Progressive men of the state of Montana, pt 2, Part 1

Author: Bowen, A.W., & Co., firm, publishers, Chicago
Publication date: [19-?]
Publisher: Chicago : A. W. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 1092

USA > Montana > Progressive men of the state of Montana, pt 2 > Part 1

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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 00098 3178 Gc 978.6 P94 pt.2

Progressive men of the state of Montana

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but at the end of a year returned to his home, re- maining over winter. In the spring he took a trip to Iowa and there stayed until 1887, when he came to Montana, arriving at Billings April 2. After railroading there for a year, he removed to Red Lodge and worked on the cattle ranch of T. P. McDonald. He then leased the boarding house of the Rocky Fork Coal Company, and later ran the engine for the company. He passed the sum- mer of 1891 at Castle, and in the autumn returned to Carbon county, where he engaged in the sheep business. In 1893 he began a six-years residence in the Big Horn basin, being there extensively en- gaged in the sheep business, having at times 6,000 head. In 1899 he bought a ranch near Bridger which he conducted for a year, then sold it and bought his present ranch, six miles south of Bridger. On this, which is well irrigated and un- der good cultivation, he has a fine herd of Here- ford cattle and raises large crops of alfalfa. He also owned a ranch on the other side of the river, which he sold in 1901. Mr. Barclay was married December 29, 1887, to Miss Rachel Hobbs, of Wisconsin, a sister of John G. Hobbs, mentioned at length elsewhere in this work. They have two children : Rex Lionel and Wandafie.

LBERT D. BARNEY .- This popular mer- A chant of Philbrook, Fergus county, is dis- tinctively a product of American civilization in its best expression. He is a native of Sandusky, Ohio, where his life began May 29, 1875. His parents were Franklin and Delia Barney, natives of Canada who settled in Ohio in early days. The father is a stonemason by trade, a prosperous mechanic, a good citizen, and locally prominent in Democratic politics.

Albert D. Barney, the sixth of their nine children, remained with his parents until he was nineteen years old, receiving a common school education. After leaving school he devoted his time to farm- ing, photographing between times, as an avoca- tion. In 1899 he removed to the west, locating at Rockford, Fergus county, Mont., where he en- gaged in the mercantile business. After conducting this with good success for a year, he sold it to his older brother, William, with whom he remained as clerk and salesman for a few months, when he opened a general store at Philbrook, which he still conducts. He is also postmaster of the town, and a stanch Republican.

Mr. Barney has the business instinct essential to the successful merchant. He knows what will strike the popular fancy and meet the general needs of his community. His store is a model of a country store in neatness and convenience, while the uniform and considerate politeness of the proprietor causes his chance customers to be- come regular patrons, and make his regular pa- trons his lasting friends.

F RANK A. BARNES .- As one of the progres- sive young business men of Fergus county, where he is manager of the Gilt Edge Mercantile Company, in the thriving village of Gilt Edge, and as a member of the bar of the state, Mr. Barnes is well entitled to representation in this work.

Mr. Barnes was born in Cedar county, Missouri, on the 8th of February, 1869, the son of Lewis M. and Adaline Barnes, both of whom were born in Missouri, where they still maintain their home, where the father is one of the influential farmers and stockgrowers of Cedar county. He is a Democrat in politics. During the Civil war he served in the Union army, as a member of the Second Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, and was Col. Cloud's orderly. His wife is a member of the Christian church and both are folk of sterling worth of character. Of their six children Robert and Alta are deceased, the survivors being Frank A., Thomas G., Lila and Walter.

Mr. F. A. Barnes received his early educa- tion in the public schools and after an attendance of two years at Southwest Baptist College, at Bolivar, Mo., completed a course in the Central Normal College and Business Institute at Dan- ville, Ind. He began teaching at the age of seven- teen years and after teaching with marked success in the public schools of Missouri for five years he came to the northwest, in 1890, and located at Boise, Idaho, where he held a position in the public schools and engaged in reading law under Samuel H. Hayes, one of the leading members of the bar of that state. In December, 1892, Mr. Barnes came to Montana, locating in the vicinity of Maiden, Fergus county. He taught at intervals in the schools of this county until 1898, and continued his study of law. He was admitted to practice before the supreme court of Mon- tana, at Helena, in January, 1897, having been admitted to practice in the lower courts at Lewis-

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town, in the preceding year. Though he has not given his attention to legal work, he is a well equipped lawyer.

