was a dedicated bach[...]rced arrived on the scene. A graduate of Iowa State University,
June 26, 1891, and she lef[...]h., when she
to live in California. It is thought that Adolph did not live to was called up by the chancellor of the University of Wyo-
maturity and Alzire died rather young.[...]place called Dillon,
Amede wrote many articles for the papers on the mining Mont. She taught for a year and then was caught up by the
industry in[...]bachelor and the two were married.
ways predicted that Bannack would become one of the most Their first child was Helen[...]r teacher's certificate at Montana State
he wrote for the papers was an interesting account of a trip Normal College (now Western Montana[...]as called then and they she continued that work at the Whiteman ranch and other
camped out for a full month.[...]horn Hot Springs to soak in University of Chicago, and Northwestern University, being
the h[...]n,
great help to her and her family and was known for his continued that post for two years. This she did in order to
generosity. W[...]eorgia Bessette was married to keep house for her brother, Winfield Judson Best, who had
John Lenkersdorfer, he gave them a "fine span" of horses been born to the Dr. Bests in Di[...]ed magna cum laude.
February 28, 1918. He was one of the few men who had cast The Rockefel[...]d him to work on pop-
his lot with the "old camp" for all time and he died in the ulation studies at the University of Chicago, but soon he
town which he thought would[...]s moved on to Washington, D. C., to work for the government
his request to be buried beside hi[...]id to rest in the old Bannack Ceme- tary of Planned Parenthood in New York City, where he
ter[...]served for 25 years. Subsequently, he joined a populations[...]TH study group at the University of North Carolina and set up[...]is own communications operation with domestic and for-[...]tions-also, a number of public TV shows on the same sub-
Best[...]Donald Richey Poor, an Illinoi-
The first child of Mr. and Mrs. 0. M. Best was Herbert san[...]rn Universi-
in the first Best home at the corner of West Morse and ty, where he published[...]retired public relations executive from a
number of the original Vigilantes, and later witnessed a[...], Helen Ida and Winfield changed
It was decided that the boy should be indulged in his her name to Jane. One possible reason was that it was easier
desire to become a dentist and he e[...]magna cum laude career she carried on for several years even after her mar-
and entered the[...]The Poors live~ first in Aurora, Ill., and then for seven
During the dreadful Iroquois Theat[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (102)[...]became pregnant the next year, it was decided that she
Bruce 0. Baumgartner of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, (three daugh- should g[...]. William E. Hen- her baby. This she did, for she knew the medical practice
ry, living in a cou[...]Lemont, Ill., (one daugh- there, and stayed for two years to bring up her little boy,
ter).[...]is period on
dental patient. He was sent to Galen for several years, where passes.
he made a complet[...]Railroad as head agent and telegrapher. His place of busi-
ployment. She had a young friend named Mike[...]Dillon. He and his wife were ecstatic, both being of
help. Before long, he was instrumental in having[...]re was a significant increase in
pointed director of the CCC camps for the entire state of salary.
Montana. This, even though she was[...]head in 1885. They were thrilled with everything-
for several years, Margaret ran the CCC operation from her the broad valley, the mountains, and names such as Beaver
office.[...]Best family and its offshoots, it was often said that Herbert
dentist in the entire Madison valley. So he did, and served Floyd Best had the good sense at age two to move back to
the community there for upwards of 25 years, until his death Montana and bring h[...]87, Oly resigned from the railroad to take charge of
While in Ennis, he teamed up in a way with the two the office of L. C. Fyhrie Company, predecessor ofBurfiend
medi[...]Street, still standing.
Almost everyone in the valley used these stalwarts for Along the way, he also was a partner in[...]s, dudes and million- the Madison County side of the Gravelly Range.
aire visitors from Indianapolis, Chicago and New York City. Looking for a manager to run the sheep ranch, he hired
Heine[...]am sodas in Tom Call, who worked the place for years, along with his
the then 48 states.[...]wife, Hughie. She became a famous author of western sto-
Margaret Best died at age 96 in L[...]As Oly prospered, he began to use the initials of his given[...]7. He (to go with the moniker) at the corner of West Morse Street
ran away from home shortly afte[...]ther had been given a gold sent to Honduras for mahogany for the staircase. The fire-
watch but he had not. He[...]ence still stands, lived in by the Leonard Walde-
for the Chicago & Grand Trunk Railroad at Bellevue, Mich. mar family.
He worked for railroads for 12 years. In 1932, 0. M. Best was elected assessor of Beaverhead
His best girlfriend was a tall, lov[...]in 1904, he
wedding was the biggest social event of the season, with was chairman of the building committee. For 20 years, he
upwards of 200 guests in the mansion and connected sta- was trustee of the Methodist Church.
bles. Just after the weddin[...]on the party, . 0. M. was a lifelong member of the Masonic Order, Dillon
and dozens of the guests had to be put up for the night. Lodge A. F. & A. M., Royal Arc[...]Union Pacific plar, and Bagdad Temple Shrine of Butte.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (103)[...]y, Evanston, Ill., and was graduated
in the class of 1898 with the degree of Doctor of Dental[...]pril 27, 1895, Dr. Bimrose married Marie Duffield of Church where Dr. Bimrose was a faithful choir member.
Mattamora, Ill. She was the daughter of Milton and Martha Dr. Bimrose died at age[...]his wife preceded
(Whittlesey) Duffield, natives of Connecticut. The Whittle- him in death.
seys were an old colonial family, several representatives of -GEORGIANA ANDERSEN
w[...]youngest of eleven children, he married Margaret Deatsch[...]winter of 1914-1915, settling on a homestead three miles[...]south of Dell, where he formed a partnership with his brot[...]The original owner of the homestead was Henderson Sey-
Frances o[...]bold, who applied for water rights in 1887, and settled there
In 163[...]ointed by Abraham Lincoln as Territorial Marshall
of Arizona. He was an interesting and controversial[...]graduating from dental school, Dr. Bimrose taught
for two years and practiced in Kalamazoo, Mich., and[...]ast Bench. Their daughter
Frances still owns part of this farm. The house built on this
farm was the f[...]s in the county and did the
necessary dental work for patients in these outlying areas.
Mrs. Bimrose was active in the Daughters of the Ameri- Margaret and Henry Birre[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (104)[...]p Dr. Charles Robert Blake, a native of Iowa, graduated in
in May, 1918 when Henry became[...]Dillon in 1914 and
returned to Dell in the winter of 1920-21. Charles Seybold established his[...]daho Street, formerly occupied by Dr. Harry Bond. That
he covered the children with fur robes. same year he married Elizabeth Groenvelt of Butte and they
Between 1922 and 1929 five more[...]asing presence and his sincere devotion to caring for the
hand; laundry was done in wooden tubs using h[...]by Spanish influenza at age 33. Tending scores of patients
terns were used. The weekly chore was fi[...]ty line, but service was never restored of sleep, pneumonia set in and he died in a week's t[...]om flour sacks, also mattresses months).
for the hand-made beds. These mattresses were emptied The high regard the community held for this uncommon
and refilled with new straw every f[...]ditorial tribute which appeared in
the only means of transportation. A favorite team of horses, The Dillon Tribune and reads in pa[...]community so profoundly shocked, seldom the sense of in-
ily, the family was at K.P. Picnic at the ran[...]dual personal loss so keenly felt as in the death of Dr.
Sheep Creek. There were many crop failures in[...]Charles Robert Blake. He was the embodiment of all that
and livestock died during severe winters.[...]death is an irreparable loss."
structures in the valley. He cut ice on the river, storing it for
the summer, and cut firewood for himself and his neighbors.[...]In March 1937 the family moved to the Bitterroot Valley, James Edward Blake and Mary Jane (Mayme) Shambow
settling in Hamilton. That fall Henry sold his livestock and were mar[...]from Butte. Next day there was a blizzard so bad that some
of the wedding party were unable to leave. The storm[...]In the "Story of the Ajax" by Al Noyes, the widow Blake[...]Ed Blake was in the cattle business most of his life. He[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (105)[...]came necessary for Mr. Blake to pursue other income. He[...]went to work for the M. Y. Co. in West Yellowstone, driving[...]r horse teams and coaching dudes through the Park for a
couple of summers (1915 and 1916).
In the fall of 1916, the family moved to Butte, due to Mr.[...]mines from Centennial Valley, as well as othe areas in Mon-[...]and selling a health
traveled and worked in most of the Montana territory be- product for the Viavi Co. until 1924. They operated the
fore[...]wn. Once, in 1892, on a trip through Cen-
tennial Valley he stopped at a spring to rest and water his
hors[...]saddle horse. Sprague offered him the home-
stead for the team and wagon and Blake accepted the offer
and sent Sprague on his way. Ironically, two of Ed Blake's
daughters married two of Sprague's grandsons years later.
When Ed Blake an[...]in 1909 and Vaneta Montana in 1912.
Michael died of pneumonia as an infant and Earl was
drowned in the Red Rock River in the summer of 1910 after
attending high school in Dillon during[...]chael are buried in the cemetery in the upper end of the
Valley.
The Blakes raised cattle and horses on the ra[...]lways drove a fast team and Monida Hotel for a year and then in 1925 they operated the
buggy w[...]team or tend Ed died November 22, 1928, of a heart attack and is
them when she came home. Th[...]d In 1943 Mayme married James Palmer of Salmon, Idaho,
Christmas were times for celebration with family and and move[...]e second World War they
friends. Dances were lots of fun, even if it was a long trip to worked at th[...]e until Jim
could drive a team home in the middle of the night. Rodeos died in 197 4. Mayme died at the age of 98 and is buried in
were held on Sundays at some of the ranches, mostly where California.
a p[...]g the James Frederick Blair was a native of Beaverhead county,
meadows, the family would load[...]ving been born at Bannack September 12, 1878, son of
supplies, food, clothes, soap and bedding and go[...]o- In 1917 he moved to Dillon and was one of the partners

108-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (106)[...]tment house. Jim Blair and Centennial Valley friend
He was engaged in business here for 20 years, then ranched
on Horse Prairie. He was a charter member of the Bannack now part of the Red Rock Lakes Refuge.
Masons and a member of Masonic lodges for 50 years. A lifelong bachelor, he died in the late 40s at the home of
He died January 20, 1953.[...]am Brenneman
Wellsville, Utah. She was the fourth of eight children born
to Timothy F. Parkinson and J[...]nlisted on October 10, 1861. He
They were members of the LDS Church. She died October served[...]to Kentucky and two years later, in the spring of 1867, he
-LOWELL PARK[...]train bound for Montana. Upon arriving at Red Rock in
James W. Bl[...]found employment on the Simeon Estes
A native of Ohio, James (Jim) Blair came to Montana at Ranch. He moved to Bannack later that year when he con-
age 19 and resided in Madison a[...]o California in 1916. the mouth of Beaverhead Canyon) to Argenta and Bannack.
He combined stock ranching in the Centennial Valley Then, seeking his fortune in gold, he found work in the
with operation of a fish hatchery and was believed to be the Graeter placer diggings south of Bannack
first person to hatch grayling from spawn. Some of his pro- Mr. Blair married Emma Jane Ferst[...]gan, to Mr. and Mrs. James S. Ferster and came to
for its "monsters." Bannack with her parents at the age of five years. While
A sportsman and conservation[...]nia City, in addition to freighting from Pleasant Valley
Beaverhead pioneers said he was among the firs[...]d squatter's rights on the bar
ter" in Centennial Valley, setting up a dugout on Tepee below Paint[...]s throughout the country. He was also responsible for However, he was with his wife and children in[...]Lake Lillian. the time of the great Indian scare of 1877 when Chief Joseph
Following sale of his ranch to Mamie and Joe Buck in and his Nez Perce Indians, in retreat following the Battle of
1916, Jim moved to California but continue[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (107)[...]1929. They had no children. Mr. Sillers worked for First[...]National Bank and the Hartwig Theatre in Dillon for a
number of years before moving to Helena. Mr. Siller's death[...]came some time prior to the death of Mrs. Sillers in July of[...]burn Thompson, March 11, 1929, and they lived for a few[...]as born January 23, 1911, in
After the founding of Dillon in 1880, Mr. Blair operated a Boise, Idaho. He married Helen M. Meade of Butte August
stage line between Dillon and Virgin[...]stead on Trail Creek was the daughter of Peter Cockrell, a revolutionary soldier.
where th[...]ant Green, Missouri, where he
married Ella Pattee of Fort Lemhi, Idaho, on February 14, lived un[...]just com- because his parents were victims of the cholera epidemic
pleted a handsome and commod[...]was the and both died within a short time of each other when he was
Blair Hotel. To them was b[...]ght) he was conscripted into the Confederate Army of
saloon in Grant until they retired and moved to C[...]field, Missouri, to run a mill to make flour for the soldiers.
1962. Both are buried in Inglewood, Calif. In 1865, at about the close of the war, he and his wife and
James Frederick Bl[...]ouri in
Bannack. He married Edith Greer Parkinson of Wellsville,
Utah, March 30, 1903. They settled on[...]they settled on Mr. Selway's ranch on Trail Creek that
he had purchased from John H. Sheser in 19[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (108) So ·L i
;~!,J~WY[...]OF J3EAVER_HEAD, qv1. r named for the shape of the roof with the chimney in the very[...]staunch Democrat and an active member of the Methodist
Jf/l! .JlRE HEREBY SUM.M:O.>, ED to be and appear in the Distric t Coiirt of,1
the~LJu,dicial District of the Ten·itory of Jlfonta,na, in and f or the CoztnhJ of Episcopal Church. Welcome visitors at th[...]e Cozirt H onse in Dillon, in said in the Ruby Valley and in Dillon were Rev. Hugh Duncan,
.J
Cou11,ty, o"Jfoe_<, day of2 . . ~ _A . D. 188):. atLC!_ __o'r:loclc_RM., _to[...]H erein fctil not, imder the penalty of the law.[...]ranching and moved to Dillon from the Centennial Valley[...]-HARRIET BOATMAN WATKINS
City in August of 1865, Montana had become a territory.
Harriet Boa[...](References from "Pioneer Trails and Trials" of
Virginia City as he had come west in 1864. There[...]Madison County and from "Autobiography of Mary
place available in Virginia City, they went[...]Robert was born
there. Boatman and Johnson worked that winter making[...]Robert Thornton Boatman
spilings and mine timbers for mining gold in Alder Gulch.[...]r Virginia
Soon afterwards he settled in the Ruby Valley, homestead-[...]in the Montana
ing 160 acres six miles southwest of Sheridan. Henry John-[...]new adventure and experiences. That was in 1881. He hired
Stone Creek.[...]out as a cattle driver and helped drive a herd of cattle to
Boatman built a two room cabin with[...]ground a mile from the first cabin. All the rest of the freighting co[...]charge of a freighting outfit, the teams were commandeered
Boatman and Johnson invested in a small herd of dairy by th[...]iel who had stirred up the Indian
this enterprise for several years.[...]e Indi-
still standing, some five miles southwest of Sheridan. Being[...]millright he was able to keep both mills running for seven them expl[...]tle nervous and won-
large vegetable garden; some of which he used to furnish[...]1880, while enroute to Virginia City with a load of fresh from this se[...]an settled on an 1810 acre ranch five
miles north of Dillon on what was later known as the Bea-
verhea[...]n improved the land by irrigation
and made it one of the most valuable farms in that section.
He built the lake known as Boatman Lake[...]eek area and helped construct the Essler Lake dam for
irrigation purposes. He finally left this[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (109)[...]and somebody would yell "get off the line so I can get by[...]terson from the Upper Ruby Valley. They had four children;[...]the rest of his property on the north side of the valley to the[...]ntennial Cattle Co. He owned a home in Dillon and for a
Haying with oxen on Boatman Ranch in Centennial[...]eased the Ed Blake Ranch in the Centennail. R. T.
Valley. was a staunch Republican, a member of the Masonic Lodge
In 1888 R.T. Boatman returne[...]1 in Virginia City and also a charter member of the Elks
for cattle outfits for a time. In 1892 he bought and shipped Lodge in[...]near Monida. He
kansas and other southern states. For 25 years he was one of ranched there 30 years. He died in Spencer, Idaho in 1956
the largest individual shippers of horses out of Montana. and is buried in Mountain View Cem[...]n died in 1966 and she is also buried there.
Ruby Valley. Here he bred horses and mules and ran cattle.[...]-HARRIET BOATMAN WATKINS
He was postmaster for four years under McKinley; was J us-
tice of the Peace in the Centennial Valley in 1894-95. In (References were from the St[...]County History Book, and the Auto-
the Centennial Valley where he had acquired large land biography of Mary Boatman Townsend.)
holdings. Owned 2700acres[...]acres. He also had a
homestead on the north side of the Valley. He brought the
first long horned cattle to this[...]nida to the Ruby Boatman, the youngest of the George T. Boatman
ranch in the Valley. The winters proved to harsh and the family was born in the Ruby Valley, October 26, 1881.
cattle didn't fare well.[...]hat, chaps, cowboy
put up hay on his large fields of wild hay. it was during one boots and spurs.
of these haying operations with a crew of over 25 men that He homesteaded in the Centennial Valley and worked on
he experienced the I.W.W. (I won't work) movement. He ranches for his brother, Robert and his brother-in-law, Will[...]R.T. Boatman sat down and wrote out their checks for housekeeper at the time. He looked out of place in his bor-
the money they had coming. The[...]didn't have any In 1919 Ruby disposed of his valuable land holdings to the
transportation. Boatman told them that was their problem. Centennial Land and Catt[...]as buying up
They all walked the 25 miles as none of the ranchers would much land in the area.
gi[...]the group Ruby and Pearl lived in Dillon for a short time, finally
who had come up from Idaho looking for work. He told a locating in Clinton, Mon[...]farm.
Boatman family member some 26 years later "I was a fool They lived there until his death on May 29, 1961.
and listened to the older men. I was never so glad to see a Ruby and Pearl had no children of their own but adopted
little old town in my life as when I saw Monida from the hill and raised a girl. Pea[...]Otto and Ella Boetticher
the lineman for the company. The office and switchboard[...]Boatman Ranch. Mrs. lis, Ind. A nephew of Henry Knippenberg, he came to Glen-
Hinkley was the operator. The company was made up of dale, Montana, in 1888 with his mother[...]ne. Sometimes this Boetticher, and worked for his uncle in the banking and

112-Beav[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (110)[...]hool here.
Otto married Ella Bateman, daughter of Henry Bateman, In 1894 she married Carl Bond, founder of the Bond Gro-
who owned a ranch near Glendale and worked for the Hecla cery Company in Dillon and the brother of Dr. Harry Bond,
Consolidated Mining Company until the silver depression prominent Dillon physician of that era. Both brothers died
when the mine and smelter[...]ry 23, 1964. Survivors included a
ed and a number of the family still reside. son,[...]ed 10 children and operated a grocery store. Some of the dentistry from the University of Iowa. He left his practice to
Boetticher children[...]ad County resi- take over the management of the Bond Grocery after his
dents included:[...]Phillip, took over the management of the Dillon Implement
Paul G. Boetticher, D[...]ELEN ANDRUS
Mrs. Frank (Mabel) Little, now of Bigfork, Montana.
Mrs. Gladys Matthews, now of Monterey, Calif., a
graduate of Montana Normal College.[...]Mrs. Burl (Eleanor) Stephens, former owners of Ste- Benjamin Bond was the first of the Bonds to reside in the
phens Greenhouse in Dillon. Beaverhead Valley. He was born in Indiana in 1837. When
Will[...]listed and served through
tired and former lawyer for the National Labor Relations many of the campaigns. After peace was declared, he took
Board, a graduate of Western Montana College. up civ[...]ey are active in community and church head Valley was ranching and later he was elected to several[...]-PAUL G. BOETTICHER dren. Three of his children lived their lives out in Dillon and[...]LA BOETTICHER in turn had families of their own, also living their lives in the[...]Beaverhead Valley. Benjamin Bond died in 1922.[...]Dr. Harry Bond was the oldest child of the Benjamin
Anna Wilson Bond[...]Bond family to reside in the Beaverhead Valley and he
Anna was the fourth of five children in the family of Mr. practiced medicine for 31 years here. During his many years
and Mrs. Peter Wilson, Bannack pioneers who came to the of practice, he brought more than 1,000 babies into[...]ad on Blacktail Creek, four miles south- last of his family to live here and she died in 1974. Dr. Bond
east of Dillon. Anna Wilson was born there March 29, 1873[...]921.
This was seven years prior to the founding of Dillon and Carl Bond, a son of Benjamin Bond, lived his life in Dil-
the young g[...]lson and they had one son E. W.
three miles south of what is now Dillon. (Gene) Bond. Carl Bond had a grocery store in Dillon for a
With the founding of this city in 1880, she attended the number of years and was active in civic affairs. His wife[...]Anna Wilson came from the pioneer family of Peter Wilson[...]and at the time of her death in 1964 was Beaverhead Coun-[...]Doctor of Dentistry Degree. He practiced in Dillon for three
Anna Wilso[...]ment of the Bond Grocery. In 1945 he sold the grocery[...]iness and with his son Phillip assumed management of[...]The last child of Benjamin Bond to live in Dillon was[...]Adell. She married James Murray in 1891 and by that mar-[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (111)for their beautiful home located four miles north of Dillon. quently resided in Dillon: Douglas Wa[...]married Alberta McLain (born 8/6/05) from
center of gracious hospitality for the Beaverhead Valley. Red Bluff, Montana, in 1924, carpentered[...]The Bond family has contributed to the welfare of the 1, 1922, and was a homemaker in Salmon, Idaho and Dillon;
Beaverhead Valley for over 100 years with the last descen- Mildred Wilson (6/1/03- 6/15/32) who married Howard
dant of Benjamin Bond being Phillip C. Bond, who was the[...]1955) from Waterloo in 1927 and later farmed
son of Dr. E.W. Bond.[...]orn in Birmingham, England. Grass Valley, Calif.; and Edward Horace (6/20/16 - 8/13/67)[...]pentered in the Missoula and Arlee Mon-
caretaker of Mountain View Cemetery. He planted the ave- tana, areas.
nue of evergreens and many other other trees throughout[...]Bott's home was located on ground from the bank of the on the Dillon Police Force and was an active member of the
Blacktail River to about half the land on which the Brook- Fire Department for over five years under Fire Chief O.T.
side Apartm[...]all heating stove. Bott always kept a few bottles of stout ary 17, 1949.
or beer under the stove a[...]livestock and raised produce for their own needs. Mr. Bour-
Much of their land was used for a huge garden. They used quin was a firm but[...]ith strong moral character
a pump to irrigate out of the Blacktail River. They also had and great respect for the law.
a large greenhouse. The produce was canned for their own[...]d a beautiful voice and loved to climb to the top
of the mountains and sing just to hear the echo. He sang for
many years with the Episcopal Choir. One Sunday, carried
away with his singing, he opened his mouth so wide that his
false teeth flew out; he tried to catch them,[...]congregation. He quickly learned not to sing with
that much gusto. He and wife made English plum pudding
every Christmas for all the Episcopal choir members.
He left all his property to Miss Long and Mrs. Blackburn
in exchange for care for his wife during the rest of her life.
The two women sold the Bott property an[...]a farm
Minn., on March 7, 1872, 11th in a family of 12 born to John near Mexico, Mo. (shortly aft[...]lar condition. He was taken to a St. Louis Clinic for ex-
Camilla Frances Willson (11/17 /7 4 - 4/18/53[...]atment. The doctors there told him he
stead north of Dillon. Six children of this marriage subse- only had a few y[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (112)[...]meant that he and his friend Happy Hubbard, proprietor of[...]50, Jay took over the Standard Station just north of[...]ey Bray was the third son born to William and
one of the doctors. After turning the girls over to the[...]rs and brother The family moved to Centennial Valley in the early 1890s.
came to Montana later.[...]They took up homesteads in the upper end of the valley,
. Jay worked briefly for a rancher named Frott. Jay would about 10 miles east of Lakeview. John worked at several jobs
often be required to go into Livingston where the magic of and was a driver for the Monida to West Yellowstone Stage.
railroading[...]and married Mayme Larson at Lakeview on July 28,
for a time with pack trains in the western part of Montana. 1904.
When he gave up this venture, he went back to ranches in
the central and eastern part of the state, working at one time
for Harvey and Treglow near Miles City, part of the well
known Hatchet Outfit. He met Margaret Mu[...]d they were married in 1889.
Jay went to work for the Northern Pacific and began a
railroad career that would span 30 years. For a short time,
he worked for the Great Northern Railway. Then he decided
he wo[...]in Lima, he was
approached by the superintendent of the Oregon Short Line
and after a few minutes of conversation, Jay decided to go to
work for that railroad stationed in Lima. He was a conduc-
tor[...]es Van Housen,
purchased a ranch on the west side of the tracks where they Bray Ranc[...]ing bar, when their first
in 1919 and the drought of that year made the winter of son, Charles Burnell was born, October 1[...]-20 a very difficult period. There was little hay for the moved back to the Valley·and a second son Raymond Lee
cattle, so Mr. Bran[...]regon. Finally he decided to ship stayed for several years. They wintered cattle in Sheridan,
most of his cattle into Idaho to save the cost of shipping Montana, and drove them over the d[...]eed. Jay never did quite recover from the setback of that in the Centennial. Their daughter, Carrie A[...]nted the upper ranch from a brother and
south end of town. The two old-time railroaders continued mother. It was used for a winter feed ranch. The Lakeview
in the station for many years until at age 79 Jay decided to[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (113)[...]from Philadelphia, Pa., to (a) start a branch of the family[...]with a man named Weyerhauser. At that time, the Northern[...]tion by B.F. White, who needed directors for the First Na-[...]down to Dillon to look at property that was for sale in the
school in Lakeview.[...]a.
John rented the Jones Fields in Alaska Basin for a sum- The ranch, which was then a dairy[...]and Winters. In 1878, after the Battle of the Big Hole, Chief
bordered the Upper Lake. The[...]They stopped at the ranch, perhaps for supplies and ban-
Mayme Bray died in February 1[...]by hiding in a beaver dam). Mr. Montaque was one of
William Bray Sr. Family the men killed. Mr. Winters decided that ranching in Mon-[...]Phil Shenon took over the ranch as administrator of Mr.
Devonshire, England on November 17, 1845. Eli[...]Bonne Terre, Mis- Mulkey were partner~ for a while until dissension caused
souri. They were[...]enowned geologist. The Mulkey
The young family of three came by immigrant train from family m[...]tled in the Silver Star vicini- 1845, the fifth of nine children. His father was a prominent
ty wher[...]: Albert Earnest, businessman, on the boards of directors of the Pennsylvania
January 24, 1877; John Harvey, D[...]ent Democrat.
The family came to the Centennial Valley in 1894, and In 1874 John C. married Miss Isabel White, also of a promi-
took up homesteads in the upper end of the valley, east of nent Pennsylvania family. They had three chi[...]William, and Charlie. In 1885, John C. moved his
for dances.[...]d carriage horses, was a
John Bray was a driver for the Monida to West Yellow- director of the First National Bank (now Norwest Bank
stone S[...]fe Mayme Larson, Dillon) and it is said that John C. never rode horseback. It
who was working for her brother Lars Larson, in Lakeview. was not until 1906 that the first beef cattle were brought
They were marr[...]ttsburg Railroad. ,
came to the Valley to teach school. Helen was born in Wal- S[...]Sheridan to Martha Nelson. fastest horses for the doctor (only the mustang finished; the
They h[...]lthough not much could be done, Charlie survived. For the
son William until her death in 1935. She is buried in Lima. rest of his life, Charlie had a dent in his forehe[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (114)[...]eek. Mary was soon hired to
tutor Tom Pierce, son of a Horse Prairie rancher, then went
on to teach sc[...]shes. Later, the ashes were panned to recover any of[...]rs. Brenner's jewelry, but very
little was saved. That summer, a "temporary" log house was They[...]homestead on the Beaverhead River near Point of Rocks,
should decide to visit from Philadelphia)[...]stands where Frank did farm work and carpentry for various neigh-
next to Montana Highway 324 on Hor[...]ried Beth Yearian Savage, In the spring of 1920, Frank and Anna sold their home-
who had bee[...]tead and moved to Dillon where the family resided for one
Russel Yearian, was the "Sheep Queen" of Idaho.Beth's year. Their next move was[...]their Following Frank's death in October of 1928, Anna and her
stakes mining placer gold, and settled in the Lemhi Valley sons (Rudolph, John, George and Sam) continued to work
of Idaho. Beth married Ben Savage, had one child, To[...]and Charlie were married, passed away in May of 1963.
Isabel was born in 1921.[...]ards, he ran a infancy and William at the age of 11 in Glen.
sliver into his hand and caught black[...]were di- 1905, the 13th and 14th children of Samuel Brothers and
vorced in 1925; their son, Ja[...]y Ada Belle Huff. Twin Alta died within days of her older
Beth and Charles Brenner. Thus, in the 1930's, the Brenner sister Maud of scarlet fever or diphtheria in March, 1908.
Lives[...]Al attended school in Lima and worked for the REA, the
-ELIZABE[...]express railroad delivery service of its day. He married He-[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (115)Office for years. They had a son, Robert Delno; who lives in
Great Falls.
After a divorce, he married Mary Burt Paul of Lima, who
now lives in Townsend. Alvin Brothers d[...]lizabeth Patterson and Charles F. Brothers. While I
was a baby, my parents moved to Big Sheep Creek B[...]on June 8, 1914. They lived in Big Sheep Creek for a few
they moved back to the Patterson Ranch.[...]later divorced. She will be remembered in
When I was old enough to start to school, I went to the Beaverhead County as a kind and helping person, and for
Lower School in the Basin, better known as Bull C[...]hich she made her living.
the weather got too bad for my brother Hy to drive us to In 1953 in f[...]h she moved to Bozeman, Mon-
school in the buggy, I finished the first grade at the Upper tana, to[...]parents separated about this time, and mother and I
moved to the Dell and Lima area. After my first year of high -MARGARET HAGENBARTH
school (1929-30) at Lima, I went to Bozeman (Montana)
and attended Gallatin County High School.
I later married Clyde R. Whiteman, who died in 1970[...]thers
had two children, Vernon L. and Naomi Jean. I retired in Arch L. Brothers was the 10th child of Samuel Brothers
1976 and am enjoying my later yea[...]areas many years. He served in World War I and remained[...]active in the Dillon VFW organization for years.[...]most of her life in the Lima and Dillon areas.[...]He was 28 and she was 17. They moved to Oregon for four[...]ere Arch was a custodian at the Mary Innes School for[...]terson and Lois Ada
Riggs Patterson.
At the age of 10, she moved with her parents to Montana,
walking many a mile, driving a herd of Texas Longhorns,
and settling in the Dell[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (116)[...]ocatello, Idaho; Willis Arch (Bill) was March of 1931.
born December 6, 1924, in Dillon and lives[...]May. Mr. May died in 1968. Irene died at the age of 91 in
They were married for 38 years until Villa died in Lima on Idaho Fall[...]Idaho Falls.
pneumonia. Arch Brothers lived most of his life in Beaver- -S[...]Ernest Brothers was the sixth of 14 children born to Sam-[...]braska and moved with his family to the Lima area of[...]as a young boy.
Charles Brothers was the second of 14 children born to He got his early edu[...]da Belle Huff. He was born March 8, er and for the Union Pacific Railroad. Later he worked for
1881, in Blandinsville, McDonough County, Ill., and moved Garrett Transfer of Pocatello.
with his family to the Lima area of Montana Territory as a He married Rosemond[...]married Wavie Branch. They had no
er at the turn of the century. For several years, he was a children. Little else is known about Ernest, Rosemond, or
driver for the Monida-Y ellowstone Stage Line that ran from Wavie.
the train depot at Monida to the entrance of Yellowstone In his later years, Ernest m[...]n August 14, 1884 at Ennis,
Montana, the daughter of J. F. and Martha Finley Oliver.
She grew up in En[...]Fred Brothers was the ninth child of Samuel Brothers[...]he worked for the Union Pacific Railroad. He moved to[...]daho Falls in 1910, then to Rigby where he worked for a[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (117)[...]They moved to Pocatello in 1922 and he worked for the 1970, in Fall Brook, Calif. "Min," as[...]er Company, drove an intercity bus, and of her relatives, lived in Chula Vista, Calif., until the late
worked for the Sterling Coal Company as a furnace installer.[...]ll and was moved to Spring-
In 1943 he began work for the Pocatello Housing Authority field, Ore.[...]he managing A spirited lady, in spite of a lifelong problem with asthma
director until he[...]well as having had a hip joint replacement,
need for low-cost public housing and followed through by[...]buried in Lima. ·
Fred and Myrtle were married for 51 years until Fred's[...]Ralph Brothers was the third of fourteen children born to
Fred's work in the pu[...]and Ada Belle Huff. He was born October
a legacy of which the county of his birth can be proud. 8, 1882 in Blandi[...]moved with his family to the Lima area of Montana Terri-
-SALLY GARRE[...]over 21 and
Minnie Brothers was the 12th child of Samuel Brothers
and Ada Belle Huff. She was born April 1, 1902, in Lima,
Montana. She experienced the loss of her older sister,
Maud, and her younger sister, Alta, from scarlet fever and
diphtheria within days of each other in 1908 and it had a
profound effect o[...]ie married Ed Bonneru in February 1921 at the age
of 19. They were married 10 years and lived in Rigby[...]e, she worked at the Rail-
road Cafe in Pocatello for eight years.
In Salt Lake City, she met[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (118)[...]return, family pressure resulted in an
annulment of the marriage. Nellie went to school out of
town and later moved to Southern California.
He[...]daughter of Charles
craftsman for many years.
-SALLY GARRETT[...]Brothers
Samuel Brothers was born in August of 1852 in Ohio and lived is still occupied.[...]armed. If Ada had another set of twins between her sons Ralph
Ada Belle Huff was the ninth child of William Hamilton and Ernest, as some famil[...]7, 1863 in Quin- children. The presence of twins is supported by her com-
cy, Ill., as her f[...]having 11
between Illinois and Missouri in search of a better life. children and eight still al[...]ve his written permission. They lived in Illinois for She died on September 5, 1933, at the age of 70, and is
several years where their first severa[...]buried in the Lima Cemetery.
William in September of 1879, Charles on March 8, 1881,[...]Walter and Louise Ann
County where many of their relatives had settled. A son,[...]t Walter Brothers was the seventh child of Samuel Broth-
the warm springs waterfall south of Dillon. The rest of the ers and Ada Belle Huff. He was born on M[...]894, Maud L. in the Dillon and Lima areas of Montana and ranched most of
November 1898, and Minnie April 1, 1902. Twins Al[...]erry
In 1900, Sam was working as a drayman out of Lima, and Creek, Utah, to Joseph Chambers[...]am, Charles and Ralph were laborers, and the rest of McKay.
the children were in school.
Ethel died on January 8, 1891, at 3 months. Maud and
Alta died of either scarlet fever or diphtheria in March,
1908, within days of each other. Ethel, Maud and Alta are
buried in th[...]children to Dillon and lived on
North Washington for several years. She took care of her
aging parents, William and Sarah Huff, the last few years of
their lives.
Later she returned to Lima where she lived for many
years, earning her living by selling[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (119)[...]rked on ranches in the head. He was out for only a short time and within the hour
Centennial Valley for many years and later moved to Dillon. was ba[...]e and bulldogging contests. He won a pair of silver-mounted
Jones from the Centennial Valley. Their second child, Ada spurs for all-around cowboy that fall.
Maud, was born October 6, 1915, in Marysvil[...]nd also lived in the on the East Bench out of Dillon, and later that fall became
Centennial Valley. They had six children. Later she married be[...]ho married Albert A. good friends.
Jones of the Centennial Valley. Later she married Mr. John- Anna was bor[...]Kenison to the Dillon area in the spring of 1898. Here they
Their youngest child is Kathy M.,[...]the Sheep Creek Basin, just north of Dillon on a ranch, and
Walt Brothers died in 1958 in Dillon and is buried in later in Dillon. For a short time they returned to Missouri
Mountain V[...]married Jesse Brown in the winter of 1915.
Anna could hardly wait for the homestead cabin to be
finished for she had promised to marry Jesse when he had it[...]ready. It was a small two-room cabin made out of rough-
Jesse Jerome Brown was born in Lathrop,[...]Thomas Allen and Ruth Ann (Hol- worked that summer and put her money into a pretty in-
royd)[...]moved by covered wagon to grain carpet for the floor. The walls were lined with red
Kansas w[...]ey
he met Henry Asbury. They decided to come west that year were married December 23, 1915, in D[...]nd they signed on to work on the The winter of 1915.:16 was very cold, and they found
railroad i[...]themselves hauling water in 250 gallon barrels for home use.
however, they changed their minds and instead trapped for However, it would freeze solid in one nigh[...]ry to chip the ice and melt it to get water. Once that winter
The next summer they helped haul fill for the dam at Jack- Jesse took the team and wagon to Dillon for a load of grocer-
son Hole, Wyo., and tried their hand at t[...]With only brief intermissions it continued for three days
Round-Up" in Idaho Falls, in the summer of 1914. and nights, making travel impossible and forcing him to
After hearing of the "Dillon Pow-Wow," they came to the stay in Dillon. Boards had been put across one corner of the
small Montana town of Dillon that fall, especially to partici- unfinished barn as shelter for the pigs. But when Anna tried
pate in it. It was here that Anna Kenison had her first to get in to see if she could find them, the snow was blowing
glimpse of Jesse as he came out of the chute on a wild steer. so hard thatshe cou[...]r the crops were mortgaged to purchase wheat seed for[...]ty of rain and the wheat had grown as high as Jesse's w[...]come, for they were the only source of water for the crops.[...]ding day - December 23, 1915 For a year they lived in Lincoln, Neb., where[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (120)[...]moved on to Nugget Gulch in the Deer Lodge Valley where[...]known as Browne's Station. He operated this for many
County[...]years. He acquired about 3,000 acres of land in the area of
ed Molar Barber College and received his barberin[...]e and Agnes M. Murray were married
and discovered that a barber was needed in a little town in Dubuque, Iowa. Agnes Murray was born in Pittsburgh,
south of Dillon called Armstead. Anna talked to Elmer Gor-[...]wne's wedding tour was by train
chair in exchange for taking care of the pool tables. As soon from Dubuque to Salt L[...]Ellen
After a year there they purchased a home of their own, Browne Hagenbarth, Fannie Browne[...]ars
Armstead. Two years later everything was paid for and they of Montana government. In 1869 and 1872, he was elec[...]n and raised In 1881 he was elected a member of the Montana Council.
there.[...]together again. Jesse passed away at sage of a bill moving the county seat from Bannack to Dil[...]wn and In 1884, he was elected a member of the Territorial Con-
forced evacuation of Armstead. Ironically some of the water vention and with Honorable J. K. To[...]k
from this dam now irrigates the East Bench land that they took those proceedings to Washington.[...]only they had S. J. Hauser, as governor of the Territory, chose Joseph
had the water.[...]Browne as a member of his staff. Governor Leslie commis-[...]sioned him inspector general of the National Guard of Mon-
-(Written by Ruth Ann Brown (Hildreth) (Patt[...]lexander, Virginia,
on August 1, 1831. At the age of 18 he entered St. Francis
College in Cambria Coun[...]eeling, W. Va.
On March 14, 1859, he left home for the West, traveling
overland by ox team with a party of 50 people. Their desti-
nation was Pike's[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (121)[...]ame known as General Browne.
In the early days of the Territory, he was a member of the
Vigilante Committee. In later years, Joseph[...]gs and kept boats. As earl a
1893 he built cabins of hewn logs that were whitewa hed.
Each had a boat landing extendi[...]e t re ne to the Bu te Re -
tocrats flocked there for summer vacations. The brought taurant. Mo t of the building a ha time were made of
their own provisions and cook. In addition to the[...]id on a relative of her dau h r fir hu band John H.
Guests travele[...]ral and Mrs. Browne were highly re pected pioneer
of Beaverhead County and had a wide range of friend o er
the entire West.[...]r youngest son, Frank, Januar 30, 1900 a
18 years of age. He came in contact with a high voltage wire[...]Mead named Libbie Da id n he e ecut r of hi will in[...]marriages failed. I i unknown if Th m and Elizabe h
Thomas .N. and Eliz[...]Elizabeth "Libbie" Mead was the younger daughter of[...]born January William Charle Brown on of amuel and Anna Jane
12, 1855, in Kingston. Thomas[...]inceton. oldest of seven children. On Jul 4 1884 he and usan
Libbi[...], but when the county seat There was a need for men who could drive freight wagons
was mov[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (122)[...]Dillon to Bannack. passed away at the age of 52.
Susan, his wife, was the cook. She fed the me[...]gons from the and worked on area ranches for a while. He later went to
stage stop at the Point of Rocks. Sometime later he and his work for the railroad, was stationed in the Lima area for a
family made their home near the Nyhart Ranch.[...]to Whitehall. On August
·when they had worked for several years and had enough 30, 1927, he[...]railroad speed-
money to get started, he applied for his homestead. This was er jumped the track[...]mestead, getting his home built, and a barn. Most of the Ethel Sandland. Ethel moved to California. Lee joined the
houses in the area were built of logs which they got from army, fought in[...]eighbors helped each other with this job and many of the Creek. During the fall or winter of 1915, Ansle went to work
wells were 150 to 170 feet deep. Charles' well was about 165 for Ernest Harkness in the Big Sheep area. While ther[...]y were married August 31, 1916,
By the spring of 1908, they managed to get the necessary and[...]-FRED W. BROWN
of the crops. With all the huge grain crops, it was[...]popular because 1838. When only 12 years of age he came West, stopping at
it saved handling so much straw. A header cuts the head of Davenport, Iowa, for about nine years, working in a flour
the grain and only a small amount of the straw off. Then it mill there. In 1859,[...]Burrows. They made the trip to Denver by way of Fort
At threshing time, Charles' son Lee was[...]Denver was a small place consisting of two villages, one
Charles' wife Susan was a l[...]dren. She was always willing to help the children of the Returning to Iowa, Mr. Brubaker retur[...]he school in the area He then became one of a party in which were John Bielen-
started. It was known as Blacktail 2 and was also used for berg and former U.S. Senator J. H. Millard, president of the
church and social events.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (123)[...]ubaker went to mining four miles below the
summit of Alder Gulch. He remained in and around Virgin-
ia City until the spring of 1868 and witnessed some of the
stirring scenes in that section when the law-abiding pio-
neers were making Montana fit for honest people.
Leaving Virginia City in the fall of 1868, Mr. Brubaker
went to Diamond City in Confederate Gulch. He placer
mined for a while in Meagher County, later going to Raders-[...]Isaac Dodgson. They worked at placer mining
there for several years and then went to Dewey in Beaver-
head County. He made his home at the junction of Wise
River and Big Hole River, taking up mining c[...]to process their ore.
Mr. Brubaker lived there for 43 years, respected and liked
by everyone in the[...]ried but his great delight was in making pleasure
for others, especially the children. Along the Wise and Big
Hole Rivers, Christmas never seemed like Christmas to the
little ones unless Al Brubaker w[...]y fishermen from Butte who
visited the streams in that vicinity, and who never failed to
find a welcome[...]known or better liked man among the trailblazers of Mon- Santa Barbara, Calif. Of the sons remaining here, John
tana. He attended all meetings of the Montana Pioneers, ranched in the Centennial Valley. He married Laura Boat-
not missing such gatherin[...]Hi-
helped he died from exposure. He was 77 years of age when ram, Justin, Dorothy and Thomas. D[...]aylor (1912-1986). They had three
learned the art of telegraphy in Pennsylvania and that led to children: Lew, Richard and Carol. Walter[...]hn Holiday Brundage, born September 24, 1865, son of
He married Elizabeth Holliday in Pennsylvania[...]ust 23, 1868, on what is
married Mary Jane Temple of Twin Bridges in 1873. They now the Chris Anderson Ranch, west of Sheridan. She was
had two children. Two of his sons, Everett Hiram Brundage the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George T. Boatman, Montana
and John[...]Foote in 1886 and moved to vicinity a number of years.

