A history of Montana, Volume II, Part 64

Author: Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald, 1883-
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1002

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As has been intimated, Mr. Weggenman is of German ancestry. His father was born in the German empire and came to America when young. He was one of the party who crossed the plains with Judge Hilzer in the early fifties, starting from St. Joseph, Missouri, with ox- teams. The long journey was full of hardship and perils and the party suffered severely before reaching Alder Gulch. The elder Weggenman was a blacksmith and wagon-maker by trade, and in the new settlement he found employment at the forge, where the chief busi- ness was the shoeing of oxen. He did not confine him- self to working in iron, however, but engaged in the scarch for gold. When the rush to Blackfoot camp occurred, Mr. Weggenman joined the exodus and for five years worked at his trade and sought for ore in that region. His mining ventures did not prove success- ful, though he carried on operations in some good territory. It was he who built the first quartz mill at Tucker's Gulch, and that was one of the many things which impressed upon him the fact that there is always as much money put into the ground as is ever taken out of it-but not always by the same people. After some years in the Blackfoot, Mr. Weggenman came to Helena and started a general blacksmithing and wagon works plant. This proved a success, for Mr. Weggen- man was a master of his art and he continued at this business in Helena until his death in 1884.

Mr. Weggenman had married Miss Gertrude Ries- man, an Austrian by birth, and there were five children by his marriage with her. Besides Joseph of this sketch, who is the fourth in point of age, there are two brothers and two sisters. Louis Weggenman is a shoe merchant of San Diego, California; Oscar is employed in the post office at Helena ; Gertrude resides in St. Paul, and Matilda is Mrs. James Norris, of Helena. The mother married Samuel Dempster of San Diego, California, some years after her first husband's death, and they resided in San Diego. Mr. Dempster died in 1896. There are two children of the second marriage: Samuel Dempster lives in Sweetgrass, Montana, while Teiny is at home with her parents in San Diego.

Mr. Weggenman is the son of a pioneer, and he has acquitted himself in a fashion worthy of that parentage in the comparatively brief time he has been in the com- mercial field. He is' still a young man, though estab- lished in a substantial institution, and his acquaintances are confident that he is only well started upon what he will achieve.

MARTIN A. WITMER. One of the leading wagon and carriage manufacturers of Montana is Martin A. Wit- mer, a resident of Helena since 1876, and for many years prominently identified with the civic and political life of his city and state. From a small beginning Mr. Witmer has, by the wise application of the valuable business instincts which were his inherent possessions, together with the thorough technical and mechanical knowledge of a practical carriage and wagon maker, succeeded in building up a business which has for many years represented the acme of success in his line of manufacturing. He has been prominent in affairs per- taining to the government of his city, and as a member of the city council for eight years has been able to accomplish much for the welfare of the city. He has also represented his district in the state legislature and in that capacity ably demonstrated his ability as a man of action in that respect.

Martin A. Witmer was born in Ontario, Canada, April 14, 1848, and he is the son of Martin Witmer, VOL. 11-14

born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, who died in Ontario in 1852 at the age of sixty years. In his early days Martin Witmer was a school teacher and taught school in the- country districts for some time, but later was engaged at farming, which he followed the rest of his life. He finally migrated to Ontario, and he was one of the pioneer settlers of his section of the province in which he passed the remainder of his life. The mother of Martin A. Witmer was Catherine Rerdinar, born in Germany in 1812, and she came to America with her parents at the age of five years. She died in 1878 at the age of sixty-six years.