In 1898 Mr. Barnes became a bookkeeper in the large mercantile establishment of the Gilt Edge Mercantile Company, at Gilt Edge, and in 1900 was made manager of the extensive business. In politics Mr. Barnes gives unequivocal allegiance to the Democratic party. He has been raised to the master's degree in Freemasonry, and is affiliated with Western Star Lodge No. 26, A. F. & A. M., at Danville, Ind. He is also a mem- ber of Judith Lodge No. 30, at Lewistown, Mont., I. O. O. F.

On the 30th of April, 1892, at Maiden, Mont., Mr. Barnes was united in marriage to Miss Daisy D. Dougherty, who was born in Randolph county, Mo., the daughter of James W. and Tucker V. Dougherty, both of whom were natives of Mis- souri. They came to Montana in 1887, locating in Lewistown, Fergus county. After some years Mr. Dougherty located on a ranch near Maiden, where he is engaged in farming and stockraising. He is also interested in neighboring mining prop- erties. He is a Democrat in politics and has passed the ancient-craft degrees in the Masonic fraternity. Mr. and Mrs. Dougherty have six children, namely: Daisy, Rice, Frank, Benjamin, Etheta and Hazel. Of the four children of Mr. and Mrs. Barnes, one, Ethel, died at the age of thirty months. The surviving children are Orville, Esther and Gladys.

H JENRY HEEB, originally a prominent pioneer miner of Montana, and at present proprietor of one of the finest and most extensive ranches in the far-famed Gallatin valley, was born in Bucks county, Pa., on November 8, 1835, the son of John (who was born in 1793) and Barbara (Ori) Heeb (born in 1802), natives of Lertenstein, Germany. They were married in the fatherland, came to the United States in 1832 and the father engaged in farming until his death in Pennsylvania. He died in 1878 and the mother passed away in 1893. Henry Heeb, one of a family of two sons and two daugh- ters, passed his youth at and near the Pennsyl- vania homestead, and upon attaining his majority in 1856 removed to Leavenworth, Kan., where he remained until 1859. He was here during the eventful period incident to the John Brown esca-

pade, when rifle and pistol shots were of altogether too frequent occurrence, and the state was acquir- ing its sobriquet of Bleeding Kansas. In Penn- sylvania Mr. Heeb had learned both bricklaying and plastering, and these trades he followed with success in Leavenworth. During the Pike's Peak excitement of 1859 he joined the "stampede," and with a partner, Mr. Babcock, started with a large quantity of freight for the newly-discovered Colo- rado gold regions. Before they had proceeded far, however, the teams to the parties who owned the freight, returned to Leavenworth, and early the next spring made a second loading of four teams and took it through to the Peak where Mr .. Heeb engaged in working at his trades for two years, being fairly successful, much more so than in some mining operations he later conducted.

In 1863 Mr. Heeb came to Montana, arriving in Virginia City in October. Here he engaged in freighting and in the winter of 1863-4 removed to the Gallatin valley, pre-empted a quarter section of land and in the summer of 1864 prospected with indifferent success. Still it was then that he dis- covered the famous Pony lead, but owing to sub- sequent "consolidation" he was frozen out of his interest in this valuable property. In the autumn of 1864 he went to Salt Lake City, Utah, and pur- chased seed for his farm, sowing it the following spring. To his original claim Mr. Heeb has added until he now has an estate of over 1,400 acres, thoroughly irrigated, on which he raises splendid crops of oats and barley. At one time he was extensively engaged in raising horses, hav- ing as many as 300 head, but lately he has confined his attention principally to diversified crops and cattle. To Miss Joanna Bellas, of Missouri, Mr. Heeb was married on April 23, 1878. She was the daughter of Equilla Bellas, of Ohio, who removed to Montana in 1862, residing at Bannack and also at Virginia City, where he was engaged in mining. He died in Butte in 1873, and his daughter, Mrs. Heeb, passed away in 1899. Mr. Heeb's five chil- dren by this union are: John, Frank, Barbara. Grace and Buell. The second marriage of Mr. Heeb occurred on September 21, 1899, when he was united to Mrs. Margaret Ault, of Virginia. daughter of Samuel Moffatt. His family removed to Ohio from Virginia, and in 1892 Mrs. Ault with her two children came to Montana. The family are occupants of a beautiful modern residence, fin- ished throughout in hard wood, costing $7,000, and surrounded by commodious barns, granaries and

Bub.