126-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (124)[...]John Holiday Brundage was also a son of Montana pio-[...]l her playmates
John Brundage home ... north side of Centennial[...]r. When Elizabeth
Red Rock Lake in the Centennial Valley. (This area was in was one and one-half years[...]me Beaverhead County). A bridge still afraid of losing her. She then thought of her two brothers in
standing in the Red Rock area[...]nada. Together they quietly fled on a boat headed for
"Brundage Bridge." The Brundages ran a herd of cattle and Quebec. Three days before the ship reached port, her grand-
a number of horses on their ranch. In the later years they mother died of ship fever and was buried at sea.
owned a small band of sheep, too. Soon a[...]1894; Owen Winfred, born November 10, 1895; except her name. Her new parents never told her she was[...]attended school. At
Reta Claire, only daughter of the Brundages, received a 15 years of age, she graduated and taught in the flat for
teaching certificate from Dillon Normal and, afte[...]s. At this point, she decided to get married to a
of teaching, married Charles Franklin Moore. Charles[...]ere to go to the altar, she met a
home at the age of 14 and came to Montana. He worked as a young man named William Bryan. He was a native of that
cowboy and broke many saddle horses for the ranchers. He community but had gone to Montana when 17 years old to
was, for a number of years, employed by P & 0 Company, seek his[...]ad worked at
which had holdings in the Centennial Valley when it was Bannack, and afterwards (in 1867) they established a
part of Madison County.[...]had 12 children. They William Bryan instead of Mr. Smith. They started West[...]almost immediately, headed for Montana. They decided on[...]ing $8 an hour for a touring hack. Mr. Bryan bought Eliza-[...]beth a lovely set of coral earrings. When on the train headed[...]hundreds of miles, she suddenly missed the earrings. She[...]ing. She wasn't aware of the log cabin where they were to[...]Elizabeth had quite a time trying to put all that fine furni-[...]task since the road was a pile of dust. When the Bryans[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (125)[...]pped out and held
them up. The robbers discovered that the stage had nothing
but passengers and not the payroll they were looking for and
let them go. Elizabeth remembers the best thing she had on
the trip was a wonderful cup of coffee at Corrine.
Life in a mining camp was hard for Elizabeth at first
because she had been well pamp[...]. table and everything they had in the way of furniture. She
Elizabeth always wanted to go back[...]stored their things in cardboard boxes in lieu of cupboards
her folks. She was too busy rearing her brood of eight to and closets. She had no trouble k[...]ards and closets. She always maintained, in spite of their
lack of material wealth, those were the happiest days of
Alan and Jane Buck their lives.
Promise of homestead land in Montana induced Alan and In 1918, Alan's brother Herbert died of the flu and his
Jane to leave Iowa and come west[...]ne and small son, Charles Alan, moved to
18 years of age and Alan 21.[...]rs Joseph (Joe) and Herbert Buck and their of Omaha, Nebraska. They rented for many years and final-
families were already estab[...]ased the plac~ which lies within the eastern area of
area. Alan's father had purchased land there for Herb. Joe the Red Rock Lakes Migratory Waterfowl Refuge.
had homesteaded in the upper north side of the Centennial Later they filed on an additional homestead near the
Valley.[...]s at the
In September 1915, Alan and Jane filed for 320 acres on foot of the hill. He got the logs from the mountains and
the north side of the Valley, not far from Joe Buck's ranch. hewed them. H[...]the time. Lake area to get flooring for the house from an old dance
Their first winter[...]e.
Tom Creek emerges from the mountains (east end of the Two children were born while they lived in the Centen-
valley's extreme southern edge). Alan worked for Clarence nial. The first was Charles Alan,[...]Sheridan, Montana, at the time of his death in 1976. Kath-
The next summer Alan b[...]al store, grocery store/hotel and, of course, a bar or two.[...]tually they'd catch up with the rest of the world and have[...]electricity and telephones, etc. They loved the Valley and[...]They raised Aberdeen Angus cattle and that was just
what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives. But in[...]1935, the Government bought most of the land around the[...]tion. Many of Alan and Jane's neighbors sold out and mov[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (126)modern snowmobile they never would have left Centennial.
For several years they trailed cattle to the Valley for the
summer pasture, but eventually sold the land[...]ied in October 1954 and Jane lived on in Sheridan
for 32 years after his death. She passed away in Augu[...]hter, Annie, was born in 1905. Mamie went back to
that contained their household belongings which probably Iowa for Annie's birth so all three of their children were
weren't anything more than the vitals and a span of mules, born in Iowa.
Jack and Jenny. Friends[...]hey weren't quite alone in neighbors, was one of the Valley midwives. During the 1918
this new world. This ha[...]nto a two- were sick. She was probably more of an angel to the neigh-
room log cabin with a sod[...]ere no fences. They bors than to her family. I don't know if it was what she knew
carried their water, picketed their bull and got painfully or the faith that others had in her that enabled her to help so
acquainted with deadly lar[...]s was a help those who were sick.
world of make-it-do, make- it-over or do without. I'm sure Even though we were poorer than "J[...]there must have been times when they wondered if maybe it er was an up and coming person. She coul[...]ould drive a car, ride a horse, or
they were made of good metal. In all of my life there I never work in the field. She was liked by all and probably even
heard either of them say something like "Lets take off for generous to a fault.
greener pastures." They came and they conquered. I am Joe Buck raised horses and introduced Black Angus cattle
proud to say I came from stock who had such courage. Atti- into the Valley and had one of the state's finest herds.
tude is a big part of our lives and through their determina- Afte[...]nment, they moved to Lima
tion and their attitude that "We're here and we're staying!" and later returned to ranching in the Sheridan area. Joe
they made a go of life in this new world through times that Buck died in 1945 and Mamie Buck died in 1965. Both are
were difficult. They stayed on the same ranch that they buried in Dillon.
settled in 1900 un[...]for a number of years at Eliel's. He was married to Ola[...]Cornell, daughter of C. C. Cornell, pioneer rancher; she[...]In later years he was a buyer for Boston wool concerns and[...]was wideiy known in the county with his_duties of contact-[...]ing ranchers. At one time he was foreman for the Cornell[...]the birthplace of former president Herbert Hoover, and the[...]He was survived by a brother Edgar of Iowa Falls, Iowa,[...]an~ two sisters, Mrs. George Pemberton of Iowa Falls and
Mrs. Steed of San Diego, Calif. Harold Murray of Dillon was
Brothers Babe and Alden Buck with Uncle Riley Tib- a nephew and Mrs. Stella Murray of Dillon a sister-in-law.
bles (seated)[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (127)ing Warren Murray of Vancouver. Emma[...], 1885; died October 18, 1968),
He was a member of the Masonic Lodge. Berth[...]Ceme- Emma Rebecca Burfiend, daughter of John Henry and
tery in Dillon.[...]d in German) was a native Hugh Bates, son of Will Park and Sarah Ella (Spencer)
of Germany, born in Dollern, March 30, 1833; he died[...]she died School; where she was president of the Senior class. In the
September 3, 1931, at Dillon. fall of 1904 she went to Salt Lake City, Utah, where she[...]children lett, Ohio, where they remained for six months. Returning
came to Dillon in 1883. Aft[...]in 1884 to John then to Montana they lived for awhile at Grant and then
Henry Burfiend, the two[...]took the surname Burfiend. Katharine was a member of they moved to Columbus, Ohio. They returned to Dillon in
Mizpah Chapter, No. 13, Order of Eastern Star and was an 1922. In Dillon she was the first president of the Parent
active member of the Methodist Church. T[...]nry Burfiend arrived at military age in of the Dillon Shakespeare Club. She was an active me[...]w a num~er exempting him from military of the Methodist Church.
service and left his home country for the United States, In January 1956, th[...]n Francisco via Cape Horn took about five months. For and her husband, Fred Gray. Their childr[...]1915.
become Dillon in 1864 as the sole survivor of the party, the -WM. H. BATES, M.D.
rest of whom were killed by hostile Indians en route.[...]stage station on the Bannack-Virginia
City Trail for about one year. In 1865 he purchased a sheep Walter S. Burnett
ranch five miles north of Dillon and engaged in the sheep Walter[...]880) he and his brother, had the American Dream like so many of his contemporar-
Christopher, built a store and o[...]a cry, "Go west, young man, go west" for the lure of gold,
On September 14, 1880, a discerning group of business- homesteading of fertile land and a new life. So one day,
man, inc[...]his wife, Nancy S. (Ellis) and nine children left for
of ranchland from Richard Deacon. The following month St. Louis, Mo., to join a wagon train for the "West" which
they conducted an auction of town lots which resulted in the was their American Dream. They traveled in a covered wag-
original site of Dillon. A bank opened its doors shortly o[...]rairie (Beaverhead County) they de-
National Bank of Dillon and John Henry Burfiend was c[...]ench trappers to precede them but now the history of the
He also owned stores at Dewey's Flat and G[...]es and their wealth. They were still on the alert for
ran it for awhile. He built a home in Dillon and later ac-[...]age 64. each other.
He was a Mason and a member of the Methodist Church. Homestead claims were made and livestock was acquired.
Children of John and Katharine Burfiend included:[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (128)[...]met by a number of carriages to accommodate all. The body[...]"The deceased was one of the most highly respected citi-
zens of Beaverhead County. Pallbearers were Abe Rife, of
the Homestead Certificates were awarded in 1890 b[...]rrison. The Burnett home was a Decker of Red Rock, and James Mansfield of Horse Prai-
large log structure and became the Sa[...]1901)
on the Lewis and Clark Trail. With the help of her three Walter S. Burnett, Nancy S. ([...]amily
daughters, Nancy prepared the evening meals for stage- members are interred at the Mount[...]a post office called lon.
Amesville, named for Dr. Axel Ames, who came to Montana (Items[...]rnight when her family Sam Burnside was one of the earliest settlers in Centen-
made their trips to Red Rock to get supplies for the winter. nial Valley. He was in the fishing business at Henry's Lake
The lure for gold prompted Walter to file a quartz lode i[...]He had a saloon in Monida and also
the west side of Bloody Dick Creek. had a ranch at Modoc, three miles out of Monida on the
Walter enjoyed an enviable degree of prosperity as a Idaho side. He closed the[...]His branding iron was a built a house nearby for him and his wife, Annie. He had a
"Pilot Wheel" with cattle branded on right ribs; horses business of taking hunters to Red Rock Lake after they
same b[...]rived in Monida.
bert byJoseph J. Mansfield. Most of the research on Walter He also had the co[...]randson, Centennial and over to Henry's Lake for several years. He
Delbert H. Burnett. Delbert's f[...]bought the hotel at Lakeview and his wi~e ran it for a time.
in the summer of 1976. Upon his return in 1977, he found, Af[...]y record- Paul. He and Annie lived in Monida for a while then moved
ed in Horse Prairie. He drove[...]He sold the ranch at Modoc
Lane to the residence of James N. Mansfield. Delbert to Woods Livestock.
knocked and announced he was the great-grandson of Wal-[...]t. Mansfield got a twinkle in his eyes and said,
"I've been waiting for a Burnett to show up for nearly 70
years."
Mansfield went to his desk, o[...]right hand
drawer and brought forth a collection of Burnett family
photos which Delbert had never see[...]und the
location, the foundation, remaining ruins of the home and
the remains of the only fence pole drilling machine in early
Horse Prairie. Mansfield took Delbert to the rear of his
home and showed him the part that was constructed from
the logs taken from the Burnett's home, then went into
another building that contained many relics such as oxen
shoes, frying[...]Mrs. Anna Burnside . .. one offirst settlers of Monida[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (129)[...]Ohio. Estelle E. Ham, a handsome woman of French de-[...]Joe and Estelle lived in Kansas for several years, during
which time several of their children were born. Their first[...]born on February 12, 1907. Still searching for something
... delivering milk on way to[...]better for his family, Joseph moved on to Dillon and worked[...]for the Woods Livestock. While there, two more childr[...]own as Lima, About 1910 Joe went to work for Charles Scott operating
with the construction of the Oregon Short Line Railroad. a dray. He continued there for a number of years, even after
John Burt homesteaded the family farm on the east side of Estelle's death. Moving back to Roberts in 1917, he worked
Lima. The Lima Cemetery is a portion of the original farm for Charles Harwood on his ranch for two years. In 1919 he
and was deeded to the town[...]moved to the Centennial Valley and took up a homestead.
Kathryn, born in 1877[...]rn in Laramie, Wyo., his life and was very kind to them and to all animals.
in 1885 and was orpha[...]ith her step-sister, Clara Hart- at the home of his daughter, Muriel, in April, 1944.
man, whose husband worked for the railroad. To this couple[...]rom Wyoming to the timber where they ranched for a number of years and
and had a contract to harvest ice for the Union Pacific. The had four boys: Roy, Lee[...]outbuildings. They raised a little garden noted for the ex-
to Lima where it was stored in an ice house for later use. He ceptional cabbage. Their water ca[...]y
also contracted to supply hay to the stockyards for animals irrigated their garden with water warmed in barrels, which
shipped by train. The law required that animals shipped by had sat in the sun. Roy m[...]and watered approximately two children. For a short while they had a little store in
every 10[...]or, Montana. They
Burt homestead on the east side of town for many years and had a girl after they left th[...]returned to work for Mr. and Mrs. Tope for a time.
-MARY B[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (130)[...]ngs have long ago been torn down or dead of an apparent heart attack at 80 years of age. John
moved away but it is still referred to[...]whole family.
No one would know that once a family lived there, milked Margaret[...]extended illness.
dren to school from there. All that remains is the little Their sons George a[...]in. A lonely horseradish plant Katie Bublich of Roundup, Montana, and they had two sons
would come up every year for a long time, but now even that and three daughters. Katie now lives in Twin[...]E ters and four sons. Maggie was married for a short time and[...]h to
St. Joseph's Church in Butte. The story goes that they were hold 44 horses. Below was a dairy b[...]ng the cream in Butte.
The couple farmed south of Dillon for many years. Seven A niece, Clarissa May Culley, lived with the Canfields for
children were born to them: John, Jr., (1895-1975[...]1967); Joe (1903- 1967); Margaret with them for a while and was often seen riding an old white
(1[...]dent. His leg was so badly injured it custom of doing the "Quadrille" on horseback at those cele-[...]him down some with brations. This was like square dancing, only done with rid-
farming as he[...]around pretty well with To the south of the ranch buildings they planted little
crutches[...]d it to his stump. He drove a Model A grove that can still be seen for miles.
Ford by placing "cups" for his peg leg on the gas and brake Bert's wife, Clara, served as clerk of the school for a num-
pedals. ber of years while they were in the North Fork area. The
Their marriage became unhappy for both of them and on Canfields left the ranch about[...]ft the Big Hole where they had stored a truckload of
youngest child, Katie, was only 16 years old then, and custo- their belongings in the Armitage garage. That night the
dy of her was awarded to Margaret. She was allowed $60[...]be quite an old man, he still rode a horse
sides of the street about a block apart. (After their deat[...]ret's house and George Bu- The last news of Joe was that he had collapsed and died
tala lived in his father's house.) after coming out of a mine.
While living on Barnett Avenue,[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (131)[...]otton fields on the family Earl was proud of his heritage and of his name. He often
farm with two brothers and six[...]t the "rich Cantrell blood" he had
At the age of 21, Earl journeyed West to find his fortune. running through his veins. That expression had been car-
His younger brother, Joh[...]Agnes Gant carry on the family name uses that expression today. He had
and they had a daughter[...]istine. elements and the hardships of ranching in Montana.
Earl and Tom settled in[...]November
tfttH:rlffia and Dell area. Earl worked for several ranchers in 24,1948, at Barrett Hospita[...]n, where she lived until her
Scotsman by the name of Charlie Henderson. Later Earl death i[...]other Tom. Earl, who was a bachelor until the age
of 45, married May Martinell, daughter of Elmer and Addie
Martinell. She was born November[...]Carlson
family ranch until she married at the age of 32. May was Walter Carlson was born V[...]rimand Carlsen. He had a younger
ranch just north of Dell along the Red Rock River. Earl and bro[...]928. The cigar maker, was unable to care for the children. The three
children attended the same school in Dell that their mother girls were adopted and a notic[...]. church for someone to care for Valdemar and Axel. The boys
Earl was loyal to[...]were raised by the Laurits, maternal grandparents of Louie
the Cantrell ranch always seemed to have re[...]ork Walter came to Am~rica at the age of 21, his name change
on the ranch, earning enough[...]ing his way west,
Carolina and buy a small parcel of land. He went back to he arrived in Dill[...]wice, once before his marriage and again for Nyharts. His first job was to drive a four-horse team
when his children were small. He went alone for a short hauling a cooler full of meat to Farlin, a booming mining
time, not wantin[...]l's strong Southern up-bringing led to his belief that a trip, since Walter had never driven a four-horse team prior
woman's place was in the home and that a man's place was to this.
in the field.[...]Marie was born Anna Marie Hansen, the eldest of 10
Being raised in the Bible belt of the South, the sound of a children, February 20, 1880, in Shovey, a sm[...]uld set Earl's feet to tapping or bring Island of Aero, Denmark. Her parents were Elizabeth Jor-
a[...]aha, Nebraska, until he made enough money to send for[...]she earned enough to send for her younger sister, Lisa, who[...]was only 15. Marie used to tell the story of being asked by
the family she worked for to bring up a ham from the cellar,[...]and she came up with an armful of wood. She quickly[...]and found work, again as a housemaid, for O.M. Best who[...]Marie had a brother who died of an appendicitis attack[...]bring him in with a team of horses and he died before he[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (132)name of Osterman and moved back to Denmark where Wal-[...]son Tom came west, driving his own ox team, one of a train
helped pursuade him or not, he decided he didn't like fish- of gold seekers. He first stopped at Bannack in 1863 for a
ing. A few months later he returned to America[...]ere he mined
He leased a ranch (recently the home of George MacDon- until 1865.
ald). When it[...]elson lives). He later sold to Markovich. Looking for a ginia City (1863) as well as the Montana Terr[...]hes but moved to town and
Place, five miles north of Dillon on the Butte-Dillon High- built a large stone house which for many years was a land-
way. He ranched there until ill health forced him to retire. mark in the Helena Valley.
His son, Holger, purchased the ranch following Walter's One of the sons was Francis (Frank) M. Carr, born April[...]rie's elderly mother. World War II Mont., for two and a half years. Mr. Carr was manager of a
broke out during her visit. German troops sunk the luxury ranch for the late Thomas Cruse, owner of the Cruse Bank
liner so Marie was forced to retur[...]which ran in Helena. They left the Cruse ranch for Chinook where
out of food and water. Frank was associated with the management of the Davidson
Marie lived on the ranch with Holger and his wife, Marie, & Davenport Livestock Co. for 11 years. This ranch was
until 1942, when she mov[...]lock from the high school so her grand- there for Dell where he purchased a ranch in Sheep Creek
ch[...]as buying and selling sheep. He also owned sever-
of cookies on hand for company. Marie remained there until al thousand head of sheep and was a very prosperous ranch-
her death[...]ployed when they lived in the Bearpaw mountains. "I was in
the fifth grade before I went to a public school" says Fred[...]n (the late Mrs. J.C. Peters), had a vivid memory of a far[...]brother, John William, without the aid of a doctor. John's
The Carr Family[...]roof "where Dad was born, just like Abe Lincoln."
Michael Carr was born in 1842 in[...]America with his school through all sorts of weather. Once the shaft broke[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (133)[...]that he had tuberculosis. His mother, their family doc[...]and priest agreed that John and Frank should go west in
hopes of curing John's infection. The boys departed Detroi[...]in 1865 for Ohio to join a wagon train west. Arrangements[...]were made for John to ride in one of the wagons when he was[...]since it seemed to result in a complete cure for John, who[...]th-
and they went tumbling out over the dashboard of the bug- western Montana by the lure of gold. He worked his way to
gy. Those were the win[...]the temperature dropped to a It was in Butte that Frank met Annie Smith who had emi-
minus 30 degre[...]ff, Cavan County, Ireland. Annie
heated flatirons for the feet kept the children from freezing origin[...]traveled on to Butte where she worked as a maid for the Dr.
The weather never kept the parents from[...]itter, danced too until they couldn't in April of 1886 and Mary in September of 1887. In 1888
stay awake any longer. They were be[...]ie persuaded Frank to leave Butte and the hazards of
beside the orchestra until the folks were ready t[...]Grass-
In 1918, Mr. Carr decided he had enough of ranch life, hopper Valley where they homesteaded 160 acres near the
leased[...]k his family to Portland, Ore., present site of Polaris. It was while they were living here
where he had charge of a branch railroad for two years. In that the other six children were born. Francis was born in
1931, during the worst of the depression, Mr. Carr decided Dillon in March of 1889 and the other five were born in
to sell the ranch. At that time he was president of the First Bannack or Dillon, John in May of 1890, Bill in March of
National Bank of Lima, Mont. When President Roosevelt 1892, James (Joe) in December of 1893, Margaret in July of
declared the bank holiday, the bank closed and never re- 1895, and Charles in August of 1897.
opened. Carr bought an interest in the City Fuel Co. at Only heads of families and single women were allowed to
Dillon[...]ntil he make a homestead entry, with a maximum of 160 acres of
sold to his youngest son, John William in September of land allowed per entry. The avera[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (134)[...]War no cash bonus was paid. the care of Lula's widowed sister Mayme Madden Purdy
Instead,[...]a daughter Ann in
lands. This resulted in the end of open range and the intro- 1930. Bill died in October of 1949.
duction of barbed wire. It was because of this that the best Joe ranched with his brother Bill for a number of years
range land used by the Carrolls was lost an[...]hall in Dillon until his death in 1926.
necessary for them to move to an area where they could[...]ontana Normal
roll family's move was the building of a ten-stamp mill, 11/2 College in Dillon at the time of her sudden death from
miles up Billings Creek, for the Polaris Mine which used the meningitis in 1914.
cyanide process. Billings Creek was the source of water for Charles graduated from BCHS in 1916, the[...]between
Jackson and Wisdom, and later to the base of Carroll Hill on
Bull Creek in 1903. For the first few months they lived in[...]ll Carroll, Frank and Annie Carroll's fifth child of eight,
as a stage, freighter, and cattle stop.[...]illon to family moved from the Grasshopper Valley to the Big Hole
build a home for use during the school year. It was impor- Valley when Bill was about eight years old. Willie, as he was
tant to them that all their children receive a quality educa-[...]moved to the GH Ranch on Bull Creek at the base of what
miles from the nearest school.[...]ation in
As the children became older, several of them also home- Dillon, graduating from Be[...]chool in
steaded land. Emmet, John, Mary, and two of Annie's 1911. His summers and holi[...]brothers, Hugh and Pat Smith, homesteaded on land that with the second home being maintained in Dillon on "Dutch
became part of the Carroll Place. Bill and Joe homesteaded[...]Trail Creek in Horse Prairie following World War I. After graduation from high school[...]August 19, Beaverhead River just north of Dillon with his younger
1926. Both are buried at[...]emetery in Dil- brother Joe. World War I took Bill to France where he
lon.[...]ches he purchased includ- homestead cabin that he brought his bride Lula. Bill mar-
ed the Banni[...]etired to his Joe, who was then put in the care of Lula's widowed sister,
home at the "Banning Ranch[...]hool after the 8th grade to help run the ranch so that Mayme Purdy and Bill Carroll were married[...]ooling. He which time the family consisted of Bill, Mayme, his son Joe,
was a hard worker from[...]the Carroll Ranch in the Big Hole Valley. Bill and Mayme
Mary lived at home until the death of her parents in 1926 had a daughter, Ann, in[...]ined the old Carroll family
served with the Order of Religious Hospitallers of St. Jo- home on "Dutch Flat" during the s[...]oll Brothers
After high school, Francis worked for the U. S. Forest with Bill's eldest brot[...]had two sons. Annie. After the deaths of Frank and Annie in 1926, all the
Francis died at[...]., in 1973. brothers retained a share for a time. Bill, his wife Mayme,
John married in[...]eek area and sold his
and moved to the Bitterroot Valley. They later moved to share to Francis,[...]"silent" partner, living out of state, with Bill running the
Bill marri[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (135)[...]They went to work for Colonel Woods, one of the well known[...]nd prospectors, and received five dollars a night for
their labor. They worked for a hundred nights before decid-[...]ing to go into business for themselves by buying a freight[...]outfit, which consisted of two wagons, four horses, one sad-[...]dle horse and supplies. They set out for Salt Lake City and
brought a load of provisions back to Virginia City, arriving[...]built for a camp one-half mile ·from the mouth of Carter
then formed Carroll Livestock Company with[...]eturned home and Carter took up
Bill was the last of the immediate Frank Carroll family to ranch[...]became de-
Bill Carroll passed away at the age of 57 a highly respect- voted to ranching and acquired one of the most valuable
ed and popular man. He was known for his generosity to ranching properties in the state. He was regarded as one of
people who needed help, especially the young trying to get the financially responsible men of the city and county. He
going on their own. Attes[...]attle and horses on the 1600-acre ranch.
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Club in Jackson, Mon-[...]y, who
tana, was named after him. Mayme was known for her gen- was born in Wisconsin in 1847, the youngest of nine children
tle caring ways. After selling the[...]View Ceme- prominent early-day settlers of the valley, who, with their
tery in Dillon.[...]ntil
Cleveland, on April 23, 1839 and was the son of J. H. Carter failing health slowed her down.[...]rter, both Vermont fied with the social life of the community and was a member
natives. The father died in Ohio at 75 years of age and his of Mizpah Chapter of the Eastern Star.
mother died at 87. Carter was s[...]sen Avenue and it was occupied by various members of the[...]school trustees who accomplished what at that time seemed[...]that the project could be completed.[...]sor, and was responsible for many of the early-day bridges
William B. Carter Anna Selway Carter that were built.

138-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (136)[...]was buried in the little ceme- nior Warden for life because of his dedicated work. He
tery overlooking Dillon and the beautiful valley of the Bea- served on the local and state Council for Boy Scouts. As a
verhead that he loved so much. member of the school board, he helped in the planning of
-BILL MITCHELL and PERRY BACKUS[...]Alfred kept up his musical career as a member of the City[...]Crowell and his clarinet, and a drummer
Alfred I. Cashmore was born in Evanston, Wyo., Decem-[...]1875, to Isaiah A. and Amelia Royal Cashmore, one of engagements.
four children. Their mother died in 1882 of pneumonia in Alfred Cashmore died Dece[...]Hotel and Grace M. Cashmore, daughter of Ruby and L. K. Adams,
became a house painter with Dan Adams. For one job, Alf was born in Mitchell, S.D.,[...]inted the wrong house-so it was an- neer for the power plants. Grace enrolled at the State Nor[...]cello
Alfred joined the Militia First Regiment of Montana In- in the college orchestra and ga[...]anish-American War. and became bookkeeper for the Union Electric.
He played trombone and baritone horn. He was badly
wounded when his enca_m pment of tents was overrun by
natives. He was discharged O[...]Band and played
with them and other circus bands for three years. Returning
to Dillon, he became a traveling salesman for Chase and
Sanborn Company. He received a gold medal for outstand-[...]ashmore (l908)
ing salesmanship in 1908, an honor of which he was very
proud. He was also a salesman for the Montana Mercantile.
Alfred became manager of the Montana Mercantile. The
Elks Lodge bought the[...]oods
and produce grown by Chinese gardeners north of town and The Adams' first Dillon home[...]and lift it through
Alf was a lifelong member of the Elks Lodge at Virginia with block and t[...]urch made him Honorary Ju- She played for traveling shows, dance troupes and plays
that performed in a theatre above John Walters' Garage[...]where the Valley Motor is now. She was asked several times[...]to play piano at the big Red Brick House north of town for[...]store for cream or nuts. One day Alf said no more almonds[...]She got so involved with her music that she was oblivious
daughter[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (137)room after another like a train. Once, as she practiced in the
front room, a cake was baking in the coal stove at the back of
the house. When the cake started on fire, the lan[...]was still playing her piano.
She was organist for the Hartwig Theatre, located where
the Mini Mall[...]pic-
tures came into existence. She was organist for the Episco-
pal Church for 40 years. She gave music lessons and was
Ralph McFadden's first teacher; he became professor of
music at WMC where he later gave her daughter, Le[...]ngineer to bring a train into Dillon.
development of the metal rolling machine. This machine[...]immediately, and, within 10
took over the making of gold leaf which was used for window days, the terminus post office, B. F.[...]hed cabi- up and in business. The building of the railroad was a must
net maker. While studying[...]and Virginia City
furniture and the wooden trunks for packing it. The furni- were attracting a la[...]ce was wrapped and num- In the spring of 1881 the rails were laid for the track into
bered for the trip to America. All the boxes and furniture[...]as the first engineer to take the train
were made of English walnut. Two of the pieces are in the into Silver Bow. He then went back to freighting for several
William Tayne home. After finishing his r[...]m one
After getting settled, Isaiah began work for the Missouri rail and set the standard gauge rail on the outside of the old
Railroad as a construction engineer until[...]es on the line
time, he changed to freighting out of Evanston, Wyo., where so the tracks could no[...]red, and Edith-were The superintendent of the railroad set July 4, 1887, as the
born betwee[...]to be made. The 262 miles were
Isaiah was one of the employees laid off as a result of the divided into 40 sections of approximately six miles each; 10
Depression of 1873 and the railroad strike of 1877.He and a men were assigned to each section. The change was accom-
group of workers walked with packs on their backs from[...]ly joined him in Corrine, and they lived of the cars so they could go on either size rail. Th[...]ific Railroad to begin build- them on a frame that was suitable for the rails. It was diffi-
ing the "to be" U[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (138)[...]ton at the cemetery, which was then located
south of Dillon at the intersection of the old highway and Benjamin Franklin C[...]uren County, Iowa, and lived in Overton,
and some of the graves were not recorded so there are some Nebr., for several years. They moved with their three sons,
that relatives have never been able to find, including[...]where he worked
iah's first wife who died in 1882 of pneumonia. for the Utah Northern Railroad. They moved to Lima, Mon-
Isaiah married Ava J. Davis of Lexington, Ken., in 1883. tana, about 1897[...]ndchildren Alden Cashmore and fam- name of "Cheney Bros." So the brothers took up the hobby[...]Lelia when they returned West in 1900. Most of the portrait[...]The oldest son, John, who was working for the railroad,
married Nanci Kidd of Burley, Idaho. There were two chil-
Willi[...]t studio which
William F. Cashmore was a son of Isaiah and Amelia they operated for many years.
Royal Cashmore and brother to Alfred[...]n Oct. 1880 as the railroad terminus raising of the two grandchildren moving them to Washing-
was set up here for the winter. He finished his schooling in ton[...]In 1927, John married Susie Patt Shambow of Dubois.
bookkeeper for several businesses including the D. I. He The only child of this marriage, Frankie, died in Portland
worked[...]the lumber industry
He married Anna Franklin of Salina, Kansas, in 1894. She and upon completion of his education, Ben went into this
was born in 1875 and came to Montana with her brothers field of work where he was very successful. He owned nu-[...]ching near Sheridan. She merous lumber mills that produced the "Cheney Studs"
decided to attend t[...]y, who was born in 1897 and
served in World War I, graduated from Bozeman College
and became a sa[...]s born in 1914,
lived and worked in Dillon most of his life as an auto me-
chanic; and the younges[...]ved to California and worked as a meat inspector. Of
the six boys, only Pete and Howard are living.[...]: :a:..~~t:_11,-~-:]i~YI[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (139)[...]had milk to supplement the corn meal that was so promi-
Cheney Stadium. ·[...]ollowing in 1942. Both are buried in tion of the studies there, Will established his own farm[...]work for the Utah Northern Railroad.[...]moved to Beaver, Idaho. He went to work for the railroad.
Bradbury Tuttle Cheney and Edith (P[...]raphy and took many pictures of the country and the devel-
In 1873, B. T. Cheney sold his farm and moved his family opment of the railroad as the "Cheney Bros."
to Overton, Ne[...]companied by several cous- At the end of two years, Will and Lelia returned to Ne-
ins and[...]d In 1900, the family, with the addition of a baby girl, Dottie
furnishings, which made for a slow journey, but upon arrival
in Nebraska they[...]r and wheelright in summers. His old ledger tells of
working on houses, caskets, wagons, and wheels for which he
received a "peck of potatoes," a "basket of apples," and a
bushel of grain or perhaps 25 cents in cash. The Wilcox
fam[...]ain in 1878.
Both families lived in sod houses for several years (my
father told me how pretty the d[...]nd
frame house and gave my grandfather Wilcox one of his
cows with the understanding that Grandfather Wilcox Holly, born Dece[...]ill mentioned many times what a working for the railroad and taking pictures.
valuable additi[...]affairs. Will was the Clerk of the school board for many[...]the repair of the Church and parsonage. Lelia was Record-[...]ing Secretary for the Church for many terms and was always[...]involved in the socials and home-talent programs that were
a source of income for both school and church.[...]a band stand. The band was always available for parades[...]Dottie Lima. He was secretary of the Lima Cemetery Association
Cheney; seated: W. T. Cheney holding Bonnie ( 1911) for many years.

142-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (140)[...]ied in February, 1926. He married Margaret
Lawson of Pocatello in January, 1934. There were three
children born to this union: Paul of Sanger, Calif.; Arline
(Cheney) Arrive of Monterey, Calif.; and Ben of Meridian,
Idaho. Sylvan died at the Veterans Hosp[...]orn Glen C., Sonova, Calif.; Betty
(Cooper) Brown of San Diego; Shirley, who married Howard
Edgely of Pocatello; Ray of Florence, Ore.; and Richard of
Salt Lake City, Utah. William Cooper died in July[...]hes-
ter Merrell. To this union were born Max Dee of Pocatello,
Idaho; Don Gene of Lima; Carol (Merrell) Har ball of White-
hall; Edith (Merrell) Reed of Pocatello, Idaho; Anita (Mer- Berg and Christine Christensen
rell) Brown of Dillon; Joyce Merrell of Missoula; and Lila with children Ejner and Alma
(Merrell) Harper of Missoula.[...]hood in Dillon of which Berg was a charter member
Chris[...]small village of Lille Rise on the island of Aero. They were
When Berg Christensen came to[...]tively Children were an important part of their lives. Christine
well educated and might ha[...]baby girl in 1910 but the child did not survive.
for a pernicious remnant of European history that caused Two other children soon follow[...]er in 1913.
where. It was the feudal caste system that made it difficult Christine grew homesick for Denmark and by 1914 had
for anyone not born into wealth to achieve much for himself prevailed upon her husband t o return for a visit. On their
and his family. Many young men[...]t oppotunity in the United States and left to see for Red Rock and he went into the sheep bu[...]tine's brother,
in 1906 was a dreadful experience for many. Ellis Island was Mads Andersen. Tog[...]rosperity
forget. Many were refused entry because of disease or other returning to America, B[...]were denied faced an un- Ranch south of Dillon. There the family resided until 1942
certain future as few had any means of returning to Europe. when they moved to[...]home in was at the Cottonwood Ranch that their children grew in
Montana.[...]anch adulthood. The ranch was the scene of many social affairs
that hired some of the newcomers. After a short while Berg and family get-togethers as many of Berg and Christine's
was confident enough to homestead a place of his own. He brothers were then[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (141)[...]mines and for the railroad as teamsters, as horses were al-[...]ways a first love of Matt's. They took a contract to put up[...]hay, which they sold. With that money, they bought their[...]zerland, one of nine children. Her father Bertrand and[...]brother Albert were watchmakers. She said that her father[...]service in the army. She said that she had been in love with
one of her brot her Emile s French Foreign Legion friend[...]anch on Rattlesnake Creek, about seven miles west of Dil- she didn't even know why.
lon. The place[...]ther, James Tis ot, had come to Montana in
center of his ranching operations. About that time he ac- 1891 and probably settled in the Fox District because his
quired holdings in the Centennial Valley, Sage Creek and uncle August Wenger was the[...]ogether with the Bannack and Ratt- doctors that he had a serious lung ailment and that he
lesnake ranches would make him, by the end of World War should seek a drier climate. He had been part of the Frederic
II, a large landowner and one of the largest sheep producers Hirschy household f[...]1894. He worked for them and lived with them although he
Both Berg and Christine cared for their community, but it had a homestead of his own, next to hi Aunt Cecile's, where
was Berg who participated fully in all of its affairs while he stayed occasionally.
Chri[...]Emil Zorn s where Jim was also working. Emil s
For several years, Berg was a member of the City Council wife had died, leaving him wi[...]ived an honor- honeymoon. A treasured memento of that trip was a pair of
ary life membership in recognition of his service. He was a
member of the Rotary Club and he and Christine were long-
time members of the Lutheran Church.
Berg died at his home in[...]1961, at
age 74. Christine passed away in January of 1981 at age 91
and their son, Erwin, died in March of 1982. They are in-
terred in the family plot at M[...]Holstein, Ger-
many, on June 17, 1870. At the age of 17, he made his way to

144-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (142)[...]to Wallace and Ann Christiansen. After the death of
watch for Matt, and one small ladies watch for Elvina, with Matt in 1945 the Squaw Creek Ra[...]their names and "Fish Trap, Montana" on the face of each vina and Lawrence Christiansen until[...]ontana, they settled in to start the south of and adjoining the Gorris, known as the Hen-
their[...]After the sale of the Squaw Creek Ranch, Lawrence and
Elvina was[...]purchased the Albee Ranch holdings on
determined that their children would speak only good Eng-[...]ina went to her sister-in-law, Marie Frotscher's, for his
birth. Wallace was born January 12, 1915 and[...]tember 10, 1892. The family moved back to Denmark for
it became available. He was irrigating and puttin[...]tle and horses. If loving States and lived for a time with their uncles Nels and Soren
horses was hereditary, he must have instilled it in all of his Nelson.[...]mother bought a ranch on the west side of the Big Hole near[...]and one day after the kids had left for school at the West[...]Joanna Connell were married February
so far away that in the winters of 1918-19 and 1919-20, Matt 25, 1900, in Bates[...]the raised.
children to California, so that Rita and Lawrence could start Joanna was the youngest of three daughters of Mr. and
to school. In the winter of 1920, Rita and Leslie became ill, Mrs. William[...]brothers. The Connell.s were devout Quakers and for years a
later. They were buried in Long Beach, an[...]rished near their home. Joanna led the
went south for the winter again. choir and her father was a "pillar of the church." Now there
The Squaw Creek Ranch, as the holdings of Matt and remains only the old Sharon C[...]spot
Elvina Christiansen were known, was made up of numerous where the church stood.
homeste[...]rt Walter was the only son in a family of seven. His father
Land entries. These were acquir[...], along with some other played the fiddle for dances far and wide, and never lacked
small parcels, made up the Squaw Creek Ranch. for lady friends.
In 1931, the Christiansens added the adjoining Gorris After three years of "hired hand" wages and when Horace
Ranch from the heirs of Mary Gorris. In 1940, this ranch was Greely's call of '_'Go West, young man, go West" was ringin[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (143)across the land, Walter and Joanna left for Idaho. Walter until we moved to Fishtrap[...]sawmill in Harrison, high on the mountain For a number of years my parents had been in failing
ove:r;lookin[...]way and My poor mother had lost her "Rock of Gibralter," rented
another job was necessary. Wa[...]as most
Montana, where he met Jim Ennis, foreman for the "Upper unhappy. She died of a sudden heart attack in April of 1940.
S-Six" ranch in Big Hole, and was hired. Th[...]tery.
ranches were owned by Beilenberg and Walker of Anaconda
and the one where the Clapps worked is n[...]-JEWELL ANDERSON
Clayton Huntley.
By April of 1903 Joanna rented one room in a two-roomed
cabin[...]6, Fred Clark lived in the Centennial Valley at the 7L Ranch
1903. I was squalling when I arrived and kept right on for a for a number of years. He also had a homestead near the old
year.[...]ce. He was first married to Bertha Judy, a sister of
much sleep.[...]nd they had a daughter, Dorothy. Fred and
When I was three my folks left Big Hole for Missouri to Bertha divorced when Dorothy was a small girl.
buy that little farm that was my mother's dream.We arrived Fred's[...]rence, Betty, Mary and
and settled on forty acres of clay and rocks. The buildings Margie. The family left the Valley in the 1920s.
weren't much but my folks "made do"[...]-MURIEL L. NIX
in a crop. Surprisingly that ground produced well-tobacco,
corn, grain, peanuts, and melons of all kinds. Mother plant-
ed a huge garden and whi[...]earing more land and cultivating corn with a team of Hiram Thomas Clark (Tom) was born in Cha[...]ato worms, Illinois, in 1849. He was one of seven brothers, four of whom
potato bugs and every other insect that decided to share her were killed in the Civi[...]bor, Michigan. Later he bought the family home
I began school in the two-roomed school nearby. My fa- on Cherry Street and maintained it as a home for his mother
ther had been elected to the school bo[...]changes and a cousin, Lizzie Benjamin, all of their lives.
were made. There were two teachers instead of one and Tom was disappointed that he couldn't go to war. He was
school was held for nine months instead of six. too young, so he came west to seek his fortune. He found a
After four years of drudgery our place was sold and we job dr[...]from Corrine, Utah, to Virginia
headed once more for Big Hole. Charley Miller hired my City, Montana. They used four or six head of oxen. The
parents and we lived where Ann and Dust[...]as rough and the oxen's feet became sore from the
for so long.[...]ine. This lasted only a year. My father nial Valley. The mountains that formed the Idaho-Montana
had asthma and the muggy[...]border were rugged and snow-covered a good part of the
back to Big Hole and this time to stay. year. They were the home of all kinds of wild game-elk,
We went to work for Jones and Onserud on the Big Hole deer a[...]Hirschy). My father was fore- decided that was where he wanted to settle. The native grass
man there for about seven years. I went one year to the West was stirrup high a[...]two Red Rock Lakes provided plenty of water.
My folks bought the ranches formerly ow[...]nd He chose a spot about 10 miles west of Lakeview and
Jim Paddock and went into the dairy[...]thing was ready, the hired man told Tom that his wife was
upper place[...]and needed a doctor. Tom fitted them up with a
I had finished high school in Dillon and went to wo[...]to Dillon, where the family
the Basin Mercantile for Don Anson. After two years there I "jumped his claim." He was forced to find another spot.
secured a job as secretary to the president of the State Tom moved his cattle up the valley to a good spot on what
Normal College in Dillon. From there I spent a year at the was later called Tom C[...]ssoula then back to the Basin Mercantile to for winter feed.
be at home. I was married to Jack H. Anderson on May 20,[...]was very successful and in a few
1926. He worked for Carl Huntley and I kept on at the store, years he owned a large herd of white-faced cattle. He was a

146-Beav[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (144)[...]had taken a full train load of them to market in Omaha. One
of the farms near Roberts, Idaho, is still in the fa[...]Higgins was a partner there and ran it for several years.[...]chest. He was never really well after that.[...]My parents came to the Centennial Valley from Iowa in
hard worker and a good manager. 1900 to homestead north of the Upper Red Rock Lake. They
Flora Montana Mi[...]to teach school near Lakeview. and Joe Buck. I was born May 3, 1914, at my Aunt Mamie's,
Her sis[...]lliam she being the lady who delivered most of the babies near and
Fitch. They had a large ranch just a mile or two northeast of far in the Valley, and as far away as Virginia City.
Lakeview. Flora was pretty, lively, and full of fun and My folks bought the Henry Hack[...]m but he fell in love view, and it was here that my mother said she spent some of
with her and decided that he wanted her for life. They were the happiest times of her life. They then sold this ranch and
boating a[...]spent one year farming near Idaho Falls, sold that and came
"popped the question." He offered her one-half of his cattle back to the Centennial.
set up. Her answer was that if he could shoot a cattail stem My first m[...]isolated and being the only family living there. I
aim was quick and steady. They were married in Di[...]getting along. His report was that "Herb Buck died of the
Their honeymoon was a month-long trip out of the Cen- flu and was buried yesterday." The 1918 flu epidemic took
tennial along the edge of the lava beds and up to look over many people quickly, and it was in the middle of winter.
the Medicine Lodge country some 30 miles west of Dubois, Another memory is of two riders coming by our place who
Idaho. They went a full day's drive before realizing that stopped and had dinner and then left on their horses. A
Flora had put the cash for the trip in her purse and stashed short time later one came back for help. The other rider's
it in a sagebrush the fir[...]e saddle horn got him in the
After coming back for the money, they went on to look at stomach. M[...]nd on to see if they might back to our place.
like the Long Valley area over by Boise. None of it looked as Back of us on the south side of the road and a little west
good as the Centennial[...]Jessie and Ike Marble. Ike gave me my first pair of skis,
Tom loved to read and always kept a number of good probably about 1921. Ben and Mayme Holt lived nearby
books and magazines around. One of them was a large and and my folks had them over for dinners, Christmas and
beautifully illustrated volume of Milton's "Paradise Lost." other times.
Flora[...]ing certificate in it. Another was a
large volume of "History of the Civil War." It contains hun-
dreds of photographs actually taken in Civil War times. He
also loved music and owned one of the first old Edison
phonographs and a large collection of records. Old Irish
ballads and John Phillip Sousa[...]Falls. They bought a 10-acre
place on the corner of Ninth Street and Holmes. Tom in-
vested in[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (145)[...]ades one through eight. My Upper Big Hole Valley, was born at Padstow, Cornwall,
first teacher wa[...]miles to school. England, on May 7, 1874, one of 10 children of Mr. and Mrs.
Sometimes I skied or walked, but mostly rode a horse, either[...]lic education did not exist in
Queen or Buck. All of us in school together had school England at that time but he was issued a grant for his
"yells" and in the spring at graduation time[...]education by the Masonic Fraternity. Part of his education
around the May Pole. was caring for the livestock at the boarding school and this[...]e and our registered became the background for his life work of raising cattle.
brand was called Lazy HC.[...]ord after buying a new worked in Nebraska for Thomas Mortimer. In 1897 he met
1928 4-door Chevr[...]Montana, which was a post
through the next years. I removed the engine from this in office hal[...]two-year-
up on their homestead on the north side of Upper Red Rock old steers in the fall and[...]rketed in the spring.
By the late 1930's, all of the ranches in the Valley were George came to Montana in the spring of 1897 with a train
being bought out by the Department of Interior for a refuge carload of Hereford bulls purchased by Mr. Fox from the
for the trumpeter swans. It was "Sell out at an agreed price Stanton Breeding Farm of Madison, Nebr. The farm was
or be condemned." This put an end to a lifestyle that had owned by Marshall Field and was later purchased by Thom-
been going on for over 40 years. as Mortimer, the older brother of Elizabeth Ann.
One of the happy days in the Valley was the annual get- George unloaded the bulls, the first carload sold in Mon-
together of people for food, horseshoes, and baseball on the tana, in Dillon and herded them on foot until he got to the
Fourth of July. At other times of the year, there were also Grasshopper Valley where Bill Tash gave him a horse to
rodeos with bronc riding and calf roping.
I ran a trap line in the winter, weekends and after school,
and still have a camera that I bought with this money.
My mother and I made our first trip as far as Fairbanks,
Alaska, in July 1935. That same month Wiley Post and Will
Rogers crashed the[...]rom Nome and both were
killed.
In January 1940 I became a resident of Alaska. My first
trips out after World War II to[...]away. My father
passed away in 1944, but because of the War, I could not get
to his funeral.[...]Jardine, Mrs. Joe
George Montague Clemow, one of the early settlers in the[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (146)[...]1877 when the Nez Perce Indians
George worked for Mr. Fox, earning between 15 and 20 passe[...]re money to establish his Dad told us that his mother often related the story of that
family, so he went to work in the Butte undergrou[...]s she experienced it. She said when the alarm was
for a short period of time. given,[...]nd in 1904 and married Eliza- Meade Hotel for their protection. There was a lot of confu-
beth Ann Mortimer on April 12, 1904. Eliza[...]with women shouting and children crying.
daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Mortimer, was born in[...]y father in the creek. He
arrived in the Big Hole Valley aboard a four-horse wagon. was quickly res[...]very
month later they purchased their first piece of land, a 1,400- real as the Indians were reporte[...]nd Elizabeth bought land and devel- Most of the information I have is taken from the historical
oped it, adding[...]o from
George and Elizabeth became the parents of four chil- court house records and newspa[...]born at Jackson, February 25, 1907; of the Montana Pioneers and their records state that he
Thomas Mortimer, born at Jackson, April 30, 19[...]n on July 26, 1909. in 1863." Also that, "he located the first ranch in the area
In 19[...]Public House there until 1868. His
gest children for a visit. Betsey, attending school in Penn- ha[...]y them. unsurveyed claim of 160 acres and 100 head of horses."
Elizabeth would tell of the long rides by horse and buggy He moved[...]he children were little. They 1870s but I found no exact date indicated. His name and
would[...]in sacks brand are listed in reproductions of James Mansfield's tally
with hot rocks to keep th[...]ook which are shown in the 1963 sourvenir program of the
Throughout their lifetimes, George and Elizabeth were annual meeting of Sons and Daughters of Montana Pioneers
active in county and state organizations promoting the cat- held that year in Dillon. As related in the program, James[...]cow foreman on the Big Hole range
George died of pneumonia in Tucson, Ariz., on April 13, for Horse Prairie ranchers."
1933. Elizabeth passed a[...]1892, an article on Dillon history notes that "Several sub-
-BEA CLEMOW[...]1875. His mother Thaire Colson was run- That same year James Colson moved his family to Camas,[...]M. Colson and his 1890s by Hansen Packing Co. of Butte as a cattle buyer. He
wife Thaire, 32, children: Walter 9, William 5, Ella 4, and told us of running several hundred head of Hansen Packing
Andrew 2. My father was adopted by[...]brother Walter. Very little is known by my family of good friend Sam Freeman, lifetime Beaverh[...]the site of the log cabin which they used for their cow camp,
Grandfather James Colson arrived in Virginia City in remnants of which are still there.
1863. We have no record of the year when he moved to the In 1898[...]o and married my mother,
Beaverhead area. We know that by 1876, possible before, he Sarah M. Fayle of Small, Idaho, on January 28, 1899. The
and his fa[...]ck because my father's Colson ranch, where I and my brothers and sisters were
half-sist[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (147)was 30 miles northeast of Dubois, within eight miles of good and wildlife abounded. As the later[...]t through Farlin, a prosper-
Basin. It was on one of the old immigrant wagon roads used ous mining camp at that time. A Chinese laundry and sever-
in early days[...]Some of the young men in the vicinity loved to play pranks
After the death of my father the ranch was sold to a man and en[...]sometimes becoming a little rough.
named Garrett of the Garrett Truck Lines of Pocatello, They found the Chinaman who[...]fused and frightened that he ran away and was never seen[...]t farm in very ill the last few years that she lived in Kansas. She
Kansas in 1890. My grand[...]s, and Vern Coiner. ing camp at any jobs that were available. William _H. Coiner
Mattie married[...]sas. was school clerk for the Birch Creek school and was also
My mother,[...], Mo., water commissioner (or ditch walker) for a number of years.
in 1891, just a wide place in the road at that time. My
grandparents and my mother Margaret trav[...]the
Metlen Hotel. It was a beautiful building at that time. The
next day they again boarded the train a[...]to
Willow Creek Basin, where their home was to be for the next
few years.
The Coiner boys had built a one-room cabin in the beauti-
ful valley right near Willow Creek where the fishing was[...]upper end of Mussigbrod Creek. It was indeed a pretty[...]John Albert Conover I was born around 1856 in Medford,

150-[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (148)[...]ople and came west, arriving in Oregon in October of
1853. John I was one of five boys and five girls born to
William and Tamara Condren Conover. John I married
Harriet Ellen Mahan who also was born in[...]hey immigrated to Yreka, California, living there for
awhile. John became acquainted with Mr. Poindexter and
Mr. Orr who owned the large ranch southeast of Dillon on
Blacktail Creek. He was hired by them to trail a large num-
ber of horses to the P & 0 Ranch in the 1870s. This was[...]They homesteaded some land about two
miles south of the P & 0 Ranch at the mouth of beautiful[...]had a milk cow,
chickens and turkeys, and worked for the P & 0. They later was swamp and there wa[...]d them on their place. At one used rainwater for everything. They were very disappoint-
time Harri[...]ed, but much wiser, and soon left for Grants Pass, Oregon.
Three children were born[...]Albert Conover II, February 3, poured cement for a building company until he had enough[...]money to return to Montana. For a short time he worked at[...]a box factory in Oregon. John I, Harriet, and Ruby returned[...]and worked for the P & 0, and he also continued with the[...]0, trapped furs and did some cowboying. He worked for[...]the Blacktail and was Landon's
John Conover I and wife Harriet Mahan private chauffeur, driving one of the first motorized vehicles
1898, and a baby that died soon after birth. in the country. John II also worked for several years at the
John and Harriet maintaine[...]were married on De-
didn't make it back to school for several days. Many times cember 31, 1930.
th[...]heir schooling ended By this time John I and Harriet were getting old and John
about the s[...]n Harriet died in August, 1934, and John I in November 1935.
Albert I was an accomplished woodsman and sold wood and[...]his was hauled in a dead axle many years of dedicated sheep ranching oti the Blacktail, he
wagon with a team of horses. passed[...]ntil he talked John and Harriet into
trading some of their cropland for a beautiful place in Flor- -MURLIN C.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (149)[...]r descendant of a family of Huguenots, who were among the
first settlers of New Jersey. His great-grandfather, Rueben[...]Valley, New York, being there at the time of the massacre of[...]ildren and spent their whole lives in the service of[...]ry as captain, then was appointed to take charge of a battal-
lion of cavalry which he had recruited and which were des[...]nated the First District of Columbia Cavalry. Soon after,
Emil Conger was[...]was placed on duty in New York in charge of a force of
1901, at Argenta to James Melvyn and Martha Louis[...]was chosen to hunt down the
experiencing a flurry of mining! Emil and Mabel attended criminal. A detailed account of the capture of Booth showed
school in Dillon after which Emil worked in the local laun- proof of his identity by a heavy gold stick-pin which bore[...]h Balloon Company~ He resumed the study of law. He was admitted to practice in
survived the[...]n returning, he went to Roun- district judge of the territory under the appointment of
dup, Mont., where his brother Arthur lived and secured a Secrertary of War Stanton. He was reappointed by Presi-
job in[...]n and Custer Counties. He served in this capacity for
Hardin, Mont. After their marriage they leased a[...]pted their he was elected prosecuting attorney of Beaverhead County,
daily deposit one afternoon an[...]the position which he held until the admission of Montana
never reopened! The Congers were out of business and Emil to statehood in 1889. He was again elected to the office in
went to work for the railroad. 189[...], Everton Conger married Emma K. Boren of Freemont,
1923, in Laurel. It was a traumatic tim[...]h B.
Mabel gave birth at home with the attendance of a nurse Poindexter, federal judge of the Hawaiian Islands and later
who had to stay for two weeks because of the quarantine. the governor of that state.
In 1929 the family moved back to Dillon[...]lt decision when they moved back to the community
that they considered "home".[...]Conger. Priscilla Dafoe's brother was the father of Dr. Dafoe
Everton J. Conger was born in[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (150)[...]The·y have related many experiences t here of wolves chas-[...]Ora in 1948. Four of their children are still living. Margue-[...]-PAT BEER