The early education of Martin A. Witmer was not of an expansive order, but such as he received came to him through the avenues of the common schools of the town in which he was reared. While yet in his carly 'teens he secured employment as an apprentice to James Anderson to learn the trade of wagon and carriage building. One year he passed in careful work with this firm, at the end of which time he secured a similar position with James Morgan, Canada's leading wagon and carriage builder. The training of an appren- tice boy in Canada at the time of Martin Witmer's youth left nothing to be desired in the way of careful and thorough-going training and mastery of all the intricacies and details of skillful work, but it left much to be imagined in the matter of remuneration for ser- vices,-a striking contrast to our present day system of paying our apprentices a living wage from the be- ginning of service, and increasing his wage step by step until he is drawing the salary his trade commands by the time he has finished his apprenticeship. Be that as it may, the fact remains that when Martin Witmer had finished his apprenticeship with James Morgan he was twenty-one years old and a skillful wagon and car- riage maker. He was thoroughly qualified to make wagons and carriages for the most critical people in the land, and since that time he has been demonstrating that fact with the utmost success. On May 9, 1872, his trade completed, he decided to come to the United States. He started immediately, and his first stop was at Corrinne, Utah, where he secured employment with the firm of Gilmore & Salisbury, operating the then famous Continental Stage Line. He built and repaired stage coaches for this firm until 1876, when he left their employ and came on to Helena, then a small city of a few thousand inhabitants. His first position was with Charles M. Jeffreys in the same line of work, and he remained with Jeffreys for five years. At that time he and his brother, Joseph R. Witmer, who was also proficient in the same trade, bought out the Jeffrey's firm, then an unpretentious affair, located where the Bailey block now stands. From that small beginning they have developed the present flourishing concern, although many and striking have been the changes made in their quarters since that time. After a few years they sold the original site at a figure which was then considered phenomenal, judging from the prevailing market on real estate, and purchased the corner at Logan and Eighth, their present site, a large factory building, to better facilitate the carrying on of the ever- increasing business. Besides his valuable piece of prop- erty Mr. Witmer is the owner of a considerable amount of Helena realty, which he regards as one of his wisest investments, believing as he does that Helena will at no far distant date be recognized as one of the leading cities of the northwest. In addition to these properties he is the owner of an eight hundred acre ranch in Powell county, which he has developed into one of the fine ranch properties for which Montana is famous. He has a fine dwelling on the ranch and it is furnished with every possible variety of barn and stable that might be required for the proper housing of his pos- sessions. He has a herd of several hundred head of fine cattle and horses, and the ranch is carefully man- aged by an experienced rancher in his employ.

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As intimated in a previous paragraph, Mr. Witmer has not been slothful in regard to his public duty. He has served Helena long and faithfully as a member of her city council, and has to his credit a record of eight years of service in the capacity of councilman. He also served in the state legislature in 1908 as a member of the committee on mileage and per diem, improvements and manufacturing, labor and fish, and game, and has always borne a clean and honest record for fair dealing with the public in whatever capacity he might be called upon to act for them. He is a Republi- can in his political affiliations, always true to the inter- ests of the party and ardent in its support. He is an attendant of the Congregational church, of which MIrs. Witmer is a member. A great nature lover, Mr. Wit- mer is particularly fond of hunting and fishing, and on the rare occasions when he can escape from the multiplicity of business cares which rest upon him he is apt to indulge himself in those healthful sports. He is, in addition to his many other business interests, the president of the West Side Mercantile Company, a corporation which is an agreeable source of revenue to him.

In 1878 Mr. Witmer was married to Miss Sarah E. Welden, of Corrinne, Utah, where their marriage took place. Mr. and Mrs. Witmer are both members of the Order of the Eastern Star, and he is a member of King Solomon Lodge, F. & A. M., being made a master Mason in Springfield, Ontario, Canada, soon after reach- ing his majority.

GEORGE M. MILES. The men who control the financial institutions of a community are usually representative in other lines of activity, having engaged in banking after a preliminary business training which has proven their possession of the acumen, judgment, foresight and knowledge necessary in the field of finances. In George M. Miles, president of the First National Bank of Miles City, Montana, is found a thoroughly equipped business man, and under his leadership the affairs of this finan- cial institution are in a very prosperous condition. Mr. Miles was born October 25, 1854, at Westminster, Massa- chusetts, and he is a son of Daniel C. and Lucy Ann (Puffer) Miles.

It would appear that the Miles family originated in Wales, and from that place, in 1662, came Rev. John Miles to the American colonies, establishing his home at Swansea, Massachusetts. He was evidently a mili- tant preacher, and the family records show that he served through King Philip's war and possibly in other Indian uprisings. One of his descendants who, with an inheritance of many other admirable qual- ities, possessed great military prowess, is one of the distinguished citizens of the United States today. Ref- erence is made to Gen. Nelson A. Miles, whose nota- ble achievements in military life are known to every school boy in the land, and who was at one time com- mander-in-chief of the United States army, but is now retired. This eminent soldier is an uncle of George M. Miles of Miles City. Daniel C. Miles, the father of the latter, was also born on the old family homestead at Westminster, Massachusetts (June 5, 1827, being the date of his birth), and he has spent the greater portion of his life in his native section, although his business Interests have been wide-spread, including a partner- ship with his son, George M., in the sheep business in Montana in 1878. He was president of the Westminster National Bank and was formerly a farmer and chair manufacturer, also being connected with the lumber industry. He died on February 22, 1912, at the vener- able age of eighty-five years. For seven years Mr. Miles served as a United States bank examiner, and through- out his long and busy life was a man on whom his fellow citizens ever relied in a business way, and to whom they accorded the fullest respect and esteem. He was a leading member of the Baptist church at