Henry

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other outbuildings .. Mr. Heeb is one of the lead- ing representative ranchmen of Gallatin county, and his integrity and sterling qualities have won public confidence and esteem.

A R. BARROWS .- It is a remarkable fact that in the ranks of the men who laid broad and deep the foundations of Montana, were many of the ablest men of the east, those who had been prominent in the different relations of business, professional and political life. They were men of sterling integrity and moral rectitude. Out of the wealth of their experience in conducting matters of moment there, they had developed the best form of civilization for this new land. One of the earliest pioneers of Fergus county was a man of this character, whose memory is yet cherished with tender reverence by the best people of the section who knew him and the methods which he endeavord to impress upon the then infant community-Hon. A. R. Barrows, who was born at Olean, Cattaragus county, N. Y., July 30, 1838. His parents were of New England stock, coming down from the early days of the Connecticut and Plymouth colonies, and in the intelligent and prac- tical atmosphere engendered in those settlements he passed his youthful days. His father was one of the old-time pioneer lumbermen of the Alle- gany region, and for many years his home at Ran- dolph was the cheery public house of the village. Randolph possessed superior educational advan- tages in the way of a good academy, now Cham- berlain Institute, and here Mr. Barrows was edu- cated. He assisted his father in his lumbering business and therein acquired a practical education which he later turned to valuable account in the west. On one of their trips to Cincinnati on a raft, his father lost a leg, cut off by a rope with which he was endeavoring to fasten the raft to the shore. After this accident he closed out his business in New York and removed with his fam- ily to Olmstead county, Minn., locating at Pleas- ant Grove and engaged in farming and there he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives. Augustus accompanied them to their new home and followed various pursuits until the outbreak of the Civil war. During the progress of this he enlisted as a private in Company H, Eleventh Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, and on organization of the regiment was made orderly sergeant of

his company. Possessing true military character- istics and great personal magnetism, he was idol- ized by his men, and was mustered out on June 30, 1865, as a lieutenant. An incident showing his popularity deserves to be recorded. After the men received their discharges they formed a cir- cle around the captain and gave him three groans and hisses. They then surrounded Lieut. Barrows, lifted him on their shoulders, and carried him off the ground with cheers.

On returning to civil life Mr. Barrows made his home in Chippewa county, Wis., and largely en- gaged in lumbering, becoming one of the leaders of business life, commercial activity and political circles. Originally a Democrat, he heartily espoused Greenbackism, and became known as one of its ablest and most logical advocates in the state. He was twice elected county treasurer of Chippewa county, served one term with acceptability as mayor of Chippewa Falls, his home city, was elected a mem- ber of the legislature by a large majority, and when that body was organized on January 9, 1878, was chosen speaker of the assembly. Probably no per- son who ever filled that important office in the state gave such universal satisfaction as did Speaker Barrows. His fairness, his judicial abil- ity, his unfailing courtesy and his untiring kind- ness to the members won him the friendship even of his political opponents. He surprised his most sanguine friends by the able and impartial man- ner in which he discharged his duties. At the close of the session he was presented by his brother legislators with an elegant silver service of thir- teen pieces, the most expensive souvenir ever given to a speaker in that state. Later he led the forlorn hope of his party in his congressional district, but was defeated, as he expected to be. At that time the changed conditions of business life had much reduced his wealth by depreciating the value of the large amount of real estate he owned, and he determined to cast his lot with Montana. He thereupon organized a colony which he brought to Martindale in June, 1879. He then engaged in stockraising, having brought a herd of blooded cattle with him. Soon after his arrival here, in company with E. P. Allis, of Milwaukee, one of the most complete sawmills ever built in this part of the state was erected, and they began the manufacture of lumber at Sawmill gulch, Meagher county. He soon became im- pressed with the natural location of his future home, Ubet, and there pre-empted 160 acres of

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land, the nucleus of his present large estate. This place he called Ubet from the first, and when, after erecting the large hotel building there, and removing thither in 1881 as one of the first perma- nent settlers of Judith basin, a postoffice was de- manded to accommodate the rapidly increasing number of settlers and at his request received the name of Ubet. At his new residence he en- gaged in stockraising, which he successfully con- ducted until his death, and no man was better known in Judith basin or took greater interest in its development. He was not long spared to aid in this great work, for he was called away by death on December 20, 1885. He was buried at Chip- pewa Falls, Wis., under the auspices of the Masonic fraternity in which he was a Knight Templar.