James followed in the footsteps of his forebears who were
stone masons. He married[...]pon their arrival in Dillon, James laid the brick for their
home in 1889 at 305 South Railroad Avenue. In the years
that followed, he laid the brick and stone for numerous
buildings in Dillon. Elizabeth contrib[...]nd Ora Connor on their wedding day (1900)
known for her delicious cooking and baking; she was assist-[...]y an thur left Bannack during World War I and tended bar for
Eastern syndicate to manage their mining interes[...]ges on Grasshop- went to work as a barber for George Lovell. When George
per Creek.[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (151)[...]wn five miles from Melrose, until
1900. All eight of their children - seven girls and a boy - were
born there. One daughter, Julia, died at the age of six during
a scarlet fever epidemic. In 1900 the[...]George was a mining operator and an active member of the
Baptist Church. Five of the children-Helen, Ruth, Ora,
Alice and Walter-a[...]the Stefonic Ranch. John became a "jack of all trades." He
Ruth married Gustav Bohstedt a[...]ons, Carl and
Jimmy.
Ora and Alice both taught for many years in Helena;
neither married.
Walter[...]where
Walter taught and later was superintendent of schools.
Thoma now lives with their daughter Barb[...]ed in Washing-
ton, D.C. Eunice died at the birth of her daughter Mary Jo,
who was adopted by Eunice's[...]Having no children of their own, John and Marie adopted[...]Charles A. Smith, four Sallis at Chula Vista, California. Jackie and Dorothy have
brothers, Ma[...]arke Craig Cornell is regarded as one of Beaverhead County's
Scott and Archie Henneberry, where they did all phases of sterling pioneer citizens. He was born i[...]r
ranch work. John also worked on the Flynn Ranch for Hugh County, Ind., January 8, 1839, the tenth child of Isaac and
and Pat Flynn.[...]l. Both his parents traced their an-
At the age of 19, John went to California where he met[...]914 and made Dillon their pant in the War of 1812. His grandfather, Joseph Cornell,
home. They homesteaded a piece of land on the hill behind was born[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (152)[...]daughter of John Keller, a native of Maryland until 1846.[...]Norman horses. He was one of the first to engage in sheep[...]ranching and owned one of the largest flocks in the territory.[...]He bought part of his land holdings (160 acres-which inl-[...]of the County Fairgrounds south to the Interstate 15[...]the government in payment for his services in the War of[...]additional tracts of land. The large, red brick house south of
Cornell Ranch in 1890: Log residence was moved to[...]Dillon was built in 1896. Records of the United States For-
build brick residence in its place in 1896. Dair[...]est Service document his use of the West Fork of Blacktail
on is signed "C. Cornell, Pioneer Dairy[...]nental Service during the Revolutionary part of this ranch even to this day.
War. Craig's mother,[...]coe
Virginia and her father was a pioneer settler of Ohio, set- (1873), Estella (1876), Mary Viol[...](1885). Myron Craig died in 1893 at seven years of age.
1818. Her family's founders came from Wales.[...]rge Murray in Dillon on August 24,
At 25 years of age, Craig left the family farm on April 17, 18[...]4 and headed west to Grinnell, Iowa, the terminus of the Warren Craig (1905-1981). Mary Viola mar[...]r 24,
from Chicago and left Grinnell near the end of April with 1926 at the age of 47 years and Estella passed away in 1963.
four wagons drawn by teams of four mules each, with seven- Isaac Rosco[...]company separat-ed, one portion traveling by way of Boze- graduate from the Michigan School of Mines at Houghton,
man Pass while Mr. Cornell's p[...]mining engineer in the southwestern states for several years.
Bannack on July 20, 1864. He worke[...]married Elizabeth Gillaspie in Houston, Texas, on
for the mines until 1866 when he took up a ranch in t[...]only child, Roscoe Gillaspie, was born
Beaverhead Valley, a portion of which was later to become in Houston on June 8, 1909. The family then came to Dillon
the townsite of Dillon.[...]21, 1920 at 74 years of age; his father, Craig Cornell, was 89[...]as the Mayor of Dillon from 1921 through 1931. His wife,[...]Elizabeth, died at the age of 59 on October 13, 1934 in[...]ead County High School, studied at the University of[...]University of Washington in Seattle. He returned to the[...]- pital on May 31, 1942 at the age of 69 years.
coe Cornell, Estella Murray, Geo[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (153)[...]on a claim in the North Fork area, ranching there for Headquarters was the old Selway Ranch (north of Dillon
about 15 years. They had seven children: H[...]They also had a ranch in Grasshopper Valley on Taylor
The Coveys came from the Deer Lodge[...].P.& Q.
settling in the Big Hole, Al cut cordwood for the A.C.M ran sheep and cattle.
Smelter[...]r pasture, they took up homesteads in
homes, some of which are still standing. It has been said that Small Horn Canyon in 1918. Two more children w[...]hter Doris
out the back door and have a nice mess of fish for dinner in a on June 3, 1919, and on May 13, 19[...]ril 16, 1911, was a special day at the ranch home of the Mae bought out their partners' interests[...]health deteriorated, they spent part of each summer living
Al Covey was one of the group that built the first school- there.
house in the N[...]the Coveys had a nice garden. Stories were
heard of the garden being raided, since it was quite easy[...]is Crampton with Grandpa John
ranched near Helena for a few years and a son, Glenn, was[...]servationist for the SCS in Philipsburg, Mont., and his[...]with children Bill, Doris State of New Jersey, February 9, 1847. In 1852 his[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (154)[...]ander decided to keep trying for gold and went on to Ban-[...]After panning for a time, Henry decided it would be bet-[...]ter to supply a much needed requirement of hard working[...]Since he, of necessity, frequented the central part of Ban-[...]Plummer. An immediate distrust of Plummer took place,[...]in Yankee Settlement, Delaware revealed that he (Plummer) was the head of the gang of
County, Iowa, April 10, 1852. thugs responsible for all the unrest in the area. Another
Theophilus[...]ld stand up
marriage August 31, 1874. At the time of their marriage he to Plummer. Plummer decided he must get rid of Crawford;
was a druggist in Iowa. Eight children[...]- born April 15, 1888; and Crawford knew of his position in the gang!
Thomas Arthur - born Ap[...]many confrontations best told in "The Vigilantes of
In 1879 they moved to Montana, locating at Nob[...]with
where he ran a quartz mill during the winter of 1879-80. In a rifle (this verified to me later by both my father and uncle,
June of 1880 the family moved to the city of Butte and themselves both crack-shots)[...]in lumbering and grocery clerking. In the spring of ing him in the right arm. It would have bee[...]82 they came to Beaverhead County, leasing a band of him but this was not Crawford's intention. He hoped that
sheep. In 1886 they purchased the ranch at Medici[...]he swore now he would kill Crawford as soon as he
of the progressive ranch men of this section. The family recovered. Now[...]to kill Crawford in cold
stood high in the esteem of the community and were promi- blood.
nent[...]It must be remembered by the reader that when these
Theophilus died in 1912, Mary in 192[...]Crawford nor anyone else, outside the gang, knew of
Mr. Craver is written up in "Progressive Men of Plummer's unlawful activities. This was pointed up by the
the State of Montana." Most of the above informa- fact that the general citizenry later appointed Plummer
tion was obtained from that publication. sheriff, not only of Bannack but of Virginia City. Crawford[...]wford had been receiving mail from

First Sheriff of Bannack,
Idaho Territory
Henry F. Crawford was born March 2, 1835, the sixth
child of William L. Crawford and his wife, Lucretia Bur-
h[...]s Alex-
ander, 29, and John, 25, he left the farm of his father to head
for Pike's Peak. He was born in Cortland County, New[...]aledonia, Wis.,
in 1848, a pioneer farming family of Scottish ancestry and
Presbyterian faith.
After finding more men than gold at Pike's Peak they
heard of the strike at Bannack. Brother John by this time[...]to enlist in the Union Army, this
being the time of the Civil War. He was killed while in the[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (155)home and he was informed that a young lady whom he was
previously acquainted wi[...]n though he was constantly assured by his
friends that they would stand behind him but knowing from
past experiences that they were too far behind him, decided
to return t[...]Crouse Farm, 1915 (Fred on 3-horse binder)
men of the fourth estate. Frank had four sons, three of house. Their oldest son, Fred, was born O[...]t by wagon to Fort Benton and down the
Vigilantes of Montana and peace finally came to the coun- Missouri to visit her family. That fall Henry drove his team
try around Bannack and Virginia City. to the new town of Dillon and went east by train. When they
It is for this reason that the tortured souls of Plummer returned to Dillon, Anna wrote in her diary, "It was the first
and his gang now walk the streets of Bannack by night in of November (1880) when we arrived at Dillon and it[...]t was a very cold trip home. We drove only in
end of time. Rather than allowing simple men who came the middle of the day so we did not get very far. We bundled
west to gain some measure of wealth, they stole not only up in the bottom of the covered wagon to keep warm."
their gold but t[...]had been born and raised in the Gallatin Valley, attended
Henry Crawford died in his sleep in the State of Nebraska M.S.C., had been a teacher, and was then superintendent of
in 1889 after returning West for a visit to Virginia City and Gallatin County sc[...]George W., left his home in Dover, Mo., in 1864 for the new
-HARRY LAUDER CRAWFORD (Grand[...]City that winter.
Fred and Pearl Crouse[...]ruary 17, 1880, started their family.
the arrival of a wagon train from "the States" in the boom-
ing mining camp of Bannack on Grasshopper Creek. One of
the adventurous young men .with that train was Henry
Crouse, late of Illinois.
He sought gold unsuccessfully at the[...]and in 1865 he returned to Illinois. But the lure of the
frontier was strong and in 1866 he headed west again. This
time he paid for his way on an ox train, but he recalled
walking most of the way.
Freighting, an essential frontier busi[...]mpatible with his farming background than digging for
gold so for several years he freighted from Salt Lake City
an[...]and he wanted to homestead in the Springhill area of
Gallatin County, some 14 miles north of the new town of
Bozeman.
Henry returned to Illinois in 1[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (156)[...]rl had farmed successfully in the
Springhill area for several years, they decided to move to
Beaverhead[...]at crops seemed to thrive. Several other Gallatin
Valley families also moved to the Dillon _area at that time
including the Brays, Sandquists, Mc Vays, Ha[...]and bought the Jack McLaren
farm four miles east of town. For two years (1914 and 1915) Lillian[...]and prospective pur- suth, Iowa, daughter of William George Hackett and Axa
chasers came from[...]helped mark out and select land for new towns as new set-
Subsequent crops were he[...]ind some- not been strong since the birth of her son, Henry, in 1859,
thing besides wheat to h[...]to build bridges and construct and maintain roads for the Falls, Bradford, and Avon. The father went on a lecture tour
county. He also found employment for himself and his to tell people about m[...]girls were worked and controlled until she felt like she was in
Blacktail to the First National wool w[...]back to the sheep owners. The huge she left that job. She was 16 and it was hard to find a good
wo[...]8, 1874, in Brentwood, N.H., at
to each lamp post for ten cents each. Trees were cut in the the home of his grandfather, George Hanson.
mountains and bro[...]conditions worsened, families left the Bench that city's first passenger train. Her brother, Henry,[...]hard Dillon. Lillian cooked and kept house for Sim Estes that
rubber-tired Ford school bus with windowless side[...]She had a good business and
traded it to Bud Galt for a touring car. Ben Davis, who later did well un[...]tic fever and her fin-
owned and ran Davis Motors for years, bought the bus and gers were affect[...]Valley to live with her brother, Henry. He was taking care of
The Crouses had three children; Frederic (1910[...]ch farm home. Lillian loved the valley and picked out a place she wanted
for her own. She met Bill Culver at a dance at[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (157)[...]Iowa. He came west looking for fame and fortune when he[...]was a young man. He was fishing and hauling fish for Ed[...]were married and took up land at the upper end of Centen-
nial Valley. Two large springs of clear water flow out of the
base of a mountain there. It is a lovely spot and Lillian[...]picked it for her home. Bill liked to be on the go' and soon[...]valley and stayed here for quite a few years. He drove M-Y
acquire stock. Things went well for a few years, but Bill and stages at times, and[...]one persuaded him to go into politics and he ran for county
not exciting enough for Bill and he began to get itchy feet. assessor but was defeated. He was around the area for quite
He started buying and selling cattle and we[...]and they fell behind. Lillian did not nial Valley.
like this, and since he was seldom home, she decided t[...]ay business in Dillon, which he operated the rest of
had some beautiful fish and many eastern fisherme[...]to fish there. She charged by the pound and lots of large fish His wife, Ivy, born July 12, 1878[...]s. by train in a few months with their family of seven children;
Everyone called her "Granny Culve[...]ith enough lunch to feed herself and the children for the
"Granny's Pond," but some of the fishermen called it "The three-day tri[...]Dillon and commuted to
Lillian wrote the news of Centennial for the "Madison- and from Frying Pan on weeke[...]Rattles-
ian" and the "Dillon Tribune." She wrote for the "Madison- nakes were plentiful in Fryin[...]. and lived there until
away, and Fred spent most of his time in Dillon, but her their family was raised. They both passed away in that
grandson, James Hanson and wife, lived on the ran[...]eave. Granny Model T. Ford truck, trading for later models as time went
had several small strokes during the summer of 1935 but on, and continued in the dray business. He delivered the
they didn't affect her very much, except she was not able to U.S. mail from the Dillon[...]February as it was Railway, and was responsible for safely placing it in the mail
a cold stormy winter. She became ill and passed away March car for many years. He also delivered groceries for Dillon
13, 1936.[...]h the
The Government finally got the fish pond for a place to dray business.
feed the wild swa[...]in the First Baptist Church, also
winter because of the open water. Granny loved to watch a faithful member of the Dillon Fire Department as long as
them come s[...]entire community and surrounding areas. He was a kind and

160-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (158)[...]ardent and willing worker and member of the First Baptist[...]lar I remember about her was at a Ladies Aid Meeting. T[...]president asked for volunteers to cut, sew, and fold pneumo-[...]nia jackets and bandages for the soldiers. The entire group[...]My mother got to her feet and said "I'll take a dozen." Other[...]that always the way? The woman with the most work to d[...]desire to live with the passing of her husband. She passed
Arthur A. a[...]rked as a bookkeeper in Dillon
family in Dillon that he was aware of. Mrs. Curnutt also firms until her marriage to Jack Bennett. They had two
supplemented that with some of her home baked goodies. children. Mi[...]on, Mo.,
Anyone felt privileged to receive some of her delicious home worked as a telephone operator until her marriage to Parke
baked bread, for which she was famous in this area. T. Scott of Armstead. Mildred lives in Dillon. Myrl, born in[...]ns, Colo., July 21, 1906, left Dillon at 17 years of age,
cember, 1935. His death was mourned by all[...]went to Idaho Falls to work there and made that his home
He left this world with a clean slate,[...]e married June Beasley there and
left provision for his wife as long as she lived. During his life they raised a family of five children.
he ably provided for education of his family of nine children. Amber, born in Clinton, Mo[...]ol teacher prior to her marriage, was Hunt of Waterloo and they raised a family of three children.
an A-Number-One housekeeper, wi[...]ne 18, 1910, was a grocery
She was known as one of the best cooks in Dillon and truly a clerk[...]married Jean Meeke and they
mother to be proud of in every way. When Laura T. Scott of moved to Billings. They had one daughter[...]isa,
she was asked if there was anything at all that would taste born June 15, 1912 in Clinton[...]tores
good to her. She replied, "Only one thing I can think of, if I then worked in the Beaverhead County Treasurer's Office.
could just have a slice of Mrs. Curnutt's homemade bread." She married Vivian Thomas and had one son. Louisa lives in
That request was made known to my mother immediately Deer Lodge.
and the next day a loaf of fresh homemade bread was deliv- Elsie[...]marriage to Victor Crouch. They had one daughter. That[...]raised a family of four children. He lives in Everett, Wash.[...]office of Dillon Public Schools until her marriage to James[...]-ELSIE I. SASSMAN (1988)

(Back row, left to right): Myrl[...]had a large family, 14 children, some of whom, already
ber C[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (159)Dillon and if you look at the top of the Moose Bar building In December of that year he was admitted to the bar of
you will see H. Cushing in the stonework. The Cus[...]tana and located in Butte, Mont., until the close of the
lived in a yellow brick house on Railroad Ave[...]in Dillon where he practiced his profession for many years.
lived next door. She had a daughter who died in her teens. He made a specialty of mining law and also had extensive
I believe both Edward and Lorenzo were in the shoe[...]eaverhead Mining Association and he was a veteran of
first couple in Dillon to have twins-two little girls, whose World War I.
picture can be seen in the museum. Lorenzo and H[...]making $10 an evening. eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George B. Conway. The
Ralph was a we[...]own, a son Henry in the summer session of Montana State Normal College. Dur-
Washington, D.[...]Lorenzo in Denver. ing World War I, Mrs. Cushing served as supervisor of Bea-
My Grandfather, William J. Cushing, was a[...]s. Will received his training in recognized for her community service.
Denver. On returning to Dillon after graduation, some of his In later years the Cushings lived at 71[...]Cushing's death on
new girl in town, who decided that night that she would September 18, 1950. Mrs. Cushin[...]and had one The Cushings were the parents of one daughter, Jose-
daughter, Josephine. Will and[...]The Dansie Family
to be the home of the Conways, Helen's family. Will con- T[...]in 1912, when Charles N. Dansie decided that the Dillon
lived there until the end of their days. area was where[...]t to selling operations, after some years of successful sheep
Judith Gap to teach. There she m[...]SCOTT N. Dansie, Jr., while the rest of the family remained in Utah.
Later that year Charles, Sr. also bought the Clark Canyon
Wi[...], came the Dansie Home Ranch.
were children of early residents of Beaverhead County. Margaret Dansie joined Robert in February of 1912,
William J. Cushing was born in Salt Lake[...]ie), Allen, Lyston, and
October 25, 1876, the son of Henry and Sarah Ann Cushing. two-month-old[...]ily one from the Armstead hotel, and a blast of Montana's all
lived many years in Utah where Henr[...]tin tub supplied by Mary Gordon,
became residents of Dillon in 1880. the proprietress. The reason for the public bath was simple:
Mr. Cushing receiv[...]eat in the rooms! The next morning Robert
schools of Dillon and graduated from high school as a mem-[...]from the Clark Canyon ranch and took them to
ber of the class of 1894. He entered business college and their[...]pered at buying and selling sheep, acquiring
ment of the University of Denver. He graduated in 1898 and several per[...]WWI, he acquired several
we.s admitted to the bar of Colorado. more r[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (160)[...]h, just above the
DeWitt ranch on the east side of the river. In the Bannack
area he acquired the[...]capital "D", which had the handy
characteristic that you could bend one side of a tin can
straight, and use it for a brand, in case there was no iron
handy. Ranch[...]ck, lambing, etc., etc., with occasional time out for fish-
ing. Grayling and cutthroat trout were st[...]the David homestead in Centennial Valley
1960s. · for me to ride in. The seats on both were fixed so that when I
In 1917, Margaret and Robert built a large D[...]lon, now sometimes sitting on the floor, like my lunch, etc. Clarence Hunt also
called the "E[...]der children, Ronnie, Allen, Lyston, and I was sent to see how Granny Culver was about every[...]ter- or so and usually stayed overnight. I often helped her clean
back of the high school football team as well as being an up the cabins that she rented out to fishermen. The beds all
· acco[...]had feather ticks, and after I made them Granny and I
Ronnie later married Orville Smith from Rattlesnake would each take an end of a broom handle and go over them
Creek, and had[...]Lucille. Lyston and Lucille had One time I was sent to see how Granny was, I opened the
one son, Jackson, while Mildred and[...]asleep on a top bunk. How long she had been there I
-WILLIAM DANSIE and MAJOR DANSIE don't know, but after getting her down, a fire built an[...]her hair that I'd put there the week before. It was fun to go[...]lor who lived close by in a one
Iowa and Nebraska for a time, they came west to Roberts, ro[...]no smoke coming from his chimney,
Idaho, with all of their possessions loaded on a railroad car. I was sent to see about him. I found him sick one time and
-This was in 1911. Th[...]tarted had to go home to get my parents for help. He always saved
farming. When their son, Arthur, was married, Pete came to
the Centennial Valley looking for a ranch for him. The year
was 1917 and the ranch they bought was called "Green
Meadow Ranch," in the upper end of the Valley. Art's house
was across the road from where the rest of the family lived.
We lived in a log house, had a[...]d his wife lived there first, but his wife didn't like it
up there so they went back to Idaho. Mom, Dad, Ted and I
moved up there for about three years, as I remember going
to the fourth, fifth and sixth grades in the Centennial. I
remember Miss Sims and Ma Buck as teachers. Some of my
classmates were Frank O'Conner, Annie Buck an[...]n.
Art and Clarence Hunt made me a little cart for my horse
to pull that I drove to school. I could get all of the little
Fairbanks kids in it-about six[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (161)his tobacco cans for me to use for lunch boxes.
I also remember riding on the running board of the car to
George Paine
look for empty whiskey bottles. Then I took them to the George Paine, born in 1866 in Rhode Island, came to the
saloon where I got $.10 or so for each one. But I always had Centennial Valley about 1908. He lived on a small place near
to go[...]from Gilbert Hunt, but did not seem to
them. When I was in about the eighth grade, my dad made work for a living. He was a bachelor, friendly and nice to talk
me buy my first pair of glasses with the money from those to and n[...]when they came in to take land for the Refuge.
After about three years we moved back to Idaho for the[...]d his family lived in our house and ran the
ranch for another three years or so.[...]ending our years in ber 18, 1896, the seventh of nine sons of Henry Clay and
the Centennial Valley. Alice[...]Bourquin in 1922. Six children were born of this union: Alice
Alice Davis with her young s[...]Burgess
house at James Blair's ranch. She worked for him until 1910 (born 2/25/20) of Dillon in 1946 and was a homemaker and
when he sold his land. Later on she remarried and for a time teacher in Deer Lodge, Mont., and reti[...]garite, Helen Marie Collins (born 10/3/28) of Hamilton, Mont., in
lived at Blair's for some years. They then worked at other 1948[...]nches and later bought land on the southeast side of the NAPA Parts Store owner in Elko, Nev., a[...]laska Basin. They Harkens (born 3/29/33) of Butte in 1952 and became an
had a lovely cabin at the mouth of Big Hollow. They had the automotive salesman, dealer and entrepreneur in Butte and
sunny slopes there for lambing. Margarite loved to ride and Dillon;[...]ls. Francis Ryan (born 1/11/32) of Dillon in 1951 and became
Frank became severel[...]y death
older and when the Government bought land for the Refuge, in a one-car accident one mile north of Armstead, Mont.;
they sold out and moved to Eugen[...]-ALTA HANSON South (born 7/3/36) of Dillon in 1956 and became a math-[...]of Chinook, Mont., in 1955 and became university pro[...]of music in Spokane, Wash., Vancouver, Canada, Dillo[...]Ben H. Davis was a World War I veteran. After the war,[...]south of Dillon. He then became an automotive mechinic .[...]pany at the corner of South Montana and East Glendale[...]biles. Mr. Davis was a tireless worker in support of

164-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (162)[...]nd community. He never forgot the basic prem-
ise of courteous service. Throughout his years in busine[...]ng the oil and, finally, giving a gentlemanly tip of his
hat to the ladies and a "thank you" for the opportunity to
serve.[...]Dr. Sheldon E. Davis
On the day that Ben and Mazie were married, his co-
workers playe[...]ocked until after the couple was on a
train bound for a honeymoon in Missouri.
The Davises were longtime supporters of extra-curricular
and recreational activities at Beaverhead County High Superintendent of Schools. Daughter Dorothy Elizabeth
School and We[...]ly issue. Elizabeth was the daughter
The game of baseball was Ben's favorite sport. He was of John W. and Idonia Raining Sutherland.
active as[...]was fifty-nine Elizabeth was a 1909 graduate of Beaverhead County
years old.[...]High School, being awarded a state scholarship for making
Mazie Davis (9/22/01 - 1/14/85) was born in North the highest grades of the class in the four year course. She
Branch, Mi[...]tern Montana College (then University of Wisconsin in 1916. She taught elementary
Montana[...]school at Lewistown for two years after receiving her diplo-
She was a lifelong member of the Dillon Grace United ma, and two more[...]r university
Methodist Church, the Mizpah Chapter of the order of the degree. She served two terms as county superintendent of
~astern Star, the American Legion Auxiliary and the Order schools, 1919 - 1923.
of The Nile. An accomplished musician, Mazie was als[...]irst Presbyterian
3.ctive as a potter, a grower· of beautiful flowers and, along Church in Dillon[...]pit during the
with her husband, was an organizer of the first B.C.H.S. absence of a minister, delivering an inspiring talk. He was
Beaver Lodge Recreation Center, a project of the American chairman of the board of trustees from 1936 to 1951. Eliza-
Legion Auxilia[...]beth Davis was a Sunday school teacher for many years, and
Ben H. Davis was a member of Grace United Methodist was a member of the Ellen May Guild and later of the
~hurch, the Dillon Elks, the American Legion,[...]er, being particularly
;er Virginia City Council of Twelve, the Scottish Rite of interested in growing special varieties of gladioli; many of
:?ree Masonry and the Bagdad Temple of the Shrine in the beautiful blooms adorned t he church for Sunday ser-
3utte.[...]Dr. Davis was a fifty-year member of the Masonic order.[...]Though not a charter member, he was a member of the
Sheldon E. Davis[...]llon Rotary Club from 1922, chaired the committee that
Dr. Sheldon Emmor Davis came to Dillon as president of produced a twenty-page booklet, "Sketch of Rotary in Dil-
Montana State Normal College in Se[...](Montana) during
Missouri where he had been head of the teacher training the 1949 - 1950 pe[...]ville. Elizabeth Davis was a member of the Dillon Shakespeare
rhough born in Zanesville, Ohio, he had lived most of his Club, Panhellenic, Alpha Gamma Delta[...]g profes- founding member, in January 1931, of the Dillon branch of
iion. the American Association of University Women. She later
Dr. Davis received[...]from the Uni- served as state president of AA UW, and was made an honor-
rersity of Missouri, did graduate work at the universities of ary life member of the national organization on September
:hicago, L[...]ee in Sheldon Davis was a life member of the Montana Educa-
.917. He was married to Mary O[...]souri in tion Association, and a member of the National Education
)ecember 1911; she died in[...]avis (Carpen- Association. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the na-
er) was born of this union. In December 1922, Dr. Davis[...]Beaverhead County and high standards of work at the university level. He was[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (163)[...]health. A victim of tuberculosis, he had the only known[...]treatment at that time (collapse the infected lung). The[...]road every day so there was plenty of work for Carl to do.[...]equipment for the Gilmore and Pittsburg railroad were[...]With nearly 200 families, the need for a school for the
much respected by educators and honored by ma[...]s. He served on state and national com- land for the school which was built and ready to be opened[...]er 1909.
problems. He was well known as an author of textbooks on Miss Nellie Nugent, a shy y[...]hing and government, and co-authored a "Geography of finished her summer teaching term of school up Horse Prai-
Montana" with Professor J. Ford McBain of the Normal rie and was asked to make application for the new school to
College faculty. Several states[...]ph Decker
by Davis and McClure, as a textbook, so that it went resulted in her being hired. Th[...]llion ry was $50 per month. John Gelhaus, one of the saloon
copies.[...]and various associations. He occasion- and ends of desks, a good supply of books and 25 pupils. A
ally spoke at national edu[...]d contributed pot-bellied stove in the middle of the room, a pile of coal
to professional journals.
The physical plant at Wes tern College was much enlarged
during the years of Dr. Davis' presidency. He took a great
interest in the development and landscaping of the campus,
seeing to the planting of many trees.
Upon retirement from the presidency of Western Mon-
tana College of Education on September 1, 1946, Sheldon
Davis was appointed President Emeritus by the State
Board of Education, an honor conferred for his many years
of distinguished service. Shortly thereafter he was appoint-
ed chairman of the Montana Health Planning Council,
which he helped form, serving for several years.
A friend and counselor to many students, Dr. Davis was
honored for his impartial and progressive administrati[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (164)[...]everyone warm and comfortable. Nellie re-
turned for the second term after which she changed her
name.[...]illon on
July 3, 1911. They dry-farmed near Grant for two years with
the usual success during those yea[...]ed to
Bannack each day where he was an accountant for Chan
Stallings at the mines.
Born to this coup[...]e train to the post office. He invested in a herd of
milking Shorthorn cattle which were a good breed for a
dairy herd. Our first car was a Model-T which C[...]arents in Butte while doctoring. A trip to Mayo's for
cancer and thyroid problems helped Nell and stabi[...]ore.
Carl Decker, with a year to live, made it for 26 years, then
finally succumbed to the disease w[...]ecker
Nell, a great believer in education, saw that her children with his future wife, M. Blanche[...]rhead County, Peterson ranch at climate of Lake Michigan environment. His doctors recom-
She[...]wice, Lima twice, and Grant from mended that he go to a high, dry climate. Fortunately, an
whe[...]ranching with Walter Scott in the Red
at the age of 85.[...]lingly beautiful scenery, the charm and challenge of
Glenn A. Decker was born August 5, 1878, to Alb[...]a new life in the devel-
steaded. Not long after that, the family gave up to the oping West, and they became lifelong residents of Beaver-
drought and returned to Indiana, then Mic[...]47 years before Glenn went back to
having decided that journalism was a much better life than Michigan just for a visit.
farming. One crop in five years was hard[...]enn and Blanche were among the earliest residents of
Glenn, as a young man in Ludington, Mich., sampled Armstead. He was the first agent for the Oregon Short Line,
many kinds of employment-telegrapher, farmer, postal[...]ttle more than a railroad construction camp, much of
during the Spanish-American War from 1898 to 1899[...]rs, and kept in contain numerous tales of the period, and sketches of the
touch with his Army buddies all his life. extraordinary characters of the day.
Upon his return to Ludington, he became acquainted Prosperity continued for Armstead when, in 1909, con-[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (165)[...]William and Katye Dennis homesteaded this piece of
called the G. & P . for Gilmore Pittsburg. A. J. Wedum land in the early 1900s when the government offered that
Lumber Company of Dillon opened a lumberyard and store op[...]ranch on Bean Creek, about 16 miles east of Monida.
the groceries and the few housewares. At that time, a band Katye loved the ranch but she and husband William lived
of Indians from the Lemhi summered in the meadow acr[...]Katye, however, was
the road from the store. One of Chief Tendoy's granddaugh- originally from the farm country of Oregon and she longed
ters was born there and named Blanche for Mrs. Decker, for the land. She spent summers at the ranch while William
who gave them a bolt of red flannel for the baby. The Indian and family would visit o[...]My mother used to tell wonderful stories of the fun she
casins, which they sold or traded abo[...]he property was inherit-
Blanche homesteaded west of Armstead. Just as Glenn's ed by their[...]Then, as an accountant in the general offices of the Gil-
more Pittsburg Railroad, Glenn moved the[...]Deputy
During World War I, the community of Armstead cer-
tainly did its part in the war effo[...], including the John Richard Deputy, the son of Charles Henry and
Deckers, used coarse flour so that the soldiers could have Kathryn Deputy, was[...]years old, his
Armstead's women sewed heavy coats for the military, and father died in a tragic[...]it by the influ- horse and buggy and when one of the horses started to act
enza epidemic. Mrs. Decker was so ill that Glenn stayed up, Charles decided to ride it on to Twin Bridges. He went
home to care for her. As she recovered, he aided other strick- on ahead of the others and was thrown from the horse. His
en[...]with a broken neck.
Paul Alpheus, third child of the family, was born Septem- Jack attended[...]public school basketball team. He then worked for his uncle,
22, 1921, after the Deckers moved to D[...]verhead County, say- lived with his mother for a short time. He returned to Dillon
ing that the best that life had to offer was in Southwestern[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (166)[...]e evening train from Butte.
and two other members of the senior class enlisted in the Fath[...]oes
Army and were sent to France during World War I. Many of today. Each child carried a suitcase[...]the court-
Meat Company as a bookkeeper. Because of the war, many house where we cut across a large grassy lot to the Burfiend
of the seniors were unable to attend the graduation[...]ldren were de-
nies which were held in the spring of 1917. Georgia was a lighted to find our ponies waiting for us in the pasture lot as
graduate of this class.[...]d the house.
It was at the Dillon Meat Company that Jack became Father was superintendent of the training school con-
acquainted with Georgia. Because both had nicknames of nected at that time with the college. Some of the critic
"Jack", they were known to family and friends as "Big teachers whom I recall were Miss Short, Miss Long, Miss
Jack", wh[...]venth-grade class under Miss Lees once made candy for a
Kathryn, born on March 8, 1920; Jo Ann, born on December sale to buy a gift of a Paxson painting for their classroom.
8, 1922, and Charles Henry, born[...]25. Where is it now? He looked for it in vain while visiting in[...]college. Our mother, a gifted pianist, played for almost every
Patrick and Annie Desmond[...]eland, days.
March 17, 1852, son of Hannah Reardon Desmond (father's No history of Beaverhead County would be complete
name unknown). He came to America when a youth of 19 without mention of Laura Tolman Scott of Armstead who
and secured employment on a river steamship in the east. was the inspiration of much of the interest in Beaverhead
His rise was rapid and[...]w years he had obtained a County history that existed at that time. And Catherine
captain's rank. Later, he ope[...]was another woman who played a part in the lives of
located on a ranch in the Horse Prairie section. more than one generation of young people in Dillon. Inci-
He married Annie[...]in County Donegol, Ireland, in 1851, the daughter of Someone must know what became of the tiny round stained
Mary Dougherty (father's n[...]Club. And the life-sized statue that stood in the southwest
Mr. and Mrs. Desmond had one daughter, Mary, born corner of the same hall; is she resting in the dump west of
February 8, 1887. Mr. Desmond died February 28, 1[...]Time has gone by. Our Fred, the envy of neighborhood
-EV[...]as he drove down Thomsen Avenue in a smart buggy of[...]black leather with yellow wheels behind one of the ponies,[...]and went on to a position in the Department of English in
It is difficult to feel one is an o[...]Montana playwright Robert Finch, youngest of the fam-
and recalls sitting in the living room a[...]ther and Miss Jean Bishop as they ment of Playwriting at the University of North Carolina at
visited with her parents the Jo[...]y forties he returned to live in Dillon
the verge of that distinction. and to write the volume of western one-act plays which was
My father, Grant E. Finch, of Marion, Iowa, accepted a published in[...]tate were based on his boyhood memories of Montana, in the
Normal School, in the summer of 1909. He made the long place he lov[...], came out by train with former teacher of violin. She now resides in Helena.)
the four of us children who considered this trip to Montana
a tremendous adventure. We watched for hours for our first
sight of the mountains after an early life in the prairie[...]Judson and Gundel Dickson
try of Iowa. Judson Dickson, the fifth child of Douglas Albert Dickson[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (167)[...]y and the family returned to Idaho the first part of Sep-
tember. Transportation for the trip consisted of a wagon
drawn by a team of horses, driven by Jud, and a buggy[...]drawn by mules that Gundel would drive. It usually took[...]from four to five days to cover the distance, except for the[...]time Jud took a short cut through Medicine Lodge. That[...]n the family · reached Horse Prairie, their home for
the summer was usually a group of tents. This little tent
.::,
...[...]Jud worked with his hay crew and Gundel cooked for
Gundel Dickson Judson Dickso[...]them and took care of the family. They usually had ten or
and Nancy Shi[...]hers,
ville, where his father was a Mormon Bishop for 35 years. He who by this time had purchased ex[...]ers by his father's first marriage Grasshopper Valley. He moved his family to what was
and ten half brothers and sisters by his father's second known at that time as the Tash place, just above Millpoint.
mar[...]her Bill (William) eventually By the end of 1928, the three older daughters were mar-
started[...]was born May 21, children came home for the holidays. Gundel was a great
1883 at Hyrum, Utah, the daughter of Rasmus Peter Lyman cook and always roaste[...]Lyman. She was the seventh often center of a large feast. Part of the fun for the grandchildren
children. Her father died on Ju[...]ldren, Wilhelmina moved her was well known for her beautiful flowers and lovely rock
family to T[...]and had an outstand-
Hansens. Gundel spent a lot of time as a child and young ing button colle[...]When she was 19 years old, she got a job cooking for about and Jud moved the family to Argenta for a year. He then
75 sheep shearers, for fifty cents a day, somewhere around bought a small farm, three miles north of Dillon.
Driggs, Idaho. In those days, many of the sheep herds were His health soon fail[...]they bought the
trailed into one central location for shearing, which went on farm, Jud died on November 6, 1940. It was just three
for several weeks. months after the death of their oldest daughter, Stella, who
It was there[...]died on August 7, 1940.
sheepman by the name of Jud Dickson. They were married Gundel stayed on the farm for a couple of years and then
on October 6, 1902 in Richville, U[...]ntain View
They bought a farm about two miles out of town. They Cemetery near Dillon.
never[...]-FAY WALDEMAR McCRACKEN AND
Thornton. All seven of their daughters and one son, who V[...]West to Mar-
the summers, where he contracted hay for Nay Brothers on ysville, Mont., in about 1[...]mlummon
Horse Prairie. This yearly trip continued for about fifteen Mine for Thomas Cruse. When he was settled, Mary An[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (168)[...]ny from January 26, 1880 to June 17,
stage coach. For a time, she was the only white woman in 18[...]Elizabeth and when he was elected Chairman of the Board, Sidney Dillon
Emmett were born in Mary[...]897 the family moved was the first to hold that elective position.
to Butte.[...]s as a "water boy" in the
France during World War I and then returned to Dewey track department of the Mohawk & Hudson Railroad (now
where he had a print shop, egg business, sawmill, and fire- part of the New York Central Lines). In 1840, at the age of
wood sales. In 1927 their house was washed away w[...]They then Albany in Massachusetts. From that start he progressed in
purchased "the Dodson hous[...]railroad contracting. He built a number of small roads, or
1929; Mary Ann in 1932 and Holland in 1963. branches of main trunk railroads, in the East, the South,[...]able capital. At one time he was a vice president of
ry may be found elsewhere in this book. Elizabeth was born the Central Railroad of New Jersey.
in 1890. She attended Butte Central H[...]n Dillon. She taught at Travis a subscriber for 500 shares of the stock of the Credit Mobi-
Creek School near Helena and at Twin Bridges, Dell, Jack- lier of America, in March, 1865.
son, Dewey and Wise Rive[...]In July, 1865, Dillon was elected a member of the execu-
Dillon in 1927. Elizabeth died in 1987. tive committee of the Credit Mobilier. He first became a
John W.[...]n in Hendricks, W.Va., in 1887, son director of the Union Pacific Railroad Company in October,
of Charles E. Long and Virginia Teeter Long. When he was 1866, and was elected president of the Credit Mobilier in
12, his family, along with[...]ame West director, or trustee, in the affairs of the trustees, and of the
to northern Idaho, where they homesteaded on[...]t mobilier, until the liquidation and dissolution of that
near Weippe. John became a forest ranger with the[...], to June, 1892. When Jay Gould came into control of
was Ranger at Grant, Melrose, Sheridan, and Wisdo[...]1890. In early May, 1892, he was elected Chairman of the
Leonard Erickson and they had two sons. Lorna[...]wo children. Lorna died in 1985 The city of Dillon was named in his honor.
and Dorothy in 198[...]n Tabor Dingley and Mary Ann Es-
carpenter, guard for the Butte mines during World War II, tes, lived after the end of the Civil War in which his father
and for the Forest Service at Wise River. He died in 1953. held the position of Colonel. He came to Montana Territory
Mary mar[...]1954. Dan is in 1877 with his family.
the son of Lucile Langdorf Hoyrup McPherson and Fred[...]tte City where the 1880 census shows
Hoyrup, both of whom were longtime Beaverhead County hi[...]e with Mountain Bell. They have three stature of many Dingley men.
children: John, Diane and Catherine. John, his wife Phyllis His brush of fame came in 1888 and 1889, after moving to
and d[...]ane, her the Dillon area, when he was one of the jockeys who worked
husband Alan Haviland and[...]with an inside track. Spokane, as a 3-
President of Union Pacific Railroad Company from[...]wns, the
March 11, 1874, to January 25, 1880, and of The Union American Derby at Washi[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (169)[...]Downs. These three races made up
the Triple Crown of that era.
The round barn is still standing on the Bayers Cattle
Ranch north of Twin Bridges. Spokane was the only Mon-
tana bred[...]se to win the Kentucky
Derby and set a new record for the mile and half distance in
1889.
Will marri[...]e died in Bozeman while transporting a wagon load of
grain. He fell during the accident and was run ov[...]Holmes, the great-great-granddaughter of William Brew-
ster, Sr., the elder leader of the Pilgrims, who came to Amer-
David Addison Dingley, the oldest son of John Tabor ica on the Mayflower.
Dingl[...]. His son, William (b. 1747), grand-
He studied for the bar in Boston, Mass., and was admitted s[...]Butte City
practicing law in Basin, he became one of Dillon's first and in 1877 and the seeds of-destiny were planted.
most highly respected lawye[...]llie Augusta Dingley and Grace May Ding-
attorney for clients facing his uncle Simeon Estes, who was a[...]ther Charles Franklin Dingley remained in
justice of the peace for many years in Beaverhead County. If Maine, bu[...]found guilty, he would be incarcerated in the Valley and the bustling town of Dillon on the first passenger
local jail cell located in the rear of his Uncle Sim's saloon. train that traveled over the newly laid wide-gauge track of
David was one of the co-founders of the Baptist Church in the Utah Northern Rail[...]ea and
moved to California where he practiced law for four years, worked as a wood chopper. Later[...]Barrett's for Graeter, across the Beaverhead River and just
I[...]daho, he was seriously hurt about the south of the Beaver Rock. He took up a small homestead
hea[...]teens. Water to the places
ady labeled "softening of the brain" and this brilliant young was piped[...]unday, April
16, 1899, at the hospital at the age of 41. He never married
and had no children. He was[...]Olson Dingley
Fred Olson Dingley was the first of five children of Wil-
liam Jackson Dingley and Rachel Eliza Estes.[...]John's descendants, of Dillon

172-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (170)they all had warm water year-round for personal use and for
the livestock. When the Graeter ranch became part of Lov-
ell Livestock, he traded his property for an interest in the
company. This venture failed a[...]ms family.
In his later years, he lived in one of Fred Hanson's cabins
in what is now known as Trit[...]ds. He died there at age 87 in 1950. He was a man of
very small stature but big of heart and determination.
Known as Uncle Fred to h[...]ewis-
ton, Androscoggin County, Maine, the oldest of four chil-
dren born to Levi Dingley and Mary G.[...]s was born May 14, 1837 in Lewiston, the of Dingley Building on Montana Street in 1889.
fifth of 10 children born to David Estes and Mary Ann
Grant, also natives of Maine. The Estes and Dingley fam- nizational meeting of the First Baptist Church in Dillon.
ilies were close friends and neighbors for decades. The meeting was held in their home at the corner of Glen-
In 1853, under appointment of President Franklin Pierce, dale and Montana[...]came the Collector in Customs officer at the port of for the promotion of the Redeemer's kingdom in this place,"
Mobile, Al[...]eon called it "The Regular Baptist Church of Dillon." Their son,
Estes, he became inter~sted i[...]Dingley, a practicing attorney in Dillon, was one of
amassed a fortune of several million dollars from this ven- the f[...]R. Holden, and H. R. Melton, signed as trustees of the
then returned to Mobile. Their first child, David Addison, articles of incorporation filed in 1886.
was born October 29,[...]gley Building in 1889. The
At the commencement of the Civil War, believing that the building still stands on south Montana S[...]e John suffered from stomach cancer for several years and
Army as a Colonel of the 10th Alabama regiment. He was was i[...]ed to Lewiston, Maine, where
wounded at the Siege of Vicksburg and received 11 bullets, he died on November 16, 1892. He was buried there.
nine of which remained in his body until his death.[...]s and lived with her children. Her obituary tells of
Railroad. William Post (Billy) was born in 1867 a[...]her tragic death. She had been keeping house for her son
daughter Lilly Maybelle (Mamie) was born[...]obile. of Dillon. On Sunday, November 30, 1902, she sewed a[...]ed to Massachusetts in 1873 and later ton on for her son and put a pin in her mouth. Soon after-
lived in their birth town of Lewiston, Maine. Their youngest ward, she wen[...]family relocated to Dillon, probably in died of blood poisoning and peritonitis at the home of her
1881 or 1882. They operated the Dillon Hotel,[...]e was buried in the
Mary Ann was the proprietress of a millinery and dressmak- McCune plo[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (171)[...]n County, Maine, on September 7, 1867, the second of five
children. His parents were William Jackson D[...]ine (Hattie) Huff was the 14th and youngest child of Wil-
liam Hamilton Huff and Sarah Ann Graham. She[...]and his bride, Harriet
lon by the local Justice of the Peace, Simeon Estes, Roy's[...]ey, came by train to Dillon Drown got out logs for a house they built by a cold water
for a visit. She took the oldest child Harry back to Lewiston, spring on Middle Creek.
Maine, for an extended visit.[...]whose fa-
returned to Lewiston. They lived there for several months. ther Henderson· Franklin S[...]ed to Montana in 1921. Hattie
lived with his aunt for two and a half years. and her[...]tie's sister Angeline Taylor's ranch south of Dillon. Roy
tember 22, 1905, Estella Alice on Jul[...]Dingley and the older children, with the help of their cousin,
ine Berniece on August 24, 1908, al[...]re permitted to live in the house but had the use of
portant belongings and headed for Middle Creek, Idaho, only two rooms. Th[...]blood poisoning and erysipelas, an acute disease of the
older children drove the stock. The rest of their belongings skin also called St A[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (172)ered, she lost the use of her arm. They moved to Dillon and
lived on Thompson Avenue where Hattie died of breast
cancer March 5, 1925.
Roy rented the Pr[...]per 8 now
stands, and farmed potatoes and alfalfa for several years.
He married Sarah Silverthorne April 12, 1926. She died of a
heart attack on May 1, 1933, at the Prophet pla[...]an Conservation Corps in
1935, Roy used the money that was sent home to purchase
land on Madison Street[...]e new ranch. They were operating a
ers in Dillon. For a while he had a team and did custom dai[...]rsevered in the the time he first heard that the place was for sale. They
spirit of the strong New Englander that he was. started haying almost from the first day with help from
(Biographies of the eleven Dingley children will be pre- nei[...]ket rack and onto the stack. They put up 140 tons of[...]6, 1858. living. The land and hay were ideal for stock cattle. They
In June 1879 Silas and his wife, Melinda, along with his were fattened ready for market on nothing but good home-
father and mothe[...]desert claims adjoin-
jobs. They burned charcoal for silver smelters, did furnace ing their son's land. Silas bought out several of his neigh-
work, took logging contracts and freighted ore and supplies. bor's parcels of 320 acres each. As soon as the boys were old
I[...]with
been working in the Big Hole Basin, told him that B.O. a school section he leased for $40 per year, brought the
Fournier, near the present town of Jackson, had a 120-acre acreage close to 40[...]ial records as manager. The well-known
poles, all for $450. He and his father thought this was a good[...]1.
horse wagon with enough furniture to get along for a while In building his own spread, Sila[...]that there were good profits in buying and selling liv[...]They were mostly young steers that would make fast gains[...]Silas and one of his sons would ride to Red Rock, leave[...]Partly because of Melinda's failing health, Silas sold the[...]Melinda's death he spent much of his time visiting his chil-
Four-horse feeding teams for Dishno cattle dren. Fred[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (173)[...]rn in
Red Oak, Iowa, July 24, 1873. He spent most of his youth in
Colorado with his parents, two broth[...]t Desert Hot
Springs, Calif. Jimmy was a resident of Beaverhead and
Silver Bow Counties since 1890. Wh[...]o sons, James "Buster" Dodd and Jack
Dodd.
One of his main interests was ranching and the cattle
in[...]me involved in cattle
buying and was probably one of the best in this area. He had[...]a lady (Augusta Simonsen) to care for the family and later[...]houses in Dillon, one on South Washington Street that Les[...]James M. (Jimmy) Dodd died of pneumonia at his home[...]Territory of Montana and settled in the area of the Big Hole
Beaverhead County. While buying cattle he located on a Valley, now known as Wise River. They later moved to
ranch he bought in the Centennial Valley, now owned by Dewey, Montana. Margaret[...]in Lakeview this reside in this part of the Big Hole Valley.
side of the Ranger Station.[...]nd to become a millwright. He worked at his trade of
and fed them until fall when he would sell them. In those millwrighting in many of the gold and silver strikes in Mon-
days there we[...]ansactions were done over the telephone. of the richest silver deposits in Montana. A remanant of his
Young boys, along with Jimmy's own two, Buste[...]e on the ranch in the Centennial, Jimmy built one of Issac Dodgson's brother, Charles Lutwige Dodgson, was
the first jack fences, parts of which are still standing today. an English mathmetician, and is best known for having
As his buying became well known he acted as a buyer for written the children's books of "Alice's Adventures in Won-
Hansen Packing Company of Butte. Although he was a very derland" and others, under the pen name of Lewis Carroll.
busy man he always found time for his family to have recrea- Issac Dodgson w[...]Their sons, George and Tyson, were both ranchers for
His wife Betty died when the boys were[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (174)[...]d in Melrose, Montana, where he raised his
family of three boys and one daughter: Sherman, Issac, Wil-[...]to Polson, Montana.
Mary Dean was the daughter of Clara Truman and Abra-
ham Lincoln Dean. Her mother, Clara Truman, was the
daughter of Caroline Shaw Truman and John B. Truman.[...]years of schooling, he divided his time farming with his[...]r, George Woodworth, who owned the C-D
Caryl, and I reside in Wise River.[...]John Donegan was born in 1870 on the upper Ruby Valley ment after a "run-away" was never-ending.
and later worked for R. T. Boatman on his ranch in the In the spring of 1915 Emmett and Dresdin Shields pur-
Centennial Valley. Donegan was an expert horseman and a cha[...]er 15, 1915, Emmett and Mary Plettner, also
Texas that my father brought to the valley from Monida. from Ohio, were married in Butte. They set up housekeep-
John told me in later years that the winters would be so ing on the Shelly ranch. After purchasing another ranch,
bad in the valley at times my mother would place a lamp or they moved and lived on that ranch until selling out in
lantern in the window of the house so they could find their August, 1917, to James R. Baird of Heber City, Utah, for
way back after being out to feed the animals.[...]e born to Emmett
puppy as he was going to be gone for awhile. Several days and Mary: Katherine an[...]rnton Whitehall (Montana) and the Centennial Valley near Mon-
ran and got it.[...]. During their years in
John had the reputation of being able to catch fish when Whitehall, Emmett served as County Commissioner for 16
there weren't any fish in the stream. years and 12 years as a board member for the Whitehall
John worked for several other ranchers in the valley, the Public Schools.
Brays and the Centennial[...]1967, they moved to Boze-
John lived in Dillon for a time in the 1940s, then moved to man, Montana[...]50. south to Brawly, Calif., for the winter months. To be close to[...]and around Brawly-a great challenge for him during the[...]In the spring of 1975 Emmett passed away at the age of 86
Emmett Douglass was born September 30, 1889, to Al and and Mary passed away in 1983 at the age of 91. Bot h are
Margaret Douglass at Bryan,[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (175)[...](then Springhill) in the fall of 1878.[...]9) Pete Downing worked briefly for the Union Pacific Rail-