Westminster, and for many years was identified with the Masonic fraternity. He married Lucy Ann Puffer, who died in 1864. Five children were born to them, three sons and two daughters, namely: Josie M., now the wife of Prof. M. M. Parker, of Pasadena, Califor- nia; George M .; Herbert J., a resident of Clyde Park, Montana; Arthur W., of Livingston, Montana; and Gertrude, who died at the age of sixteen years.

George M. Miles attended the public schools of West- minster and Worcester, Massachusetts, and in 1875 was graduated from the Massachusetts Agricultural College at Amherst. In the following year he came to Montana in the capacity of quartermaster's clerk with the Fifth Regiment (Regulars) commanded by his uncle, Gen. Nelson A. Miles. His first place of residence was two miles east of the present site of Miles City. It was not long before Mr. Miles received the great opportunities then offered in the sheep industry and he interested his father, with the result that together they embarked in the business in Custer county, on the Yellowstone river, being the first wool growers in this great wool country, shipping wool out by boat several years before the railroad came. Later he went into the cattle business and continued in both lines for many years. In 1880 he became the senior member of the firm of Miles, Stre- vell & Ulmer, dealing in hardware and having stores at Buffalo, Wyoming, and at Ogden, Utah, as well as at Miles City. The business continued thus until 1892 when the senior and junior partners took over Mr. Stre- vell's interest, the firm of Miles & Ulmer becoming an incorporated company, of which Mr. Miles was made president. In 1892 he was one of the organizers of the First National Bank of Miles City, of which Joseph Leighton was the first president. Mr. Miles and John Carter are the only original incorporators who yet remain associated with the bank. Until 1907 Mr. Miles served as vice president, and in that year he was elected president of the bank, an office which he still continues to fill. The First National Bank does an immense volume of business, sufficient to place Miles City third in financial importance in Montana-only those of Butte and Helena exceeding it. In 1911 the bank took posses- sion of its present spacious quarters, the new building having been erected with due regard to the further expansion of the bank and its interests.

The officers of the First National Bank of Miles City are: George M. Miles, president; J. M. Holt, vice pres- ident ; H. B. Wiley, cashier ; W. S. Snell and H. F. Lee, assistant cashiers. The board of directors is made up of the following capitalists: G. M. Miles, F. C. Robert- son, F. H. Connor, John Carter, J. M. Holt, Kenneth McLean, S. F. Cale, and H. B. Wiley. The capital, surplus and profits of the bank are $375,000, with depos- its of $2,000,000.

Mr. Miles has been twice married. His first wife was Miss Helen Strevill, whom he married on December 22, 1880. She was born at Pontiac, Illinois, and died on July 9, 1887, leaving one son, Jason D. In March, 1897, Mr. Miles married Miss Laura Ritner, a native of Phila- delphia, Pennsylvania, and they had three daughters; Ruth R., Helen G., and Mary C.

In the years of his identification with Miles City Mr. Miles has witnessed many changes in the state, and it is due largely to men of his type that these changes have been beneficial and that Montana has forged ahead, and, young as she is, occupies so creditable a position among her sister states. He has always held the interests of the state close to his heart and has been especially prom- inent in his activities for the city which bears his name. At a recent brilliant affair held at the Miles home to commemorate the first settlement of the city thirty-six years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Miles entertained three hun- dred guests. Of this function a Miles City paper says : "Mr. and Mrs. George M. Miles delightfully entertained last evening with a reception at their pretty home on South Lake avenue. The affair was given to commemo-

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

rate the thirty-sixth anniversary of the settlement of Miles City. Invitations had been issued for some four hundred guests who were received between the hours of eight and ten. The lawn was beautifully decorated for the occasion with electricity and inside the home were some unique adornments suggesting the pioneer days. A feature was a miniature lake with real sod on its banks and an Indian tepee near.

"During the evening a five-piece orchestra discoursed sweet music and a sumptuous repast was served the guests. An interesting feature of the evening was a large collection of photographs, souvenirs and other relics which Mr. Miles had accumulated during his long residence in this section. The flood of 1881 and street scenes of 1878 attracted much attention.