Mr. Barrows was united in marriage at Pleasant Grove, Minn., November 16, 1862, with Miss Alice B. Duncan, who was a most valuable helpmate to him all the years of their wedded life, and since his death has demonstrated great business ability. She was left with a family of young children, but with motherly devotion she raised them to ma- ture years and gave each of them a good educa- tion. She has, also, with the aid of her children, increased the original homestead to an estate of 2,000 acres. She has always kept a hotel, the excellent reputation of which is known far and near. Her great heart causes her everywhere to relieve suffering, and she never turns a wayfarer from her door unassisted. An incipient city has been developed at Ubet on Mrs. Barrows' land. She recently donated a site of twenty acres for a Methodist parsonage, and in many ways her gen- erosity and public spirit have been shown. She is one of the valued residents of Fergus county, and her memory, like her husband's, will be cher- ished long after she will have passed away as one of the true pioneer women of Montana. Mr. and Mrs. Barrows were the parents of four children : John R., now a prosperous lawyer of San Diego, Cal .; Mary, who died at two years of age; Olive, ,now Mrs. Oscar L. Lockwood, of Ubet, and Clarence H., who, after faithful service in the Philippines as a member of Company I, First Mon- tana Infantry, is now residing at Ubet.

D UDLEY C. BASS .- William E. and Dudley C. Bass, of Ravalli county, familiarly known over the United States and Canada as the Bass Brothers, were among the first to demonstrate

that their section of Montana is well adapted to fruit raising and thereby established a new in- dustry among its people. Their enterprise, re- nowned even in the east as the Pine Grove fruit farm, has grown from a small beginning in 1871. regarded by most people with great distrust and by many with ridicule, to gigantic proportions, and includes 100 acres of land in fruit bearing trees and the shipment of 10,000 boxes of apples and 1,500 of smaller fruits and berries every year, to all parts of the northern United States and lower Canadian provinces, as well as New York and other Atlantic coast cities. They have built up also on a scale of great magnitude an immense busi- ness in raising and selling garden vegetables, many of them enormous in size yet lacking neither fineness of fibre nor delicacy of flavor. It is not uncommon for them to produce a cabbage weigh- ing forty pounds. Moreover, having nearly 1,000 acres of land in their ranch and being men of that systematic enterprise which utilizes every ele- ment of profit, they raise numbers of fine grade Durham cattle, Norman-Percheron horses and choice breeds of sheep. Their place is beautifully situated and is well improved with all the nec- essary buildings in addition to a comfortable resi- dence, which is embowered by a natural grove and trees of their own planting. The ranch is spread out charmingly at the side of the Bitter Root mountains and surrounded by the fine groves of pine from which it derives its name.

This new departure has resulted in an out- come so gratifying and so far surpassing expec- tation that it must be interesting to look briefly into the history of its proprietors for the grounds of the inspiration and faith by which they worked and were upheld. Their ancestors were among those sturdy English emigrants who first settled Vermont and New York, their father, William B. Bass, being a native of the latter state, where he was born in 1811. Their mother was Ruth (Childs) Bass, a native of Clarendon Springs, Vt., where her son, Dudley C. Bass, was born on August 10, 1842. After their marriage his parents resided thirteen years at Glens Falls, N. Y. In 1855 they removed to Chicago, and in 1858 to Jefferson City, Mo., where Mrs. Bass died in 1861, leav- ing three sons and one daughter, and ten years later the father joined his sons in Montana. Dud- ley C. Bass was thirteen years old when his par- ents came west, and consequently attained man- hood in Chicago and Jefferson City. After coming

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to his majority, he became interested with his older brother, William E., in the hotel business, first at Sedalia and later at Clinton. In 1864 they crossed the plains with mule teams to Alder gulch, Mont., and followed there mining for a time, but not achieving the desired success, they decided to turn their attention to agricultural pursuits. They then located on a portion of their present ranch and began raising hay, grain and vegetables, for which they found ready sale at excellent prices in the mining camps. But they conceived the idea that they could do well with fruit, and boldly entered upon the experiment, making their first planting of trees in 1871. The results have proven the soundness of their judgment. While wait- ing for their trees to reach the bearing age, they continued their farming operations and engaged from time to time in other enterprises, such as saw and flouring mills, building railroads, furnish- ing ties under contract and various others.