One of the best ranch deals ever made in the Big Hole
Valley was consummated last week when Emmett Douglass
sold to James R. Baird of Heber City, Utah, for $100,000
cash.
We say it is one of the best deals because of the excellency
of the ranch and equipment and the superior stock that goes
with it. Mr. Douglass reserves his lambs onl[...]family leaves.
The deal comprises 2,407 acres of land, together with the
stock and machinery belonging thereto, and 1,900 head of
two-year-old ewes.
Mr. Douglass may spend the[...]pehanger a bunch. You can hear the
howl every day that opportunities no longer exist as they did
when the country was new; that a poor man cannot get
ahead; that the young man has no chance to expand.[...]nd Lima. Born in
a green Buckeye and went to work for $40 a month. Is there Clay County, Texas,[...]t beneath the sun where brains and energy do more for 1941, and is buried in Lima cemetery.
a man, young or old, than the Valley of the Big Hole? Ulysses Grant and El[...]there?" glimpse of Montana was at the heels of several thousand
head of cattle, though it was not at the same time or tog[...]in Lima first, joined in the late fall of 1878 by the William
youngest of nine children. Brothers were Abraham Lincoln Campbell Patterson family, consisting of William, his third
(Link), and Ulysses Grant, hal[...](though some of these sons may have been born after arriv-[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (176)[...]man for about a year, then to Three Forks in 1909. After[...]and Lizzie became nomads for a while, after selling their[...]-FERN GOODMAN
Texas, when one of Ulysses' brothers married one of Lizzie's
nieces. Elizabeth, known most of her life to her friends as
"Lizzie", never forg[...]er subscription selling contest was the founda-
that "the night before we left, our sod shanty caught fire and tion of the Doyle family in Centennial Valley.
burned up the first pair of shoes I'd ever owned and I had to In 1902, Johanna (Jo) Noonan came ou[...]g young
4, 1878, with a cattle drive consisting of many families head- lady came from her home in Perry, Missouri, where she was
ed for the "green grass of Montana" and a new life. The long born on Jun[...]lasted seven months and the group arrived so late that subscriptions to the BUTTE MINER. Her sellin[...]en. They were unable to to the Centennial Valley where her cousins, the T.F. O'Con-
· build shelter or forage feed for their cattle and by spring nors, had a ranch[...]to Henry's Lake,
Lizzie's father had lost most of his cattle to starvation or Idaho, where she[...]the dashing young foreman
freezing, as had most of the others. Thus ended her father's of the Sherman Ranch. Selling the most subscriptions[...]Columbus, Ohio, to become a doctor and practiced for Fair trip she came to the Valley and "took up" a homestead
six months before dec[...]was born on October 27, 187 4. He drove stage for the Yel-
and a black horse" as Lizzie told it,[...]o to lowstone Park Company before going to work for the Sher-
marry his first wife's older sister a[...]he bank mans.
failed and he lost everything. That wife died also and he Jim and Jo were m[...]e they then met the Oregon Short Line for Monida; from Monida they drove the
Pattersons,[...]22 miles to the Blake Ranch (now Huntsman's) for the
In Lima, Grant eventually began courting his former wedding dance and party that Mame Blake had arranged
playmate when she was 14 years old, but both families ob- for them.
jected strenuously. Lizzie had become a m[...]They made their home on the Sherman Ranch for a year
younger brothers when her mother develop[...]ke City. Valley in partnership with Mrs. Doyle's brother, Frank[...]m). Both Jo and
who by now had become a Justice of the Peace, relented long Jim were civic mind[...]ugh to marry them on October 7, 1890, at the home of education. They always "boarded t[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (177)[...]the University of Montana then worked for the Montana[...]taking loving care of their daughter, Jo K., and keeping[...]A family by the name of Dries lived on upper Thompson[...]ed in an accident with a horse in 1908 at the age of[...]s moved to the Winslow Ranch, about 20 miles east of 1882, the seventh child of George Wesley Drown and Eliza-
Monida. Their son,[...]August 1884.
adjoining homestead from Ray Tipton for use as grazing Alma May Seybold and he[...]youngest children of John Vinson Seybold and his wife Mar-
Mr. Doyl[...]r family to Lima
getting a phone line through the Valley. Jim was always when the mines began to p[...]atic Cen- young Edward Drown.
tral Committeeman for many years. The Doyles were fine, When[...]returned to Lima where they lived and farmed for ten years.
barn on the ranch was built by Marcus Daly in the 1800s. Some of their children were born near Lima: Edward Ray in
The ranch was so located that it made a good stopping place 1901, Marcus We[...]ert William in 1903, Bert
in the winter, when the Valley was "snowed in," and Jim Oliver in 1905,[...]asant, filled 1909 near Dell. Ed herded sheep for several seasons in the
with love and caring. Reading and playing games, especially Lima and Centennial Valley areas.
cards, were their main forms of entert ainment. For a brief period they lived in Washington state whe[...]ted from Montana State young children. Of Alma and Ed's 11 children, eight lived
Normal Col[...]e
and Power and to serve as County Superintendent of ownership of a horse, possibly augmented by a long-stand-
Scho[...]Isabell taught in Armstead, Bo- ing dislike for each other, and some heavy drinking on the
zeman[...]argaret graduated from the Great Falls part of Bogus. Bogus left Dubois and sought out Ed[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (178)[...]George had been to America for several years, making[...]Missouri before coming to Kidd to work for the late Henry[...]the Hess Ranch. That fall they moved to Kidd where George[...]mily, L to R: Francis, Wesley, Calvin, that time there were four passenger trains going throu[...]valley each day.
mother Alma May, father Ed. Taken 1915[...]could fire his revolver. They worked this farm for three years before moving to a
Ed died from a thi[...]James
was shot in the stomach and lingered until that night when and Elaine Munday. While here thei[...]wagon) route from Little Sheep Cr.eek that picked up the
Edward Drown left his widow Alma with eight youngsters children from the valley. There were a dozen children going
to care for. In 1921 she married Louis Clausen Anderson in to school from that area.
Dubois. They had a son, Louis Anderson, who[...]mile or so northwest of the Gleed property. Here they lived
Of the Drown children, most lived their adult lives[...]School which was located where the north-
County for many years. bound lane of the overpass goes over the lane to Palmer's
The[...]over the decades. Alma and Louie An- At that time there were dry years. In 1919, George plante[...]n in 1923 where he leased land from 750 acres of grain and never pulled out a binder-some he
Woods[...]nd grew hay and grain. cut for hay before it burned. Marion always had a big garden
At the time of her death on July 10, 1957 in Terreton, where she grew enough vegetables for the winter and having
Alma had 32 grandchildren a[...]over the valley.
William and Harriett[...]the valley. Tom married Edith McClain and they had four[...]children. Two of them are still in the valley and two are in[...]eir oldest son is in Oregon, one daughter in Wyo-
of Dillon on what was known as Anderson Lane, before[...]wreck at Dell in 1977.
a maternity home in Dillon for many years. When they move[...]The Drummeys had eight boys and eight girls. One of the tucky Avenue was always a show place in t[...]missed all the
until 1950. The district school in that area and time was moisture they had in Engla[...]ER BRUNDAGE England. In the fall of 1914 they had the opportunity to go[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (179)back to visit, but Marion refused because of the war. With a awhile.
family of four and numerous other problems, they couldn't[...]fford to go until World War II. By this time most of their Monida. They lived at Eugene until Ji[...]Lima, Ohio, for a few years where their first daughter Rose[...]e, Mon-
Bert Edwards remained in the Centennial Valley after his tana, where George was employed[...]st his leg in an accident while working in a er for the Hecla Consolidated Mining Company earning
saw[...]was 19 years old at $120 monthly.
the time of the accident. He drove stage in Yellowstone Park[...]in Melrose, which
Idaho side, above Henry's Lake, for a number of years and George bought in 1900 after the[...]n in Ashton, Idaho, in May thresh grain for the neighbors in the area. He owned one of
of 1936. They then bought a ranch in the Alaska Basi[...]first threshing machines and steam engines in the valley
(upper end of the Centennial) where they lived until 1956.[...]ggy passed away in 1960 and traffic for which the b_ridges were designed. George sold War
Bert moved to Antioch, California, near some of his family. Bonds during World War I for which he received a plaque
He passed away in 1965[...]George Eighorn, Sr., died in 1919 with two of his sons[...]Henry served in the U.S. Army in World War I and was[...]"Will" and Susan Edwards came to the Centennial Valley "Washy", in 1964, and Rose, the first born, was the last of
in the early 1890's, when he took up a place on the north side the children to die. Sabina died in 1941.
of the Valley. They raised cattle and put up hay while Will George "Jim" Eighorn, grandson of George Eighorn, Sr.,
also worked for other ranchers to support his family. They resides north of Melrose at Maidenrock with his wife, Glo-
had 13[...]a.
nial. Later the family moved to the south side of the Valley -J[...]l up Reed Canyon.
Will and Susan moved to Lima for a few years, then to
Woodville, Idaho, where they[...]s
James (Jimmy) Edwards lived in the Centennial Valley
for many years. He married Stella Tessimond at Monida[...]there. Jimmy drove stage from Lakeview to Monida
for years. They also had the Summit Hotel in Monida for George and Sabina B[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (180)[...]took on more a:nd more of the responsibility for the store. By[...]less and less active, the management of the store became his[...]e late 1920s he mar-
They came north, the four of them, along the cottonwood- ried Eirene Holli[...]the store in Dillon until he retired in the
Cache Valley across the now dry, prehistoric Lake Bonne- early 1960s. He and Eirene traveled for about eight years
ville up the volcanic canyon an[...]als, Levis, and squaw gloves. And they sold them, I The next year Lambert and Ethel returned to D[...]n, who owned Lambert was the Grand Marshal of the Centennial Parade.
the ranch that lay across the best railroad route, refused to[...]sell, they joined the other merchants and bought that land
for $10,500, and promptly gave the railroad a right-of-way.
Mr. Leonard, the merchant, who also labored for schools[...]candy into children's Eight members of the William Henrick and Amelia Aehle
pockets; Lam[...]three brothers Beaverhead county near the turn of the century, though not
when, in 1888, he went to[...]he same time. The first was probably Minnie, wife of
Lizzie; Adolph, "Doc", the pharmacist with a passion for Bill Kenison, who came in 1898. Because of their enthusi-
health; and Frank, omnivorous reader, member of the State asm for the area, others followed. In the order of their ages,
Legislature, and one of the men dedicated to the founding not the date of their arrival here because that is not avail-
and continued existence of what is now Western Montana able for all of them, they were:
College. Their cousin, Milton Da[...]pper Blacktail on a ranch called the ranches for a few years, then returned to Missouri where he
J[...]Lambert and Milton didn't stay long. By the turn of the Elizabeth "Lizzie" (187 4) was marrie[...]re in 1899 and went
fessor at Stanford; Leon, one of the founders and the long- to work at the Craver Ranch as a cook where she met Louis
time president of Fairchild Aerial Surveys; and Lambert, Jr. Bell. They were married in January of 1900.
The three boys were raised by Lizzie's family, primarily by Katherine "Kate" (1877). Date of her arrival here is not
their adored Aunt Ada. All of them visited Dillon often and available. She[...]returned to Dillon and the on the Blacktail for many years. She married Harry Foust
family store. One of Milton's children, John, lives in Laguna and in[...]children. They settled on a dry farm east of Dillon and[...]ano for dances in the neighborhood where they lived. They[...]moved to the state of Washington in 1922.[...]operated a ranch of his own on the East Bench near Dillon.[...]World War I, and spent 11 months in France fighting to[...]make "the world safe for democracy." He never married. In[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (181)[...]ns whose contributions to this area should not be for- Bannack and Dillon. We have had family reuni[...]e Method- later married a man by the name of Kennison sometime
ist Church. She told stories of Christmases in Bannack between 1847 and[...]alled the excitement It was from Missouri that Thomas (Tom) went west,
as men climbed on a ladder and called names for presents. crossing the plains with oxen and arriving at Bannack in
Mother talked a lot of the people and happenings in Ban- 1863. After two years he returned to Missouri for a year,
nack. Her grandmother had lived there when Henry Plum- crossing the plains for a third time to return to Bannack in
mer was hung and had a boarding house at that time. A lot of 1876. Cordelia Rosemary Romain came across th[...]to Ban-
Her father worked on the first dredge that came there and nack and there she met Thomas.[...]ed. Tom freighted by oxen to Pioche, Nevada,
fall of 1912. After moving to Idaho, she remarked that she until the railroad was buHt, and in 187[...]such poor people in Montana as there were for General Howard during the Indian War.
in Idaho.[...]He followed ranching and stock raising for about 34 years
My parents had eight children a[...]uld Thomas and Cordelia moved to Colville Valley in Wash-
have worked longer. She died in Pocatello, Idaho, December ington in 1913 and later that same year to Meyers Falls,
1, 1979, at 90. She re[...]arden, tended his
her back to her beloved Bannack for the last time. fruit trees, berry b[...]cow named Charm.
Mother always had great love for that area, a love that was I am the daughter of Ted Ellis, their youngest child, and[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (182)we lived across the road from their place as I grew up. I have age. His first building was a small cabin with a dirt floor. A
happy memories of my grandparents and Grandpa's obitu- short time later, he built a number of log buildings, a frame
ary must have been written by someone who knew him as I barn and sheep shed farther down the riv[...]ed located about two miles away on the other side of the
nine years were spent in darkness. He was a p[...]ly. His place was always open and a popular place for In 1895, Fred and Weldon received a let[...]ast and as hard as they could, couldn't get there for the[...]died. I was told hers was the first funeral in the Wisdom[...]Big Hole for a number of years and was married to Estelle
Smyth of Anaconda.[...]ckland, New
Brunswick, November 12, 1873, the son of George E. and
Rebecca Siggins Else. He came to Mo[...]895, Weldon located a homestead on the North Fork
of the Big Hole River, about 12 miles from Wisdom. L[...]Weldon and Annie Else
he bought out some of his neighbors and extended his acre-[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (183)[...]mes was born in 1921. He married Tina Carpen-
ter of Walkerville. They live on the Else Ranch.
The ranch was an ideal place for a large family. There was
a hill for skiing and sledding, ponds for skating, a wonderful
swimming hole behind the barn, plenty of horses to ride and
a stream to fish in.[...]Esterwold Ranch
In January, 1925, some of the children came down with
whooping cough. Annie[...]neu-
monia. She died leaving Weldon with a number of small
children. He managed to keep them all toget[...]At this writing there are 140 living descendants of this
couple.[...]fixture and burned with an open flame. This type of
Frank Esterwold[...]us and eventually gave way to
Frank Esterwold, of Dutch-German descent, homestead- home ge[...]ricity, a small generator with storage
ed a tract of 320 acres on upper Coyote Creek in 1905. He[...]Simeon Estes
owners of this ranch include Denton Hughes, George[...]Maine, the third of 10 children born to David and Mary Ann
Frank moved to Dillon. He was married in the early for- (Grant) Estes. In 1855 he moved to Mobile,[...]re spent doing ranch work. He also chase of damaged cotton, which was resorted, rebaled and
worked for the city of Dillon in the Street and Alley Depart- sold.
m[...]a, where he worked as a
An interesting feature of his log cabin on Coyote Creek painter until[...]tes opened a feed stable in Bannack. On the night of
January 10, 1864, he was one of several members of the local[...]years, he was haunted by the possibility of having been
involved with the hanging of innocent boys and men.[...]er and farmed and raised livestock. In the spring of 1866,

186-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (184)[...]March 31, 1881. One of the witnesses to the ceremony was[...]Dillon would drive out for an enjoyable excursion, often[...]returning in the wee hours of the morning.[...]ved to Dillon. He operated a
Simeon Estes, member of the Montana Territorial[...]d to house the prisoners sentenced by
· House of Representatives in 1868-69.[...]the local court, a possible conflict of interest since he was
Simeon married Mrs. Rebecca Jackson, nee Billings, who the local Justice of the Peace and the jail was located in the
was als[...]tive. They arranged to meet in Council rear of his own saloon. He ran a livery stable in Dillon[...]rtner, Robert W. Bammer.
Montana Territory by way of Lander's cutoff and Soda "Uncle Sim[...]ngley came to Beaverhead County
While a member of the Territorial House of Representa- in 1881. The sons of his sister Rachel Eliza Dingley, Fred
tives in 1868-69, he had a special concern for roads. As a and Royal Dingley, came to Dillon in the 1880s. His sister
member of the Public Lands Committee, he helped pass an[...]hter, Lillian Hackett Hanson (later
appropriation of $25,000 for the purpose of laying out and Culver), came to the Watson S[...]r Star in Madison C~nty to the housekeeper for awhile before moving to Dillon to open a
summit of the Rocky Mountains on Medicine Lodge Creek[...]Helena in Montana Territory. He lobbied actively for the Hattie Estes died on October 8, 1904,[...]hilip Lovell and operated the stage station, post of- tain View Cemetery.
fice, hotel and general[...]e line between Although he had no children of his own, he left a heritage
Salt Lake City and Fo[...]relatives, friends and neighbors, and as Justice of
verhead Wagon Road." the 1870 census identifies the area the Peace for decades, his name can be found on many
as Ryan post office, Beaverhead Valley township. marriage licenses in Bea[...]tes was a
The wayside station provided a place for changing horses, firm supporter of Beaverhead Valley all his life.
dinner for the passengers, and a bed for the night if needed.
Among his acquaintances whil[...]-SALLY GARRETT DINGLEY
was Tendoy, chief of the Lemhi.
Rebecca Estes died in 1880 and is b[...]and the stage station soon after,
partly put out of business by the coming of the Utah North- Born in Anamoose, North Da[...]e to the Centennial in 1908 with
Estes was one of the wheelhorses of the Democratic Party. his parents. When they were living in Anamoose, for the two
He was Justice of the Peace for many years. Sim Estes was years his mother taught school, Wes stayed with a German
one of a dozen men who formed a land company to purchase[...]to speak German first. When he'd go
the town site for Dillon from local rancher Richard Deacon hom[...]vestment tana.
was $87 5. The actual signing of the deed took place on a hot Teachers lived at the various homes of the students and,
sunny day (September 16,[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (185)[...]began speculating on what it would be like to hang someone.[...]of a pair of shoes, tied one end to the telephone and the[...]milking one of the cows.
Wes lived in the Valley until he married Edith Fordyce in[...]was one of 13 children. When he reached school age he was
Fa[...]Minnesota. He married Hattie Amelia Hunt in
fond of kids because she used to knock Wes out of the buggy Anamoose, North Dakota, where th[...]In 1908, the family came to the Centennial Valley, filing
children got in school they rode horses,[...]n plemented the family income working for neighbors when
they got corduroys built across th[...]grades) in the one-room school. first dam that was put in at Hebgen Lake. Other jobs includ-
Age[...]as
At recess the teenagers had their own form of recreation: well as maintenance w9rk on the roads in the Valley for
taking the little boys by the heels and dipping t[...]un! It In the 1920s they had a long series of earthquakes, as
sounds like there just wasn't very much in the way of disci- many as 25 a day. One day had been e[...]fied with
them to put on over their shirt sleeves for the rest of the day. fear. He lived about two miles from th[...]staring and he finally stammered out this story: "I was in
the Milk River, and on up to the Canadian[...]the house when the whole world started shaking. I ran out-
threshing crew. Part of the time he was feeding the straw side and climbed up on a pile of fence posts, they fell down
into the steam engine[...]he power. Hard work, but and all over me. I ran to Jim's, there wasn't nobody there
the food[...]ight and they was all gone at Herb's too. I thought the world was
and quit after dark, they w[...]Mother Nature was really getting her kicks.
load for each trip. In the late 20s he started taking hay[...]ust
and an electrical storm came up. They had one of the old too damn close to my eyes."
wal[...]coal oil so we can see." Monte stood up, looked
That same telephone contributed to another escapade.[...]e time again and Wes and Fannie hell! I'm not going out there in the dark, alone."[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (186)[...]back east on the train with a setting of duck eggs on her lap.
That must have been quite an experience, but a practic[...]ts in watercolor painting and oils. She sold many of her[...]Thornville, Ohio, November 28, 1888, the eldest of eight
Ruth, David, Edith and Hattie holding Do[...]duated from a business col-
They moved from the Valley to Armstead around 1935. lege in Zanes[...]ther encouraged by the exciting tales of Montana from his[...]first job was in a law office and was of short duration. His[...]andished. Joe fled the office in terror, deciding that fron-
tier legal justice was not for a tenderfoot from Ohio.
Born May 20, 1884, in A[...]positions with the County, the most intriguing of which was
just 20 miles from where they lived. Sh[...]he Treasurer and Assessor. As an assessor and tax
of this and the coinciding fears in her early childh[...]averhead County on horseback, ap-
About 1903, all of her family moved back to Virginia, so she pra[...]ence and personal, and poor. At the outbreak of World War I, Joe was
Gilbert.[...]kota, and in ed and led a local contingent of volunteers to Fort George
1906 she married "Tom"[...]on, Florida. As a top
they came to the Centennial Valley and took up their home- sergeant in a Remount pack team, he served with the AEF
stead in the east end of the Valley. in France.
Their o[...]Armistice he returned to Montana, where on
by one of the two mid-wives: Mamie "Ma" Buck or "Aunt"[...]ivered couple caught the train and headed for Ohio to manage the
by his oldest sister, Fannie,[...]is isn't a very common with Joe working for the Clerk and Recorder. Later he
occurrence.[...]aster, then managed the Em-
Fannie was somewhat of a curiosity. "Ma" Buck made the ployment[...]Service during World
delivery and being the dead of winter, February 22, this was War II, owned a[...]the Credit Bureau in connec-
something in the way of news. It spread via the "grapevine" tion with being the local agent for State Farm Insurance
and one of the neighbor women made a call to see the newest[...]nd. The oldest girl
said, "Well what do you think of her, Jesse?" After a few in a family of nine children, she was christened Anna Maria.
seconds of deliberation she growled, "Guess she's alright -[...]ridges
but cats look pretty damn good to me." End of discussion. area where she attended[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (187)[...]Anna and Joe reared five daughters, all of whom married[...]enthusiastic mother, looking for innovative ways to accom-[...]a small group of customers in the neighborhood, raised rab-[...]source of countless jokes, particularly puns.[...]David and Florence
to a ranch south of Butte.[...]d a three-year High School course with a Bachelor of 13, 1870, in Hardin County, Ken., to Jared[...]ri where he grew up.
teaching in the Centennial Valley. That session in a rural Ernest came west as a y[...]ked on the
school lasted six months with a salary of $65 a month. She dredges in Alder Gulch. He w[...]rather a tough old bird. One time he was waiting for the
dren rode horseback to the schoolhouse.[...]in at the Dell Hotel -in Dell. Passengers waiting for the
Ann graduated from Montana Normal School i[...]cher in Butte schools, lat- have someone listen for the train whistle. Then they would
er a teacher i[...]asin Creek. Her youngest brother, John, pair of overshoes. When he came out to run over to the
was one of her students at Basin Creek.[...]ome 70 years ago.
Legion Auxiliary, and World War I Veterans Auxiliary. She He and Tex Kellne[...]ded valuable assistance to Joe, when as Commander of did a lot of fur trapping. One day when riding a trap line, hi[...]throughout the state. horse fell and one of Tan's legs was broken badly. It was 20
Joe was[...]ans' affairs. He was a charter member and
founder of Beaverhead Post 20 of the American Legion.
Later he became State Commander of the Veterans of
World War I. An active member of the Masonic Lodge, he
held every Lodge office. He was a founder and active mem-
ber of the Loyal Order of Moose. He was a member and
treasurer of the Grace Methodist Church.
Joe was an[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (188) or 30 degrees below zero. He knew if he let go of old Shorty,
he would freeze to death so he hung[...]fight
Indians and too old to fly airplanes. One of his uncles was
with Custer.[...]sed to go to well-to-
do homes and make clothes for entire families. She came to
visit her sister,[...]rhead
County, teaching school in the Centennial Valley and later He and Florence Streb were marr[...]fornia in about 1923, where he worked acres of land. He ranched on that place for 20 years raising
in the oil fields, but returne[...]small. He used these horses as he had the job of carrying the
sheep. He then worked for Sweeney and Rogers. mail for awhile and it took a good team to make those hard[...]buried in About 1915, with the help of a neighbor by the name of
' Mountain View Cemetery, Dillon.[...]needed a lunch bucket for school. He was a pipe smoker and
Gebhard Fass[...]wo older brothers Alois, always had a lot of those old time tobacco cans on hand. No
called[...]h, known as "Frank," to Mon- one sees those kind of tins any more. One had "Union Lead-
tana in the[...]. Two children born to them in a report that he wasn't exactly on schedule. It was later
die[...]1906 and one in 1908 and are buried in learned that Faten received a fine. However, all it amounted[...]Frank, born Aug. 7, 1885, arrived in December of 1908. He sen) said .had he known that was all there would be to it, he
worked on his[...]ver been known to dry up no matter how dry a year that
homestead for awhile, but decided city life would be better,[...]mans, Ger- Bitteroot. It was later learned that he bought a car and
many, and came to Beaverhea[...]d he hated, was herding sheep at The last that was heard of Dick Faten, he was living at
Monida Pass.[...]e returned to Germany in about 1918 with the idea of[...]rly came west with their par-
was one mile west of Melrose on Trapper Creek.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (189)[...]in the family until 1946.
James Mauldin, brother of William, owned the Diamond 0
Ranch. He brought th[...]iver·.
George Featherly married Louise Ehrick of Butte and the
young couple went to the ranch of the parents. George was
active in community affai[...]credited with organiz-
ing agriculture committees for the improvement of the in-
dustry. He brought in such mechanical aid[...]xtension. In 1916 James Febes was one of the early pioneers who came to
George was elected to the Senate of the State Legislature Beaverhead County, lured by the discovery of gold. Mr.
and served in the sessions of 1918 and 1919. George and Febes was born[...]in Butte in many battles with the Company T of the 11th Illinois Vol-
1916. He worked on the ran[...]Febes and a partner found $3,000 worth of gold in one
where he started the Beaverhead Bar S[...]he ness and had their corrals at the forks of the Blacktail. Mr.
ranch. He also worked for Graeter-Waldorf for several years Febes also owned property on wha[...]ing in There is a story about his nickname of "Pickhandle Jim".
1915. He worked for the county as a mechanic and drove the This c[...]another
Sarah worked in the Dillon Steam Laundry for many years. wheel on the promise of it being returned shortly. The man
Albert had a g[...]corrals Mr. Febes refused, men-
Davis. He worked for the city for many years, then moved to tioning the broken p[...]led to an altercation with
Helena where he worked for the city. the stranger[...]Mr. Febes was a
Nancy married Emyrs White, son of B. F. White, presi- small man so he grabbed a pickhandle and beat up the
dent of the First National Bank and a prominent Dillon[...]Joe C. Faller was a grand-nephew of Mr. Febes, who was
Cecil, born in 1897, homest[...]illon. Mr. Febes remained
and worked on the ranch for many years before moving to a bachelor all of his life. He died in Dillon June 10, 1912 and
Cal[...]rried Andrew Gilbert and had a dairy on the ranch for a
few years. They moved to Seattle and later divo[...]one late 1880s with the railroad. A native of England, he was
Kenith Featherly, living in Dillo[...]rn to this couple. Commander of the Guard in 1896.
Louise Featherly died in 19[...]e-Examiner Centennial Edi- as a cook for railroad crews in Lima, Red Rock, Dillon,[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (190)[...]ed in a bustle of steam, clanking side-rods, ringing bells and,[...]major movement through Lima at one time was coke for
Editor's Note: The following account of the history of the Anaconda Co. When ACM converted to[...]partitioned and eight stalls removed from
ployee of Union Pacific, now living in Idaho.[...]of the roundhouse was torn down, a new wall erected[...]Pacific only four stalls were left for engine housing. At the same
property entered Mont[...]n service, was removed.
tana were erected at Lima that year. After loss by fire of the When World War II came on the heels of this, the round-
first wooden roundhouse in 1902,[...]was finished in 1903. This roundhouse was modern for its signment at Lima rose to a total of 11 Mikado and 2-10-2
time and in it all necessary[...]uld be made to the class locomotives most of the time. Many engines were nev-
largest power in use, the Consolidation type locomotive. er housed except for monthly, quarterly, semi-annual in-
Number 12[...]op pit" where an engine's spections and for repairs of more than the running variety.
boiler could be ta[...]hed steam to heat the roundhouse as tricts. For a few short years, Lima was rocked by the savage,[...]s places in the Lima railyard. driving thunder of 3500 class 2-8-8-0 Malletts and marveled
It also powered a direct current electrical generator for at the flashing speed and brute power of the Challengers.
roundhouse, depot and yard light[...]. This engine was equally at home on the head end of
engines could be housed, a huge black coal chute[...]k, pulling the con-
the surrounding installations like a young mountain. sist of No. 35, the Butte Special, casually behind it.[...]were a considerable complex. On them the business of house was closed. Lima never recovered from this crushing
caring for locomotives went on almost constantly. But[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (191)[...]change of operation to Dillon. It is a fact that movers and
The passenger train was cut from da[...]ade the Union
vice and two more fell. Then a loss of two jobs at the depot in Pacific to move its shops, yards and all appurtenances to
fairly recent times. That change of operation, long talked of, Dillon.
completed 24 years of agony for this tiny high-mountain The unsucces[...]ad three names. It was first Alerdyce, then
As for the physical plant, little trace remains. The rou[...]elegraph station call is "RD,"
house was stripped of machines and burned in 1957. The taken[...]locomotive water ago on this railroad, but for almost 19 years metallic Morse
standpipes were ta[...]emoved. code sang down the wires. "RD" for Alerdyce, "RD" for
The remaining yard tracks, except No. l lead, went in 1972. Spring Hill, "RD" for Lima.
Besides the main line, only the house track, the stockyard But there are memories for some of us. There is the sound,
track and the "wye" on wh[...]is a huffing, grunting counterpoint of exhausts exploding as
turned, remain.[...]two huge Malletts wrestle a southbound train out of town,
A three-story ice house, 20 by 40 feet,[...]nting
The water tank was sold in the early 1960s. Of 15 houses tension of an impending arrival of the work needed to get
once owned by the Union Pacific and occupied by employ- the train out of town.
ees, only three remain. The depot will go a[...]torn down ings in quick, explosive exhalations of compressed air. Hot
by railroad crews and the last vestige of the operation will be cinders, glowing with fir[...]t into an empty tender and water by the thousands of
ago. The last move completed gutting of the town. Aside gallons gushes into a d[...]a twinkling,
other effects just as serious. Three of four members of the flamboyant "high ball" and the Hogger w[...]rot-
town council and the mayor had to leave. One of the town's tle. And Morse will clatter in[...]For the people left behind in Lima, time is passing.[...]many people now in Lima
victim to it. The advent of bigger, better steam engines was never had t[...]n the rampaging thun-
instrumental in the closing of helper stations at Dillon, der of the magnificent Challengers. They never heard the[...]Lima exhaust, the hesitant, poetic rhythm of the one-lung gas
for many years.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (192)THE CITY OF DILLON narrow margin. Unsuccessful in that proposal, the railroad[...]then suggested building 130 miles of track in the territory in
AND return for fifteen years of exemption from taxation. This[...]urned down and the line was eventually
THE COMING OF THE[...]the residents of Montana were estimated to be paying ap-[...]eight charges per year and it was
From the time of the Stevens survey in 1853-55, Montan- thought that the railroad would reduce that amount by one-
ans had lived in the hopes of a railroad. With a population half.
growt[...]rested in the region.
or quartz, an actual demand for rail service developed. The Both the North[...]anies proposed
volved, as they were producing ore of such quality and in building to the heart of the silver mining country at Butte
such amounts b[...]ers in Montana at reached Montana first.
that time, the closest being in Utah.[...]north, they exper-
This situation led to plans for a railroad from the south. ienced difficult[...]ters as well as a an Reservation north of Pocatello because they could not
connection with the transcontinental Union Pacific that obtain a right of way. Many different proposals were !!lade
had completed its line at Promontory Summit north of the and rejected until one official hit upon the idea of giving the
Great Salt Lake in 1869. However, peop[...]Indians enjoyed
route. It was considered unlikely that the territory would the privilege so much that they would meet a train on one
ever have two lines. The Northern Pacific had reached the end of the reservation, ride to the other end, and then[...]Bismarck, Dakota Territory, in 1873. Be- for another train and so on.
cause of the depression and financial panic, the railhead[...]ine soon reached Eagle Rock (Idaho
remained there for about five years. Around 1878 the line Falls) and proceeded north. The southern border of Mon-
began to revive with federal land grants, an[...]tana Territory was aproached in the fall of 1879, and the
time construction was starting in U[...]. Railroad
This railroad, originated by members of the Brigham officials had predicted that they would reach Big Sheep
Young family, intended[...]) before winter, but the severe weather
and south of the Union Pacific Lines. By 1878 the line had[...]ers stopped at Beaver
and Northern. In the spring of 1878, the railroad construct- Canyon, so did the movable town of Terminus. Terminus
ed forty miles of a track north of the Utah-Idaho border and was an instant town that was established wherever it was
asked the legislature of Montana to subsidize them in the conveni[...]o. Terminus was located at different times
amount of $5,000 for every mile of track laid. The legislature at the present site of Spencer, Idaho; Red Rock (Dell), Dil-
approved th[...]Traveling along with Terminus was a group of enterpris-
ing businessmen. One of them was a forty-two year old man
never walked by[...]named Benjamin Franklin White. White, a man of many
of hot steel, hot steam and hot oil.[...]viously been a sailor, a salt maker, a freight-
For its Centennial year 1969, the Union Pacific engag[...]fruit grower. In 1879, he was the principal agent for
railroad artist Howard Fogg of Boulder, Colo., to do the the Utah and Northern. For a commission, his company of
pictures. He photographed the Lima Peaks, under which Sebree, Ferris, White received shipments of merchandise,
Lima nestles, and did a water color[...]ot to be. But it is in a booklet freight wagons for shipment to Butte, Helena, or other
the railroad published in its Centennial year. He says of it, points in Montana.
"One of the most beautiful spots on the entire UP system." Other residents of Terminus were carpenters and tent
So, another t[...]lacksmiths, hotel and restaurant or sa-
the snarl of 20,000 diesel horses and shake the earth with the[...]dry goods clerks and other merchants kept
hammer of steel wheels on steel rails.[...]s in this, the first railroad town residents of Terminus. The town usually consisted of about
ever in Montana Territory.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (193)[...]stage station where Jim Ryan's toll road neared
for a lumber dealer, kept busy unloading many carloads of Rattlesnake Cliffs. Included in the group w[...]tes.
Washington Dunn decided to renew the laying of rails. It They went to Deacon's place and asked to discuss the pur-
was expected that the first rail would be laid in Montana on cha[...]lked while consuming biscuits, sow belly,
spikes that bore identical inscriptions: "Welcome (Montana[...]ted a ceremony on When Deacon realized that the group was serious, he
March 2, it was held i[...]tist, led the crowd in a few songs and Several of the group objected and wanted to end the discus-
a Miss Rilla Lingo opened bottles of champagne. Telegraph sion then and there.[...]con aside,
messages were received from the mayors of Butte and He- offered him $100 cash on t[...]s were attached to the first silver spike noon of September 13. Deacon accepted, Morse gave him
and the hammer. Captain F.T. Hulaniski, General Agent for $100 from his own pocket and wrote up a si[...]2-2-1-2-1-1. Children from Termi- on a scrap of paper.
nus drove the second spike and Montana cel[...]urveyed and layed out in lots. Helena and
arrival of railroad transportation.[...]exceptionally wide because it
The big question that remained was the route the Utah was suppo[...]ake. Businessmen from Butte and tion of lots was planned for the following Monday. In honor
Helena began to promote their cities to the railroad by of the construction superintendent, the group agreed to call
arguing the advantages of their cities. Utah and Northern the new co[...]ton Dunn was happy about the removal of Deacon from the
By May of 1880, the Utah and Northern had decided they railroad's path, he did not like the proposed name. He sug-
would not extend the t[...]July they had gested Sidney Dillon, President of the Union Pacific Rail-
made the decision to build to Butte, because the mines there road, for the honor. The group agreed and the place became[...]known as Dillon. Sidney Dillon never saw the town that was
machinery. In September the Northern Pacific switched its named for him.
route from Butte to Helena.[...]at Glendale. This camp would have been at of money on a table. Lambert Eliel, acting as trustee, col-
the present location of Melrose. Before the track-laying lected t[...]gave it to Richard Deacon. The deed
crews reached that point, Washington Dunn, the construc- for the property was recorded in the county court hou[...]nnack on September 16, 1880. Listed as purchasers of the
As the building crews proceeded down the B[...]ver, they found their way blocked at the junction of the uel Holt, Simeon Estes, Louis C. Fyhrie[...]White, E.M. Ratcliff, Wilden Pinkham,
by the name of Richard Deacon owned a 480 acre ranch that George Smith, John W. Lowell, and William[...]name does not appear on the deed because he
side of the valley. The railroad had to cross his property but invested through his uncle, John Lowell.
he did not like the railroad or the officials. The railroad[...]n-
could have had the land condemned by the right of eminent ning of Dillon had sprouted on Deacon's ranch. Eager mer-[...]Sweet and Baldwin were operating a general store
for $8,000. out of their tent.
Dunn knew the railroad would not go along with the pur- The auction for the lots began at 2:30. Mrs. John H.
chase, so he approached several of the businessmen of Ter- Kupfer paid $400 in gold for the first Dillon lot at the south-
minus with a d[...]would buy the land and provide a east corner of Montana and Helena streets. James Kirkpat-
right of way, he guaranteed to establish the winter camp a[...]chlessinger, Leonard Eliel and E.N. Ratcliff pur-
that spot instead of further north along the Big Hole River. chased nearby lo~s· for similar prices. In less than a day most
Dunn and the businessmen knew the offer was an attrac- of the prime locations had been sold and the town co[...]ted into a town- quickly sold $14,000 worth of lots and made a profit of
site and lots could be sold at a good profit. The town would $3,500.
be the shipping point for freight and passenger traffic in The instant town of Dillon took shape in ten days. The
Montana[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (194)[...]uld be disassembled and and freight traffic for 40,000 people was all through Dillon.
loaded on[...]he leading hostel- Dillon became the railhead for the Beaverhead and Jeffer-
ry. Through trains co[...]Gulch mining district, and even the
347.6 miles of three-foot gauge track was the longest narrow Gallatin Valley.
gauge line in the world. Utah and Northern crews operated In the spring of 1881, the railroad continued north to
twenty-thr[...]construction took place in Dil-
8:20 A.M. daily for a twenty-four hour trip to Ogden, the lon over the next several years. In September of 1883 the
northbound arrived at 6:40 P.M. Schedul[...]ne reported there was nearly a continuous stretch of
also traveled north and south. Three stage lines[...]rous fires wiped
by a Charley Reeder, fanned out of Dillon to provide passen- out many of the early wooden buildings. When they burned,
ger service to the rest of Montana. Dillon was full of horse, they were usually replaced with well built brick structures.
mule and oxen trains that carried freight throughout Mon- The Corinne Hotel was a victim of fire and was replaced on
tana. By December of 1880, B.F. White reported over thirty- the s[...]l in 1897. The block donat-
three million pounds of freight had arrived by rail and near- ed by the townsite company for a school was bounded by
ly twelve and a half mil[...]ly con-
During the months following September of 1880, the structed two story school wa[...]ces and the second was used
nus through a series of temporary towns made decisions for the school, a courtroom, a theatre, the town auditorium,
that were to make Dillon a permanent one. Townsite off[...]s constructed in 1883 where the
aside free sites for churches and a school. B.F. White opened Jayce[...]the county. B.F. White's bank loaned $4,000 for construc-
along Helena and Montana streets. On O[...]high school
later, the Butte newspaper reported that "Red Rock is a classes. The original bui[...]ained Terminus until by the structure that became known as the Bagley Building.
April of 1881 when Terminus was moved to Melrose. On[...]High School was built on the site of the present building in
In January of 1881, Beaverhead County Representative 1902.
William B. Davis had gone to the 12th session of the Mon- Several prominent homes were c[...]itorial Legislature and introduced a bill calling for that of William C. Orr at the end of Idaho Street. Mr. Orr
an election to move the co[...]1883 and finished it in 1884 or 1885.
Residents of Dillon quickly acted to get the bill through the He later added several large homes in the same area for the
legislature and the election held before the resumption of families of his five sons. Phil Poindexter had built a similar
railroad construction deprived the town of much of its pop- house called the Cottonwoods three miles south of town but
-ulation. The decision of Hiram Brundage, editor of the it was destroyed by fire. Many bric[...]llon be-
per called the Tribune, helped. A group of twenty-two men, came an incorporated city and B.F. White became the first
a combination of townsite officials and ranchers and farm- mayor. White remained the recognized leader of the town
ers who were in the valley when the railroad arrived, for the next forty years and served as the last territorial
pledged $20,000 to pay the cost of moving county records to governor of Montana. Several other Dillon men have served
Di[...]r lieutenant governors. Among them are R.B.
free of cost to the taxpayers for five years. The election was Smith, Edwin L. No[...]Gosman, and J.B. Poindexter who was the governor of the
the county seat by a vote of 665-495. The almost new, Territory of Hawaii.
$14,000 courthouse in Bannack became the[...]t $50,000
Dunn's promise to stop construction for the winter had worth of lots, some of them bringing as much as $3,000.
guaranteed only several months of profitable business. Sev- Dillon's population climbed rapidly and the group of far-
eral things worked in Dillon's favor to cau[...]-CHARLES COOK
barriers that limited access from several directions. As[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (195)[...]oken leg and they had to shoot him but other than that,
Divide to Wisdom Stage[...]back end of the stage on the running gears of his wagon and
Line, Early 1900s[...]On one occasion I got to ride on the stage to Divide where
From what I can learn, this stage line was owned and[...]th head- Dillon, which is the county seat of Beaverhead County,
quarters in Wisdom, Mont., and in the store at Dewey. I where we lived. We boarded the stage at[...]Wise River, and rode in the inside compartment. I don't
who was raised, lived, and had a ranch a few miles north of remember any other passengers but they chang[...]n automobile at
they were short a driver. He said that Wisdom was the main the side of the road. In those days horses were afraid of
headquarters; there they had a blacksmith shop for repair- automobiles. They didn't shy from t[...]the equipment and harness, and kept the many head of was a curved-dash Oldsmobile, probably a[...]Wells, was standing beside it. It
By the time I was five years old I can remember that my looked like a buggy which is probably why the horses wer-
job was to meet the stage as it went up or down the road that en't afraid.
passed our ranch and pick up the mail sack for the ranch. There was only one other automobile in the area and that
The drivers were all friendly, liked kids, and pa[...]Wisdom, and it caused many a runaway of horse rigs. I think
In the morning when the stage left Divide headed for it was a Studebaker, about a 1907 or 190[...], seven miles from Di- regular touring car of that era.
vide. At Dewey they changed the four-horse t[...]got to Divide, the stage pulled in to the Wunder-
that team at Dewey to pick up the afternoon stage from[...]Dewey to Divide. A fresh team was put on at Dewey that derlick took off the lead team and set[...]ssengers seat and got up and rode alongside of me on the way to the
ate their noon meal. At Ralston they put on a fresh team. railroad depot. I can still remember how scared I was be-
This team took the stage to Squaw Creek w[...]seemed a long way from the seat to the ground and I
changed teams again. The Squaw Creek team took the stage held on for dear life thinking I might fall off as the stage
to Wisdom and that completed the trip. The stage that left rocked back and forth.
Wisdom that same day made the same changes and met the As a rule the stage drivers were young men. I have heard it
Divide stage at dinner at Ralston, going on from there to said that drivers as young as 16 would take the stage out.[...]doubt this was true because the one driver that I particular-
It must have required 25 to 32 head of horses to keep the ly liked was very young. I have forgotten his name but, when
stage line operating. Horses are like tires, you have to have I talked to Dave Hirschy about him, Dave verified what I
spares, for horses can get sick, throw a shoe, or go lame at[...]but I doubt it. Anyhow, one evening after he had made his
For excitement there was the occasional runaway, like the run he was murdered at a bar in Wisdom by[...]e driver was quite a fellow to kid
the front axle of the stage looking like a runaway chariot around with people and so[...]. He had the old bridge torn out Although I was only five years old, this fellow was my
and w[...]d and my parents allowed me to go to his funeral. I can
get across the ditch without the bridge. He got the front axle remember that experience as plain as if it was yesterday.
of the stage through the ditch but the rear wheels w[...]l the king pin on the field place just out of Wise River, was rather late in the
front axle bro[...]bring the body from Wisdom
driver with a handful of lines. that day. There was no mortician. The body hd been pre[...]the
neighbor, John Lawrence, about three-quarters of a mile spring wagon showed up from Wisdo[...]he Big Rock and the Watercress made coffin that had been built, lined and prepared by some[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (196)[...]Monida, which lies 70 miles west of Yellowstone Park, is
F. Jay Haynes, the officia[...]near the Continental Divide at the boundary line of Mon-
photographer, recognized that there was no tourist service tana and Id[...]te where the first railroad,
to the west entrance of the park. At this time the Huntley the Utah and Northern (a branch line of the Union Pacific)
Stage Line operated into the p[...]ed entered Montana and became a source for tourists to be[...]ry's Lake in Idaho, and back
It was a bad time for me and I insisted on seeing the body. into Montana at[...]with a return either to Monida or to an
dead man I had ever seen. After the funeral, when the body[...]from another gateway. The outfit first consisted of
was taken to the graveyard, I remember a grown lady crying twelve 11-passenger and four 3-passenger Concord coaches,
and · I couldn't understand it because I thought that old 80 horses, two buggies and 40 emplo[...]much
people didn't cry. My mother explained to me that this lady larger before the end of its operations.
was the boy's mother and it was all right for her to cry. It was a six to eight day round trip from Monida depend-
In later years I talked to Otis Mudd and my friend, Dave i[...]nd. They both told the same story about the posse that couple of saloons at which they could stay and entertain
fo[...]themselves until the stage left.
patch of buck brush as he fled, and before they could cap-[...]miles to keep up a
ture him he committed suicide. That may have been true, fast pace. Thirty miles out of Monida the stage went
but many people doubted it.[...]ad a hotel, general store, post
In my memories I think of Divide, the town where the office and[...]needed. Four miles past Lakeview was
Hole Basin. I can remember the old coal dock that handled the George Sham bow ranch where he leased buildings and a
the coal for the Divide Pumping Station in the days when stable to the M-Y for a lunch and horse-switching station.
they used steam power for pumping the water to the top of Then it was on to Dwelle's for the overnight stop.
the hill where it flowed by g[...]Reservoir A man named Bob Duff worked for Haynes and would
and from there to Butte. Teams a[...]m and how the man held
when they had no more need for it. it in his han[...]old Divide railroad station was moved to the top of sional and knew their trade well. They wo[...]p
Feeley Hill where it is now a livable residence that still coiled in a certain direction and i[...]hind him and then
houses along with the long line of warehouses that stood by snap it forward. A good driver, l[...]off the ear of a horse with his whip and never touch the
The[...]with horse's ear.
various haying machines for the Big Hole freight teams that The Concord stages were considered the[...]durable coaches made. They had a suspension of leaf-type
summer months. When the old warehouses disappeared so springs made out of thick leather taken from the thick part
did the old Divide general store. Just above the railroad of the hide along the back. This suspension resulted[...]stage having a ride similar to the rocking of a boat on the
where us kids liked to go with our[...]bright red and were kept as clean
always assured of a piece of Pat's hard candy. as possible[...]the road stood the old Wunderlick Hotel like raincoats.
and stage station. North of town was the railroad stockyards The sta[...]say, which they would keep pastured in the valley. There
Divide was the railhead for shipping cattle from the Big were alway[...]a horse got collar or foot sores,
Hole Basin and for the surrounding area. a fresh one was available. Some settlers in the valley, such as
In 1916 a carload of Yellowstone Park elk was shipped to J .L. Blake, who owned matched teams of horses (usually
Divide where they were released on Fleecer Mountain. That four), would lease their horses and themselves as drivers to
was the starter of the elk herd in that area. the stage line.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (197) Cost of the round-trip between Monida and the west en- served as clerk for both operations. The railroad was built
trance wa[...]was a large section house on the right side west of
One time, between the Continental Divide and Henr[...]which brought ore from Polar-
ger was thrown out of the stage, hit a tree, broke her neck, is. The[...]n on the west
and died at the scene. From then on that stretch of road was side of the track near the Donovan-Morse Ranch. At first[...]there was also a water tank on the north side of the Brenner
The season for the Monida to West Yellowstone portion Ranch, with water pumped from the first stream on the
of the M-Y would last three to four months, usually[...]ilroad was supposed to have been
around the first of June into September. built[...]side
This historic run through the Centennial Valley was ter- of the Barrett Hospital in Dillon. However, distance and
minated because of the advent of faster and more efficient insufficient customers along that route halted construction
motorized transportatio[...]ony, Idaho, to West Yellowstone and North of Brenner's was an ore dock where ore hauled
the fi[...]Yellowstone Mines were on the west side of Bloody Dick Creek near the
portion of the M-Y was shut down. The M-Y Stage Line[...]to
continued to operate in the Park until the end of the 1916 handle Medicine Lodge coal but ther[...]rtation in the Park ers and rock. The scale for weighing ore was a short distance
was replaced by[...]e M-Y Line added immense-
ly to the economic base of the Valley, although sheep and
cattle ranching was by far the mainstay of settlers who lived
there.

Gilmore & Pittsb[...]re and Pittsburgh railroad began building in
1909 for the purpose of transporting ore between Armstead
and Salmon, Idaho. The golden spike was driven May 10, west of the Gilmore-Pittsburgh depot. There was a dray ta[...]n, Idaho, with a length about 120 miles from for passengers from Armstead to the depot at the G &[...]irst train some walked the short distance of about a mile.
did not go over the route until 191[...]The railroad station was built about a mile west of Arm- feet above sea level. Wyno Station was there also. It is said
stead because of a ruling by the Interstate Commerce. This that when this train was carrying passengers, it had t[...]nday, Wednes- through the tunnel at the top of Bannack Pass so as not to
day, and Friday, then returned on Tuesday, Thursday, and endanger the lives of the passengers with smoke from the
Saturday. William Bickler was the superintendent of both engine. During the winter when the sn[...]reason being that the road was impassable so they used the[...]rses used to build the railroad on the upper side of
the valley were called Nip and Tuck and therefore the[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (198) The building of the G & P railroad cost about six million DILL[...]e the pro-
dollars and it was in debt about twice that amount when it ject I had set out to do and had done it much better
shu[...]ap iron was sold to Japan and shipped to than I could ever hope to. With some editing and addi-
S[...]Harbor occurred before it left port. The tion of material on my part, here is the product
railroad[...]thanks to the skillful pen of Fielding H. Graves, past-
Some of the railway right-of-way became part of Highway secretary of Dillon Lodge 16, AF&AM.
324 through the Horse Pra[...]Grand Historian, Masons of Montana
-RUBY P[...]County was Meriwether Lewis, co-captain of the Lewis and[...]record of Masons in the county is noted until gold was[...]rasshopper Creek near Bannack on July 28,
"Father of Masonry in Mon-[...]The first arrivals came with no idea of remaining; their
tana"[...]go on to other fields. They did not think of themselves as
Born at Westmoreland, N.Y., on A[...]n., in 1854 and curity and all the other marks of civilization were absent
was one of that city's first bankers and Masonic leaders. from their minds. It was almost completely a society of the
Appointed second in command of the first Fisk Expedi- individual, and there was no order. Law was the law of each
tion which left St. Paul in 1862, he conducted (with two for himself and just what a man could enforce with his own
others) the first informal Lodge of Masons on the Continen- two fists and his gun. It was natural that the criminal ele-
tal Divide at Mullan Pass. On A[...]ecame the ments would find fertile ground here for their growth, and
first Worshipful Master of Bannack Lodge. Following Mon- they were quick to take full advantage of the state of things.
tana's designation as a territory in 1864[...]Secretly and powerfully they organized into one of the most
pointed territorial collector of internal revenue. efficient and deadl[...]t them; and the honest miner, not
the Grand Lodge of Montana during its organizational knowi[...]. In 1869, he was accorded two ma- tions with that neighbor. Road agentry ruled the land, and
jor honors: Election as Grand Master of Montana Masons robbery, murder and lawles[...]allowed to run almost
and appointment as governor of Montana Territory by unrestrained.
Pre[...]uses in the camp came on
Langford was a member of the Washburn-Langford- November 12, 1862. William H. Bell, a miner, lay dying of
Doane Expedition which discovered the Yellowstone[...]unt~in fever," and he requested
marvels in August of 1870. He was appointed the first super- that N.P. Langford be sent to his bedside. Langford gives us
intendent of Yellowstone Park and remained in that post just the simple facts, bare and unadorned; but certainly the
from 1872 until 1877. During that same period he was meeting of these two men must have been filled with drama.
named National Bank Examiner for the Pacific Coast, serv- We can picture Langford arriving at the cabin where Bell
ing that position for 12 years. lay dyin[...]as thrust out from the covers, and his
at the age of 79.[...]hear the weak voice intone the various words of identifica-[...]with Langford his promise to try
MASONIC HISTORY OF to fu[...]solemn rites of the craft.
By FIELDING H. GRAVES and F. LEE GRAVES Langford tells us that he had grave doubts as to his ability
When I was asked to do the Masonic history of Bea- to carry out Brother Bell's request. He had no way of know-
verhead County, I initially began to collect all the ing how many members of the fraternity were in the camp;
papers and facts I could find. I was about halfway but in compliance with his promise, he sent out a call "for all
through the project when I found a paper my father the Masons in[...]raves had written years ago called of Brother C.J. Miller on the evening of the day of Brother
"BEGINNINGS OF MONTANA MASONRY AND[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (199) So many Masons responded to the call that there was not have been enlisted.
room enough for them to meet at the appointed place. They The Grand Lodge of Nebraska in due time granted the
then moved to la[...]ir charter, and issued under the hand
under roof, of Masons in Montana was held "in a little old of George Armstrong, M.W. Grand Master, dated April 27,
log cabin on Grasshopper Creek in back of Jack Oliver's old 1863, it declared the Bannack applicants to be a "Lodge of
express office."[...], First
Langford gives a very moving portrayal of Brother Bell's Master; Brother James Dyke, First S.W., and Brother John
funeral, and he states that from that first meeting the breth- W. Morrison, First J[...], however, gold was discovered
formal application for a charter from the Grand Lodge of at Alder Gulch on May 26th, 1863, and B[...]r. It remained in the possession
cious attentions of Plummer and his road agents who felt of Brother Langford for several years, and he later placed it
that the brethren might be plotting against them withi[...]chives. It, along with many other
guarded secrecy of tyled lodge. Plummer himself requested v[...]a petition to join the lodge - probably in order that he might fire.
keep the lodge's activities in[...]or so, lodges had been formed at Virginia
leader of the banditry was not known at that time and he City, Helena and Montana Ci[...]true character and refused to formed at that time.
allow his petition to come before the lodge[...]oned the Montana Grand
There is definite proof of the fear in which the road agents Lodge for a charter early in 1871, and on October 3, 1871,[...]r granted the charter which
without equivocation, that of the 102 murders which are thereby form[...]P .J. Kelly, Senior Warden, George M. Brown,
one of those 102 was a Mason! There is also the definite[...]H. Poindexter, Treasurer, and A.F.
statement made that none of the road agents was a member Graeter, Secretary.
of the Masonic order. This also is probably true.[...]largest community in Bea-
It is also my belief that the lodge had a far greater part in verhead Cou[...]e active, both in its own
the actual organization of the Vigilantes than present day internal affairs and in the life of the town. We note that the
historians seem to realize. You will read that five men in brethren erected their hall i[...]nced almost simultaneously to take the initiative of lower floor. This building stands today.[...]tains of the northwestern part of the Beaverhead. Billy
To me there is too much[...]ed the rich galena out-
rect, against this matter of coincidence. The first Vigilante croppings of an ore deposit which he located and named the
meeting was held in Virginia City about the 20th of Decem- "Trapper Lode." There was soon an inrush of prospectors
ber, 1863; the Vigilante oath was swo[...]rich ore in quantity on a high limestone mountain
of Bannack were too soon aware of these happenings, and at the head of Trapper Gulch. Other claims were taken up,
their actions indicate all too well that they were fully in- and soon two thriving t[...]ed and were acting in harmony as an integral part of the came into being.
new organization.[...]At first the high grade ore, much of it worth a thousand
I feel that this rules out coincidence and that if the truth dollars a ton, was hauled to Cori[...]at the first meeting in shipped to Wales for treatment. In 1875, however, Charles
Virginia on[...]ew days Dahler and Noah Armstrong realized that a smelter would
later, simply informed the Bannac[...]er towns and secured the coopera- crossing of the main stage road over Trapper Creek. The
tion of the Bannack brothers. The road agent's spy system name of the town was decided by a flip of a coin, "Clinton"
was so efficient that he could not have called a public meet- and[...]mes proposed. Glendale won.
ing or even a meeting of a very few trusted men without By 1[...]a bustling, booming, community
Plummer's knowing of it; but as Langford had written, the[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (200)Methodists, a good school house with accommodations for of 1888, a committee was appointed to procure a corn[...]e. Then on July 27, 1888, a Special Communication of
a Mason, incidentally, and later a charter member of Dillon Grand Lodge was called to lay the cornerstone of this pre-
Lodge) and in future years to become st[...]ilding. M.W. Brother Cornelius Hedges presided at
of public instruction.[...]ee dry goods stores, seven or The fortunes of the mining camp of Glendale began to
eight grocery stores, and 13 sa[...]cline in the early 1900s, and it became necessary for our
Armstrong and Co., two drug stores, two shoe[...]onfectionaries, a brewery, a photo- nication of Dillon Lodge 30 on February 22, 1908, with
graph[...]Grand Master S.C. Kenyon present and in charge of the
dale also boasted a fine brass band. The camp[...]the consolidation took place, and henceforth
more that 25 years. the Masons of Dillon and Glendale worked together as Dil-
The Masons of Glendale early found each other, repeat- l[...]bone was the first master; Wm. C.
ing the pattern of all such mining camps, and were shortly Orr[...]t-
meeting informally and then making application for tersall, treasurer, and George W. D[...]odge was issued worked under this number for the next 14 years, and then,
Jam.,1ary 9, 1880, b[...]e on May 12, 1921, a Special Communication of Dillon Lodge
charter granted September 16, 1880, thereby forming Glen- 23 was called for the purpose of consolidation with Ban-
dale Lodge 23. The first[...]dw. Thom- Robert J. Hathaway, grand master of Masons in the State
as, Treasurer, and Rufus A. Furster, secretary. There were of Montana, was present and took charge of the craft. He
21 Mast.e r Masons, one Fellowcraft[...]charters of Dillon 23 and Bannack 16, and informed the
In[...]Northern, a narrow gauge railway, brethren that henceforth this lodge would work and act as
pushi[...]Hathaway
mines with the Union Pacific rail points of Idaho and Utah, then stated that the first order of business was the election
came into the Beaverhead, and where the rail terminus of officers of the consolidated lodges for the remainder of
stopped for the winter, there came into being our present the current Masonic Year.
day city of Dillon. The town grew rapidly, and it soon be- By unanimous vote, all officers of the Dillon Lodge were
came evident that Dillon would be a permanent settlement. re[...]again the Masons early became active and applied for M. Nemeck, senior warden; Grant E. Finch,[...]Thus were the fortunes and earliest days of Dillon Mason-
the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Montana, AF&AM. ry. We see that in its three-quarters of a century the lodge
Christian Mead, First Master of Bannack 16, became the has worked under three different numbers: a situation
First Master of Dillon 30; William C. Orr, S.W.; W.R. Gil-[...]; W.H. Dorchester, secre- through our brethren of Glendale and Bannack, are the
tary; George W. Dar[...]et pride in the fact
In addition to Bro. Mead, I note the names of Gilbert, Orr, that, through our ancient brethren at Bannack, the ear[...]er who had all been charter mem- history of Montana and the early history of Masonry were
bers of Bannack Lodge. A few other names among Dillon's one and the same.
charter members which might be of interest can be listed; In 1893 Masonic brethren at Lima applied for a charter,
Henry Burfiend, Craig Cornell, W .J. C[...]raeter, and had the hearty endorsement of the Dillon Lodge. On
Alexander Garvin, Fidel Hube[...]ornelius Hedges and was passed by the Grand Lodge that
Woods.[...]Evergreen Lodge No. 45 at Lima. The officers
name of Richard Deacon. It was he from whom the townsite[...]ord, junior warden; and W.B. Dean, secre-
We note that the lodge at first met in Dart's Hall - but soon[...]1893, Evergreen Lodge No. 45 at
there was thought of acquiring larger quarters, and in June Lima has grown to 42 as of the latest census.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (201)[...]rand Lodge on backward to pay homage for a moment to our father and
September 20, 1906, an[...]c census. The founding officers were: The roots of our fraternity are deep in the past, and from the[...]d However, a Ma on we mu t ever remember that we are
George Woodworth, secretary. traveling upon the Level of Time and that our eye mu t
It is fitting now and then that we pause and turn our gaze always can the h riz[...]c at the Poindexter House, five mile outh of Dillon, about 1916.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (202)[...]Lodge No. 273 - Dillon, Montana
At the turn of the century and shortly after Montana
became a st[...]her states and coun-
tries.
And so it happened that to _this southwestern corner of
Montana came many Danish people, seeking their fortunes.
It was only natural, then, that as their men sailed away from
Denmark, their women would soon follow. Thus did the first
generation of Danish families develop in this area.
To prese[...]moved toward organization. Permis-
sion was asked of the Danish Brotherhood in America to
begin a lodg[...]s to members, wives
and children as they prepared for naturalization and citi-
zenship in this huge state of Montana.
A charter granting the founding of Lodge No. 273 was[...]Baseball - Sagebrush Style
received in December of 1908, with 31 members enrolled. On During[...]picnicked,
their children, met at the ranch home of Peder C. Peterson visited, and probably cour[...]Precinct to celebrate the New Year, the new of such a group with Bald Mountain in the background[...]reminiscent of those "good old days." Jackson, Polaris and[...]played for more than one town.
This photo of the Bannack Team was taken in 1914: Front[...]KAJIN

Brotherhood charter, and this new sense of ethnic commu-
nity they had brought to Beaverhead[...]Hall. Children and teenagers joined their parents for
these richly-treasured events. Infants slept toge[...]ere placed together as babysitters were un-
heard of. Open-faced sandwiches with steaming coffee were[...]First National Bank in Dillon received from
areas for Danish picnics.[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (203)[...]uted. At a signal from their coach,
The Fourth-of-July celebrations in our town ranked with[...]begin using the sledge. A
many miles around, most of them riding in wagons or bug- good team could make the change without breaking the
gies of all descriptions, with the horses' harnesses made rhythm of the sledge-beat, and could drill a hole at a rate of
brilliant by ribbons and multi-colored celluloid[...]ess children About noon, the governor of the state or perhaps a United
could sneak out of their homes without being caught, spoil- S[...], well surrounded by dignitaries, would
ing sleep for everyone else by shooting fire-crackers. By mount the bandstand for the oration of the day. And it was
eight o'clock, the crowd was[...]lorid oratory. There would be a lull in the crash of explo-
the celebration would be held. The street[...]realized that his voice could not compete with gunpowder.
At that time of day, all attention was centered on the[...]he ans would stage a war dance. Following that would be the
cow-catchers and cat walks on the en[...]eople would eventually crawl into
ed with members of the Butte militia in their blue uniforms, b[...]home,
canvas leggings, and campaign hats. Throngs of Butte peo- had ceased to revolve.
ple got off the trains, among them the members of the Bos-
ton and Montana Band, said to be one of the two best bands
in the nation at that time. When the Butte militia fell in and[...]a. There would be our Before the turn of the century, oil was known to be pre-
own militia[...]rn
and one from the Red Mens' Lodge, and a couple of hundred portion of Beaverhead County. The vast amount of high-
actual Indians, in full regalia, from the L[...]quality, oil-bearing sha~e gave reason to believe that under
Idaho. The fire company would dash down the street, stop the beds would be great pools of the black gold, and so the
its team with a flouri[...]o In 1898, the first attempt to drill for oil was made in the
the top and slid back to the[...]Smallhorn Canyon shale beds, 10 miles south of Dillon.
one or two teams of horses would have run away, adding to They drilled to a depth of 500 feet, where they encountered
the general exci[...]igneous rock formations instead of the oil-bearing sands for
People crowded the sidewalk on the business side of the which they had hoped. With dreams of success all but gone,
street until it was almost[...]gs supporting 12-inch planks lined the outer edge of abandoned, and the company disbanded. Thus, the fever
the sidewalk, placed there for people who were tired of subsided ...... ..
walking or standing[...]terrific and sustained. The interest of oil development resurfaced between the
Every smal[...]y Basin
pellets were exploded by pounding the end of the cane on shale beds west of Dell. Two wells were drilled to a depth of
the sidewalk. Firecrackers were exploding everywh[...]ches in length and about
four inches in diameter. I remember that someone put a
large cracker through the bung hole into a beer keg. Pieces
of that keg blew half a block away. There were 14 saloons[...]us.
Double-jack teams from Butte would compete for the
world's championship in rock drilling. A team consisted of
two men, one to hold a drill and the other to hit the drill with Proud owners of the Company taking delivery of ma-
a sledge hammer, or double-jack. The holes were drilled into chinery for their plant in 1917. Note north end of
an enormous block of granite. After each sledge blow, the[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (204)with sufficient depth to prove or disprove the presence of
oil However, a strong flow of gas was encountered in one of
the wells at 100 feet; although a hopeful indicator, it was of
no known value during that period of time.
During 1916, the Beaverhead-Alberta Oil[...]and around the shale bed
in Smallhorn Canyon, two of which were drilled to depths of
2,500 feet without striking a producing sand. Disillusioned,
they returned to Canada without realizing that their efforts
were not totally in vain as it was their testing which demon-
strated that the shale bed in Smallhorn was the richest and
la[...]nited States. Properly re-
fined, each cubic yard of shale would yield 25 gallons of oil,
which in turn would yield a handsome profit. This informa-
tion opened a new door to the possibilities of the oil develop-
ment, and again the fever began[...]y.
Early in 1917 C. W. Robnett and Alex Walker of Butte,
Anna J. Perrault and Alex Hansen of Anaconda, and James
H. McKay of Dillon incorporated the Dillon Oil Company
for the purpose of mining, refining and marketing oil from
the shale[...]r Robnett with twenty-five
thousand dollars (most of which was his own money) moved
to Dillon to establish the plant and encourage the support of
Edgar Kenison beside refinery of the Dillon Oil Co.
Dillon people to buy shares of stock in the company. It was (1917)
during this time period that Edgar Kenison, Phillip Thorpe,
and Judge Henry G.[...]kholders and Following are the names of the trustees and major share-
actively participat[...]r
considered to be an experimental primitive form of distilla- Kenison, H. A. MacMillan, and C. W. Robison. Some of the
tion but little more was known of the actual workings of the local small shareholders (of which there were over 200)
process as its secrecy[...]C. and R. M. Gilbert, Grant and John Kenison, J.
of Edgar Kenison standing beside the process has bee[...]ony and Matt Zugel.
is the way we get the oil out of the rock ... we cook it out!") Using a new method of distillation, they managed to
The first two ye[...]showed development over a long period of time. Disappointed, they
they were growing with assets of over $84,000. However, disbanded the co[...]their respective
their liabilities were more than that amount and they were professions knowing t[...]beginning to have a cash flow problem. By the end of 1919 it wasn't meant to succeed at this time[...]ocess was not efficient enough to keep Maybe sometime in the future!!
the venture successful.[...]920 and Mr. Robnett left Dillon, probably to look for
work. Lucrative Trade
For all intents and purposes, the Black Gold fever wa[...]he Smallhorn Oil Products Co. They used for $30 per 100 and potatoes at $6 per bushel. A smal[...]trans- fortune was realized in the sale of liquor to Indians. One of
ferred all the shares of the previous shareowners from the the stan[...]hiskey
failed Dillon Oil Company. Fully realizing that this venture or simply rotgut-called for one part of whisky or alcohol,
would not make "oil barons" of them, their motives were to 10 parts of water, and equal parts of tobacco and cayenne
develop a stable industry that would provide employment pepper to taste as well as to provide color and potency. Price
for the growing numbers of young men who wished to re- of a horse was four gallons of that stuff.
main in the area, and economically[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (205)[...]inches. Eventually the pond was a grid of squares. Then ice-
saws cut one row of blocks free to provide a "floating chan-
IC[...]nel" -a long row of open space into which rows of ice blocks[...]heavy steel instrument somewhat like a Devil's trident, only[...]four-pronged. Spudding broke whole sections of the plowed[...]ice loose. These sections consisting of eight to 12 blocks were[...]e! one-pronged bar, could be delegated to persons of[...]as a rope and pulley assembly, powered by a team of[...]load of ice to be shoved up. Repeating this round all day[...]mpting to sup- demanded physical endurance of the better kind, for which
ply Dillon with ice from a small pond and t[...]se in a more pay was received.
swamp northwest of the city. An old ox-bow in the Beaver- As the blocks went over the top of the chute, men
head River, two miles southwest of town, near where the equipped with prod-[...]ly thirties. The ice depending on the thickness of the ice. Dry sawdust was then
pond was the essential portion of Sam Patterson's Ranch. packed around the[...]ce-houses, a frame residence (still the top of the ice for insulation.
occupied in '80), barns and other bui[...]With summer's warmth came the appearance of the Ice
few hundred acres were largely pasture for a few horses and Cards in the windows- a red[...]ck block letters, and S.S.
tic animals were cared for there. Patterson in smaller type below. Of course orders were also
Even though grass grew[...]y phone and the "regulars" relied on the ice-man,
of the empty pond during the summer, some debris and[...]d in John Holm was the last and best liked of the "ice-age-
the fall. All this was floated over the head-gate as Sam men." For years he covered his route carefully and conscien-
would not tolerate dirty ice. At that time the Beaverhead tiously, fitting the c[...]times
was a sparkling clear stream with a minimum of pollution. emptying the forgotten melted w[...]occasional nippy canine-passing a
Issac Waltons, of which Nellie Paige Patterson was one. An fe[...]opper baited hook chips from the back of the truck to thirsty kids.
caught many finny beau[...]les
The pond water, frozen to an optimum depth of 18 inches from the ranch to a small town sh[...]as made. About 1920, trucks dis-
ters), was ready for action. A taut blue-chalked cord place[...]followed by the initial ice-plow cut, the length of the pond. But, man, it was a cool business[...]lades cut a one-half inch wide
channel to a depth of about one foot. A series of three plows -H[...]e excitement about small-pox has died out to some
for subsequent channels when the plow has an out-rigger extent, but all should avail themselves of the necessary pre-
groove-slide attached a[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (206)[...]incursions of the Blackfoot Indians, banding together for
INDIANS[...]a trading post.
found on Lawrence Creek, a branch of the Blacktail; a fine The Indians found by[...]were modified from their forebears because of their recent acqui-
found in conjunction with a camp of primitive man on the sition of the horse, which had drastically changed their way
headwaters of Horse Prairie, and there is a Medicine ring, of life, allowing them to travel great distances, and carry the
perhaps the farthest west that one has been found-which hide teepees with[...]o a culture Early man used natural shelters like caves and rock over-
shortly after the glacier ic[...]been found, and the roofs
Arrow points typical of the Avondale culture dating about of the caves are still blackened by smoke from their fires.
500 AD are found in a site just out of Dillon, and there are These caves are found her[...]r area. Sho- ty.They also used wickiups made of brush, old poles, cov-
shone pottery was found in[...]covered
An~ient men, probably the forerunners of the Indians with pine needles or whatever was handy to insulate them
that we know, have been around for a long time. Historical- and keep out the cold air. We have had a number of these
ly, Lewis and Clark met the Shoshone Indian[...]appeared having
Lemhi on Horse Prairie and traded for horses with them. been destroyed or rotted away; however, some are still
Sacajawea Park at the head of Trail Creek commemorates standing.
this m[...]omers, waged constant warfare against the Indians that year after year and used the same rocks to[...]pees. We also are able to find artifacts not only of arrow-
The Flathead Indians summered in the Bi[...]soapstone bowls, grinding bowls,
and named it the valley of the ground squirrels. The Indians knives, scrap[...]mauls and horse hob-
would travel in large bands for mutual protection from the bles. A broken spe[...]bone meat chippers. The artifacts are those of the recent
hunt would return to the mountains where they would pre-history Indians and of their more ancient forebears.
break up into small[...]ers and traders into this
an adequate food supply for them. Later, due to the depre- country. Many of the early trappers joined Indian tribes,
dation of the Blackfoot, they would travel on the old India[...]bri-
trail (which was from Black Butte where all of the trails gades brought Indians from other tribes, such as the Dela-
joined), then down the other side of the Gravelly, crossing wares, Iroquois and eve[...]ings, across the Yellow- create a demand for their goods and entice the Indians to
stone and u[...]he Crow country where trap furs. It is said that whiskey ruined the Indians, but it
the other Indians were friendly to them. The trail up Indian was sugar that caught them. Before the white man, their
Creek wa[...]feet deep. source of sweetening was the inner bark of cottonwood and
On the North Fork of the Big Hole, General Gibbons certain pi[...]d the tools used
caught Chief Joseph and his band of Nez Perce Indians and can still be found in certain groves of trees.
was whipped by them August 9, 1877. A gran[...]country became popu-
was brought to mark the site of this battle, one of the two lated, fur was already gone, and the I[...]isplaced,
most famous Indian battles in the State of Montana, and is eventually to be confined on reservations. Many of the Indi-
one of only two markers in Beaverhead County to mention[...]s in Bannack and Virginia
the Indians. The marker for Beaverhead Rock is also in City to obtain the offal that the butcher discarded. Their
Beaverhead County, b[...]n- game was gone, the fur was gone, their way of life had been
ty.[...]hort time before they were
Father DeSmet tells of traveling slowly up the Centennial rendered powerless and placed on reservations.
Valley with the Flathead Indians, leisurely hunting on the For many years the Indians would travel through the area
way, to meet a new priest from the east-Father Ravalli, I on their way to visit friends who were at 'o[...]hunting for what they could find, snaring rabbits, fishing in
The Beaverhead Valley was one of the favorite wintering the river, doing the best that they could. As Chief Tendoy
grounds of the Bannock, Shoshone, Nez Perce, and Flath-[...]ly remarked, "Life was hard."
ead Indians because of its comparatively mild and open Chief[...]ected Indian who liked to
winters. It was a peace valley, where the Indians did not play poker. It wo[...]a poker game with the P & 0 Chinese cook and some of[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (207)[...]ound Dillon. Both Chief Tendoy and gardener of the Indian profile, the natural vegetation re-
th[...]waterfall south of Barrett's station. Other photographers[...]lon around the turn of the century. The doctor left instruc-
tions that the negative should never fall into the hands of[...]the spot, he discovered that the water had been diverted and[...]after Elmo Winn's death. Elmo was a relative of Dr. Walker.[...]Indians of Medicine Lodge[...]tion near Blackfoot, Idaho. But the group of Lemhis that
Indian profile at warm springs waterfall south of Dil-[...]ver- part of Chief Tendoy's tribe. They lived on the Lemhi Val[...]tion and would come to Medicine Lodge
head Valley each year to hunt, fish and gather berries.
Beaverhead Valley has been the unique site of two unusu- If they came in by way of Pass Creek, they would always
al natural phenomen[...]y fall when the pine
An Indian head silhouette of a chief in full ceremonial nut seeds were re[...]. They gathered the
headdress has been the object of much curiosity from the seeds and carried them back in buckskin bags to their win-
time of the first white explorers and fur trappers until re- ter village in the Lemhi Valley. To this day, there are still
cent decades. The silhouette is outlined in sage brush on the remnants of their teepees in Pass Creek. Most of the hides
high hill at the old Dave Metlen ranch a few miles west of are off of the poles due to age, but some of the poles are still
Clark Canyon Dam and not far from the site of Camp Fortu- standing.
nate where the Lewis[...]through Red
The well-marked profile is visible for miles and facial Rock Valley, and back to Fort Hall, making a circle.
details[...]n. In fact, the huge image has The group of Indians that Bob knew well were Jim and
caused some people to believe that the profile may actually Roy Tendoy and their little groups. There were about 20
have been the work of an Indian artist or group. The region adults[...]one year and Roy's the
a crossroads in the route of tribal migrations. In reality, a next. They alw[...]t dogs. They
local Armstead woman was responsible for the sage brush would camp across from the[...], in the open area
image retaining its appearance for many years. Laura Tol- across from the Hild[...]uld usually eat
historian, trimmed the sage brush for decades, thus preserv- seeds, roots, de[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (208)[...]ass, timothy grass and pine nuts. They used
age for flavoring. They also used sage boiled for drink or for
>ath, for colds or fevers. The root juice of sage was used for
ore eyes. Some of the berries were juniper berries, wild
aspberri[...]bitterroot because it is poisonous unless
oasted for at least two days.
When hunting for game, they would hunt up Pass Creek
,r Hildreth[...]icine Lodge
The Indians never wasted any part of a killed animal.
Gvery portion was used includin[...]in it. If you wanted yellow leather, they
amrod of some sort and held over hot ashes until cooked would dry the skins over smoldering fire of dry willows. If
hrough. They usually ate the war[...]willows, and if you wanted a white skin, the hair of the
ery much like a raw oyster.[...]aided and parted in the it with warm water for several days before scraping it.
1iddle with the[...]The Indians made gloves and moccasins for Bob. They
sed pine cones and porcupine quills tied to a stick for also tanned enough leather for Bob's mother to make him a
.ombing their hair. Bo[...]Bob asked Jim why he didn't go to the timber for fire
~athers in their hair. The horses were also[...]! Fights!" Jim replied. Then he showed
rnaments that hung from the saddle and bridles.[...]and burn little holes in
They liked all types of strenuous games, loved to run the teepee[...]he Indian children would always ask the Hildreths for
e learned that each animal had enough brains that, when "suggarrr" or biscuits (meaning br[...]uld tell whether an Indi- Bob remembers that sometimes when the Indians were[...]of the night by squealing, yelping, howling and chan[...]the moon because the Shoshones thought that the moon[...]the change of the moon.[...]The Hildreths have many stories of their lives around the[...]usual campground. He died from that beating. That was t he
last time any of the Indians came to Medicine Lodge.[...]ans. I liked the group very much that came through here.[...]They were my friends."
Remains of teepee at Pass Creek[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (209)[...]logical Survey made a study of the cave and its contents.
Quring the winter of 1857-58, Beaverhead Valley became Carl M. Davis Jr., a member of the crew, wrote a scientific
the refuge for the Stuart brothers and their party. They report of their findings.
chose to depart from California, bound for the United Their study revealed the occupants were probably of the
States, about the time of the Mormon uprising in the terri- Tukadika Shoshone Tribe, and inhabited the cave between
tory of Utah, then known as Deseret. The United States[...]r to supress the distur- "walking Indians", that is, they travelled from here to there
bance.[...]on foot, as contrasted with other sub-tribes of the Shoshone
The Mormon troops were patrolling all roads and the nation, who used horses for travel and transport. The arti-
Stmrrtparty was c[...]uld neither return facts found in the floor of the cave as deep as 16 inches
to California nor p[...]ward, suggest the cave was the winter home for a family of pedes-
crossing the continental divide at Monida,[...]lacktail Creek Davis also made a study of the wickiups on Pass Creek at
to its confluence with the Beaverhead River where Dillon the head of Medicine Lodge. These lodges were still in use
no[...]ayer would take a polished bone in north of the present two plunges. A small wickiup five or[...]t tall was in place in the trees a few yards west of the
he had sufficiently bewildered his opponent,[...]t every- ties, along with the dense stand of lodgepole pine trees, to
thing they owned on this game. make room for the parking area now west of the two swim-
This encampment was spread betwe[...]the Beaverhead River, probably to the confluence of the These small lodges differ from tepees, in that they are
two streams, between the townsite of Dillon and Lover's smaller, the framew[...]r
Leap. Perhaps Lover's Leap served as a look-out for the other suitable brush, and they are[...]on Dillon's west side. In an pine trees for framework and covered with dressed buffalo
excava[...]was found by John David at 511 peak of the tepee has two adjustable flaps to control the[...]eposi-
Certain physical features were required for setting up a tioned by two poles resting o[...]e village. They particularly liked the confluence of two
streams. Another favorite place was the mouth of a canyon[...]rovided protection
from the rear and a broad view of the valley below. A prom- The Pishkin (Pishkun)
ontory was desirable as an observation point. Evidence of Pishkin is the Indian name for a "buffalo jump" or "buf-
Indian occupation in su[...]pishkin was a cliff over which buffalo were
areas of Beaverhead County. driven to kill large numbers at one time. On top of the cliff,
Campsites can be located from remains of stone chipping two wings were erected ext[...]and fine flakes. Workable material available of the cliff to form a V. The wings consisted of piles of rocks,
in this area include: obsidian, basalt, fl[...]tampede the buffalo herd. As
made stone tools and that evidence is inches deep in grass the runw[...]were forced over the cliff.
roots. Only in areas of soil erosion are they presently visible. At the bottom of the drop, several Indians were stationed,[...]meat from the bones, and salvage animal parts for other
Big Sheep Creek. It is located on a steep mountainside, uses. Sinew was stripped for sewing garments, hafting tools
facing north, in a narrow part of the canyon. Early settlers in and secur[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (210)Armstead, south west of lake,
near old Barina ~k-R e d R~ ck roa d .
Sketch e d by Dede Jas!Jlann, McAI I ister

·- -----· a ppr •.;x. 1.1 11

I N D I A N P I C T O G R A P H S[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (211)[...]in the mid 1880s
over a wood fire. Another method of preserving meat was by and Dillon was no ex[...]vative, the berries would extend the keeping time of November 27, 1884. Supporters boasted, "Roller skating
this product. It may have been much like our mincemeat. possesses the same pleasures of the waltz, and the delightful
Pishkins were used over a period of many centuries until sensation superinduced by the excitement of music and the
the Indians acquired horses in large numbers. They, then, proximity of a handsome companion, whose light and lithe-
pref[...]is a sheer cliff on own to the measured time of a dreamy waltz, is not to be
the west side of the Beaverhead River just a mile or two compared with ordinary pleasure."
south of Dillon. This row of cliffs can be seen to the west This promise was tempered by the caution that first one
from Interstate 15.[...]on
Another pishkin is located on the east fork of Blacktail provided lessons. The Pavilion als[...]De- thority asserts there is no danger of producing a concussion
partment of Fish and Game. of the brain."
Other methods of entrapment were used as well as the A[...]-
peded into swamps to bog down, or into a pocket of deep sic by the Dillon brass band, boys' races that included a mile
snowdrifts. These sites have been[...]or 20 laps, a men's three-mile race, then a free-for-all
layer of bones and stone tools which remain. race that anyone could enter and that lasted late into the
The Antiquity Law of the United States forbids the exca- night. Five hundred guests attended the festivities that first
vation of these historic sites on public land, other than b[...]As winter progressed, the popularity of the Pavilion contin-
Twenty miles north of Dillon and a few miles west of Glen ued to grow. Concerned citizens began to worry when their
are remains of a primitive game trap, apparently built to[...]service, voices began to
the timber and consists of winged runways, a ramp, and a cry out fro[...]nto the run- nipped in the bud and the youth of Dillon were warned to
ways, up the ramp, and into[...]s. By then local talented skaters had es-
Some of the logs still show blackened ends. One method[...]n trees was with fire. The tree customized for these men and women and boys in such
trunk was wrapped with a band of mud a few inches from categories as midget, lean man, and couples. That same
the ground to prevent the fire from burning[...]ould skating rinks, calling them cesspools of immorality. Catho-
fell the tree. Most. of the logs used in the structure average lic and Methodist clergy accused the rinks of promoting
six inches. Much of the trap had deteriorated by the late elopements, clandestine marriages and social evils of the
1940's, but enough remained to determine how the trapping worst kind.
was accomplished. By the end of March, 1885, the skating rink owners were
In 1973, the University of Montana Archaelogical Survey fighting back. They had invested $50,000,000 in rinks across
made a study of the trap. They were guided to the site by[...]d to control the problems. Trouble
James LaMarche of Melrose, who first saw it in 1903 while co[...]e
working in the Lost Creek area. James D. Keyser of the down on them. "Owing to the promiscuous character of the
University group wrote a detailed report of its construction crowds that are permitted to come in close contact, the rinks[...]suggests the trap was construct- are breeders of seduction, elopement and divorces." Legis-
ed som[...]The Dillon Pavilion closed for the summer season in late[...]ALMER illness and prepare themselves for the fall reopening. In

214-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (212)[...]ered one of the best rink structures in the territory. A sec-[...]tion of the newly installed 12-foot wide wooden sidewalk[...]leaders probably gave a unanimous prayer of thankfulness
for the rink's demise.

=
~

t::z:::t[...]By the end of April, the people who were temporarily[...].~ Dillon. After years of fire losses, many that destroyed entire
t:"-4[...]t:-4 blocks of businesses and residences, some men organized[...]tion in Dillon. The foundation of the Dillon Brewery had[...]n laid and the brick walls, under the supervision of Mi-
~[...]". . . . . the son of a b-- did not get action on his gun[...]evening of August 12, 1894; for that afternoon he had fired
---.. SKVERAL----MAftH. .[...]two leaden bullets into the head of Frank G. Hunter, bar-[...]George Metlen, 23-year-old son of Dave and Eliza Metlen,
~ve:ryl;:,[...]stopped briefly at the saloon that morning, enroute to the[...]During the day several freight wagons stopped; for rest,
every night of the week, but by February, 1886, pressure[...]conversation, or perhaps a change of horses. Teamsters who
from the clergy on the town[...]were in the yard at the time of the shooting were Noah
the Pavilion was open only[...](Parris), and Abner Leacock (grandfather of Dillon Post-
of Dillon's worst ongoing problems took care of the matter ma[...]about a quarter to four that afternoon, was preceded by
door. Dillon's usual s[...]ion and spectators said it melted away in a sheet of hot floor,[...]Frank Hunter lay dead at the end of the bar near the south
attempt to stop the[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (213)[...]being willfully, feloniously,and of his deliberate, premedi-
Noah Faubert, in his[...]ted malice aforethought, did make an assault, and that
telephone extension, "The telephone is a cigar b[...]hich said pistol he, the said Paul Met-
informed that her husband was dead. She asked to have[...]there willfully, feloniously, and of his deliberate, premedi-
Dave and Jules Guyaz[...]e aforethought, did discharge and shoot off, to,
for removal to Dillon for Coroner J.P. Holden's examina- at, against and upon the said Frank G. Hunter, and that the
tion.[...]l Metcalf, with the leaden bullets aforesaid, out of
Abner Leacock reported that Irish Jack was sitting on the the pistol aforesaid, then and there, by force of the gunpow-
ground outside the saloon "in a drunk[...]f discharged and shot
did not seem to take notice of anything." off as aforesaid, then and there, willfully, feloniously, and of
Metcalf and Harness had fled on horseback, bu[...]ate, premeditated malice aforethought did strike,
that evening at the Metlen bunkhouse. Paul was holding[...]adeep cut and had upon the left side of the head of him, the said Frank G.
been bleeding intermittent[...]G. Hunter, then and
The bleeding thumb accounted for the blood seen all about there, with the[...]Hunter's blood was charged and shot out of the pistol aforesaid, by the said Paul
confined i[...]Metcalf, in and upon the left side of the head of him, the
Paul was in an emotional state. He felt the pressure of said Frank G. Hunter, two mortal wounds of which said
having to make a decision. " .... I think I can get away." mortal wounds he, the said[...]verton G. Conger, county attorney as
lessly," ... I think I can get away .... I don't have enough aforesaid, who prosecutes as afo[...]charge,
friends here to stand trial ..... the son of a b-- never got that the said Paul Metcalf, him, the said Frank G. Hunter,
any action on his gun .... I think I can get away .... " in the manner and by[...]aul and Alden rode out into the darkness of his deliberate, premeditated malice aforethought[...]tcalf and murder. Contrary to the form of the statute in such case
was located in Missouri, his home state. He was arrested for made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the
murder and returned to Montana for trial. He would sit in state of Montana."
the county jail five months as the tria[...]s not put on the stand because " ... he was
times for want of witnesses. The teamsters at the scene of stupidly drunk, and is with a familiarity[...]tness. vulgar."
A fruitless search was made for Harness all over Brown Paul Metcalf was found guilty of murder in the second
County, Kansas. Beaverhead was billed for expenses: degree and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Lawyers for the
Brown County sheriff, $13.10, Deputy Clerk, 50 cents, total defense appealed on several counts of illegal procedure and
$13.60.[...]trial got underway with quarters at the rear of the courthouse but within a few days[...]County Attorney Everton J. In January of 1898, the Beaverhead County sheriff was[...]Conger prosecuted, and attor- notified that one Paul Metcalf was in custody in Oklahoma.
neys for the defense were Montana governor Robert B[...]Paul Metcalf unable to travel. He had died that day as a
Conger stated: "That Paul result of bullet wounds received when resisting arrest, by
Metcalf, late of the county the hand of the Oklahoma sheriff.
of Beaverhead, on or about the In 1898, a new c[...]" ..
twelfth day of August, .. asks this honorable court to dismiss the information for
A. D. on thousand eight murder, for the reason that the said Paul Metcalf is dead."[...]osed.
the county of Beaverhead, in[...]PALMER
the state of Montana, in[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (214)[...]1 'I[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (215)[...]spire almost 75 feet high. Seating capacity of the church was[...]was over double that amount. On June 17, 1886, Articles of[...]end C. C. Front of Butte preached the dedication sermon.[...]available. Under the direction of Reverend Henry C. Cope,[...]it was determined to finance the building of a parsonage. To[...]help in this project, certificates of $1.00 shares were sold to[...]received from citizens of Dillon, who by now had confidence
that the Baptist church would become a great factor in[...]moral and religious growth of the city.
Reverend Cope was one of the leading citizens who real-
ized the need of Dillon for a suitable library building, and he[...]worked to secure funds for a Carnegie Library.[...]The church building, while comfortable for worship, had
been lacking in many of the necessary furnishings. Soon the
First Ba[...]chairs gave way to pews and a carpet was laid. For several
Among the people who came to the new town of Dillon years, the Ladies Aid Society had[...]ard, 1890-92; James
On March 31, 1883, a group of about 13 people met at John H. Spencer, 1892-93[...]J. C. Jordan,
Tabor Dingley's home, on the corner of Glendale and Main 1896-98; Henry C. Cope, 1[...]den, 1905-07; A. F Colver, 1908-11; Thomas
Church of Dillon, Montana." The church afterwards be-[...]-16; Wal-
came known as the "First Baptist Church of Dillon."
Philip Poindexter and John Dingley were appointed to
pick a location for the meeting place. They reported there
were five lots on the corner of Idaho and Sebree Streets
which could be had for $800. The determined group of Bap-
tists voted to buy and pay cash for the property, which is
still held by the church c[...]ization, the church was without a resident
pastor for the first five years, during which time services[...]r the school
house, which was located on the site of the present guild
hall, with pastors from neighbo[...]acting as supply
ministers.
Bids were accepted for the construction and the contract
was won by Mich[...]gley's son-in-law the next summer. The foundation for
the building was laid in October, 1885. Th[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (216)[...]-DORIS THUMMA

St. Rose of Lima Catholic
Church
In 1873, Father[...]ity. He
was at the time the second secular priest of the Diocese.
Father Kellaher attended the missions in Beaverhead and
Madison counties, comprising an area of about 300 square
miles. During his 13 years of service, he built the first church
in Virginia Ci[...]es from 1886-87. Father Dols
was appointed pastor of St. Rose of Lima in Dillon in 1887.
Here he began what was considered a great undertaking in
those days-the erection of a new church. Through his la-
bors a nice brick c[...]St. Rose Catholic Church in Dillon
of Lima in 1888. This fine church was built at a cost of $5,000 funds made them impossible.
from money generously given by persons of all creeds. Father Pudenz arrived[...]otestant faiths. structure in the back of the church which later became the
The celebrant and orator of the day was the Right Reverend sanctuary. It is not clear where the priests resided that
Bishop Brondel of Helena, assisted by Rev. H. Van de Ven served after Father Dols, until the new rectory was built.
of Butte and the Rev. J. J. Dols, the local rector.[...]Father Foley became pastor in 1908 and served for the
to the ritual, the people were requested to r[...]n 1916 Father Clifford
formally opened as a place of worship. The building was too became assistant pastor at St. Rose and attended to the
small for the number of people assembled and many went missio[...]e Dillon parish in half in
explaining the history of the Catholic Church. The Solemn 1920. Father Clifford became pastor of the new Lima parish
High Mass, "Peter's Mass in D[...]N. and continued with the responsibility of the missions.
Blake, Thomas Baker of the Madisonian and Eugene Stark Father Lechner came in 1922, having been sent here to
of Virginia City. Mrs. E. J. Conger, a non-Catholic[...]St. Rose the second year unceasingly for seven years to give Dillon a church of which
where he administered the Sacrament of Confirmation for the community could be proud. At a cost of more than
the first time. He also blessed the bel[...]s transferred to Great pleted and ready for dedication.
Falls as its first rector. For the next two years there was no[...]last spring ofD.J. Stewart,
hand-painted stations of the cross were erected, having the gentleman engaged in collecting data for "Stewart's Il-
been donated by Mr. and Mrs. Albert Stamm, Sr. This lustrated History of Montana," was the cause of retarding
priest visited many of the small places in the county such as the publication of the work. The recent arrival in the Terri-
Glen,[...]Melrose, Horse Prairie and Centen- tory of artists and gentlemen to complete the history is
nial Valley. Mass was said in the various homes in each assurance that it will be finished with as little delay as
locat[...]sumed the pastorate in 1898. compiling of histories, arrived at Bozeman last week, and
During his administration he revitalized the work of the will give the matter his undivided[...]al stained-glass windows were installed at a cost of feel assured that they will receive copies of the history as
$2,000. He had other improvements planned but lack of soon as it is issued.-Dillon[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (217)[...]In 1901 the church was enlarged by the addition of the[...]of 1911, the consecration took place and, after 30 y[...]Guild Hall was built, one of the few in the Diocese at that
time. The money for it was given by Mrs. Philip Lovell. At[...]was an electric pipe organ that had a special room built to
As early as 1880, plans were being made in Dillon for hold all the metal and wooden pipes which ranged from 1/4"
construction of what would be St. James. Bishop Daniel S.[...]re and metal pipes were round.
traced the history of the church in Beaverhead County in a Metal[...]etter dated July 31, 1899, written to Rev. Hooker of Dillon. organist and a tuner three days to tun[...]resent organ was given by Carolyn White in memory of her
nack on Sunday, July 26, 1868, at French's hall. In the after- mother, Elizabeth Davis White, wife of Benjamin F. White.
noon I baptized five French children, two Smith children[...]e, who played from
and the three Dunlap children. I visited Bannack every year 1919 to 1960.
thereafter until and including 1880. I held service first in The stained-glass windows are some of the most beautiful
Argenta in a log cabin August 6, 1869. I held service in the in Dillon. The five in the front of the church, made in Italy,
Poindexter school house August 26, 1872. I held services in featured leaded colored glass that was also painted and fired
Bishop's school house September 10, 1879. I baptized Alice again in a kiln which fused the paint into the glass. This
Augusta Selway and two of her children in the home of process shaded the figures and made them more life-like.
Thomas M. Selway on September 12, 1879. Almost e[...]s put in place in 1901 by Philo-
year up to 1880, I held services in Argenta and Poindexter mella Palmer for Dr. H. D. Pickman and his wife Virginia.
school h[...]The round window over the organ was given for Fidel Huber
On February 10, 1881, Bishop Leigh[...]sisters Bertha and Anna, the window by the organ for
Montana to succeed Bishop Tuttle and held his fir[...]gation gathered in the school house given for Catherine Willis by her friends, for Philip Lovell
which later became the first court house. This stood in the by his wife, for Elizabeth French by her children, and for
center of the block in which the church is now located.[...]window
Work began on the church in the summer of 1882 on lots in the back of the church was given for Sara and Philip
given by the Dillon Townsite Company, now the site of Thorpe and the Baptismal window for Rev. Sidney Hooker.
Eliel's Department Store. The[...]as $1.50 per month; the first furnace
E. G. Prout of Virginia City. He was in charge of St. James was purchased from bazaar money in March 1922 for
from the time it was organized as a mission in 1881. Since the $206.80.
costs of building exceeded the subscriptions, the church[...]in Beaverhead and Madison counties. He had
charge of pastoral work in Dillon, Glendale and Silver Star[...]members. In August 1883, it was at last possible for the
day to be appointed for consecration of St. James by Bishop
Brewer.
In June 1885, Rev.[...]was sent to take charge in August.
He was Rector for about 30 years. The congregation was
makin[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (218)[...]-six years after Dillon was founded, a few people
of Old World backgrounds, using their native languag[...]ermanent congrega-
tion.
These married parents of young children needed a church[...]Ii
home in which to rear their families and for their own spiri-
tual strengthening. This excitin[...]First Presbyterian Church with Pastor H. 0. Svare of Ana-
conda presiding and acting as recording secretary. A consti-
tution of 23 articles was drafted, a name for the congrega-
tion was chosen and a slate of officers was elected. Following[...]I ~
is an excerpt from the constitution:[...]. ;:: ~-=---;~- . <b i
"Article 8. The duties of a member are: a) By the grace of[...]First Evangelical Lutheran Church
God to beware of all sin and scandal and to conduct himself
in a C[...]vices continued to be held in rented build-
means of grace that faith may be quickened and increased ings, private homes, and churches of other denominations.
and conferred, strengthened[...]egations gave encourage-
congregational meetings, that it may grow and develop; d) ment and support to its sister church. Without benefit of
From confirmation on, to contribute according to[...]wasn't until 1932 at a business meeting
extension of God's Kingdom, as the Lord has taught us to that the congregation voted to build a permanent churc[...]home
Article 15 of the 1906 constitution stated men aged 21 and
over had voting privileges. The minutes of the 1915 annual -Taken from history prepared for 75th Anniversa-
business meeting records a successful vote was taken to ry by members of the history committee:
amend Article 15 giving women voting privileges.
Church records of First Evangelical Lutheran Church in[...]Theo E. Bay, Chair
Dillon include minutes of five annual meetings held in the[...]y
years 1908, 1914, 1915, 1916 and 1919. Election of trustees, trea-[...](From Dillon Tribune, 1980)
church home of their own. Young people were going with
their fri[...]Dillon while important Early history of Mormons in Beaverhead County date to
events such as weddings, baptisms and burials of loved ones 1880 when employees of the Utah Northern Railroad estab-
had to be in the churches of other Protestant faiths. These lished a[...]way to Canadian settlements. In the
World War I saw young fathers going to the armed ser-[...]onaries often met hostility in Dillon. They
vices of their adopted country. The women who called[...]minent
themselves the Scandia Club began knitting for the Red Erwin livery stable located[...]Aid. present American Legion Hall for a chapel. Leaders of the
Records of this infant, floundering congregation are a big group included: Jack Reis, V.P. of First National Bank;
black hole from the years 19[...]Oral stories reveal Harold Warner, owner of Warner's Food Store; Jay Jepp-
there was a strugg[...]alties to one synod over son, manager of J. C. Penney; Leslie Smith, owner of Dillon
another. Monies raised were placed in a personal account, Cleaners, William Caspers, owner of Busy Bee Market; and
rather than in the name of the congregation, and in the style Theron Sargent, later Dillon mayor.
of the Old West, a law suit was filed to recover $5,217.84. The
courts settled the case in favor of the congregation.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (219)[...]Methodists
in Beaverhead County
In autumn of 1866, several Christian families arrived in
Beaverhead Valley, which was then almost entirely unset-
tled. Thes[...]odist church.
The school was built in the fall of 1866 and the Sunday
School organized in the spring of 1867. Mrs. John Selway
was the most prominent mover of the Sunday School and
was elected superintendent, secretary, treasurer, librarian
and chorister. From that time on, religious services have
been conducted i[...]his religious enterprise followed the usual order of de- Grace Methodist Church, Dil[...]es Aid Parlor, and Sunday School room. The belfry
of the class, and the building of the church building. tower was moved[...]onary appointed from Bannack. Dr. Iliff of Salt Lake City participated in the
to Montana. While in Virginia City in the fall of 1869, Rev. dedicatory services in October 1895. That building cost
Comfort received a letter from Mrs.[...]s four glass art windows, dedicated to the
in the valley in November, 1869. From here he went to Ban- memory of Mr. and Mrs. John R. Selway, Mrs. Eunice N.
nack[...]Henry Cushing. By
Monthly visits were made to the valley during the next year. 1912 the average att[...]arly years were
Poindexter School. The first term of school in the new loca- Stayton, Elder, No[...]Tait until 1895. With the expansion of 1895, Edward Catter-
School moved with the school[...]marriage
It was the only public gathering in the valley and was at- licenses of both churched and non-churched couples during
ten[...]d old from near and far. that era. Robert Smith served from 1899-1903, E. C. Ha[...](Law) and Rev. Jones
Rev. Riggin. The Beaverhead Valley Sunday School was 1905-06, Winters 1906-07, Edward Dodds 1908-09, Jessie
part of a circuit that included Virginia City and Bannack. In Lack[...]1873, Rev. Van Orsdel made his first visit to the valley. have an automobile, came and left in 1[...]"Brother Van" was asssociated with Methodist work for the served from 1914-18, then Edward Sm[...]years and in 1880 Rev. Shippen came. In the fall of The Methodist church and its people have played an im-
that year the townsite of Dillon was bought and surveyed. portant part in the developnment of Beaverhead Valley for
The corner lots upon which the Methodist Church i[...]involved in service to
were donated by the owners of the original townsite for the the entire community.
purpose of building a church thereon.
Rev. Shippen, pasto[...]written by Margaret and Mark Pyeatt
ing the money for the building. Construction began immedi-[...]as finished and dedicated the next summer.
Bishop I. W. Wiley dedicated the church.
In 1895, it be[...]until 1964. The Spiritualists believe that the dead communicate with the

222-Bea[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (220)[...]same time He was also superintendent of the Dillon school. The Sab-
the Pentecostal Union[...]iritualist movement was also being preached. Many of its During the winter and spring of 1888-89, Dr. McMillan
followers would go to their[...]held in Dart's Hall, which was also
their assets for their beliefs. being used by the Masons. For the first three years, the
A small article in the May 23, 1885 issue of the Dillon Presbyterians had no regular place of worship. They met in
Tribune read, "Spiritualism[...].
England States in epidemic form. It is reported that there A small group worked diligently t[...]church or chapel, but there was no mention of financial
gone mad over it, and where the only talk is of seances and status until the minutes of the January 6, 1892 meeting,
mediums." The movement resurfaced again at the turn of when a resolution was passed " . . . that the trustees be
the century. Seances were held at[...]empowered to borrow from the Ladies Aid Society of the
Metlen Hotel and at such distant places as the upper end of church, money with whi~h to pay the rent due on Dart's
the Centennial Valley. Some of the Ouija boards and tables Hall."
are still in the families of those past believers. The move-
ment waned in the 1910s. Today's equivalent is called New
Age, proving that little is new under the universe.[...]RETT DING LEY