From the inception of the fruit industry, Dud- ley C. Bass has been its manager and active pro- moter, and is now (1901) its sole owner, hav- ing purchased a few years ago his brother's in- terest, although the ranch is still conducted in their joint name. In 1874 he was married to Miss Etta Emmett, daughter of L. S. and Eva Em- mett, of Windsor, Mo., and sister of Jennie. the wife of his brother, William E., since 1862. One child has blessed their union, Lee Emmett, aged thirteen. In politics Mr. Bass is an unwavering Democrat, except in local matters, where he places the interest of the community above the claims of party. He manifests a keen and intelligent inter- est in public matters and gives his aid cheer- fully to the success of the principles in which he believes. In business it has been amply demon- strated that he is a progressive, nervy, resourceful and far-seeing man. In social life he has the at- tributes which make up a charming personality. He is an intelligent talker, an appreciative lis- tener, a genial companion and a generous host.

R OBERT A. BAXTER .- Five miles northwest of the attractive city of Bozeman is located the fine ranch property of Mr. Baxter, one of the pioneers and popular citizens of Gallatin county, who has accumulated a fine property and attained a position as one of the substantial farmers and business men of Montana, where he has resided

for more than a quarter of a century. Mr. Baxter was born in County Donegal, Ireland, April 28, 1836, the son of George and Sarah (Anderson) Baxter, both of whom were born in the same county, as was also Robert Baxter, his paternal grandfather. When Robert A. was about twelve years of age his parents immigrated to America, locating in Ontario, Canada, where his father was a farmer until his death.

The education received in the schools of Ire- land by Robert A. Baxter was supplemented in the excellent schools of Ontario, and he aided in the work of the homestead farm until 1865, when he started for San Francisco, making the voyage by the Panama route and duly reaching his destination. He remained in San Francisco for some time and thereafter was engaged in suc- cessful agriculture in various sections of Cali- fornia. Five years later Mr. Baxter visited his parents in Canada for two months, then came westward to Montana. He traveled on the Union Pacific Railroad as far as Corinne, Utah, and then came. by stage to the Gallatin valley, where he pre-empted a claim of 160 acres, which is a part of his present estate. He has added to his original claim until he now has a ranch of 400 acres, and the entire tract is practically supplied with most effective facilities for irrigation. Here Mr. Bax- ter has devoted his attention to the raising of large crops of wheat, oats, barley and hay, while he has made valuable improvements, including a com- modious and attractive residence, good barns and other outbuildings. He is one of the leading farmers of the county, and his genial personality and inflexible integrity have gained for him the friendship of the people.

His word is as good as any bond, and a sig- nal recognition of this fact is that he has been for a number of years treasurer of the Farmers' Canal Company, and there has been no thought of asking him for bond or other security. Mr. Baxter is a stockholder in and a director of the Commercial Bank of Bozeman and a trustee of the Bozeman Milling Company. He is Democratic . in politics, but is independent in his views and actions. He is a school trustee and gives his aid to all worthy enterprises for the good of the community.

On February 16, 1880, Mr. Baxter married Miss Mary A. L. James, born in Prince Edward county, Ontario, Canada, May 12, 1850, the daughter of John and Margaret James, who were born in Ire-

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land and became influential farmers of Ontario. Of the three children of Mr. and Mrs. Baxter, two are deceased: Sarah Alberta died at the age of seven years ; Robert George, a graduate of the Bozeman high school and known as a young man of distinctive promise, was born May 19, 1882, and is still beneath the parental roof, while Clarence I. died at the age of ten years.

'HARLES A. BECKSTROM is one who has C

made a success of the business of cattle ranch- ing and general farming in Cascade county on a fine piece of property near Kibbey. He was born in Sweden, May 2, 1868, and is still a young, energetic and progressive man. His parents were Gustavus and Mary Beckstrom, natives of Sweden, and his father followed agricultural pursuits in the old country with fair success. They were mem- bers of the Lutheran church.

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Progressive men of the state of Montana, pt 2, Part 1

Author: Bowen, A.W., & Co., firm, publishers, Chicago Publication date: [19-?] Publisher: Chicago : A. W. Bowen & Co. Number of Pages: 1092

Author: Bowen, A.W., & Co., firm, publishers, Chicago
Publication date: [19-?]
Publisher: Chicago : A. W. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 1092