First Presbyterian Church
of Dillon
The first appointment of a Presbyterian minister to this
county was made i[...]d in Bannack from Philadelphia. This was the
year of the organization of the Territory of Montana and
Beaverhead County. Rev. Smtih had pre[...]ia City.
Rev. Dr. Duncan J. McMillan, a cousin of the late Lois
Brantley Hazelbaker and president of the College of Mon-[...]In June, 1892, specifications and design of the church
Presbyterian Church In Montana," publi[...]uiilding committee was
" ...... January, 1881, I visited Dillon, a collection of tents instructed to build a church according to[...]nd rough board shanties at the temporary terminus of the by Andrew Yell. The building cost[...]$200;
Utah Northern Railway, a narrow gauge road that had cellar, chairs, furniture, lamps and small sundries $392. The
reached that point a few days before. I preached to a good Rev. Alfred Crawford[...]ge, promised to ing with furniture was paid for entirely by January 1, 1893."
obtain a minister and organize a church. But before I could The dedication ceremonies for the new church lasted from
get a minister, the Methodists came in and organized. I December 14-16, 1893.
stayed away, a[...]The congregation gave thought to providing a home for its
nize, until in 1888 I was invited by the Methodist minister to mi[...]rian church and help him save reported that Dr. Gwynne would serve as pastor at a salary
the town. I did so, organizing in the Methodist church Sep- of $1,000 and have free use of the Manse. In 1902 Dr. A. B.
tember 16, 1888."[...]rs. Charles W. Bir- ly been president of the College of Montana at Deer Lodge.
chard, Mr. and Mrs. Byron[...]y The record states, "He made scores of friends, not only
Cunnard, Mrs. Clara Fair, Thom[...]on January 8, 1910, left a congregation of saddened parish-
Innes, Mrs. Nancy Anna M[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (221)[...]e Promi-
who helps." The record books are a story of dedication, nent to Montana
filled with both humor and pathos. For years "the faithful
few" pioneered the women's work of the church. Through (From Montana Stan[...]financier and mining investor is
enhance the work of Christ as carried out by the church. A significant for the active and prominent role he played in
missionary society was organized in 1906 at the home of Mrs. the history and development of Montana.
Frank McFadden (nee Nellie Black). The organization "Nick" Bielenberg was one of the early pioneers of Mon-
evolved into the Manse Society.[...]tana, arriving in Fort Benton the early part of June, 1865.
The minutes record various Manse m[...]oss." There were 86 present, includ- part of June 1865. All brothers became residents of Deer
ing children and eight men. Eighty-three wom[...]e.
meeting at Mrs. Ewing's home, nine miles south of town. Nick located in Blackfoot City[...]"Edger Meat Business" from Henry Edger, one of the dis-
home and a New England supper was held at the Herbert coverers of Alder Gulch, the site of the first gold strike in
Selway home. Manse Socie[...]ad Kohrs and John
Featherly and Owens homes north of town and by Madames Bielenberg "staked[...]attlesnake. In March of 1873, Nick sold his "Blackfoot City" butcher
T[...]and Company and purchased the Prowse
tist Society of Women who returned the hospitality. On[...]y 27, 1905, the Manse Society provided a luncheon for the ranch.
Shakespeare Club, an activity that was carried on for well Later in 1877, Nick established a[...]in Butte
over 50 years. They also gave receptions for college and high which became one of the foremost businesses of its kind in
school students and faculty.[...]cold stoarge plant (an inno-
During World War I, no meetings were held for one year vative move for the times) with a large wholesale trade
since mem[...]ers absent without Nick became one of the first members of the Montana
sufficient reason were fined with the[...]In 1883, the era of the Montana cattle barons, Mr. Bielen-[...]LD Hole Valley.
Of the buried treasures reportedly stashed in Montana, It is evident that Nick Bielenberg's interests were varied
none was believed to have exceeded that of the Henry Plum- and extensive. He not only[...]a take her
mer gang. According to legend, a cache of more than $30,000 place among the great wes[...]trib-
remains secreted somewhere along the shores of Romey ute to the transformation. Nic[...]all
Lake near Virginia City. Despite the efforts of many search and fear no one."
parties, it r[...]lummer awaited the gallows at Bannack, he pleaded
for his life in exchange for his weight in gold. Oldtimers feel cache and I'll leave the territory forever."'
there is a strong possibility that some $300,000 in nuggets Asked if he ever looked for the gold, Owsley recalled, "I
and gold dust were buried near Robbers Roost, the road was convinced Plummer spoke the truth and I spent several
agents' hangout south of Sheridan in Madison County. weeks each year digging, for more than five years. But the
William Owsley, a Montana pioneer and member of the gold was never found."
Vigilantes, claimed that fortune had been hidden there, A small portion of Plummer's loot was recovered. Four
near one of the corners of the corral. Owsley narrated the bags of dust and nuggets, thought to have been stolen from a
following sequence of events: train bound for Fort Benton, were found buried in the dirt
"As[...]g led to the Bannack scaffold on floor of a cabin on the Sun River.
January 10, 1864, he threw his arms around me and said, The remainder of that road agent booty is shrouded in
'Owsley, hanging me will not give the dust back. I'll take you mystery-a lucrative lure for modern-day treasure hunters.
to Robbers Roost and if the gold is not where I say, you can
cut me to pieces. Just give me a horse after I show you the[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (222)[...]amp equipment. Two hogs were killed and a portion of
Melrose in 1891. A daughter, Beatrice Fellows, wa[...]usage and patties packed in grease in preparation for
James A. Fellows and Clara Anderson separated[...]utte, Helena and Idaho. ter at the mouth of the Big Horn River, where it empties
A son, Bruce[...]into the Big Horn, near what is now the town of Hardin,
Watters was killed in a mine cave-in at M[...]They passed through the towns of Billings, Big Timber,
Clara Anderson Fellows i[...]arried Abner C. Livingston, and the town of Gardiner at the northern en-
Leacock who was a fr[...]They left the park at what is now the town of West Yel-
Abner C. Leacock was a witness to a m[...]l de- visited a ranch where several species of wild game had been
scription of the tragedy.[...]to a mining claim and into the upper end of the Centennial Valley at Red
located at the junction of Napias and Panther Creeks near Rock Lake.[...]d was buried in Salmon, where they camped for a few days. At this point, the Kerr
Idaho.[...]to the Flathead
Clara Leacock died at the home of Bruce Watters in 1954 Valley, and after visiting friends they knew in Butte, t[...]tery. proceeded by way of Missoula into the Bitterroot Valley as[...]In the summer of 1897, the family decided to move on to
Wi[...]was ready to enter the Academy of Idaho at Pocatello. After
My grandmother, Grace[...]r and Margaret l,Jrsulla Kerr. taught school for a term in Salmon and was working as
She, the youngest of five siblings, lived with her parents on a post[...]e met and married
homestead eight miles northwest of Norton, Kansas until my grandfather William Irving Ferguson.
the spring of 1896.[...]nd after two straight crop failures due to a lack of rain and March 16, 1886. He was the son of Jefferson Davis Ferguson
too much hail, a decisio[...]er, Mattie May, who was born in 1891 but
Flathead Valley. died of pneumonia the same year.
· All through the winter of 1895 and 1896, the family made His earl[...]in and around the Big Hole
plans and preparations for the trek westward. Two large Basin. His[...]s, area in order to provid,e a living for the family. During this
canvas, and side-boards e[...]en he could and ultimate-
accommodate bed springs for the trip. Mr. Kerr ordered and ly graduate[...]r, 45-90 Winchester rifle and a 10 ed at that level.
gauge, double barrel shotgun from Montgome[...]her.
been content with heretofore, in preparation for the right- He traveled with his fath[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (223)[...]old or silver at one mining location to stop
work for a short while and move on to another location when
the word spread that a strike had been made.
Life was rough and very one-sided for a twelve-year old
boy following his father throug[...]olled in school;
however, each stay was too brief for a full grade to be com-
pleted. His father was no[...]d with the Charles Ralston family in the Big Hole
for six years until he was grown. During this period[...]d Clara Ferris
living in Butte and driving a team for the Hanson Packing stead, Mr. and Mrs. Ferr[...]became the parents of a son, Edgar Francis and a daughter,
In 1910,[...]Idaho, and was work- Margaret Louise, both of whom were born in Dillon, at the
ing as a teamster when he met his wife-to-be, Grace Ger- home of Mrs. Strite, a mid-wife.
trude Kerr. The wedding took place in Salmon on Septem- After 18 years of ranching in Idaho, the Ferris family
ber 11, 1910[...]Frederick Schuler ranch nine miles north of town. From
-ROBERT W.[...]an unusual honor was bestowed in the naming of the "Clara
Missouri. He was the eldest of 10 children. When he was 14 Ferris Circle".[...]iscing about the early days in Dillon, Clara told of
a wagon train which followed the Oregon Trail to[...]back door, brother at her side as members of the first class. Clayton
Edgar's folks thought th[...]T FERRIS PYEATT
Idaho. There he became a roommate of the young man who
later was the greatly respected Senator Borah of Idaho. James S. Ferster
In time, the rest of Edgar's family moved to La Grande, James[...], 1852. Two children were
(Jessie became the wife of Robert M. Barrett, the respected born to them[...]e
The couple ranched on the upper Horse Prairie for the was found dead in bed at the age of 34 years on January 14,
next 10 years. They were[...]. It was deter-
Addie and Jessie, after the death of their parents in Oregon. mined that death resulted from natural causes and he[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (224)[...]h, breaking his leg. He couldn't seem to get over that
in Bannack in 1863. She married William G. Blair,[...]injury. While he was in the hospital he longed for a drink of
of Beaverhead County, June 17, 1873, in Bannack. They had cold spring water and a smell of mountain air. He was afraid
three children, Nelli[...]The Government "big boys" claimed that the drought
TORY[...]ranched a large place about a mile north and west of Lake- -AUTH[...]oven and This history book contains names of courageous,
take it to the hayfield in a spring wagon. That done, she rode hardy pioneer men and their families we are proud to
for relaxation.[...]he would hear a bull plete without the story of a woman, I Kate Fitzhar-
begin to roar down on the lakeshore[...]ing a new gate. started a business of limestone, sand and gravel from his
Summer was a busy time of preparing for the long and quarry in the Frying Pan Ba[...]re hauled by
bitter winters. A wood pile the size of a small hill had to be horses and wagons into D[...]d and stored in the shed attached to the kitchen. That ply materials for buildings, such as the Abstract Land and
was a chore for the kids. Title building, courthouse, library, and D.I. Hardware.
Virginia loved music and played and[...]et, Judith, and
everybody joined in a fun evening of singing the old songs. Elizabeth. Kate knew[...]ong with the men, causing the
Bill Fitch was a kind and good natured person. The kids business to prosper. Kate excavated for many buildings now
all loved him. The Fitches had just one child, a boy named standing, including D.I. Hardware.
Martyn. He didn't like ranching and livestock so moved to Trag[...]Kate became known for her strong compassion and generos-
ity for others.
In November of 1918, the devastating flu epidemic hit[...]Dillon and spread so rapidly that nearly every family lost a[...]loved one or more. Dillon's two doctors at that time were Dr.[...]days apart in November of 1918.[...]story of how, at the age of 16, he helped his father Everett[...]couldn't build them fast enough for the need. We took a[...]shed John's body and had his clothes neatly ready for
scher Holt, Virginia F. Fitch and Cornelia[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (225)[...], did not want to offend Mr. Flager died of a heart attack at the Grand Hotel in
Kate; so he took his drink, but poured it into a receptacle of Butte August 9, 1929, while still in the employ of Mr. Laue-
some sort near the casket. As Kate pass[...]-ANN HIRSCHY
Mr. Brundage, I washed his body 'meself, but I can still
smell the liquor on him!"'
Kate Fitzh[...]Leonard and Hazel Flint
Richard Nolan of Dillon and they ranched in Argenta. Kate George and Catherine Smith of Parker, Idaho were the
Fitzharris died in Dillon in March 1922. parents of ten children; their sixth child, born August 9,
-[...]work on the family ranch, making things that would provide[...]thought of by all who knew him. In his late teens he left
Wa[...]ranch where he helped break eight teams of oxen (or steers)
and was also a general practiti[...]fields. From there he went to the
much is known of the couple during this time, except that Wetmore Hunting Lodge where he transpor[...]r Route from Lakeview to Henry's Lake, a distance of
were divorced, and he remarried in Long Beach, Ca[...]les.
Dagmar and Cato lived in California the rest of their lives. Hazel, second daughter of George and Ellen Shambow,
Dr. Holmsen also moved[...]ping tasks and became an excel-
Wisdom at the age of 46 on July 27, 1924, and was buried in l[...]ano, and horseback riding. Visiting relatives out of town
Carl Huntley in September of 1928 and now lives with her and state[...]r and Priscilla cermony. At 11 A.M. that morning they boarded the train
Woods. He grew up in Greeley, Colo., with his sister Pearl. for Idaho Falls where they bought their first set of dishes
On April 29, 1898, Warren enlisted and ser[...]and some cooking utensils. They spent the rest of their two _
in Co. D 1st Colorado Volunteer Infan[...]hilippine Insurrection Centennial Valley to make their home and living. Their first
and re[...]filed on a homestead east of Red Rock Lakes. They built
It is not known whe[...]their log house and all the buildings needed for their live-
met Hannah Digsen Holmsen there and t[...]From this union were born: Warren, Jr., of Centennial Valley. Their second 30n, Leo Carlton, was
Forrest, Carl William (Bill), and Gladys. Bill Flager of Al- born April 8, 1920. A few years later[...]w. The family's big interest was their large herd of
Warren died in Tacoma, Wash., and Forrest in Ontario, Black Angus cattle and their big herd of horses that were
Calif. used for riding and for the haying season. The month of
Mr. Flager operated the Ajax Saloon, Billiards[...]emely busy cutting and stacking the hay
in Wisdom for many years and was also a barber by trade. that would feed the livestock during the long and cold win-
He also worked for Hans Lauesen, operating a stage line[...]h to Wayne Montgomery. In February, 1955 they re-
for a stage line from Butte to Wisdom. Mr. Fla[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (226)[...]early 1880's. They homesteaded at the mouth of Big Sheep
Leonard, Hazel, Donald, and Leo all d[...]k, where Percy died in 1889.
place in the history of Beaverhead county, for their roots Title records to the propert[...]were Annie Flynn received a Certificate of Title in October 1908.
among the best.[...]sons and daughters married and lived in the area of[...]Their son, Clay Jr., married Gladys Birch of Dillon; both
State of New York. James Percy Flynn and Annie Murphy[...]also known as one of the progressive farmers of Beaaver-[...]of Dillon.
Mr. Flynn was a native son of the Emerald Isle, born in[...]assist in the work of the family farm for a number of years.[...]of New Haven, Conn., where he worked at the plumbing[...]business and such other occupations that came to hand.
In February of that year he came West locating in Salt[...]March of the following year he became a member of a party
of 54 men who chartered a sailing vessel to French G[...]South America, attracted there by reports of wonderful dis-
The story is told about this time James Percy was in- coveries of gold. The expidition proved fruitless in results[...]and he returned to Salt Lake City in 1874. In that fall he
red hair and tried to scalp him. He had a[...]ent to south Mountain, Idaho, where he had charge of the
forehead. erection of the first smelter in the locality.
The Flynns c[...]chased a portion of his ranch, located on Blacktail Creek,[...]comprising of 800 acres of exceedingly fertile land well irri-[...]gated and all available for cultivation. Here he gave atten-[...]tion to farming, raising large fields of wheat, oats, and al-[...]Flynn, the families being of the same name but of no con-[...]Barrett, brother of Martin Barrett. The Flynns spent most
of their lives at the ranch. Pat and Hubert never ma[...]Ella married W. D. Sandy who was the cow foreman for the
The Flynn Family - Little-Sheep Creek P. & 0. Part of the Flynn ranch is now owned by Jim Blake[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (227)[...]July 4, 1852. He
Mr Thomas Flynn was a native of County Leitrim, Ire- spent his early yout[...], where he was born February 14, 1854, the eighth of the on August 16, 1878, at Sonora, Ill. He became a M.D. and
twelve children of Patrick and Katherine McTiermon prac[...]uvoo, Ill. until 1884. One son, Lew-
Flynn, bot h of whom passed their entire lives in the Emer- i[...]small family moved to Monte Vista, Colo. in 1884 where Dr.
Thomas Flynn was educ[...]is medical practice until moving to Lima,
schools of his native country. There he assisted in the work[...]in 1889. Two daughters were born to the family in
of the parental farmstead until the time of his emigration to Monte Vista: Lucie Miller Ford on December 18, 1880, and
the United States. His father died when he was 14. Two of Adda Susan Ford on March 22, 1886.
his brot[...]where Dr. Ford took up his position as physician for the
Mr. Flynn came to Montana in 1876 and was[...]r-
the P. & 0. Five years later he bought a tract of land on forming his duties for the railroad, he developed a private
Blacktail Creek, with property of 2600 acres and leased 1700 practice serving the entire sounthern part of Beaverhead
acres from the state.[...]a hardware
In addition to raising large crops of wheat, oats, and al- store in Lima at various t[...]d in a number
falfa, he engaged in the production of shorthorn cattle. of pieces of real estate and expanded his property to include
During the severe winter of 1889 Mr. Flynn met with a wonderful workshop, a number of storage sheds, a barn
heavy financial losses when a large portion of his stock per- and a fumigation house.
ished. H[...]sion with great vigor. He owned a stable of horses in the
He was constantly making improve[...]er the southern county attending to peoples'
feed for his stock. It was in the city of Butte, November 22, illnesses and delivering babies. He later developed a yen for
1885 that Mr. Flynn was united in marriage to Mary Laden[...]came to the U.S. when she and several Buicks of the day, sometimes painted fire-en-
was 17 with h[...]o died in Butte gine red. The recklessness of his driving was legendary in
in 1883. Her parents[...]tion to his work, Dr. Ford was a sterling example of
their entire lives at the Blacktail ranch, which[...]manner of things in and near Lima, He owned a gypsum[...]-HELEN BROWN mine on the North Fork of Little Sheep Creek and had a[...]first-hand view of the discovery.[...]was Past Master of Evergreen Lodge 45-A.F.A.M. in Lima,[...]Past Patron of the Elva Boardman Chapter-Order of East-
ern Star in Lima, member of St. Elmo Chapter 7-Knight
Templars of Dillon, Dillon Chapter 8-Royal Arch Ma-[...]sons, member of Zabud Council 2 of Butte and a Shriner at[...]of 85. His wife, Lucie, survived until 1942. Dr. For[...]lifetime resident of Beaverhead County. He attended grade[...]the first football team that school had in about 1897, and

230-Bea[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (228)[...]George Wilson of Butte and they lived there until divoced in[...]n is survived by two sons, Lewis E. "Doc" O'Brien of
Winters, Calif: and Mike O'Brien of Davis, California.[...]When his brother Percy got home from World War I, Blaine
soon got into other pursuits that eventually led to being a went to the Cente[...]s
rancher. Around 1900 he raised and broke horses for the old own homestead. He was a strict "loner" at least half of his
stage line between Monida and Yellowstone Par[...]or even months, at the Fairbanks ranch
switchman for the Union Pacific Railroad in the Lima yards and was friendly with all of them. He loved to play with kids
for some time.[...]a word to anyone, he'd pack
homesteaded southwest of Snowline, Mont. and ranched up his t[...]Lima. he was in one of his good moods. Also, he was an excellent
Mr.[...]always popular at parties and dances. He was well like by
tice-of-peace in Lima for many years despite a handicap of everyone who knew him.
almost total blindn[...]he had his homestead, he always ran a small band of sheep.
being a past master of Evergreen Lodge 45 and a past Part of the time he'd spend several months at the hotel in
patron of Elva Boardman Chapter-O.E.S. and Mrs. Ford[...]is sheep on the feed grounds at
was a past matron of Elva Boardman Chapter.- someone else's place, then back to the Valley come spring.
Mr. Ford died very suddenly on Fe[...]him back to a veterans' hospital in California for an ex-
Lewis C. Ford, III, born March 28, 1919.[...]since lived in Schenectady, N. Y., Part of the time he ran his sheep on the summer ranges in[...]Idaho or Wyoming. It was in Wyoming (June of 1970) where
his wife, the former Mary Sweeney of Big Sheep Creek he met a very questi[...]lives in but never proved. The cause of death was drowning since his
Oregon.[...]a pine tree, with
Lucie Miller Ford, daughter of Dr. & Mrs. Ford, lived her his rifle laying[...]one his family by wagon train (summer of 1899) to Idaho, set-[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (229) tling in St. Anthony. He had walked behind th~ wagon most
of the way. In 1906 he came to the Centennial, taking a
homestead in the upper end of the Valley, and working on
various ranches.
When World War I began, Percy tried to enlist in all
branches of the service but was rejected in every case be-
c[...]r, carrying messages back and forth between
units of the army. His comment was, "I spent the whole
damn war crawling on my belly thr[...]er and through bodies was
bad enough, but knowing that if I were captured there was
no way I could let the enemy take possession of the messages
I would be carrying was worse." When the war was ov[...]on South Atlantic Street, Dillon
came back to the Valley to resume his life.[...]s bustling with building ac-
rum-running down out of Canada during Prohibition. His tivity. John brought with him the skill of plastering which
brother, Rell Harley Fordyce, lived with him for intermit- his father had learned in Scotland and, in association with
tent stretches and he did a lot of illegal liquor hauling down John Cusick, helpe[...]He was a natural houses and blocks. Some of the attractive stone buildings
"hell-raiser" by c[...]In 1885 he married Mary Jane Williams of Salt Lake City.
station in Del Rio, Texas, one of the two most powerful in She was born in B[...]d had come West with
the nation in the early days of radio. He'd come to see us at her parents at an early age. The account of her marriage in
indeterminate times, one time it[...]e rods on a freight a leader in the managing of school and social entertainments
train. He was a[...]gambler with a home intermittently from that time on, as he engaged in the
great zest for living and love of life. He . liked people and contracting busin[...]e at 535 South Pacif-
everyone liked him in spite of the fact that everyone knew ic Street on lots which had originally been part of the Axe
he was a "bounder" of the first class. famil[...]e truck, completely demolishing it, pillar of the Methodist Church."
and killing himself, still[...]Henry's Lake. In 1932, don would call for him in her buggy and take him home for
they moved to Ogden, Utah, and he died there Marc[...]ne train for drinks of water, as it was so much better than the[...]As a boy of 16-17 he rode line fence for the P. & 0. in the[...]ng line wrapped
John S. Forrester, grandfather of Roy Forrester, Jr., came around his ha[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (230) ing time of the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francis-[...]sleds and a good
co, celebrating the opening of the Panama Canal. Roy came team of horses. The mail left Monida early in the morning,
back to Dillon and worked for the Montana Mercantile, also from Lakev[...]head County. In 1916 he and Irene The pay for just hauling the mail wasn't very much so he[...]added to his income by hauling freight for others and gro-
Mary Jane, anxious for her son's bride to have a most favor- ceries from Monida out to the Valley residents. His outfit
able first impression of Dillon, arranged for the train to be wasn't very fancy for the passengers, the sled just had a seat
met[...]ed the
them into town, past the gothic spires of the Normal College sled. In the warmer weather[...]John Forrester and Mary Jane built a house for them- able. Sometimes the freight was so heavy that he had to run
selves at 833 South Atlantic, a[...]s or wagons and teams.
house next door at 835 for their son and his wife. After John Al hired lots of men to drive for him. He also had a barn
Forrester's death in[...]s widow sold the man at each location to care for the teams and clean up. Al
house to Ralph and[...]and
Roy and Irene enjoyed the social life of the town, and the moved to Butte. Al died in Bu[...]13, 1949, and Chris
fishing and camping trips that highlighted their life togeth- died in Idaho Fa[...]er banks. dropping by for a chat and coffee.
In 1919 their son, Roy[...]e Foster Family
close-knit family became part of the growing Dillon commu- With the spirit of hope and adventure, Rodney Eugene
nity. Roy,[...]died in 1955 in Mexico where he had spring of 1908. People in Montana mistakenly assumed that
gone to spend the winter with his wife and gr[...]the "R" in the initials "R.E." Foster stood for Robert so
1 Kay. Irene died in 1980.[...]Rodney became "Bob" and was so known in Montana for
Ethel Mary married Alan Bradley of Armstead. Their the rest of his life.
children were: Kay Sheridan, Alan, Jr., Roy, and Forey Ce- Bob had worked for the railroad in Durand but a disas-
derburg.[...]nd Jennifer Tolton. halt! Regardless of blame or no blame, all the employees[...]Tom convinced his brother that there were plenty of oppor-
tunities in Montana and so it was that the family of three -
Al Forsythe was born in Kitchner,[...]a sister to Mayme Bray, in the train bound for Dillon. A second son, Walter T. Foster, was
fall of 1900 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. They moved to Lakevie[...]w months after their arrival.
and ran a store for Sam Burnside. Chris was the postmis- Two houses on Pacific Street were the first homes of the
tress. They also worked on a ranch near Dillon for Billy Foster family, the Brundage house an[...]the Fos-
They moved back to the Centennial Valley (Lakeview) ters built a new home at 906 South Washington Street
where they managed a store for Miller and Pike. Al later which was planned by Mrs. Foster. Here the family lived for
bought the store, remodeled it, and made livi[...]owstone McDaniel Churchill, upon the death of her husband, C.W.
Stage to haul tourists to Y[...]Mo.
in Lakeview. Chris had the responsibility for the tourists' Bob Foster was born in Dundee[...]ontract to deliver the 1880. He was the fifth of six children born to Mr. and Mrs.
mail and fr[...]early age, however, having decided that farm life was not to[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (231)[...]Washington for several years. A son, George Robert Foster,[...]Foster became manager of the Selway Sheep Company and[...]Bob, Hilda, and George lived there for five years before[...]On November 8, 1948, Bob Foster died of a massive brain[...]amily moved to Kansas City, Mo., and it was there that
Emma and Bob were married in June, 1903.
In Ha[...]store and her uncles were schoolmates
and friends of Mark Twain. The McDaniels Candy Store is
mentioned in several of Mark Twain's books and in biogra-
phies of Twain. It was written that whenever Mark Twain
returned to Hannibal for a visit, the McDaniels Candy Store
was high on his list of priorities. Hannibal may seem far
from Dillon but the candy-making McDaniel family of Han-
nibal spread their talent and influence to Dillon. Two of the
brothers, Henry and Dana, came to Dillon and made candy
for the Sugar Bowl - - a candy and ice cream parlor w[...]untjoy Flowers and. Gifts. The Sugar Bowl thrived for a
number of years and was a favorite R & R gathering place
for Dillon matrons and their children.
Bob Foster'[...]d he began buying and selling sheep. fields for market. He was buried in the Foster plot in Moun-[...]Idaho
expanded into feeding sheep to fatten them for market. Falls February 2, 1977.
Durin[...]to pool their talents and formed the partnership of Foster
and Melton. George was a graduate lawyer, but he found
that the livestock business presented more challenges[...]Mr. and Mrs. W.W. Francis came to the Big Hole Valley
of years but their friendship lasted even though the[...]Francis and sons had the first sawmill in the valley and
young people of the community who had found the Foster[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (232)[...]he second floor.
When Mary Francis came to the valley, it soon became
known that she was a good practical nurse and midwife. Mrs
F[...]everyone
loved her) never refused to go when any of the neighbors or
strangers called for help. In the summer she would ride her
little hor[...], Fred Francis, married Dora on acres of the home ranch when the Clark Canyon Dam was
Octo[...]Hole with her tana, November 9, 1867, son of George D. and Elizabeth
two half-brothers, Tom an[...]nt. Their children are Melba and Della, town of Argenta in 1870. Tony grew up in Argenta but also[...]Don and Beth went to school in Big felt that Bannack was his home because he spent much time
Hole as my sister, Della and I (Melba) did. Beth went to there with rel[...]1912. She was
went to College in Logan Utah, and like his Dad Fred, Don the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George B. Conway, her father
liked t[...]Government trapper. a well known official of the mining company which operated[...]hen Mr. French died on March 29, 1963, he was one of
neer family of Theophilus B. and Mary D. Craver. the eight remaining members of the Society of Montana
James R. Freeman and Oleta Eda Craver w[...]Alva's brother Milton spent the winter of 1888 in Mon-
on Horse Prairie. James died July 30[...]metery. that he returned to Iowa and persuaded Alva, his wife and
The Bureau of Reclamation bought approximately 262[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (233)[...]finished grade school and two years of high school, and[...]ano and arranged music lessons for Nettie, who was an apt[...]many Montana boys volunteered for service, among them[...]sew the gold star on one of the three stars of her service flag.
In the fall of 1918, Nettie started teaching at the Hoffman[...]School, south of Melrose. The 1918-19 epidemic of Spanish[...]) to finish out the term and stayed on for the 1919-20 term.
Mrs. Alva Garr, Paul Garr, Grac[...]was seven years old at that time, and one of the first-class
arrived in Dell in the spring of 1902 where Alva found a job schools of Beaverhead County. There was an original build-
a[...]n Montana early in outhouses and a barn, for some of the pupils came by horse.
the 1900s. The Garr children received their elementary edu- During that record cold year of 1919-20 Nettie stayed at
cation in Dell. Gladys a[...]Lima High School. Grace taught school in Montana for mile round-trip.
nine years and married Ray[...]several years and Wash., during the summer of 1921, then returned to Dillon
was Beaverhead County Superintendent during one term. for the 1921-22 term at the Montana State Normal Coll[...]training instructor for the Normal College. She built a house
The only surviving members of the Garr family are Grace
Martinell and Montana Garr of Lima.
-LOIS[...]ie Mae Hand, born November 19, 1899, the daughter
of Horace and Maggie Hand, pioneer ranchers at Wise[...]to visit
school and was accommodated with a desk of apple boxes-
one to sit upon and one upright as a[...]next day and continued as a
student or a teacher for the next 30 years.

236-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (234)at 420South Dakota in 1933, four rooms and a basement, for the cows before she went to the fields[...]born February 1907.
In 1949 J. B. Garrison died of a heart attack. Nettie He married Be[...]y family in the East, who
Ernest bought a team of horses and a wagon and drove raised race horses, and recalled that he had been kicked out
until the horses gave out, reaching what is now the Iverson of every college east of the Mississippi. There was no doubt
ranch. They h[...]e until he had been exposed to a life of culture and all the advan-
their deaths. They were the parents of two girls, Ernestine tages available to[...]rs. During prohibition days, the Gordons of Armstead oper-
Geary baked bread they came and st[...]were on duty for socializing and dancing. Music was fur-
Mrs. G[...]free life riding the
the place on the old highway that was later known as the range and breaking horses. Their home was any type of
Munday place. (The house where they lived was moved by dwelling that happened to be available and rent-free.
the Munda[...]For a time they lived in a log cabin, formerly Harmon[...]heir Mayfield's homestead, near the mouth of Garfield Canyon,
son, Cliff, had a very close call when he fell in the river and if a couple miles south of the Metlen ranch. Garry called this
it wasn't for his dog he would have drowned. Cliff was three[...]a special breed of fighting chickens. Garry was a promoter
. When w[...]took their stock to Butte for contests. Cock-fighting was
In 1918 and 1919, Mr. Calvert was fireman on a steam illegal but that didn't seem to concern either promoters or
shovel that was digging the canal from the dam to some-[...]their cabin home, Garry served a
was never a drop of water went through this as the surveyor Poverty Flat Cocktail: a glass of goat's milk with a fighting
erred and the head of the canal was too low for the rest of the chicken egg whipped into it. They lived for a time at the old
canal.[...]and milk Prairie liked to stop there for refreshment. Every spring[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (235)they rode the Rocky Hills on the north edge of the valley to was magnetic and with a subtle sense of humor. They knew
round up horses. The ranchers paid them to bring in work all the rules of good manners and never said an unkind word
horses[...]visited, they always managed to mooch a handful of stick
ranch-style rodeos. Spectators sat on the c[...]r Metlen's Selway Place on the north edge of Horse Prairie.
of fifty-gallon barrels and rough-sawed 2x4's in the[...]od. Fol-
adjacent to the corral. The call to come for refreshment was lowing this successful ventu[...]e athletic club. Grace had been to
onto the teeth of the rake. The handle caught him squarely A[...]y while Garry demon- in the rural area east of San Francisco.
strated his brief fist-fight with[...]ed
Garry built a device in his corral designed for breaking a flyer out at the airport, and scattered Garry's ashes over
horses to lead. On top of a four-foot post was a loosely bolted Indian He[...]l living on Horse Prairie.
by a halter to the end of the pole and the merry-go-round Garry and Gladys leave no descendants to tell of the
went round and round. sunshine they scattered. I write this story as a tribute to two
A neighbor brought a wild horse for Garry to break. The of the most lovable people I've ever known and two of the
horse was in a vicious mood and Gladys helped Garry get best friends I've ever had.
him tied to the pole, then she drove[...]t child
had gushed and honeyed over his limp body for a minute or in Iowa. Eleven of the thirteen had red hair. My father, John
two, G[...]ny again After reading glowing reports of Montana from his two older
returned to the Geiger[...]sisters (who had ventured forth to that state in 1886), Dad
It seemed rather odd that Garry had never learned to decided to f[...]l and came to Glendale in 1888.
drive a car. Most of those years on Horse Prairie, Gladys did He f[...]ened and closed gates. the people so friendly that, as soon as he had saved enough
At one gate, betw[...]ranch and Metlen's, Garry money, he sent for his brothers one by one until all five were
insis[...]Glendale in those days was a thriving mining town of
walk the two miles to the Metlen's. The Model T F[...]he worked his way up to foreman. At the age of 30, he returned
couldn't remember which pedal was[...]r in
dollars here and there on any short term job that was avail- Chicago, but Dad's money was stolen-so they embarked
able and within their realm of skills. They rode the grub-line for Montana on the two railroad fares which had not b[...]tell stories and relate experiences with a style that from the Knippenberg family, and here my[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (236)[...]preserved in a bottle of alcohol. Each time company came to[...]visit, Albert made a point of showing everyone the bottle[...]ontaining his little finger. Mother finally tired of these[...]I window.[...]Grimes, the Conways, and the W oodsides. Except for the
stone house at the entrance of town (which was owned by
John an[...]the DeCelles), only the foundations-and the walls of the
and sisters Helen and Dorothy were born. Knip[...]m the original Glendale. The
the owner or manager of the mine in Hecla, and he had built K[...]They once gave a party and sent to San Francisco for calla Dad took over management of the hotel in Melrose after
lilies to decorate the[...], and he then ran
their scent was so overpowering that Mother had to leave in the stage betw[...]dale, leaving my Uncle
the new dress she had made for the party. Tony Gelhaus in charge. Many were the hilarious jokes that
Dad served on the school board and in this cap[...]those times.
to Melrose to meet each new teacher for the school and take Albert was sent t[...]a sister school in
him/her to Glendale. A number of the boys at school were Iowa, so the people of Melrose breathed easily for nine
unruly and mean, so this became quite a freq[...]ling salesmen, a brick house was rented and there I
self, "This little runt will not last a day-I shall be taking was born. At that point, Mrs. Streb decided to run the hotel
him ba[...]tead and later in Dillon.
on his desk, and said, "I will use it if I have to." He lasted Albert joined the Air Force during World War I and later
two years at the job. How different now[...]he miners with his the University of Arizona and at Adams State College in
weight-lift[...]Colorado, where her outstanding work as President of
stopping in Butte, heard of Dad's prowess and came to South[...]Later, Dorothy served as regis-
clay pigeons out of 50 with a rifle-a feat never before ac- trar and librarian at Western Montana College. I became an
complished. The New Yorker said, "Come[...]to live in Dillon to this day.
York and in a year I shall make you the world champion,"[...]-ADELAIDE GELHAUS
but Dad replied, "I have a wife and three children plus a
good job, and I cannot be chasing around the country." On
one of our later annual vacations to Browns Lake I remem-[...]John and Jane Gilbert
ber holding up a dime for Dad to shoot, but Mother said, John R. Gilbert was born in Penzance, Cornwall, Eng-
"Don't do it, John, she might move her hand." I then held land, in April, 1846. His[...]ibune following his death in March, 1902, recites that "he
emblem.[...]es in
My brother Albert proved to be a source of head-shaking 1860." He was a miner an[...]usement to the neighbors but was the exasperation of his mines in Massachusetts, Michigan[...]on Order to have been the secretary of Virginia City Lodge No.
his best behavior, as she[...]In Montana he was superintendent of mines located at
away. Soon a series of loud explosions was heard, and little[...]nd charred, his hair and eye- dent of the Alta Mine in Wickes and operated the Helena
brows singed-came running in and said, "Mama, I am Mining and Reduction Works at Wickes until that facility
shot." He had been playing with[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (237)[...]uch the six smaller children with the help of Mrs. Beardsley,
counties, as well as properties[...]oy Forrester, Jr.'s grandfa-
After the closure of the Wickes mines and the smelter, the ther, an[...]ed a Gilbert in 1902 was superintendent of the King of Arizona
gold dredge at Bannack for several years and later was dep- Mine at Kofa, Ariz., (near Yuma) which was owned by Wil-
uty State of Montana mine inspector and then operated liam A. Clark of Butte. He died there in March, 1902, at the
mines in the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora. age of 56.
John R. Gilbert married Jane Ann Buµiby a[...]Montana, in February, 1877. She was the daughter of Wil- in the ranching business, in additio[...]ar William R. Gilbert, an older brother of John R. Gilbert,
Silver Star), Montana, in 1873,[...]near Silver Star in 1864 and later was in charge of a
by boat to San Francisco, thence by rail to Cor[...]rea. Apparently John R. Gilbert
Creek to join two of their sons, one of whom had come to the and William R. Gilbert h[...]years later. There were After the death of John R. Gilbert, his children incorpo-
eight Bumb[...]nied by her husband, several step- a part of their Beaverhead County properties, purchasing
ch[...], first at the
Lois Gilbert was born in Jefferson Valley, Madison County; State Bank of Dillon, and later becoming president of the
Frederick A. Gilbert and Norman S. Gilbert were born in First National Bank of Dillon. Fred A. Gilbert worked at
Butte, Montana;[...]and Zetta C. Gilbert (Gosman) were War I, he imported train loads of Mexican cattle into Ari-
born in Dillon. Wilbur ([...]t was named after zona (to supply meat for the British Army) being required
Colonel Wilbur F[...]) to Pancho Villa, the Mexican revo-
sonal friend of John R. Gilbert. lutionary, by detaching the last two cars of livestock on each
In November, 1897, the entire family (except the father train.
and Fred, who were mining[...]Gilbert, aged 42, died November 15. It is reputed that married Roy LaKander, a construction engineer, of Chica-
this calamity was the chief impetus to the establishment of go, Ill., and Zetta C. Gilbert married George M. Gosman, a
the City of Dillon water system in about the year 1902.[...].
Harry Gilbert, the eldest son, then 19 years of age, raised[...]Like many other Englishmen in the second half of the[...]America. We can only guess at the reasons for the move, but
adventure and a search for a better life would not be the[...]least. The economic transformation of Europe at that time
and the rising concept of personal liberty were major factors[...]in the greatest period of immigration in history.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (238)[...]sister in hotel management. Spencer died in 1919 of[...]College of Education and became a teacher. She later at-[...]City and later at Silver Star. The surface mining of vatory of Music. During her teaching career, she taught at
gold, whether by pan or hydraulic methods, never lasted for Monida, the Big Hole Basin, and Divide in Bea[...]-RODNEY C. GILBERT
By the end of the 1860's, prospectors were leaving Mon-[...]ANDERSON GILBERT
tana and more expensive methods of mining using heavy
equipment were used. William Gilbert stayed in mining for
a while as foreman of the principle mine in Radersburg.[...]Mary. They had two sons, 28, 1874, the son of James T. and Ann Giles. He came to
Thomas, in abo[...]and Reed Ranch south of Dillon. He later purchased land in
In 1883, Em[...]cklen (1857-1945) was trav- the Centennial Valley and made a home for his family there.
eling in Montana with her broth[...]ffered a stroke in 1938 and was forced to dispose of his
(1855-1899). Soon after arriving in Dillon, s[...]bru-
R. Gilbert. and they were married by the end of the year. ary 1945.
They lived and worked on their ranch north of Dillon (later Katie Bulla was born in Alban[...]er mother died.
in 1896. He was a founding member of the Masonic Lodges Katie was always proud of the fact that she was a direct
in Beaverhead and Madison Counties. descendant of the founder of Yale University.
Billy and Emma had two childr[...]ther sisters in Montana, Mrs. Catherine Schwartz, of move to a drier climate. The family tried Ogden, Utah, in
Bannack, and Mrs. J. A. Myers, of Butte. 1908, but were floo[...]ft
his family a fairly large estate. It consisted of the Home
Ranch and another 520 acres on the Rattl[...]rom the Beaverhead, 6000 sheep, 4 original shares of
the Beaverhead Canal Co., as well as many other i[...]worked on ranches in the area, as well as working
for several years in the mines in Butte. He died in 1922 from
a skull fracture he received from the kick of a horse while
working at the Elza Smith ranch, south of Dillon.
After William's death, Emma and her ch[...]r 25, 1945. Emma was a lifelong and active
member of the Methodist Church. Both Chester and Mon[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (239)[...]er great-grandchildren. Katie died after a series of ence produced rodeos in Wise River, Wisdom, De[...]various shows.
Eleanor married David Moffet of Colorado and they lived Fred died of a heart attack in Wise River, September 1,
in Bil[...]and Carrie Gilliam were ranchers on a small place of[...]ont., November 1, 1885, to brother first worked for B. B. Lawrence helping in the hay
Joseph Gill and[...]Gill. After Joseph died, Ellen field the summer of 1914. Ferd later married and started
Isbell married Pete Woods. Fred for years was known as ranching with Carrie on[...]ery. Along with his ranching, he carried the mail for
Charles and Laura Flanagin. They, with their fami[...]Bowen P.O., on to Wisdom, back to Bowen that night. At
Florence and Fred eloped to Butte, traveling from Wise that time there were quite a number of folks getting mail at
River. Fred rode horseback and Florence rode on the buck- that Post Office. B. B. Lawrence was the postmaster.
b[...]arriage lasted 50 recipe, just used a dash of this and a pinch of that, but she
years. Following their elopement, Fred a[...]could turn out a delicious cake. If you asked her for her
at the Elkhorn Mine, from which Fred hauled o[...]Gilliams came from, but they spoke often of Council Bluffs,
To this union two daughters we[...]ed Carrie moved to Wisdom and ran the hotel for a while.
to Leonard Ritzschke of Great Falls. June married Dave Ferd built[...]acqui~ing his education in the public schools of McFall.[...]journeyed to Montana and for two years worked in the[...]neer butcher at Glendale. After a year in that job, Duke[...]purchased the business and operated it for three years. He[...]spread of 1,520 acres in the Big Hole Basin, which he sold[...]the spring of 1916.
He married Clara Sharkey, daughter of Neil and Mary
McGraw Sharkey, in July of 1904 at Dillon. Duke was elect-[...]ed to three consecutive terms as sheriff of Beaverhead[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (240)Fellow Lodges.
They were parents of one daughter, Mary, who was born
August 11, 1905,[...]he
county jail."
Mrs. Gist succumbed in October of 1926 and Mr. Gist
died in April of 1927.
-MARY GIST SIL[...]born April 3, 1860, in the
southern Swiss Canton of Ticino, Switzerland. His father as the r[...], and actually finished
Giornico in a large house that is still owned by relatives. Due in first place[...]Nev., and the 1880's found him working of the Ferris Ranch. They had one daughter, Madeline[...]ed in Beaverhead County and his first Of the two older daughters, Carrie, now Mrs. W.F.
wo[...]ver-
family, managing household duties and caring for the chil- head County Sheriff for a number of years, and raised two
dren. (Mr. White was president of The First National Bank sons: Warren who is deceased and Jack who lives in Seattle.
of Dillon and was also the last Territorial Governor of Mon- The Temples are now both buried in Moun[...]in the Methodist Other children of Isidoro and Amanda, all born on the
Church in But[...]s (now the Carl from the University of Washington and served a lifetime
Meine Ranch) whi[...]n Seattle. She has two <laughers - Martha of Portland and
this first home.
In 1895 they purchased 480 acres of land four miles north
of Dillon from Harvey Sullivan and worked at develop[...]ese to Dillon and Butte. Later they acquired land for
pasture for their cattle in the Sweetwater area from where
th[...]cattle, hay and grain ranch.
Isidoro, because of a lifetime interest in horses, became
associated with Marcus Daly of Butte, boarding and exercis-
ing some of his horses. The story is told that one of these
horses loved to race. Races were held in Dillon and this
horse was often entered as a way of training. One race day
Isidoro took his wi[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (241)Carol of Seattle - with whom she now divides her time and team took the family to the Malad Valley in Idaho where
attentions. Olga Giudici, now Mrs.[...]In this
raised two daughters, Joan and Pat, both of whom reside in line of work, George met the man in charge of the B. F.
Washington. Catherine Gi~dici, now Mrs.[...]e Freight Line, James H. Phillips. George married
of Helena, is also a graduate of Montana State Normal Phillips' 20-year[...]and persuaded the newlyweds to join him in filing for home-
The son, Philip Isidoro (Phil), married[...]ontana Territory near Springhill, a set-
daughter of another early Beaverhead County family - tlement about one mile north of the present town of Lima.
Peder and Mary Nelson - in the same Methodist Church in George's land was in the area of the old stage station (near
Butte where his fathe[...]and his father-in-law had a place just
spent most of their years in Butte and Dillon areas and are[...]ome and the furniture he had worked so hard to
ty of Giornico. Philip Henry Schnell, a grandson of Isidoro make.
and son of Carrie Giudici Schnell and his wife of Carmel, In the years that followed, four more children were born:
Ind., att[...]-Mrs. Carl (Jessie) Giudici During that busy time Emily walked to town carrying[...]baskets of eggs, cheese and butter to sell to her customers.[...]in which the loser was smeared with stove-
wagon for one of the large Butte stores. p[...]bors. "There ain't nobody gonna steal that land away from
From this marriage came eight ch[...]1912, Victor 1916, Wilma and built fences for themselves. George was also the first ranch-
Wilm[...]the excess hay to other ranchers in exchange for cattle at the
Butte before moving to Wisdom in June 1915. They imme- rate of one-half ton of hay for two head of cattle. He was
diately started a store and restau[...]was located then able to trade the cattle for one hundred head of sheep
next to the hotel. These businesses were wi[...]and this was known as barter and in exchange for her skill in mixing bread dough
the Wisdom Cash S[...]they thought to be magic), they offered her gifts of[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (242)[...]spent most of her married life in Butte where Mr. Barbour[...]first in the Big Hole Valley and then coming to Lima where[...]pany, 13th Infantry Division of the American Expedition-[...]ary Forces during World War I in Germany. He received a
Purple Heart for a machine gun bullet wound in his left arm[...]during the battle of Argonne Forest.[...]also showed weekly movies in the Opera House. For a time
Children in foreground are George Franks a[...]e girls and, as they played ranched north of Lima and had two children: Gordon of
with their dolls, he would sit crosslegged at the toy table and Dillon and Emily (Stansell) of Billings. Their ranch is now
eat the food from th[...]uried in the Lima
raiding their mother's cupboard for more. One spring, as the Cemetery and Alice,[...]with some ponies, hoping to trade them to George for William Bryan (Bill) Gleed (1896-1967)[...]ful eye on his children serve in World War I and upon his return married Mae A.
for several days thereafter, remembering how Emily's Fagan of Anaconda in 1918. Three children were bor11-to
mo[...]nd Ed formed the Gleed Brothers
Upon the death of Mr. Allerdice, George was able to pur- Livestock partnership which established itself as one of
chase the homestead of that family and move his family into Montana's l[...]closer to Lima. After sever- in the Centennial Valley, and from Snowline south to the
al years, a two-s[...]e site and was old Gallagher Ranch north of Dell. Bill and Mae are buried
equipped with indoo[...]ily. Dean Dixon of Idaho Falls.
All five Gleed children attended[...]George Gleed died January 2, 1914, in Butte of a ruptured
went on to Utah State College at Logan and worked out of appendix at the age of 53. Emily remained on the ranch
Missoula surveying for the railroad construction before until[...]he Lima Cemetery.
he married Iris Candice Peeples of Paris, Idaho, and they -VELERIA EMILY PIERCE and GEORGE
had three children: Veleria Emily (Pierce) of Mesa, Arizona; GLEED FR[...]ra (Carpita), who died in 1960; and George
Edward of Las Vegas. Ed served several terms as Mayor of
Lima and was instrumental in procuring electricit[...]Albert and Emily Gordon
telephone service for Beaverhead County and the Town of Albert G. Gordon was born August 13, 1909, in Chicago,
Lima. Ed and Iris are interred at Shrine of Memories in Salt Ill. He moved to Armstead,[...]ber 23, 1905, at
Anna married Lew Barbour, son of a Dillon attorney, and Fox, Montana, in the Big Hole Valley.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (243)[...]ennessee, to John and Mary Jane Correy, the fifth of
Francis Albert, December 21, 1935. Donald died at the age five boys and two girls.
of one year and is buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Dil- In the fall of 1910, Dellar left Tennessee for Montana,
lon.[...]was able to find jobs and be employed. He worked for Moun- Dubois, Idaho, he had 15 cents in his po[...]He later worked on construction worked there for approximately one year. Then he worked
when the h[...]he drove the dray from
the McMenomey Ranch, north of Armstead for a time, rid- that depot to the depot of the Gilmore and Pittsburg, better
ing back and fo[...]k each day. He also worked known as the G&P.
for the Union Pacific Railroad on the section crew. T[...]s Gulch in
owned and operated the Armstead Garage for several years. Butte on December 23, 1889. She can remember her father
Emily was a telephone operator for the Lemhi Telephone singing German songs to[...]ates Army during there until 1907. She worked for different families in the
World War II. Later the[...]e laundry in
made their home. Albert was employed for over 30 years as a Dillon, and was a telephone operator for awhile. Lillie I
salesman for Levins Auto Supply.[...]urg, Tenn. He moved to Montana in 1910 and worked for[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (244)[...]Lee Mantel, owner of the Mantel Ranch near Glen. The[...]Gosmans were parents of two sons: George M., who married[...]dad Temple of the Shrine in Butte.[...]member of Elva Boardman Chapter O.E.S., Lima, and a[...]charter member of the American Legion Auxiliary unit in[...]tus F. Graeter was prominent in the early history of
his brother Dellar hauled passengers and freight[...]ic Railroad Depots. ward the up building of business and commerce in the area.
After the hote[...]entown, Pa., on July 29, 1834. His father
home in that same building. They operated a ranch for Augustus F. Graeter, Sr., was born i[...], was educated at Liepsig and Stutt-
The Bureau of Reclamation purchased their property[...]Hoffman and young Augustus was the second of eight chil-
ber 24, 1965, and Mary on July 24, 19[...]ocating at Meadville, where he clerked in a store for
Otto C. Gosman, an early Beaverhead resident, was born about a year. He then returned to Warren for a short time
in Lohr, Germany, June 1, 1864, and[...]roading, Pike's Peak, Colo.
working out of Chicago. He became a conductor, working[...]there, they found the camp excited with news of gold strikes
the Oregon Short Line until he retir[...]on the Grasshopper and he joined the rush for Bannack,
1905 to enter ranching. In 1906 he was e[...]ines during the fall and sent to Salt Lake
career of public service in Beaverhead County. City, Utah, for his winter's provisions.
In 1908 he was electe[...]n in the construc-
in 1910. He retired at the end of his second term but within a tion of the Bannack Ditch which furnished the first ade-
short time became undersheriff. He was serving in that ca- quate supply of water brought to the placer mines. The
pacity und[...]and it marked a major expan-
Albert Yiek in April of 1919. He served out that term but in sion of mining at Bannack. Graeter worked claims in Buffa[...]spected the
Oil and Gas Company and they operated that business for next year in the Helena and Blackfoot[...]was a member of the famous Vigilante Committee and was[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (245)[...]ber 6, 1889. She came to Montana at the age of seven and
In the fall of 1865 he resumed his mining operation in was raised on the Joe E. Brown ranch, which is now part of
Bannack and also engaged in mercantile business,[...]anch.
partnership with A. J. Smith under the name of Smith and Fay and Beaulah were married in Blackfoot, Idaho, No-
Graeter. This continued for six years until they closed out. vember 24, 1906. They lived in Beaverhead County for the
In 1871 he purchased a ranch on Horse Prairie and gave rest of their lives, ranching on several places near Glen[...]In later years he was involved with operation of dredge er for the irrigation canal that ran north of Dillon. Beaulah
boats near Bannack which proved lucrative. The dredge worked for awhile at the Oasis Cafe.
boat built by him and h[...]The
Co. is said to be the first ever constructed for that purpose in eldest, Julia, 81 years old in 1988,[...]ulah died November 22, 1971.
married Birdie Miner of Arcata, Calif., and Blanche A., who[...]-JIM GRANSBERY
married Charles Falk of Eureka, Calif. Mr. Graeter's first
wife died in 1[...]dale, New Brunswick, September 26,
1849, daughter of David and Eleanor Sinton Taylor. She
came to Bann[...]arch 16, 1881.
The Graeters resided in Bannack for a few years, then
moved to the ranch on Horse Pra[...]lon where Mr. Graeter was connected with a
number of local business enterprises up to the time of his
death. These included the Graeter Park and Re[...]ery Co. and he helped organize and was a mem-
ber of the board of directors of the State Bank of Dillon. He
also organized the Graeter Electric Co., which he later dis-
posed of and it became the Union Electric Co~
Mr. Graet[...]sed all the official chairs and
was a past master of the lodge.
Augustus F. and Mary J. Graeter had[...]ind work in Montana
Nebr. As a young man he lived for a while in Chicago with on a sheep ranch in the summer of 1912. They stayed and
his sister and at age 19 jo[...]e to Glen, then known as Reichle, where he worked for On the journey back, John had decided that Montana was
an uncle who had a mine on McCarty Mountain. He also not the place for him. Jim, on the other hand, disagreed; told
worked for a time in the mines in Butte. his brother that he liked Montana and that he would return

248-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (246)[...]quit. He went home and asked Bess if she would like to try
cooking for the family and a couple of hired men. Bess
thought about it for a couple of days and decided to try it.[...]She enjoyed it until August when one of the ladies at the[...]little Alice. Bess nursed both Alice and Mae for about four[...]out with anything that had to be done at the ranch as well.[...]After Bess had six babies, Jim decided that the cabin was
Bess and Jim Grave[...]too small and that they would have to move back to Arm-
after he had[...]sie Meece, stead. He knew he could get some kind of work at the G & P
and was married in September of 1915. They stayed in Railroad, othe[...]his was mostly night work but he didn't complain.
of 1916. Jim convinced Bess to go west to Montana, t[...]d worker and remained with the railroad until
her that it would be a beautiful place in which they could[...]oth very busy,
Times were difficult in January of 1917 when they packed yet their social lif[...]es were held once a month at the two-room school-
that they wouldn't see either of their parents alive again. It house. People w[...]or
stead, Montana, and it was a long, tiring trip for R.C. who five o'clock in the morning. Afte[...]a snooze. Jim
one night in particular, the porter of the train came and could really jig and looked forward to the dances held each
asked if he could be of any help. One of the little fellow's month. These dances were always a good time for both of
parents asked if there was a chance that they could get some them. At one of the last parties, Bess was chosen Queen and
butte[...]assed away in
porter came back with a large glass of buttermilk. After R.C. his dream home in Dil[...]was never able to obtain his
had drunk about half of the glass, he settled down and went fortun[...]one, Bess did some traveling. She
to sleep. After that, if R.C. started to fuss, they would just enj[...]passed away nine years later in 1979. Today four of the
from here?" and Jim told her, "Be patient, we[...]l living, as well as 11 grandchildren and
the end of our traveling, someone will be here to pick us up[...]ame to Beaverhead
lanterns were their only source of light. They were, however, County from Picke[...](presently the Leonard Hansen Ranch) on Medicine
for 10 years or so, and at times this little cabin te[...]h Carolina in 1912 to marry Ara
extremely crowded for a family of eight, yet Bess never Price (1885-1953[...]that same year.
Jim went to work at the Craver Ranc[...]They worked at the Henry Fitter Ranch near Dell for 17
the hill from their homestead. His job consisted of being a years. In 1929 they purchas[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (247)[...]Oscar J. Gravelys five children were born, three of
whom died in infancy. The surviving children were[...]il 18, 1860, in Clark County,
Mo., the eldest son of Robert and Susan Gray. He arrived in longer necessary. In later years, it was used primarily for the
Bannack with his parents in 1865 and grew up[...]d cargo. Hunters and fishermen
in the Grasshopper Valley. George was a great story teller, came and stayed for days, often bringing guests and their
relating many wonderful tales of his early life, most of which families to enjoy the fine hospitality and excellent meals
went to the grave with him. One that I recall is of his driving served by the Grays in the large, well-appointed hotel they
a supply wagon in the Battle of The Big Hole. He had great had built. Electricity was supplied by a Delco plant.
sympathy for the plight of the Indians. He and his family Millpoint was also the site of community social functions.
were lifelong friends of Chief Tendoy and his tribe. The Many bas[...]progressive people, ready to
rock remained there for years and was only removed in take advantage of any new invention that would make life
order to widen the road.[...]onvenient or pleasant. George had a great dislike for
Mary Jane Stevens had also crossed the plains in a cov- anything made by Maytag; the reason being that he was
ered wagon - - first settling in the Lemhi[...]h bum lambs to buy a new Buick; not the first
One of the many babies that she delivered was Evelyn Lloyd car they ha[...]whose family, the Ed Lloyds, lived in Bannack at that time. Mary Gray died suddenly on October[...]nnack. George continued to operate the ranch
area for the first years of their marriage. George mined and and hotel with the help of his son, Guy, and daughter and
Mary boarded the m[...]Dyce Creek. Three children hotel alone for several years. The stages no longer met as a
were[...]ack where they operated the stop-over for ranchers trailing cattle to and from ranches or
Meade Hotel for several years at the turn of the century. to market.
Bannack was a bus[...]style in the large dining room and were prepared for 60 or Millpoint was leased and later sold[...]clined, George and Mary established a ranch north of Ban- tery and a Masonic service was held[...]nt. George had been an active member of first the Bannack
George was well known for the fine driving horses and Masonic Lodg[...]kson and Dillon and continued so until the advent
of cars and better road conditions made a two[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (248)[...]Guy E. Gray was born January 29, 1888, the son of Mr. tains or fishing in Grasshopper Cre[...]is early life in the was elected mayor of Dillon, a position he held until the
Grasshopper Valley, attended grade school in Bannack and pressure of his work took him out of town so often that it was
graduated from Beaverhead County High School. His for- difficult to attend council meetings. Feeling that this was
mal education was completed in the old A[...]iences.She had always lived in town,
and she told of her struggles learning to churn butter: the[...]ie. The young couple decided to go West in search of
new bride, Ruth felt a bit intimidated by her mot[...]nty, Mo., and crossed the plains
became more sure of her own abilities. The Ed Lloyds were by wagon train. Stories related by their family tell of the
the young couple's nearest neighbors, living a mile or more long grueling trip. It was said that they lost a child and a
away, and what wonderful[...]er Creek. There they settled
friendship developed that continued for all their lives. and established an ext[...]tock operation.
The old ranchhouse was so cold that frost formed around Bob, as he was kno[...]found time to join in the social functions of the community.
surer in 1916 and the family moved[...]leased father served on the school board for several years. Mrs.
the Bell Ranch before his term of County Treasurer. They Gray took ill while preparing Sunday dinner for guests, and
moved there from Dillon and remained for several years, died in 1885.
during wh[...]Bob Gray continued ranching with the help of his chil-
Living conditions were much more comfortable. They had a dren for several years after his wife's death until he sol[...]ry. He was survived by three sons, George,
cline. Like many other ranchers, Guy never fully recovered[...]two daughters, Susan (Mrs. George
from the Winter of 1919. In the settling of his father's estate, Tash) and Artie (Mrs. L.C. Chandler).
he lost some of his land. That,and other factors, caused him The former[...]h is still in operation and is
to lose everything that they had worked so hard for. The now owned by the Shaffner family. Several years ago, the
country was in the grip of the great depression. The family Shaffners tore down the old two-story log house built of
was separated and there were several years when t[...]Floyd Skelton recognized
Guy's superior knowledge of livestock and hired him as a[...]James G. Greer
buyer; first of horses and then cattle. Guy was most success-[...]ck Greer and Jane Gaven
ranchmen he had known all of his life. He was respected for were prominent merchants in Johnstone, Ren[...]appy tory. When employees received word of their conversion to[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (249)[...]s Army Colt .44 cap and ball pistol from the time of
James' father was disinherited by his family a[...]e and subsequent hanging on January 10, 1864,
out of Johnstone. The Greer family left Scotland and sai[...]h Sheriff and Road Agent leader Henry Plummer and
for America, first settling in St. Louis, MO. While l[...]uck Stinson, another gang leiutenant. At the time of Sear's
St. Louis, James' mother and two younger s[...]itably ask his uncle about it. Finally about 1920 for
Wellsville, Utah in May 1865. James later moved t[...]n water so
on the Idaho territory line. In spring of 1872, he commenced he could safely unload the[...]Feilding Par- Sears took it from Ned Ray on that cold Sunday evening
kinson. James' first wagon lo[...]showing it to anyone who
In his journal he wrote that the temperature dipped to be- asked.
low zer[...]& A. M., and served as its Worshipful Master for five differ-
James never married. He died in 19[...]t years. Lou also served as the Lodge's secretary for many[...]ited a flair for writing. He was the final secretary of the[...]father was Fielding building to the corner of Hangman's Gulch and Main Street
Louis Graves, a prominent merchant and businessman of on the southwest corner. The store also[...]th Lou serving as postmaster, a position
daughter of Andrew Jackson Nay, a prominent pioneer of he held for many years. On March 31, 1926, the Graves Store
W[...]. Lou's abiding faith in the the explosion of a gasoline lamp is the probable cause. The
future of Bannack kept him steadily engaged as a merchant[...]stores gave up until he was Graves, mother of the victim, who immediately notified
the last mer[...]other residents of the town. By this time, however, the
Lou and F[...]stake" quite a few miners building was a mass of flames and nothing could be done to
in the area, many of whom became good personal friends.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (250)[...]many years. A. L. Trask bought Murphy's share of the store,
safes as his body, almost entirely con[...]the Trask and Graves Store, and
by the partition that separated the store from the Post moved[...]on. In the early 1880s Graves bought
Office. Both of the safes were open and the contents were[...]head of Hangman's Gulch and just west of the site of the
-F. LE[...]which
ington, Kent., on July 19, 1833, the second of seven children. worked Grasshopper Creek until[...]perous farmer on dredge has the distinction of being the first electric gold
the Iron Works Road[...]F.L.'s great-grandfather was Thomas tor of the State Bank of Dillon and held that position for
Graves, a Revolutionary War soldier from Virginia[...]from 1871 until 1879 held the position of Treasurer of Bea-
In 1853 F .L. graduated from Georgetown C[...]L. was a delegate from Beaverhead County to
ation of the homestead farm until the outbreak of the Civil the State's first Constitutional Convention which was held
War. In 1861 he volunteered for service in the Confederate in Helena. He was a charter member of Bannack Masonic
Army along with his brother, Colo[...]in Montana. He served the Ban-
Under the command of General Sterling Price and his nack Masonic Lodge as Worshipful Master for 17 years, a
brother, Colonel Graves, F.L. engaged in the battles of Lex- record in Montana Masonry and probably i[...]were especially commended by his com- den of the Grand Lodge of Montana and in 1873 he was
manding officer at the Battle of Wilson's Creek, Mo., in appointed Grand Marshal. He refused progression in the
August of 1861.[...]k where he served as secretary
Army at the Battle of Pea Ridge and was remanded to the for many years.
Federal prison facility at St. Louis[...]ebruary 18, 1877, he married Leotie Nay, daughter of
him was his cousin, John Robinson, son of James F. Robin- Andrew Jackson Nay, one of the "sturdy pioneers of Wyo-
son, war governor of Kentucky. Through intervention of ming and Montana" who ranched at Mill P[...](Puss) was born March 31, 1878,
tradition states that Governor Robinson's son broke his and later married Dr. R. H. Ryburn of Bannack; Fielding
parole and spent the war fighti[...]s Store at Bannack; Edith was
to leave the States for the West. In 1864 he left Lexington, born February 23, 1882, and married A. R. Jacobs of Mis-
Mo., on the long, overland trek. He joined a wagon train soula who was president of the First National Bank; Harry
being made up at L[...]886, later married Frances Harrison
1864, started for Montana driving a mule team for Thomas and in 1942 moved to Hood River, Ore., where he died
J. Murphy to pay for his passage. The wagon train, consist- August 13, 1965; and, Lelah who was born March 6, 1890,
ing of approximately 50 men, arrived at Virginia City, Mon- and married Chandler W. Stallings of Bannack.
tana Territory, on June 22, 1864. Gold a[...]4, 1864, and F.L. decided to nack at the age of 80. On December 22, he suffered a paralyt-
move to Helena and work for his friend, T. J. Murphy. In ic stroke after which he sank rapidly. His son-in-law, Dr. R.
June of 1869 he decided to move to Bannack to seek his H. Ryburn, was the attending physician at the time of his
fortune, where this time in partnership with[...]The Graves and Murphy Store occupied a building for- ed by his longtime friend, George W. Da[...]ves was
merly known as Skinner's Saloon. Skinner, of Plummer's later reburied at the Mountai[...]ip when the family plot was moved there.
of the building in 1864 at the end of a Vigilante rope. This One interesting not[...]raves and F.
building still stands today. In July of 1871 Graves and Mur- Lee Graves by Walter Bru[...]ht was exhumed at the Bannack Cemetery for reburial at Dil-
who ran a general merchandise store in the building for lon in 1925, the casket and conte[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (251)Funeral Home in Dillon. Walt said that the soil at Bannack
contains some preserving or mummifying capabilities be-
cause the remains of F .L. looked as natural as the day he was
buried.[...]wn about Henry Clay Graves, the youn-
ger brother of Fielding L. Graves, Sr. He was born in Fayette
Co[...]1880,
lists Clay as a resident and an occupation of ferryman. The "Grimes" from "Grymes" until about 1800.
census relates that he boards and rooms with James and M[...]865. He had spent his childhood
newspaper article of Sept. 18, 1898, relating the details of "carrying hod" for his father who was a brick and stone
Clay's death[...]ying
"Henry Clay Graves, prominent businessman of Ban- brick to the bricklayers on a device that slung across the
nack, was instantly killed about 5 o'clock this afternoon by shoulders. The result of this labor was a large hump on his
the accidental discharge of a shotgun, which he was carry- back and when I think of him I recall that hump, the laugh
ing. Mr. Graves, in company with A. F. Graeter, was coming lines at the corners of his dark brown eyes, and his glorious,
from Banna[...]was a short double-barrelled away at the age of 78 in Dillon.
gun, slipped out of the buggy and presumably the wheel W[...]ose, Montana, and Dad grew up in the mining camps of
side, just above the hip. Mr. Graves pitched forward out of Glendale and Hecla. He had a younger brother[...]before Mr. Graeter could stop the the age of 18 months drowned in a small creek at Hecla. Dad[...]used to tell stories of the mines and the miners and I enjoyed
... was a member of the Pioneer Society of Montana, them. But, as most of us do, I listened, did not write them
coming to Helena fro[...]now it is too late to ask him to tell them again. I
moved to Meagher County, where he resided until a[...]company with his brother, the story told of moving her remains in a wooden box that
Hon. Fielding L. Graves. Mr. Graves was well know[...]prominently connected with mains headed for Melrose. THe trail was rough and rutty,
state and county politics, being at the time of his death on the hills were very steep, and t[...]agination dictates the final scene. The reactions of
-F. LEE GRAVES the local gentry and especially those of that 11-year-old boy
made for a rather indelicate tale but a very entertaining[...]mily school for a while and in 1912 began his postal career. He[...]assistant postmaster. He served in this capacity for six years
When Rev. Charles Grymes arrived in[...]Kent, England, in 1644, he certainly did not know that served as postmaster and at the end of that term he
344 years later his arrival would be note[...]red in a place known as Beaverhead County, for Eliel's Store. During this time he was studying a[...]mained in Virginia several genera- paring for the day when he could have his own business. In
tions and genealogy studies show that several members were 1935 he established a[...]elling to national Accountants Association. For more than 20 years

254-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (252)[...]ss in Arm-
corporate and private tax returns. He, of course, never di- stead from 1920 to 1956 an[...]75.
vulged any information about his clients, but I remember he From 1910 to 1912, Jules was constable for the unincor-
told us about a prominent rancher (unnamed) who had porated town of Grant. Up until a short time before his
checks wr[...]ng
bone. During the 1920s and 30s he was a member of the pole.
Baxter-Tonrey Orchestra, a dance band that played Anna died two years later[...]anced a lot in those days and Dilmont Park (north of Henry Francis Hackett
Dillon) was one of the favorite spots. Dad also shared his
musical t[...]he Dillon Military Band.
Walter served as clerk of School District 10 for many
years. T~e clerk then, in addition to other duties, was also
responsible for completing the school census. This meant
going from door to door to record the names and ages of Henry Ha[...]erms on the Dillon city council and
was secretary for the Interstate Building and Loan.
He married my[...]old Barrett Hospital. Bruce lived
in Missoula and I live in Dillon.
In 1952 he married Lillian Ulm Henneberry.
Dad died of cancer on my birthday, September 23, 1983.[...]City, Neb., the youngest child of William George Hackett
Jules and Anna Guyaz[...]and Henry) to
Red Rock, Montana, in 1870, by way of Boulder, Colorado. visit relatives in Mai[...]ere scattered among
During the following 18 years of bachelorhood, Jules proved the relatives unt[...]ette Estes. They took Henry and
quired a few head of cattle, and enjoyed living off the land - Mary[...]nsas.
hunting, fishing, trapping, and prospecting for gold. Henry must have left home ver[...]ranch buildings were located at the intersection of the passed through Centennial in 1875, perhaps[...]y's Lake. He was at Dillon when Lillian ar-
route of the freight wagons and stage coaches running be-[...]is location was ideal as a rest stop and a change of horses and keep house, so she took her son Fred and went to Cen-
for freight wagons and passenger coaches.[...]-year-old immigrant Henry worked around for different ranchers. He did a lot
from Baden, Germany. They had three children, Henry, of building for themas he was a good carpenter. About 1900
Lora,[...]sed the Charley Dunham ranch and they lived there that
doctors being at Bannack, 15 miles distant, and a[...]ed at this station in Dunham ranch and worked for other ranchers again.
1909 and was in use five ye[...]ora Guyaz as postmis- He built some sheds for Tibbles over at Teepee Creek and
tress. In 1914,[...]grew older his health failed and he was ill for some time
born in 1890, married Walter Wes[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (253)[...]g on his ranch at Gibbonsville, Idaho.
He was one of the last surviving early-day settlers of the Big
Hole Pass stretch of Montana's Continental Divide. Pos-
sessed of a wiry frame and a keen mind, Leo was able to
recall details further back in time than the spans of most
people's lifetime.
Leo first came to Salmon, Idaho, from Illinois in 1894 at
the age of seven. In 1907 he made his first trip over Big Ho[...]lyspeck Ridge Trail, which was a mile or so south of[...]bonsville. It was in those days."
earlier that Cloyd Wampler drove the first stage north from[...]Hole to Wisdom and then over the head of Rock Creek, Moosehorn and other Big Hole tribu-
Pass. Before a group of Valley ranchers built the present taries that flow from the Continental Divide. He trapped
Pass[...]Ridge to the top. get a dollar out of. We had to trap all winter long or else we'd
In 1912, Leo married Pansy Willey of Wisdom, the daugh- starve." His favorite fur-bearer was the pine marten, which
ter of area ranchers Thomas Henry Willey and Sophia B. brought up to $15, compared to about $5 for some other
Pendleton Willey. Around 1913, Leo and Pansy homestead- species.
ed just east of the Divide near Isaac (Izatt) Meadows where "I've done damn near anything there ever was done to[...]a living, including cutting logs and piling slash for
other improvements on the land, it took a full th[...]y often welcomed Big Hole cut cottonwood for 50 cents a cord plus board. For a while he
ranchers overnight when they trailed c[...]ment was long since abandoned, Leo Divide for horse feed. "The Pioneer was the only place I
remembered when people still lived and worked pla[...]by 1913. Morgan
Jones, a Welshman, was caretaker for the Pioneer Gold
Mining Company. In exchange for his caretaking, Morgan
got board and any gold he[...]eam from Pioneer is a bench containing the
graves of two Pioneer citizens. One of those buried is a Mr.
Benson, who owned mining cl[...]rgument, the
miner grabbed his gun and killed one of the hapless would-
be campers. The other got away[...]to this day.
Leo Hagel placer mined at Pioneer for nine years and he
believed "there ought to be some pay in there now." In 1919
he took $750 worth of Pioneer gold (999 ¼ pure) to the San
Fran[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (254)[...]s," he explained. in March of 1890~
Toward the end of Prohibition, Montana was "wet" when[...]OROTHY DAVIS FIELD
Idaho remained "dry." Leo knew of five stills along the
Continental Divide. A moonshiner by the name of Jack
Lech bought legal liquor at Wisdom for about $4 a gallon,[...]th Henry Halbert, better known to early residents of
product for a profitable $20 a gallon. He often stayed with[...]16, 1857, the third child and only
with a bottle of whiskey for his hospitality. Lech was crafty, son of Enos and Susan Halbert, who named him for his
never crossing in the same place on the Divid[...]driving one of the covered wagons, learning from his father
Leo Hagel was among the last of a vanishing breed, a man who had gone overla[...]the gold rush and later had served as captain of a supply
vide-mining, ranching, logging and trapping. He witnessed train for Sherman in the march from Atlanta to the sea
;ncr[...]n utilitarian terms, and One reason for this move was to get away from malaria
through th[...]toes. The same reason was behind the settlement of Oregon,
Leo and Pansy had no children. Pansy d[...]going through the Jesse James country, fearing for their
-ANN[...]were delayed by stopping to help a family of emigrants when[...]a woman died and arrangements had to be made for her
The Haining Family[...]th some ant but uneventful.
members of their large family, came from Woodstock, New[...]Kansas; he moved on to
Brunswick, Canada, in June of 1880. They came by railroad Colorado where he packed ore out of the mountains on
to Spring Hill (now Lima) which[...]thern Rockies, to
mining town. They settled there for a short time before Glendale, Montana Te[...]e from Hecla to the smelter at
railroad flag stop of Apex. George and Rosanna lived on the Glendale. It was here he met Horace Hand of Maine, his
ranch for over 25 years, both spending their last years in[...]lesnake prob-
maturity lived in Beaverhead County for varying periods. lem in the new town of Glendale was solved by turning hogs
James Raining[...]from ingesting the snakes nor from snake bites. Maybe hogs
came to Dillon in 1895. He worked on ranches. For many were first to consider snakes a delicacy!
years he followed the trade of carpenter and lived on Bar- With the decline of mining activities in Hecla, Al and
nett Avenue. A[...]over the upper Big Hole, but when on July 3, ice that would
Anaconda for a number of years. hold the weight of a man formed overnight on their water
Samantha[...]bucket at Steele Creek, they decided to look for a location at
drive stock for Granville Stuart in 1878, and was express a lower elevation.
agent for the stage line at Watson, later Barretts Station,[...]79 and 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Smith lived in Anaconda for ranches, Al along the Big Hole River, Ho[...]e was employed by the copper reduction For several years after establishing his home, Big Al[...]nia Rosanna Raining was a pupil in the first term of ing supplies to the Eliel Brothers' Store in that mining town
the first Birch Creek School in the winter of 1882-1883. over the Continental Divide fr[...]gether, Al and Horace also delivered some of the biggest[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (255)[...]River south of Melrose, to county roads, some gravelled, to[...]oiled highways like U. S. 91 in 1929.
Three kinds of roads in a man's lifetime.[...]the later years of 1800. They were probably attracted to the
mining[...]ed in
real problem. Still in 1950, at the bottom of the hill, you ranching-cattle raising in southwestern Montana. They
could see a great pile of dead timber, which were trees cut settled in the lower part of the Centennial Valley and devel-
and tied tip-first behind the freight[...]e road levelled off. proved to be fine tracts of land for raising cattle. During
Big Al drove the Concorde[...]h~ir land
This stage only used two horses because of the short route. possessions and their cattle increased. ntil the time of
Big Al used mules, Horace preferred horses. Together John's death, he was considered one of the wealthiest cattle
they did some road work for the county. After a flood they and land ow[...]ad be-
in the early 1900s, Al was road supervisor for the county. come afflicted with arthritis and a mu cular crippling di -
Beebee Hay and Grain, of Butte, bought up good wild hay ease and had been confined to the ranch quarters for about
from Al and his partner. There was a market for this high- ten years. He passed away in De[...]es. Maggie's brother John
on horseback to pick up that wedding present. The trip took Jr. also cam[...]River and two days on the sister in that operation.
return to Melrose, a 44-mile roundtrip. Another niece of the Halligan family, a third relative of
In 1918 when the Montana Southern, a narrow-ga[...]ove Wise River, Al was ready to sell and move out of the lie by relatives at the Halligan home in Ireland. Ceceilia
valley, saying a railroad ruined the country[...]ied George Richardson, a railroad station master, of
When Big Al bought a Ford car about 1920, Wall[...]This man from Northern Ireland in the year of 1913 to Canada, where
who had driven ten-mule, je[...]ed his genial disposition to the end. At the time of his wife Nellie assisted Maggie Halliga[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (256)[...]1881 joining a wagon train headed for Montana territory,[...]Big Hole in the spring of 1884, near the present site of[...]The verdant valley and nearby Bitterroot Mountains of-[...]he savored for the next eight and one-half years. Clark[...]beside the creek that would bear his name, to stash his furs,
on the r[...], 1939, at
Lima. The couple taught public schools for 37 years and
retired in 1975 to Yakima, Washingto[...]in 1936 and married George Ed Fults, a gra-
duate of the Montana State School of Mines at Butte. To
this couple three children wer[...]and He-
len Fults, all three to become graduates of the University of
California.
George Ed Fults was employed for many years with the
United States Bureau of Reclamation. George Ed and Mar-
garet Fults retir[...]n Ranches on the Red Rock River near Lima valley with a dance. Dillon Tribune Feb. 18, 1887 writes[...]ie until 1941 when the up to Bromfield's for 25 cents per week per ranch. Ben is the
ranches w[...]ie died in 1944 and It was toward the end of haying season on the morning of
was buried in the Lima Cemetery Halligan plot) mo[...]ay
back to Ireland in 1946 to spend the remainder of their was breaking when a large grizzly b[...]window. She yelled for Ben and he grabbed his gun and gave[...]the beast a parting shot as he headed for the willows. The[...]lowed the bear into the willows. When
The Saga of Ben Hamby he did not return, his wife went for help at the Lapham place
Ben Hamby, stalwart mo[...]ogress was slowed by her approaching
kee, lineage of the Vikings, a fearless rugged man of 39 motherhood (in 7 weeks my father Parker[...]orn
mmmers, lies somewhere in the secret recesses of the willow making 6 children).
thickets in the valley. Only the Creek, the Trail, the trap- Young[...]lake, the home- the Quigley and found a couple of trappers who came to
,tead, the rail fences are his monument; silent witnesses search for Ben. They found his body lying face down and
3.ttest his sojourn in the Big Hole River Valley. badly mauled, not far from[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (257)[...]bune. Ben's widow Orlena died at the home of their
en-man posse on horseback trailed the grizz[...]issouri
hills where, after he had sliced open one of the horses, nar- in her 85th year; she had fou[...]Horace Hastings Hand was born to William and Mary
valley: Mary Jane (Mayme) 8/10/1885, Benjiman Harrison[...]Hamby was born November 1853 to grant of land in Canada for his service in the British Navy
William and Louis[...]y who had migrated from during the War of 1812. After the family moved to Maine,
Kentucky w[...]moth- Horace, at 15, worked in the woods for $13.50 a month. His
er, Bradbrook, and his brothe[...]n days by emigrant train, to
Ben was the youngest of 11 children, orphaned by age five, work in[...]deline Potter, wagon to the silver mines of Hecla, and the smelter town of
born 11/9/1861 to James T. and Mary Jane Dunaway[...], they arrived in Glendale
The Hambys left the valley with its awesome, indescrib- July 18, 1879 after an eventful journey of 370 miles in two
able beauty, with its fringe of mountains, 100 native grasses, weeks, making ab[...]les a day. Near Ross's Fort,
big snows, profusion of wild flowers, willow thickets and the Idaho, Indians took all their food, leaving them hungry for
cross beneath the three tall pines, with its memo[...]ys until a settler befriended them with a quarter of
and sad, never to return to the "Land of the Shining Moun- veal and some staples. They passed through a herd of 10,000
tains" that had lured Ben Hamby and kept him there.[...]by 30 cowboys
Third, fourth and fifth generations of Ben and Orlena using 300 saddle horses. They saw great freight outfits of 30
Hamby's have stood beside Ole Hamby's trapper[...]e atop the Bitterroot holdup they knew I11dians were not the only hazards. At
Mountains, and are proud of our heritage, the beautiful land Eagles's Rock, now Idaho Falls, then terminus of the narrow
and it's people, from whence our roots[...]-WYONA HAMBY SMITH had two pairs of mules shod for $5.00 and sold a dog for
(I have interwoven stories told by Al Noyes; Bertha[...]sto- Benton and return as a wagon boss for the J. T. Murphy
ries and documents, and articles[...]Tri- Transportation Co. He also worked for John Duffy of Mar-[...]They worked for W. A. Clark, Eliel Bros. of Dillon, hauled[...]ver Springs Mill south of Sheridan.
Riding the wheel horse of a jerkline team, it was neces-[...]sary, because of the wagon tongue, to use a short right stir-[...]rup and after miles and years of this Horace continued to[...]Contrary to the popular notion concerning men of the
Elzy' 1882-1959, Mayme 1885-1916, Orlena 1861[...]never hunted. In the fall of 1892, soon after the Utah and

260-Bea[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (258)[...]Ranch, one half mile north of Melrose, where their sixth[...]In the spring of 1917 they sold out and bought the Earl[...]Ranch at Lavon, a flag station for the Oregon Short Line[...]moved to Junction City, Oregon for a year and a half. Early[...]ing car on all-dirt roads except for the Columbia River
Highway; five days of hard travel. They remained on the[...]for her fine flowers and vegetable gardens as well as[...]Children of Horace and Maggie Hand were John Hand,[...]0; Roscoe K. Hand (Rock), 1904; and Thelma
sister of Big Al, a graduate of the Beloit, Kansas high school Hand Kalsta, 190[...].
Indiana, March 17, 1869, was the youngest child of Enos -SUSAN HAND
Halbert and Susan Shirley Halbert of pioneer Indiana fam-
ilies which traced back to 1[...]ad partici-
pated in the American Revolution, War of 1812, and the Civil John and Ida Ha[...]95 to Horace
After teaching in Dewey two terms for $65 a month, Mag- Hand and Maggie Halbert H[...]father and uncle, Zeth Halbert. In 1910 the
cause of a railroad strike. On their return friends were r[...]rose, Montana, in De-
they lived until the spring of 1910 when they sold out and cember, 1910. T[...]ng again. It was while the family was living here that
"Ma said she wouldn't stay in a country where the[...]the land in the spring." Before Christmas and that was when the trouble started. Someone burned the[...]the band of sheep killing a nunber of them and then some-[...]It was in the Melrose area that John became interested in[...]bought a ranch at Lavon, a railroad station south of Mel-[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (259)[...]ber of the Danish Royal Cavalry, in 1908, Carl Hansen[...]this dashing young fellow aboard a steamer bound for
a ranch of their own across the Big Hole River. This was only "Amerika." The last they would ever see of their homeland
a few of the many moves for John and his family. In Hecla he was the little seaport city of Esbjerg. They eloped across an
worked in the mine[...]ter problems forced him Their first place of employment was at the Dave Metlen
back to Butte a[...]Rocker, Mont., just out ranch five miles west of Armstead. Carl worked as a ranch-
of Butte where he worked in what he called the "slav[...]Venora
tion." This was where timbers were framed for the mines in Metlen. Three Metlen children,[...]utte. He worked 16 hours a day, seven days a week for and Dale, 13, taught these two runaways[...]ey were study-
Reichle to work on the bridge gang that was repairing the ing American history and government in preparation for
railroad bridge that was damaged in the Wise River flood. natur[...]me lifelong friends.
Then to Brown's Lake to mine for himself, then to Argenta Now it was time for new ventures. Carl worked for a time
to do some work for a mining company, back to the ranch at on the construction of the Gilmore and Pittsburgh railroad
Reichle and t[...]nt back to mining, the profession railroad.
that he really loved. He acquired mining property and a He then worked as a ranchhand for Nels Nelson who
small ranch at Argenta that he ran until his death. owned the ranch immediately west of the Metlen home
Ida Barbara Hartwig Hand was b[...]eter, Bannack pioneer, in the 1860s and consisted of
Pfeifer Hartwig. She grew up at the family home n[...]Kristi lived in a tiny log cabin in the
She told of enjoying the social functions in these larger
towns, going there by train and horse and buggy, of the
fancy dresses they made for themselves and yards and yards
of material required, the corsets that were so tight you could
hardly breathe and all th[...]oung
ladies.
Ida was a very good cook, cooking for family, friends, and
boarders. She was noted for her pies of which she made
many. No one came at mealtime and[...]her bean in the pot".
John and Ida had a family of seven children: John who
died shortly after birth[...]fer, William Hand, Earl Hand who died at
age 31/2 of spinal meningitis, Shirley Hand Hunt Groff, and
Horace Hand.
Ida died December 27, 1967 in Dillon of cancer. John died Carl Christian Han[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (260)[...]cancer of the pancreas.
By this time there were babi[...]Third generation descendants:
Roy, 1911. For each event, Kristi was taken to Bannack[...]wins, Thomas Carl and William Crosby IV
ahead of schedule, and was born in the tiny log cabin. Mrs[...]and Chris 0. Hansen:
Dillon in 1912, was sent for. He arrived by horse and buggy Roy Christi[...]on and Thomas Carl Orr:
head County Directory of 1912 lists Carl Hansen as "Fore- William[...]ine, Christina.
America was, indeed, the land of opportunity.[...]anch buildings on the bench
just a mile north of the old Medicine Lodge stage stop. In
1917, e[...]th the Ejner (Amos) and Anna
purchase of a tract known as the "Carlson Place," between[...]Hansen
claim of 440 acres was added on the north perimeter.[...]4, and Chris (Kesse) in 1917. Overgaard, the name of Hansen Hansen (1895-1966) were both born[...]who had previously immigrated to America, by that time
"Grunt and Puff," or the "Get out and Pu[...]e engineer with her Amos hired on as a cowboy for the Metlen Ranch on Horse
lunch pail, and rid[...]school house to accommodate the Hansen name of Ejner (A-ner) so they called him "Amos." He later[...]ar. This, ap- officially acquired the name of Amos E. Hansen.
parently, was a temporary location of the Medicine Lodge World War I began and Amos registered to fight for the
school district. The school was in use fi[...]he Ander- United States. While on an adventure of working on a tin
sons moved away and the the[...]th not Kearney, Calif. Again, the excitement of the cowboy life on
enough floor space for that many feet and lunch pails. Win- the Horse Pr[...]o get out and push. In 1919, on the eve of her arrival to Dillon and destination
After one year of this grind the family moved to Dillon for in America, Anna Hansen attended a "Return Home Party"
the remainder of their schooling. at the Country Inn which was being held in honor of those
The long-range goal of these two persevering parents was Danish so[...]risti did not live to realize her dream. She died of an Anna then worked on the Horse Prairie for the Car1Hansen
undiagnosed liver ailment in 1[...]ly who were later to become her in-laws.
help of the eldest daughter Alice, held the family togeth[...]each was on his own. Carl died in 1945 at age 60 of in Deer Lodge and for a short time had a small farm there.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (261)They decided to return to their homeland of I?enmark, only with Joe Metlen in his Cadillac[...]t their lives in "America - the Bearcat.
land of opportunity" and to settle in Beaverhead County.[...]boys were born, Morse, LeRoy, and Bruce, named for Bruce
trid, Mary (Jones), Anna (Meyer), Bernice ([...]jner, who lived their childhoods in the Dell area of Beaver- In the twenties they operated a ranch west of Glen. They
head County.[...]born in Brentwood, New Hampshire,
1913 and lived for a time with a sister, Kristi Hansen on Octo[...]rge Han-
Horse Prairie. She worked as a housemaid for Mrs. Venora son. He and his mother arrived[...]A. Hansen, a brother moved to Centennial Valley. He received his schooling in
to Mrs. Wilhelm Jensen of Dillon. They were married and Dillon and[...]nd lived at the Esterwold ranch tending livestock for Carl way.
Hansen who had leased the ranch fro[...]h owned
by the Metlens, located on the north edge of the Horse
Prairie meadow. This ranch had been purchased by Dave
Metlen from Herbert Selway. Ras worked for Joe and Dale
Metlen as hay foreman in the Selway[...]Fred Hanson
Selway Ranch was by way of the Templin Lane, later known
as the Stocker Lane[...]aily apportion the
water into each ditch by means of a weir according to each
decreed right. On one oc[...]nched in the same vicinity as his mother and both
of the incident, but it demonstrated the desperation[...]gh water was available. and became a part of the Red Rock Lakes Game Refuge.
Water was their l[...]ulver Pond and the Red
Ras had a natural talent for mechanics and was self- Rock Lakes, feeding and caring for them, and eventually
taught. He had mastered the intricacies of the internal com- shipping them to zoos and pa[...]bustion engine and kept his 1916 T Ford souped up for fish hatchery at the pond and by this m[...]secret compulsion to compete pond stocked for the fishermen who came from eastern[...]the area for several years.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (262)[...]Little is ·known of the destiny of the many Hardisty men,[...]ucky and Tennessee, so researchers have
machinist for the railroad. The family moved frequently,[...]assumed that they are part of the Huff, Seybold, Hardesty,
living in Indiana, O[...]ross the midwest, following a
come west and apply for a homestead. Samuel moved his
wagon road that is now paved and identified as U.S. 136, as
famil[...]part of the western migration. Many of them ended in Mon-
Sweetwater Road.
Seven chil[...]neral and Sivilla Har-
Canyon where they cut logs for the house. That home was
later used as a barn, and a four-room ho[...]istopher died in 1875, he left a widow,
had moved for the winter months. Esta stayed with her aunt[...]dren. Ma-
and attended the full term in Dillon so that her education linda died soon after. At age[...]es, and got work in the
Samuel farmed his land for several years. Then the prop- smelter.
erty w[...]lon in 1910. In 1914, after the property was sold for a Huff was born in Wilcox, Mo., the 10th child of William
good price, Samuel and his family went ba[...]She came to Glendale in the fall of 1879 with her parents,[...]mance blossomed and on March 25, 1881, at the age of
Territory was probably Mary "Polly" Hardisty, the wife of 16, Sivilla Huff married General Hardisty,[...]n Seybold, who came to Glendale in the late 1860s of dale by the local Justice of the Peace. Witnesses were Sivil-
early 1870s.[...]earby boarding house. Walter Hardisty, son of General Ray and Si villa Har-
Four doors away liv[...]other or cousin, Mark, and disty of Glendale, MT (1883)
his wife Eva. Pendleton G. Ha[...]in a boarding Sivilla Huff Hardisty, wife of General Ray Hardisty
house several houses[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (263)[...]The license was recorded at the first team of horses with which he got wood out the first
Beave[...]asin. In February,
A year later a son was born of this union and they named 1908, Ned's father shipped him a trainload of cattle from
him Walter Hardisty. A diphtheria epi[...]ed them into the Basin.
young son Walter were two of the many casualties. Five more children were born, three boys and one set of
When the mining activity began to play out in[...]in
area, General moved to the booming mining town of Roch- May, 1910, in an accident at the old shearing camp. A pair of
ester. He married again in 1888. He and his wife[...]ctured his heart.
the Hardisty Hotel in Rochester for almost 20 years. He He is buried a few yar[...]employed a young woman Indians, under one of the many Chief Tendoys, were coming
from Idaho, w[...]return home to find Indians in the house waiting for them.
Ernest and Arabina The Indians would trade them ponies for flour and sugar. In
fact, Tine lived up there for three years and never saw any
Harkness women except Indian squaws.
There were also lots of outlaws in the Big Sheep Creek
Ernest Isaac (Ned) Harkness was one of a large family of Basin at that time. No law officer was allowed inside the rim
10 children while Arabina (Tine) Ham was one of a family of of the basin. Tine said the outlaws always treated her like a
six. Ned was born December 22, 1870, at Prescot[...]n November 9, 1876, at White- the front of the house before coming in.
field Corners, Ill.[...]g Miles' birth in 1898, other areas eventually, except for Ernest B. He had married
they moved to Big Sheep[...]the man-
what is still the main ranch. Ned worked for Henry Thomp- agement of descendants of the original owners.
son (now the Briggs R[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (264)[...]the death of their eldest son, Ralph, November 24, 1969.[...]and breaking horses. He was one of a group of men that was
George was one of twin boys born to James Cooper and instr[...]rved as its president.
ranch on the. Grasshopper Valley. He had four older sisters: George and Haz[...]-LUCILLE NOVICH
at the age of nine.[...]James Thomas Cooper Harrison was the last of 12 chil-[...]Bordwine, one of his former students. A few months prior to[...]located permanently in Grasshopper Valley on May 2, 1887.[...]Nine children were born of Cooper and Olive. Two were
Hazel was one of seven children born to Stephen Calvin born[...]She later married C. D. McKown.
At the age of 11, before child labor laws existed, Hazel[...]two children, Harrison and Martha Jane.
advice of the family doctor, traveled west with an older[...]employment at the Saunders-LaDue tor of the Dillon telephone exchange for several years, she
Ranch (formerly Nay Ranch, p[...]illed in
· 1918 they returned to the Grasshopper Valley where George 1906 in a horse acciden[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (265)[...]of a descendant of Cooper Harrison since 1887.[...]verhead County the summer of 1909, moving to Montana
mostly for his health. He went to work for Ed Kenison, a[...]descendant of William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Har-[...]rrison was born May 8, 1892, in Bates,
Several of Cooper's brothers and sisters were also in this[...]ried Dillon Mason. Her ranch is Some of her lasting memories include those of the Hark-
now part of the Harrison ranch.
Cooper and Olive's home wa[...]l where Cooper was clerk.
Cooper developed one of the best ranches in the county.
His home is now part of the house of Ruth and Dwight
Harrison. He prided himself on ha[...]cows. Cooper is said to have been a great student of the
Bible, unassuming and law abiding. While vacationing in
California he died of paralysis, January 22, 1920. Olive lived[...]nential
out her life at the ranch, where she died of cancer on October[...]James, was born August 10, 1896. party given for herself and Miles Harkness. They were
He married[...]3. Jim about 19 years old. Shortly after that Miles was killed at the
homesteaded near his fath[...]ty given in honor of Kenison's 18-year-old son, Floyd. After[...]a courtship of a few months, they were married on February[...]a trip of 25 miles. The train was three hours late, snowbou[...]Dillon. Bill and Alice were married in the office of the Clerk
of the District Court by Frank Hazelbaker who was th[...]Clerk of the Court.[...]For a few months after they were married, Bill[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (266)[...]iver while Alice helped different jobs, one of which was driving the stage coach from
cook for the crew. With the money earned in Idaho, they[...]e was wintering in the
each took up desert claims of 160 acres on the old Lon Arp upper end of the valley in the winter of 1890-91 with Jim
place on Cabin Creek in Sheep Creek Basin. Blair and a couple of other fellows when all of the cattle
They built a log cabin and a barn th[...]nd Julia Jones were married. In
cabin at the head of Nicholia Creek among the sheepherders 1919[...]he government and the Centennial to care for Grandpa Jones and to take over
property lines wer[...]Harrisons were able to her father's part of the ranch. They spent the next eight
locate on a good homestead of 640 acres between the Keni- years there th[...]ves in Butte,
On this property, there were lots of native grasses. The and Ben is married to O[...]lon.
getting the land ready to plant a crop of timothy hay. Bill Ben always told of coming to Monida on a freight train
began buying[...]ly 12 cents in his pocket. Bill Culver picked
out for neighboring ranches to help pay the bills.[...]d took him out to work.
Nicholia Creek was full of rainbow trout and sage chick-
ens and ducks were[...]e good times with box socials, dances and parties that had[...]sed
school children and other parents as all part of a big family. by relatives. In 1882 he came to[...]n. Bill was also an expert banjo Working for his uncle and others he was able to accumu-
picke[...]Wonderful times were had at late a ranch of his own, building a two-room log cabin for his
these gatherings at the schoolhouse an[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (267)[...]gs as well as grain and hay. Their home was haven for[...]Pauline died August 7, 1935, in Dillon of complications of[...]n 1839, came
incorporated into a much larger home that still stands just to the United States when she was a young girl. She married
north of Glen.[...]napolis, Ind., in the 1860s. There
In the time that Julius lived here he saw the horse and wer[...]d Wealth Ann Cooper. Three
in his meadow), paving of U. S. Hwy. 91, the town of Willis children were born to this union: Ed[...]Charles A. and Mayme Harvey.
what is now the town of Glen. The Wise River flood brought Edwa[...]etticher in Indian-
damage and destruction to the valley but the Hartwig home apolis, Ind., Septem[...]settling in Hecla where Ed was in charge of the Hecla Min-
Fredrick Julius Hartwig was ver[...]ing Co.'s Commissary and the boarding house for the min-
munity and served on the school board for many years. ers. They lived there unt[...]Hecla, staying in Glendale until 1902, when
when that camp boasted of three buildings on Main Street. they moved to Melrose. Ed continued working for the Com-
From Highland City the family moved to S[...]pany, in the store and at one time was in charge of the
Jefferson County, where they imported from Ge[...]ed the first apple trees in the area. It was here that two Melrose and later worked in Butte.
Nez Perc[...]n. Pauline and her (9 months), and Louise I., 1906.
sister Louise attended the St. Mary's Aca[...]s-
Lodge. While living at Nissler the 1877 Battle of the Big charged August 1, 1919. December[...]sbyterian
make their permanent home. It was there that Pauline mar- Church in Melrose - the firs[...], hauled slag from the
Pauline always had time for her family and friends. Ev- old smelter in[...]rked in the Melrose Store. In
eryone spoke highly of "Aunt Polly" as she was affectionate- 1943,[...]Hole River. It has been Butte and Helena, except during his time in the service. He
said "she caug[...]was drafted in the fall of 1917, and discharged September 4,
Julius and Pauline Hartwig had a family of four: Ida 1919. He was with the "Army of Occupation" in Germany
Hartwig Hand, Louise Hartw[...]4, at Fort Harrison Hospital.
6, 1909, at the age of nine from diphtheria. Her[...]rt
They raised a large garden, kept several hives of bees, raised died July 16, 1952, in But[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (268)[...]In July 1922, Otto's remains were head Valley to the Beaverhead Rock (Allerdice Stage Sta-
retu[...]dith Basin where he worked with Charlie
Louise I. taught school two years, then married Robert Russell. Still in the family is one of Charlie's earliest oil
Leslie Jones on October 3, 1928. I have lived in Wise River paintings, a picture of Archie on a horse branded with the
since 1922, wh[...]In 1889 Archie homesteaded in the Centennial Valley. He
operated a general merchandise store. Julia t[...]daughter, Amanda. They lived in the Centennial Valley
-LOUISE I. JONES except in the years 1909-1915 when they went to Nebraska[...]The family returned to the Centennial Valley in 1915.
Charles Harvey[...]gs. They operated the stores in Glen- nial Valley and returned to cattle ranching. They raised
dale and Lion City (Hecla) for the Hecla Consolidated Min- some of the first Angus cattle in the area.
ing and Smelt[...]Samuel served in the Army in World War I.
In 1887, they returned to Indianapolis, Indian[...]etticher (both area where the majority of their descendants still live at
nieces of Henry Knippenberg) in a very impressive marriage ranching and various occupations.
ceremony of that time.
When the mine and smelter closed down, Ed[...]Louise, married Leslie Jones, promi-
nent rancher of that area.[...]Kansas, on February 18, 1878, son of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney J.[...]ard his home.
mined near Silver Star. In 1875 two of his sons, Archibald At the time he was just[...]al College at Dillon and, the year following,
end of the railroad. There they purchased a pack horse a[...]neral mercantile company at Wisdom, a step
father for a time and moved on to Washington. soon followed by the rapid expansion of his interests.
Archibald (Archie) soon decided that mining was not for Outside of public life, Mr. Hazelbaker was best known as
him. He said, "I'll be six feet under soon enough without owner and operator of the C Bar D Ranch in the Big Hole
spending my lif[...]y through the
Archie then freighted with teams of horses from Corinne, years, became one of the most important in the state's live-
Utah, to[...]ilroad was stock industry. Its fine herd of Hereford cattle was famous,
built further toward Montana, the trip for freighters short- as were its grazing facilit[...]ed in what is now Beaverhead County and for many years secretary of the Beaverhead-Madison
was from Monida down the R[...]Farm Loan Association and was also secretary of the Water
location of the Clark Canyon Reservoir, then up the Horse U_sers Irrigation Company, owners of the Lima Dam.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (269)[...]won more awards than that of any other State or foreign[...]of all kinds. These received not only his financial[...]many other business holdings. He was the owner of the[...]ous business enterprises of a varied character in other parts
of the state. He was a director of the Dillon Chamber of[...]worth, daughter of George Woodworth, pioneer rancher of[...]Brown Brantly, daughter of Theodore Brantly, chief justice
of the Montana Supreme Court. They were the parents of[...]After his death, his widow continued many of his business[...]r passed away January 17,
He was elected clerk of the district court of Beaverhead 1974.
County in 1904, an office in which he served until the close
of the year 1912. At the Republican State Convention of
1904, he was designated secretary and in every su[...]Helming Family History
State convention, except one, for many years, he acted in John Helming mo[...]he worked in Anaconda, then made his way to
tion for Secretary of State and from that time onward was the Big Hole and worked for Bielenberg and Walker, at
engaged almost continuo[...]ley home ranch. In 1899 his wife Ma-
ed secretary of the Republican State Committee three times[...]n came to Montana. They arrived on the
and served for one term as State co-chairman.[...]surveying work and built irrigation
irrespective of partisan considerations, strongly influenced[...]he purchased the Fox Ranch and opened
the conduct of State affairs. In 1928 he was nominated for the post office and store. The children att[...]s party and was elected with the Fox.
rest of the ticket, serving one term. Matilda died in 1909. Later that year John married Carrie
In 1932 the Republicans of Montana selected him as their Emrick from Da[...]Mr. Hazelbaker was active in many other fields of public and died in San Diego in 1933.
service. He served as executive commissioner of the board In 1908 Harry and Clarence ma[...]a at the Panama- Pacific Exposition in and for 12 years furnished firewood for the homes in the
San Francisco in 1915 and the San Diego Exposition that- valley. In 1913 they built a garage at Fox, which was the first
same year. It was largely because of his skill and judgment in auto garage in the valley. Grover, Harry and Clarence served
collecting the exhibit that Montana's agricultural display in World War I. Harry and Clarence moved to Wisdom into[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (270)[...]oon and made it into a garage. The
business is on that site today. Helming Brothers developed
the first electric system in the valley and, when they sold to
the Rural Electrification Association, Harry was on the first
board of directors of the organization. He was also county
commissioner for many years.
Grover, while in Jackson, operated[...]d then moved back
to the Big Hole where he worked for Harry and Clarence
until 1944 when he purchased t[...], called "Dutchie" by her family and friends, was
of his life in Wisdom. He died in 1975. a niece of Mary Justus Kenison of Dillon.
Harry married Mary Jane Woody and had[...]Her son, Floyd McComb, married Viola Martin of Salt
After her death he married Floy Burrel from[...]e was a brother Michael and Midge
of Mrs. Earl Rogers of Sweeney and Rogers in Sheep Creek
Basin.[...]Henderson was a true old-time cowboy. It was said
that "if the leather held, Rollo held." The Henneberry family was one of the very early pioneer
He and Resoltha Sholl McComb were married September families of Beaverhead County. Michael Angelo Henne-
4, 1912. She was the mother of two children from her mar-
riage with John A. McC[...]dersons had a two-room log cabin on the east
side of the Basin. They eked out a living there until the bad
winter of 1918-19 put them so far in debt they left the ran[...]on the railroad. Henderson Gulch on the east
side of Sheep Creek still bears their name.
Roll worked on the section at Dell the winter of 1920.
They moved to Lima the next year where he w[...]filled various sections until they located north
of Armstead in 1923 at the Grayling Section.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (271)[...]Arlo, Ingeborg and Joe Hermann
berry was one of 11 children born to Michael B. Henneberry ably a brother of William who was born in Baden, Germany
and his wi[...]1866, Michael B. established his ranch and one of the largest brick manufacturers in the Northwest.[...]n St.
road. Before this the canyon was impassable for wagons. Joseph, Mo. Later Lizzie died at age 29, leaving her husband
The road was operated for 10 years and then sold to Mr. and two s[...]. (6) and William N. (4).
Barrett who operated it for three more years, when it was William later married Elizabeth Doering of St. Joseph,
opened to the public.[...]lian, born July 25, 1880, and William
ranch south of Dillon. He married Midge Nelson and they[...]and May. After Michael on a ranch north of town. At the same time he established a
Angelo's[...]il her death in 1954. nished brick for many of Dillon's early businesses, including
Archie mar[...]Metlen Hotel, the Odd Fellows Hall and the Conger
for many years. At the time of his death in 1947, he was a house. Also, numerous cabins, homes for many Chinese,
Beaverhead County Commissioner.[...]mann in San Francisco after structed of Hermann brick.
serving in World War I. They had two sons, Paul Jr. and R. Wil[...]pipe and his horse and buggy. He never owned
tana for several years and operated the Pipe Organ Lodge. a car and was noted for the horse he drove for a quarter of a
Paul Jr. was a pilot in World War II and was ki[...]ides in San clipboard sign on each side of his spring buggy reading,
Francisco and still owns part of the original ranch. "Here Since 1882[...]Joseph K. (Joe) and William N. (Bill)
exceptions of some winters in California, lived all her life in[...]teresting stories cowboy in the true form for much of his adult life. From ~he
about the early days on the ranch. The ranch was at Grayl- back of a horse he tended a herd of Hereford cattle, which
ing railroad siding and th[...]e train to come was summered in the Big Hole Valley. Bill rode the hills for
to town to shop. May died in 1984 at the age of 87. Rocky Hillers (wild horses) and[...]which grazed in the hills when not used for haying or other
-RAYMOND[...]Joe and Bill, part of a famous Dillon team, enjoyed play-
The He[...]ing baseball and were close friends of the Quackenbush
William Hermann, a native of Germany, was born Octo- family.
ber 11[...]n, presum- Ingeborg Syrstad, the third of nine children, was born

27 4-Beaver h[...]

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (272)[...]Besides farming Joe was a ditch walker for the West Side
heim. Canal for several years. He took Arlo with him to drive the[...]del T Ford. Joe was also on the construction crew for the
times entertain visitors with their odd ability to "read" each old Highway 91. He operated a team of horses and fresno.
others' mind via E.S.P. One of them would pick a word at The gravel pit is still visible at the site of the Club Royal.
random from a dictionary while th[...]is. Ingeborg and her brother became so good at it that it flock of chickens and turkeys to supplement the farm in-
f[...]nd their father finally put an ab- come. Much of this produce was traded at Bond Grocery for
solute stop to it.[...]needed supplies. Ingeborg was a long time member of
At 17, Ingeborg and her cousin came to America[...]Dillon Choral Club. She held a great appreciation for
1904. She couldn't speak English but later spoke[...]- enjoyed Lawrence Welk.
turned to Norway for a visit. On the ship's voyage to Norway Th[...]passed
ic". Ingeborg later remembered, "It looked like a city float- away two years later on Septembe[...]in Sheridan.
cerning the iceberg but the officers of the Titanic ignored She remained there until[...]n Dillon,
1500 passengers aboard the Titanic died that night after it beside young Joe's grave. Joe[...]ttled in Washington. He was the
only other member of Ingeborg's family to come to this
country. Ingebo[...]her
Here, she worked in the local post office for Lottie Kim- father, Col. Alpheus Decker, and[...]bel. Later,. she moved to Dillon where she worked for Eliel nage in Red Rock. She had been happily[...]ht. Ingeborg, barely 30, married Joseph in August of Scott convinced her that she should be sharing in the excit-
1917.[...]ing activities and promising future of the Scott & Decker
To this union three childre[...]reek area. After night and day through weeks of typhoid fever, ended the
several moves Joe bought[...]Aunt Jenny Chapman for 10 years, and then with other[...]terms. He was one of the "Young Turks" in the Legislature,[...]known throughout the State for their work on irrigation[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (273)[...]the post-World War I slump hit the Pahsimari ranchers,[...]help out with Scott & Decker affairs. For two years, they[...]which Roy managed for his father-in-law.[...]the rest of their lives. Edith worked at the Normal College.[...]Roy was Beaverhead County Democratic Chairman for the[...]1928 campaign, and served as Deputy Clerk of Court until
"Colonel" Decker E[...]rts. She helped with the hotel work. She was part of the Colonel Decker died in 1929, Roy[...], and
Scott & Decker family and had a wide circle of friends in Edith Scott Decker Herndo[...]hey are buried in
Red Rock, Armstead, and Dillon. For 10 years this was the Mountain View Cemetery in Dillon in the Scott & Decker
pattern of her life.[...]to The Inn at
Armstead. On January 15, Edith left for Helena at her fa-
ther's request that she take a committee clerk position in[...]John and Pauline Herzog
the legislature; for the next two months she had a wonder- This is the story of the years Pauline Reichle Herzog and
fully exciti[...]participating fully, too, in the pomp and gaiety of Helena's Montana.
elegant social season[...]many, the oldest
social life, and also in affairs for the legislative staff (theater, daughter of Adolph William Reichle and Elizabeth Well-
opera,[...]Then, in April, she went to Pierce City, Mo., for two as the road contracting business. When he lost the bid for
months. She returned at the end of June to the busy life of some important project, he also lost h[...]o
the Scotts and Deckers in the now thriving town of Arm- pay off his men and his obligations. The stress of all this was
stead. too much for him and he suffered a fatal heart attack.
On S[...], a Salmon lawyer she had One of his sons, William Reichle, had already come to
done work for as he was travelling, called to ask her to come[...]reed. Soon she was a full partici- Germany of such glowing reports of fortunes to be made in
pant in the business and social life of this growing mining ranching and mining that it convinced his brother Adolph
and ranching cent[...]ugust Reichle, and
back to Armstead even to visit for almost a year. his mother an[...]ar and a come to America. They stayed for some time in Chicago and
half later, they were ma[...]then came on to Glen, the community which was at that
June 16, 1909. They were at home in Salmon by Jun[...]time known as Willis.
Roy Bushong Herndon at that time was assessor for William and his wife had bu[...]augher ranches. There was a great deal of activity going on
ho State Legislature from 1904-[...]tion at Willis was
assessor, he became postmaster of Salmon. being rebuilt to the present site of Glen in order to give the
Roy and Edith led a b[...]many labor-
was born dead, and Edith was not well for most of the year. ers were employed and needed[...]st 4, Jane Decker was born. Then in That was where Pauline and her family helped William
1[...]oise and Reichle's wife take care of all the cooking and other house-
brought back Eth[...]born into the com-
the prosperous ranching center of the Pahsimari Valley, munity, including Carl Kam[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (274)I
tress for some time, as were her brothers William and her
'[...]enjoy rural life and sold his homestead to one of the Birrer
brothers who had been their neighbors in Germany. Young
' August filed for a homestead across the road from what is
now t[...]mother Elizabeth planted trees
along the ditch for each of her children, and they were there
for many years after her death, which occurred soon a[...]in Montana. August felt there was more
· chance of making money in the city and soon joined his
b[...]rzog. A small brother
Joseph had died a couple of years before Clara's birth and
was buried in t[...]lizabeth Reichle. This cemetery holds the remains of sev-
eral who died in the community, mostly yo[...].
' ued to be called Reichle for many, many more years).[...]daughters of John Tabor Dingley.
and there raised their family. Another son, Joseph (named
in memory of his dead young brother), was born in Butte as[...]another girl, Ann. John Herzog was a fine painter of brother Will Dingley and her cousin Nell[...]1900; Alice Mary born March 4, 1906; Ruth
ing of the St. Patrick Church in Butte. 1:fis name is no[...]n July 24, 1913.
listed as a primitive painter of religious themes at the On the 1900 c[...]of California. Little is known of the family after that move
John and Alice Hildebrand out of Montana.[...]., and came to Montana as a young man to seek his for-
tune in the mining world. His parents were H[...]Alice Rebecca Dingley, the youngest daughter of John ry Olsen and Ida Hirschy Olsen at[...]September 3, Montana. She was the oldest of six girls and attended school
1875, in Lewist[...]e family moved to Butte again. have traded it for a city life ever. Bessie said her sister,[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (275)[...]took off for the sheepherder's camp, opened a can of milk[...]evidence, washed out the cups and started for home. Just[...]aheepherder was shooting at them for stealing his milk.[...]d came face to face with a big grey snarling wolf that[...]there was a year ling bear in the middle of the circle feeling
leader. They used to take bamboo poles and put them in the trapped by a bunch of curious cows.
•ditches and brace themselves and[...]this and coyotes were killed the population of wild game in-
for hours at a time. The girls also spent a lot of time playing creased. One memorable event in h[...]aved up enough coyote hides to sell and then left for
resist.[...]home many souveniers and still talks about that great ad-
Bessie to take care of things. The girls were about 14 and 16 ventu[...]arried November 7, 1924. They raised their family of
upon the family's return. They tried chopping th[...]their home on South Atlantic.
and pull them off; that didn't work either. Needless to say[...]nd with kinked-up necks. The Hildreths of Medicine
girls didn't tell until several years later when it was good for
a laugh.[...]eth and Harriet Jane Phillips Hildreth, the third of eight Hildreth. Harriet Jane Phillips was b[...]ttie were childhood sweethearts and
up, had most of his schooling and lived until he retired to[...]rd they probably had the on July 6, 1893, for Montana to carve a future. Their love,
best childhood anyone could ever want. Many of his adven- hopes and dreams were high, b[...]s he helped on the ranch. in the principals of Christianity.
One day as a young boy Bob found a[...]bear and Henry and Hattie went to work for Herbert Selway herd-
was trying to befriend it.[...]in a sheep wagon and later a small
took off. Out of the trees came the big mother bear bearing[...]l 4, 1896. During this time Henry
skiddaddle out of there fast. filed for a homestead on Medicine Lodge, bound by what is[...]ouldn't Creeks. Henry continued to work for wages and hired Pat
have any because it was expe[...]ney to build a cabin and Fred Tachuchman to fence for

278-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (276)[...]The Weenik
him as required by the "Homestead Act" of May 20, 1862. In Studio in Dillon was used for family protraits, preserving
August, 1897, the family of four moved to their beloved Hildreth History of those early days. Henry had his first
homestead and Henry purchased a band of 750 Hampshire ride in an automobile i[...]ars Hattie taught the children as she went
Canada for their heavier wool, eventually building his bands from chore to chore. Later teachers were hired for $30 a
to 3,000 head. He also raised Percheron and[...]room. Laura taught her younger
horses which sold for $125 during the Spanish American broth[...]6 term. The Dillon Public
War. Saddle horses sold for $50 and milk cows $40, with Schools and[...]Thomas, March 16, 1900; Jonathan sion of the 20s, losing much of the ranch and range. Henry
Daulton, February 16,[...]ivered by their father aided by a the age of 52. Hattie and the younger children moved to
neig[...]her grandchildren and other young people of the area. Hat-
land, raising sheep, cattle, milk[...]ick- tie died on September 25, 1948, at the age of 75.
ens. Gardening, berrying, fishing and hunting[...]the educational field. Laura
timber cut and used for fencing, bridges, buildings and fire- attaine[...]trapping coyotes and wolves. University of Washington, and at the time of her death, July
Work was exchanged between friend[...]. Trad- 2, 1944, was Assistant Director of Research in the Sociology
ing with the Lemhi Indians that came through the Valley Department of the University.
and the Chinese in Bannack proved[...]vember 7, 1924. They even-
There were a number of sheep camps to attend which tually ow[...]The shearing Daisy met Clarence Koenig of Loveland, Colo., when he
crew arrived the first week of July. A sheep sheared around came to work for Henry in 1917 and they married June 1,
seven pounds with the cost of shearing around one pound, 1921 at Rock[...]ed wool to Red Rock, Medicine iodge, worked for Union Pacific and operated a
where it was shipped[...]rst Kodak, purchased in 1910, many pictures of Dillon which became their home until Clare[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (277)[...]larence Koenig purchased the Superior Dairy
north of Dillon in 1927. John sold his interest in 1930 to[...]Naomi graduated from Normal College in 1933 and that
year married Survantus "Heavy" Kerr. They moved t[...]north of Wisdom, where their daughter Helen was born in[...]for years as a stage stop from Divide to Wisdom. It i[...]interesting to know that it was still used until the early
Dave Hirschy[...]December 1930s in the winter, when teams of horses carried the mail
27, 1888, the sixth of 12 children born to Fred and Cecile and fr[...]ole in 1894, Wisdom. Also trail herds of cattle en route to market
where they took up a ho[...]extraordinary strength matched by an appetite of prodi-
famous midget. Dave was eight, the horse w[...]ould catch a
father had paid the magnificient sum of $8.00 for him. He wild horse in the open by charming him. Jim LaMarche and
rode with his father for many years, traveling the surround- his cowdogs wouldn't do a lick of work unless he was horse-
ing area buying cattle.[...]drove stage; "Coyote" Jack Gish, brother of Lillian Gish
Once each year in the fall a trip[...]s), and many others who spun yarns and
Bitterroot Valley with teams and wagons to stock up on entertained her with amazing tales of the west.
vegetables and fruit for the winter. This was always a family In lat[...]. These
from the Big Hole Pass down to the bottom of Ross's Hole. hay derricks were invented and used in the Big Hole for
Before going down they always cut a big tree to drag behind years and were so successful that there was a demand for
the wagon to help as a brake. At the bottom of the hill there them wherever hay was put up. In all Dave had built over
was a pile of logs used by others who did the same thing. He[...]-ANN HIRSCHY
to cut the tree. He said, kid-like they forgot the saw and for
tools had a dull axe and a pocket knife. That slowed them
down considerably, but they finally d[...]attle ranchers in the Big Hole
Cecile Leifflen of Butte was a young school teacher who Valley, were married in June of 1915 and raised four chil-
started teaching when she was 16 years old and taught first dren, all of whom (at this writing) still live in the valley.

280-Beaverhead History

The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (278)[...]lora Hirschy died on October 12, 1958, at the age of 64.
Frederick Louis Hirschy, born of Swiss parents on April[...]13, 1884, in Vera Cruz, Ind., was the third of 12 children. His[...]ather, a cheesemaker, homesteaded in the Big Hole Valley[...]the Valley by wagon. Fred's younger years were spent work-[...]as born on December 26, 1892 in deal of respect from those who knew him ... in his own qu[...]ificate, and after cattle. Fred bought one of the milk cows, then gave it back
1 passing the State Board of Education examinations, Flora so the chil[...]ness. He loved to tease, and he had a knack for saying a lot in
later at West Fox in the Big Hole Valley where she met Fred. a very few words, e g: "There is a lot of truth in that man ...
Flora was a dynamic person ... energetic, intelligent, fun- because none of it ever came out."
loving, and strong in charac[...]isdom, and to
strong physically and emotionally for her life on the ranch the Butte Shrine. He w[...]in people, sioner and was also on the Board of Directors of the Mon-
was always "there" if anyone needed help, and would for- tana Stockgrowers Association. In Octobe[...]h those she might meet briefly while lected for honorary membership to the Northern Interna-
tr[...]tional Livestock Hall of Fame for "those who have made
She had a wonderful sense of humor and enjoyed nothing outstanding and[...]griculture." Fred died June 21 1 1975, at the age of 91.
about an incident that happened at a political gathering in[...]ho had been delivering propane gas to
the ranch for a year or so tapped her on the shoulder and
said. "Hello, Mrs. Hirschy." Flora stared at him for a mo-[...]Cecile
ment and then with a sudden look of recognition said, "Oh Hirschy
... I know you ... you're the man who keeps me in heat![...]enacity, so when she It was the tenth of May, 1894, that the family of Frederick
decided she wanted to learn how to fly she took flying les- Louis Hirschy first saw the valley that would be home to
sons, and soloed in February 1[...]-grand-
skiing .. her first lesson being in Sun Valley. She arrived children. Carly and J. Blaine Anderson, ages eleven and five
home from that trip excited because the Shah of Iran was are the fifth generation of this ranching family to live in the
there and h[...]n to them in Ohio and
campaigned long and loud for improved highways into the Indiana, where[...]moved.
Big Hole. In 1945 she was Worthy Matron of Eastern Star, Frederick and his cousin[...]ca on a cattle
Wisdom Chapter 67, and a member of the Daughters of the boat, working in the galley for their passage, and Cecile had
Nile, Tirzah Temple, Butte. Also a member of the State and journeyed to Ohio to visit her[...]tle in Montana. He later urged
first president of Cowbelles in 1955. For many years she was the Hirschys to come to Montana and the Big Hole Valley,[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (279)[...]The trip from Dillon to the valley took three days because
of spring road conditions, and the next day was the[...]ning of a new life and a very busy time for the families. The[...]for the three summer months for the children in the area.[...]later herd of almost 100. The building had a small room[...]partitioned off for the sleeping quarters of Walchli, who[...]He homesteaded on a piece of land on the Big Hole River,
that joined August Wenger's place, and his family was[...]tled there. Hirschys built an underground cellar for the
where at the time Fox was the nearest post office to his aging and storing of the cheese and butter, a big corral and
homestead. There were good opportunities for a man with a long shed for the cows. The milking was mostly done by the
fami[...]morning and again in the evening.
in 1893 to see for himself, and not far from his brother-in- Fred Hirschy, Sr., took wagonloads of cheese and butter
law's home found good land on a[...]surrounding towns
spring. He returned to Indiana for his family in the spring of several times a year, bringing the wagons back filled with
1894, and they began the task of moving to the Big Hole ranch supplies an[...]to Dillon, making the trip in an was evident that the future of the family would be better
emigrant car, which he[...]old goods, livestock, served in the raising of cattle and putting up the wild hay
and the family. They could cook and sleep together in the that was abundant in the high mountain meadows. The
sa[...]ing confined to the needs of the family.
When they arrived in Dillon, Gus W[...]Cecile Hirschy became a well-known midwife for the area,
teams and wagons to take them to his ra[...]more children
cheesemaker there and they planned that together with were born to the Hirschy[...]of their grandsons still living in the Big Hole.[...]to the valley to teach, and their two sons are ranching in the[...]ters. Estella became the wife of Jack Husted, who ranched
close by, and two of their sons are still operating the family[...]ranched north of Wisdom for a time, later becoming a
skilled builder of the Beaver Slide Derricks which are used[...]Jack Childers and they lived here for a time before moving[...]to eastern Oregon to raise their family of two boys and two[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (280)[...]1933 and Cecile in 1950. They are buried in Chula Vista,
Calif.
-MRS. JACK[...]Family
Ben Holt first rode into the Centennial Valley in the early
1900s, trailing horses to Idaho for the Woods Livestock
Company. Ben liked what he sa[...]nton County, Ill. Ben and left the Centennial Valley for Idaho Falls. Ben had been
was the fourth son in a family of five boys and four girls, in poor health since 1941, but did not leave the ranch until
most of whom were born and raised in Jefferson County on January of 1943. Returning for a brief visit in the spring,
their father's ranch[...]buried at Rose Hill Cemetery
ley, the third child of William Bailey and Lucy Ann (Nave) in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Tinsley of Willow Creek, Mont. Lillie was born September[...]No- years she had returned often to the Valley she and Ben had
vember 20, 1892; Nellie Neoma, Fe[...]e and George survived to adulthood.
Ben worked for Marcus Daly for 15 years as head horse-
man on his Bitterroot sto[...]n
When Marcus Daly died in 1900, Ben went to work for Hopkins
Woods Livestock[...]ed. Harry Hopkins, a long time resident.of the Big Hole coun-
Returning to the Centennial Valley, Ben Holt met and try, was the son of William and Esther H.Qpkins. He was
married schoo[...]His par-
started a small place on the north side of the Valley and ents, five brothers, two sisters and he moved to Glendale,
lived there for several years. Mother May, as she was known,[...]ears old. The trip took about
raised a fine bunch of bum lambs every year and carded her three months during the summer of 1887. They traveled by
own wool.[...]r cattle outfit and moved to walked a good deal of the way. The family lived at Glendale
Idaho Falls, Idaho. Ben worked there for a while hauling and Vipond Park before moving to Dewey's Flat (now called
gravel by horse and wagon for city building. They both Dewey), where he attended school.
missed the Centennial Valley and soon returned to home- Dewey was a busy little town where, at that time, a lot of
stead and start another small ranch near the town of Lake- Chinese lived. One morning Harry and some of the boys
view. The Holts sold this place when the federal government were hiking up a canyon east of there and came upon a
came into the Valley and began to buy up that area for the Chinese man hanging by a rope in a tree[...]happened to the man.
they settled in the far end of the Valley in an area called By 1898, Harry had moved to the North Fork of the Big
Alaska Basin. The ranch was built close t[...]nd built a cabin on it.
near the hills and is one of the last places you see before After a short[...]on the Ruby Ranch,
crossing the hills and heading for Henry's Lake, Idaho. Part which was then owned by Major Smith of Butte.
of the ranch still stands today and is owned by Huntsman Kathryn Knudsen, called Katie, daughter of Jens and
Ranches.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (281)[...]For much of their journey, they backtracked along the Or-[...]bound immigrants. The final third of the journey followed[...]Pass; 6,800 feet high. The road skirted the flank of the[...]beautiful high range country of Vipond Park where Wil-
February 16, 1882. After t[...]rd's father and uncle "took up" land. It seems at that time
she came to the Big Hole. She planned to tea[...]their adaptable hands to almost any task that would bring
Harry and Katie were married in Bu[...]thers. During these years two a combination of woodworking and hand blacksmithing.
daughters wer[...]ble and blacksmith shop and they had the
contract for the Wisdom-Divide Stageline for the next year.
Harry joined the Masonic Lodge and Katie became a
Rebecca. She also worked for the church and was a Sunday
school teacher for many years.
During the early 1930's, the couple[...]ington Territory, on July 10, 1876, the third
son of William J. and Esther Bassford Hopkins. Most of his
early life was spent in Beaverhead County and the Salmon
River Valley.
Wilford was about nine years old when[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (282)[...]commanding officer.
One summer, Wilford worked for the Geodetic Survey,
engaged in mapping the Big H[...]In 1903, Wilford Hopkins married Myra Anderson of Gib-
bonsville, Idaho. She was the youngest daughter of George
David and Mary Wallace Anderson.[...]orn in
1915. The latter three survive. At the age of four, Rose
became ill with appendicitis and was h[...]ra took up a
homestead on the benchland northeast of Wisdom. In the
early spring of 1912, they moved to a ranch on the North w[...]Glendale. Both men were ships's carpenters.
Fork of the Salmon River near Gibbonsville. This ranch[...]ly left Walla Walla in the early
proved too small for their needs and they moved back to the summer[...]least 10 weeks to make the 700 mile trip
Big Hole that fall.[...]agon drawn by a mule team.
Wilford was foreman of the Ajax Ranch in the Big Hole The baby,[...]ho, some 450 miles from his birth-
where she died of tuberculosis in late June, 1917. Myra's pla[...]Dewey's Flat.
Puget Sound climate would be better for him. Accordingly, The family moved to Can[...]ns until other substances began to replace
letter of unlimited credit from The State Bank of Wisdom. charcoal in the smelting of silver ore.
In 1919, Wilford married Aura Ande[...]le Basin. They took
Seattle where they were known for their generous hospital- up land on the banks of the North Fork of the Big Hole
ity, sharing their home with many re[...]y could. my grandfather, built a nice set of buildings where he and
Myra, Wilford and Aura are all buried in the Wisdom Esther spent most of their remaining years.
Cemetery.[...]health began to fail. Their sons built a
Most of the foregoing was gleaned from the writings of small house for them on the Weldon Else Ranch so they
George Works, a nephew of Myra and Aura Hopkins. could be ne[...]Esther, of Scottish descent, was an accomplished knitter[...]and seamstress. She spent the rest of her life in her little
William and Esther Hopkins[...]ling in Walla Walla, Washington.
In 1873, he sent for his wife and their two small sons, Wil-
liam, Jr.[...]la, William was employed in the construe- ·
tion of Dr. Dorsey Baker's "Strap Iron Railroad," the fam[...]d County. They arrived in Vipond
Park in the fall of 1887. William's brother, Fred (1838-1908)[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (283)[...]Cemetery. kitchen and cared for the family.
William J. Jr. (Will) worked at va[...]at smithy with an inventive mind. One native
area of Montana. Wherever he was working, he made it a of Wisdom reports that the first motorized vehicle she ever
habit to write home often. He was working for a surveyor in saw was a brainchild of Jack's. He had hooked a motor up to
Lewistown when he became ill and died. a cart of some kind and drove the streets of Wisdom. Need-
Joseph (Joe) spent most of his life in Beaverhead County. less to say, i[...]or had been but he always showed up for breakfast.
Esther (1874-1963) married Frank Ri[...]E 0. DAVIS
Mark (1878-1966) married Hazel Bane of Butte. She died
soon after their marriage in 1908[...]se in Dewey's Flat where he retired and took care
of his brother, Arthur, who had lost a leg because of a
Howard
runaway with a team of horses and a mowing machine. Sara[...]enson County,
years in the Big Hole. He did a lot of paper hanging and Ill. The family came we[...]left Colorado intending to go to the Deer Lodge Valley in
Annie (1884-1925) - (See Weldon Else Family[...]sided. She and her brother Dick walked almost all of the
their young family when they were young peopl[...]ons. When they got to the
ily, with the exception of Esther and her baby brother, are Beaverhead Valley, they heard of the gold strike at Bannack
buried in the Wisdom C[...]so went there instead of to Deer Lodge. In an interview in
There are over 200 living descendants of this couple. 1941, Sarah said her trip re[...]nd make good listening. Perhaps this was the case of captain helped him return to America as a[...]ps not. ship. George went to the home of a friend, they bought
He was a mountain of a man, about 6'3". No one seems to horses a[...]train.
know exactly when he came to the Big Hole Valley (or his He and Sarah W adams Pratt had three children born at
origin) right around the turn of the century. Legend has it Bannack. They were: George Melvin, born February 4, 1865;
that he had been a professional boxer and an opponent[...]er 11, 1868. Sylvia died December 4, 1868, and
he that he never entered the ring again.[...]freight wagons for Corinne, Utah. He left his sons at the
He built a cabin in the timber on the west slope of the Big home of Capt. Jefferson Hunt at Oxford, Idaho, where they
Hole. Somewhere in that vicinity, he dicovered gold enough were cared for by Hunt's 14-year-old daughter Olive, whom
to kee[...]1912, at
he came down from the hills with a poke of gold dust, which Downey, Idaho.
he sold for a grubstake. Some say he built the cabin over the[...]d moved
Those who knew him, especially children of that era, re- to Saginaw, Mich., in early life. He served in the Union
member him as a kind and gentle man. One winter he hap- Army[...]and spent 11 years there engaged in min-
you send for me?" he exclaimed in dismay. Whereupon, he[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (284)[...]l 10, 1877, and is buried to the ranch to care for her. She slowly grew weaker and died
at Bannack;[...]ied May 5, 1881, April 9, 1925, at the age of 51. She was laid to rest in Silver
and is buried[...]e in 1877 where he en- We stayed on for a couple of years to care for Dad while he
gaged in farming and they then moved[...]at Moun- moved to Idaho to spend the rest of her life near her daugh-
tain View Cemetery at Di[...]e electric The store was located on the corner of Montana and Helena
ore trains from Butte to the A[...]clock is driven by a
were unable to have children of their own they adopted me 16-pound weight and has one pendulum that weights 35
when I was but two years old, my own mother being unable[...]uick silver in the pendulum.When operated
to care for me, so I, Rhea Leona, was then a part of the under favorable conditions, it ran wit[...]month.
In 1904, having read of a small ranch for sale in Beaver- The Huber family (cousins of Mrs. Kupfer) acquired the
head County on lower Bl[...]se Prairie, clock and put it in the window of the Huber Jewelry, Op-
Samuel Howell went to look[...]rist and Watch Repair Store located on the corner of
the spring he drove the wagon and horses to Red R[...]ong day's drive over very bad roads to the ranch. I was only The Huber family came to America fr[...]her tied a shawl around my head jewelry part of the store as I remember it. There were three
and I had to endure the train trip, almost smothering t[...]nch, after the winter Montana. It was said that Henry gave his bride Anna a
snows were melted in the canyon above the ranch on Bloody teacup full of diamonds as a wedding gift. Lena married a
Dick,[...]elrose, Gebhard Fassler, while Bertha
from Salmon for their yearly camping trip up Bloody Dick H[...]because mother would __give them corner of South Washington and Reeder Streets. They
homemad[...]r things. Then they would go raised lots of flowers and one small room off the south side
to the upper meadows of the Big Hole Basin, then to Salmon of the house included many windows and served as a c[...]r who taught in the Bagley
Butte with a young man of 14 years to work as chore boy. His
name was Sylvester Padric Meade. He resented me as I was
four years younger. One year when the Indians came
through they sold my father an Indian pony for me to ride.
Sylvester (Beaute, as he was known) w[...]eft the ranch was when he got a job
as fire guard for the Beaverhead Forest and spent the sum-
mer on t[...]le. When he returned he filed a
homestead on land that joined our ranch on the west. We
were then marrie[...]nd built a two room
cabin on the northeast corner of the land. Shortly after we[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (285)[...]1901.
School. I was in one of her classes. She helped organize the
annual May D[...]899. Angeline Huff Taylor befriended her. Fearing for
Calvin and Sarah Huff[...]ear Priest River,
dinsville, Ill., the 11th child of William and Sarah Huff. Idaho.
After spendin[...]od in Nodaway County, Cal Huff was one of the first white men to take up land in
Mo., he came with his parents and three of his sisters to this remote area of northern Idaho. He built a cabin out of
Eagle Rock (now Idaho Falls) on an immigrant trai[...]land, known previously only by the Indian tribes that
and wagon, arriving there in October 1879.[...]ter, Myrtle Prater, remembers him telling stories of Cal and Sarah pledged their vows to each[...]the remote homestead. A son, William Hamilton
day for wheeling slag and worked a 12-hour day.[...]near Barrett's station. His parents county seat that we now take for granted. Cal and Sarah had
were poor and he left[...]est River. Cal Huff, Sr., made a living for decades by trapping fur-
He homesteaded in the Bl[...]tock and trapping all his life. issue of National Geographic Magazine in a muck-rak[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (286)[...]ue nature as "cruel
and unsportsmanlike destroyer of game and a disgrace to
civilization." The author, W. H. Wright, wanted the moun-
tains of Montana and Idaho declared a wilderness area, off[...]Hattie Dingley and Ada
Brothers. His beloved wife of 44 years, Sarah, died Decem-
ber 30, 1944, of a heart ailment at the age of 64. Cal died on
July 4, 1950, in Seattle after wa[...]st daughter Margaret married John Vinson
ervation of the town and its buildings.[...]ily was part of an immigrant train that reached Eagle Rock[...](now Idaho Falls) the first part of September, 1879. From
William and Sarah Huff[...]ontana Territory, on October 10, 1879. The driver of the
William Hamilton Huff was born August 31, 1[...], Sarah is keeping house, 15-year-old
nessee when that area opened to settlement. The family[...]n accident and she was the Huffs lived for a few years at the warm springs water fall
raised[...]family moved near Barrett's Station south of Dillon and in the Red Rock
to western Illinois when that land opened up to settlement Valley area near Armstead. They . took up a homestead on[...]farming on the upper Grasshopper north of Polaris. In their
They farmed in McDonough County, Ill., for 15 years. later years, they lived in D[...]n in 1845, Margaret Elizabeth in 1847, Of their children, Dora, Missouri, Richard and Theod[...]1872 and their last child, presentative of many of the early settlers of Beaverhead
Harriet Catherine, in 1874. -[...]arth, first mining and later farm-
Farmers most of their lives, they continued to look west in i[...]cceeding, occasionally failing, but always
search of a better life. Their children began to marry and[...], petite and trim all her life. They were married for[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (287)[...]is
and had many friends." They practiced a Quaker-like reli- area, were partners and they worked[...]by Creek.
gion all their lives, probably a legacy of their Pennsylvania At the beginning of this century this quiet little man was a
German heritage. Their style of dress was always somber familiar character in the Big Hole. He panned for gold in
and dark and they lived quiet private lives. every creek on the west side of the valley. There are two
William died a few months later[...]one into the Bitterroot
They lived the last years of their lives with their daughter, Valley in Montana and the other into the Salmon Valley in
Ada Belle Brothers, on Kentucky Avenue in Dillon. Both Idaho that are named for him and called "Hughes Creek."
funeral services were conducted by Captain Brugman of the J.P. Lossel, a Big Hole merchant, told of buying gold from
local Salvation Army. They are b[...]y. From a letter written by Allis B. Stuart, wife of
Cemetery in Dillon.[...]Butte in August, 1907, "My memory of Barney Hughes, of
that day, was a slight, slender man about 5 ft. 6 in.[...]most delightful soft Irish brogue. I do not remember of
Barney Hughes was born in Ireland in 1827 and came to Granville ever bringing home a guest that we enjoyed more
this country in 1839. He caught t[...]daho before coming to The last years of his life were spent with his good friend
the Mont[...]Fred Else, who lived in the Gibbons District east of the Big
He came to Bannack in August, 1862, an[...]h- Hole Battlefield. He died at the age of 82, and there is a little
ing gold from Grasshopp[...]y Edgar, Bill Sweeney and Harry Society of Montana Pioneers. It bears the words, "Barney
Rog[...]the bottom, scarcely visible are the words, "One of the
with Crow Indians and never caught up with the Stuart Discoverers of Gold at Alder Gulch."
party.[...]den Gulch by Dick Pace
"After reaching the divide of the Madison and Gallatin·we The Helena I[...]er, Oct. 9, 1909, Mon-
took the old Bannack Trail for a distance and came out on tana Historical Society, Helena
the east side of the Madison Valley, about twenty miles east "The Last Days of Barney Hughes", by Mrs. Granville Stu-
of Alder Gulch. We crossed the river and followed Squaw art
Gulch down to the divide of Alder Gulch and went into
camp about a mile above[...]at age 24 rode a bicycle from Centerville,
a pan of dirt from a bar a short distance from their camp.[...]ellow, he dabbled
Plans were to get a little gold for tobacco. They soon realized in various enterpri[...]rich strike. On their way to Bannack ways of the West. One successful venture was a Dillon ret[...]mile below the the first business block north of Bannack Street. He and a
current site of Dillon, and reached Bannack on June 1. This partner, Hugh McCaleb of Salmon, Idaho, maintained a
started a gold rush t[...]ch. large inventory of quality merchandise: sporting goods,
After selling his claims he buried $24,000 on the banks of guns, fishing tackle, office supplies, china,[...]George married Lillie May Oliver, daughter of Wason
While in British Columbia, at an earlier[...]ied Dorothy B.
by Montana Vigilantes. Hughes said that Ives was a fine, Couch, who was raised i[...]to work in Eliel's store.
it was with much regret that he saw him end his life as he did In 1918,[...]west corner of Horse Praire Valley on the southern slopes of
When Barney Hughes arrived in the Big H[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (288)[...]r, mainly in Silver Bow and Madison Counties,
of native hay with a constant supply of irrigation water from Mont. Searches in vario[...]lied wa- happened to Minerva Hulsizer, wife of Ed 0. Hulsizer, were
ter for placer mining on the hills south of Bannack, 10 miles ofno avail and to date I have found virtually no data on her.
distant. The water flowed by aquaduct built of logs and Edward 0. Hulsizer lived wit[...]", and traffic tently, and the last bit of information on him consisted of a
passed under it enroute from Horse Prairie[...]at the John Hulsizer married Etta Rhodes of Butte and resided
Grant school.[...]tomobile accident in April 27, 1908, at the age of nearly 14 years.
1942. Preston now resides in[...]On June 24, 1889, Anna Florence Hulsizer of Glendale,
Dorothy and George retired in 194[...]to Montana, married Albert F. Cline, also of Glendale. They
Emerson, son of George and Lilly May.[...]become
Emerson was married to LaVyrne Brown of Dillon. They Wise River. Albert F. Cline was the maternal grandfather of
had two children: the first, James Emerson Hu[...]later moved were well respected ranchers of the Big Hole Basin. Two
to Australia.[...]ber 3, 1917, at the home of her uncle, John Hulsizer in Butte.[...]o, born in the year 1800. My home to care for her.
great grandfather, Edward Oliver Hulsize[...]m Lincoln Ryan and
1833, was the eighth child of 11 children born to Joel and resided in Gl[...]A daughter was
Margaret. Old records indicate that Edward 0. Hulsizer born to this union[...]the
grew up in New Jersey, where records show that he married Wenatchee, Wash., area about 1907.
Minerva Brugler of Hainsburgh, on November 22, 1859.[...]Hungate
Old school records from the County of Warren, State of Adonijah Piatt Hungate, born April 28, 1848, at Blandins-
New Jersey, show that Edward Hulsizer worked as a school- ville[...]ans., and
teacher where he received $.50 each for the students and is buried there. Eliza[...]nd board. One employer states "This is to certify that quite young her family moved to Illinois where her father
I have examined Edward 0. Hulsizer and find him of good James Short died when she was seve[...]er
moral character, learning and ability, and I do license him to later married a widower, William Hungate, father of Adoni-
teach common schools in the Township of Hope, New Jer- jah Piatt Hungate. Eliz[...]married and lived in Illinois for a time, then in Iowa and
I have no data on how or when the Ed 0. Hulsizer fa[...]ght in the Bagley Grade School at Dillon
says that a Hulsizer lived in Glendale as early as 1882 and for years.
ran a hotel and restaurant known as th[...]ver bank. Adoni-
E.O. Hulsizer as postmaster. I also have a doctor's bill for jah was absolutely unaware of the Indian's presence until he
$75 pai[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (289)[...]horse he called "Hollywood" that would open gates lifting[...]Basin to a ranch twelve miles out of Wisdom and ranched[...]moved to Dillon where they operated a dairy for a few years[...]Although the historical home of the Hungates is in Eng-[...]land, the family name was originally Danish. That name was[...]Revolutionary, Civil, Indian and all of the United States'[...]Theodore, born July 19, 1868, died April 2,
ing for the safety of camp with the Indian stalking along by 1934, ma[...]arried Una Dulcie Farr, April 7, 1904; Emma Jean,
for his family. They came on the train to Melrose, Mo[...]Charles
where they lived until Ed was about 14. (I believe Nige Edward Crawford on March 17,[...]ing.) They then moved to a ranch at Twin Bridges for about Edward Theodore's (eldest son of Adonijah) issue: Iva,
three years, then back to G[...]first married
Adonijah had a rollicking sense of humor and a ready wit. Andrew Jackson "Pete" D[...]1966, married Beth Anderson; Eve-
display at Sun Valley. His return route was through Grant, lyn, bo[...]o Sanford Shepherd, postmaster at
Jackson, Mont., for over 30 years. Ollie was the daughter of
Martha Lee and Sylvester Shepherd.
After my gr[...]Dell and Kidd. He stayed with the Thompson Ranch for
about 25 or 30 years and the ranch had grown to be a whole
string of ranches and summer ranges before he left.
Ed w[...]fford Crawford asked
him, "Who breaks your horses for you now, Uncle Ed?" He
replied, "When old Ed can'[...]." He had his saddle horses broken and trained so that Ed and Iva Hungate[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (290) (Most of these genealogical and historical records
were taken from five volumes of the Hungate Family,
established by Carroll Paul[...]ication, Inc.,
Kansas City, Mo., U.S.A. Library of Congress.)
-FERN[...]nt and Hattie Amelia Hunt Fair-
he was too much of an extrovert to do so. By nature he was[...]the headquarters and tance to the flesh that was involved under the pants. he did
maintenance depot for all stages in the area, including the retrieve his catch and take it in for his money.
ones through Yellowstone Park. He op[...]th Dick Rock (a friend and associate of Buffalo Bill) and his
shop and plied his trade for several years. It was standard wife had a co[...]ys a week. He was ry's Lake. He kept buffalo for the entertainment of his
always trying to work in the saddle horses for individuals. guests. He'd take pictures of his wife sitting upon the head
They were essential to almost everyone - much like food, bewteen the horns. Sometimes he use[...]big bull, a little jab with the pitchfork, for the benefit of the
He went back to Minnesota to get his brother Gilbert, photographers. Of course this made the buffalo angry and
' after he[...]ollowing an extended bout he'd paw the ground for a good picture.
with typhoid fever. He started[...]while
and took up a homestead. He decided he'd like to have a he did chores. His wife oppose[...]t hand. The again. When he didn't come in for breakfast she went look-
index finger was in three pieces. It was 150 miles to the ing for him. Tanzy was really doing a job on him. He'd sh[...]and start the whole process over again. She sent for Cla-
One day when he was out running his trap[...]is bear. He was brash and didn't know the meaning of
fear. He used to trap live animals for circuses. It was a good[...]Gilbert Oliver Hunt
source of extra income. When he got an order for a Canadian Born in Detr01t Lakes, Minn.,[...]nx was a fine girl died with typhoid fever. That was the first and last
specimen. He got the fee[...]whiskers had turned snow
from him, and started for home. Fate was out to throw "a fly white in h[...]nd filed on his homestead, after
snow, the tips of his skis went under the snow, and he and li[...]ith a flume running straight out
whole seat out of his handspun, all-wool pants. This was a[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (291)Clarence cut off three of his fingers, the index in two pieces. McKevit[...]e Dwain
wanted Gilbert to sew his fingers back on for him. Dewey, born 1922, and Richa[...]himself to pick the fingers up. He nia for treatment. At that time, Ralph (1902- ) and Clark
boiled a spool of black thread and a darning needle. Cla-[...]ingers while he sewed them University of Washington. They came to run the ranch until
back[...]n. Carl returned, bought the Ruby
the first joint of the index finger turned off to the side, with[...]untley built the original home on what is now the
of them even if they were all crooked. Remarkable, t[...]ery much the extro- completed. It remained that way until Ralph and Ebba
vert, used to always say[...]d me Huntley remodeled it in 1949.
do. I can point over the hill and around the corner. I'll bet -GAIL H. WRIGHT
you can't do that!" This was always a source of uneasiness
for Gilbert but he was much too gentle and even-tempe[...]For economic reasons Oscar Truman Husted and his[...]Murray, Iowa, and came to Montana. With a sense of adven-
William Huntley[...]ing in the Big Hole Valley in the early 1900s. They took up a
Will Huntley (1858-1941) of Spokane came to the Big homestead o[...]Livestock
Hole Basin in 1912 to assess the value of what is now the Ranch.
Huntley Home Ra[...]onal Joseph Schindler, father of the late Emil Schindler and
Bank, had loaned Bob Jones money to buy the ranch and he grandfather of Francis who now owns the original home-
was unabl[...]Truman Husted "Jack," the name by
took possession of one-half of the ranch and Jones kept the which he wa[...]l other brothers.
mian Brewery and large holdings of wheat and barley land Jack journeyed to South America for several years. He
in the Palouse country, so he s[...]Many of the photographs taken in this era of people and[...]spirited, young Estella Cecilia Hirschy, daughter of pio-[...], 1906, in Dillon by Reverend A.B. Martin, pastor of the[...]member of a pioneer family in Beaverhead County. Jack[...]and Esta lived on the Fox Place for three years, selling to[...]Quinn Place four miles down the road. It is part of the[...]present ranch owned and operated by two sons of Jack and[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (292)[...]living there at the time of his death.[...]Harry Hopkins and, with the help of Weldon Else, built a[...]o do.
was completed in 1913 and is currently home for William, After several years they move[...]together the following children were name of Keith (Cooney) Boetticher.
born to Jack and Esta[...]Idella Hust- lived in the North Fork area. For a short while the Hutchins
ed (Massara) 1911; Dor[...]25; Judith "Judy" Husted ing at a job of some kind.
(Knudsen) 1926.[...]In the summers they trailed them to the other end of the Big passed away here, as they were getting up in years. They had
Hole near Mussigbrod Lake for pasture. William recalls his many friends w[...]l thing to do, since
Jack was an active member of the Masonic Lodge in Wis- that was all they heard.
dom, often riding on horsebac[...]h his
children. Esta often told her grandchildren of making mit-
tens from worn out socks, using the tops for them. "Nothing[...]s were handed down to
younger siblings, then used for making quilts or rag rugs.[...]ake it over, make it do, do without", was the way of life Joseph Hutchens and Louisa Vincent were married and
for many folks of that day. came to[...]eph hauled lime
Oscar Truman "Jack" Husted was of the fourth genera- from the hills east of Glendale for use at the smelter. They
tion that has been traced. Jack's ancestors were farmers who lived about one mile east of Glendale on Trapper Creek
lived in Cumberland Cou[...]a and probably via Salt Lake City. Some of Louisa's family were in
Iowa and were also farmers. Jack was the seventh of 12 the area for awhile. Two sisters went to the Deer Lodge area,[...]died March 13, 1904. They died two days apart, of pneumo-[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (293)[...]ranch was very hard. Their main means of travel was by
horse and wagon or horseback for many years, and winter[...]irrigating at a ranch on the outskirts of town. It was a valu-[...]able learning experience for someone destined to irrigate[...]hired by Harry Davis to feed cattle southeast of Jackson.[...]lifelong dislike of oatmeal mush.
From len: Harry, James and W. G. Gr[...]The next venture was working for August Wenger north
Beall Grose of Jackson along the Big Hole River near Fox. Fox wa[...]. A family mail stop and a gathering spot for the Saturday night
story is that they saved money and buried it in the yard. It dances. The music consisted mostly of fiddles and mouth-
was still there when they died[...]found the Dresden Shields from down the valley found that riding
cache.[...]25, 1937, married Orren Beall on had been one of the first Big Hole homesteaders. A widowed
Dec. 1[...]s T. Grose, and Bertha Schlunegger, also of Grindelwald, married John in
Nellie who married W[...]All the Beall children were 1916 at the home of his sister, Margaret Nelson, in Wisdom.
born at G[...]dn't last long in the county after 1920. White of Wisdom.
With the death of Orren in 1928 and his wife, Emily, in 1937,[...]ice was born.
She was a small, hard-working woman of scarcely 100 Mr. and Mrs. Christ Deutschman, John's sister Marion,
pounds. At that time the hay was pitched onto a wagon and a[...]ackyard and stacked. She would stack the hay of Jackson. They decided to move to Long Beach and p[...]ighbor
rattlesnake would come aboard with a shock of hay. When bought the Fox ranch so the mov[...]d moved to Long Beach. John became a cattle buyer for a
remembers that she took the Christmas tree down the day[...]d.
after Christmas, as it "made a mess". A friend of hers told Due to delinquent payments, however, the Inabnits re-
that Emily would sit on one chair with her feet on ano[...]five school years at the
horses. A grandson tells that he would catch a train to Dil- two-room Jackson school. Most of the students rode horse-
lon, using horse and bug[...]uring the most severe winter months Alice
was one of the many stops between Butte and Dillon.[...]
The History of Beaverhead County, Volume 1 (294)i•''/[...]Bertha and John Inabnit with daughter Alice
tub, of course, got its water from a naturally heated spr[...]1962. The Inabnits spent most of their ranching days in the
privy was the norm on most ranches. Most of the valley had Big[...]any listeners. The mail
stage came in from Dillon for the upper valley and one could
travel by that stage to Dillon.[...]gnes Pierce Ingersoll
The winters were so cold that most cars were put up on[...]au Pierce Ingersoll was born to Matthew and
jacks for the winter and the batteries were brought in so[...]small mining town which was located east of Melrose and
the Jackson Mercantile, operated by M[...]started school in Glendale, a small town west of Melrose
In the 1920s young couples attending wint[...]e
which their daughter, Sadie, and Alice borrowed for a drive office in Armstead for several months. She attended part of
one day. Other than the difficulty of turning around all went her high school year at St. Mary's of the Wasatch, a college
well, but one late afterno[...]o Montana she started business college in
waiting for those pranksters upon their return. This histori-[...]a, going half a year before school closed because of
an does not record theLr: punishment.[...]flu epidemic. She attended Butte Business College for a
Cattle were often brought into the valley to be fed the[...]erend Timothy Clifford. They made their home for several
spring. One popular overnight stop was at[...]efore moving to the upper
house in the Grsshopper Valley. John shipped his own cattle[...]ur children were born to them: Tom, Adele,
to out-of-state markets, believing that process to be more[...]Tom became ill and died at the young age of 30 in 1928.
that included irrigating and repairing harnesses and m[...]Agnes, with the help of Tom's uncle, Fero Marchessault,
chinery before haying time. Horses that had not been used[...]rother-in-law, George Smith,
Hayhands entered the valley for jobs and housewives[...]came foreman until the boys, Tom and Dick, became of
cooked for large crews until the winter supply of hay was[...]It is interesting to note that Agnes and two relatives were
The Inaqni[...]