"Mr. Miles came to this section years ago. He has seen it grow from a mere handful of people who gathered at the mouth of the Tongue river in the first part of September, 1876, when Military Post No. I was established, to the prosperous and progressive city of the present time. He has watched the development of the great northwest and has seen changes in this part of the country which are almost unbelievable in their far- reaching character. The old west, as Mr. Miles knew it, is practically a memory of the past, and in its place has sprung up a new civilization, replete with advan- tages, luxuries and opportunities, of which those of less than a generation ago did not even dream."

In various ways Mr. Miles is prominent in Custer county, other than as a financier. In the early eighties he served as a member of the board of county commis- sioners, being appointed by the governor, and being the first United States commissioner and the first notary public in Custer county. During his service in public life he contributed not a little to the expulsion of offi- cials who were fattening at the public expense. He has always favored public spirited enterprises when assured of their ultimate usefulness and has done much in the way of establishing public utilities in Miles City. He has been secretary of the Miles City Cemetery Associa- tion for twenty years, and president of the Young Men's Christian Association since its organization. He is president of both the Miles City Trust & Realty Com- pany and the Ekalaka Telephone Company of Miles City.

Mr. Miles was reared in the Baptist church, but as that denomination was not represented in Miles City, he united with the Presbyterian church, in which in which he is an elder, and since 1878 he has been super- intendent of the Sunday school, accepting the office when the school was first organized, and, in spite of his many other duties, has ever since continued to give of his time and attention in the furtherance of its work. He is a Mason of the Knight Templar degree, and is identified with Yellowstone Lodge No. 26, A. F. & A. M .; Miles City Chapter No. 14, R. A. M .; and Miles City Commandery, No. 11, Knights Templar.

THOMAS McGIRL. Presenting as it does a worthy example to the rising generation, the life of Thomas McGirl, which from early boyhood has been one of assiduous industry, untiring energy and unquestioned integrity, is well deserving of being sketched, how- ever briefly, in the pages of this volume. Mr. McGirl was born in County Leitrim, Ireland, in November, 1845, and is a son of Patrick and Sarah (McGovern) McGirl, also natives of the Emerald Isle, the former of whom died when Thomas was but one year old.

In 1848 Mr. McGirl's mother took her eight small sons to the United States, believing that there were better educational facilities in the new world, and that she could give her children more opportunities to make a success in life. Locating first at Woonsocket, Rhode Island, in 1855 she removed to Lexington, Missouri, and at that place her death occurred in 1878. Thomas McGirl's education was secured in the schools of

Woonsocket, but the greater part of his tuition was given in the school of hard work, as he was only nine years of age when he was compelled to leave the school house to take up his duties as a laborer on the farm. In April, 1863, along with four of his seven brothers, he enlisted for service in the Union army, becoming a member of the Fifth Regiment, Missouri Volunteer Infantry, with which he served gallantly until the close of the war. In 1865 he crossed the plains from Leaven- worth, Kansas, to Fort Union, New Mexico, but during the same year returned to his old Missouri home, and until 1873 was engaged in farming and stockraising in partnership with his brother James. In the fall of that year he removed to Texas, and after two years there went to Rock Springs, Wyoming, where he was em- ployed by a bridge construction company engaged in . erecting the Union Pacific bridges. The spring of 1876 saw his advent into Montana, and for a year he was employed in the Butte mines, but on May 20, 1877, located homestead and pre-emption claims at huntley, near the old Baker battle ground on the Yellowstone. Here he and his partners established a stopping and trading place, and built a cable ferry across the river. In 1880 he engaged in the cattle business and during the next two years supplied the track and grading forces of the Northern Pacific with beef, and continued to operate his ferry until 1884, from which time until his retirement he gave all his attention to his Huntley ranch, which consisted of 1,400 acres, and produced over 1,000 tons of alfalfa a year. An able and industrious ranchman, he developed one of the finest and most valuable properties in the Yellowstone valley, and became one of the leading and substantial citizens of his locality. While residing on his ranch he was a member of the school board, and realizing from his own experiences the handicap of a lack of educational training, devoted a great deal of attention to improving the public school system. In 1905 Mr. McGirl sold his ranch and moved to Billings, where he has since made his residence at the Young Men's Christian Association, of which he is a liberal supporter. Each year he has devoted a certain length of time to travel, and he now spends his winters in California, although the winter of 1911-12 found him in Hawaii. Mr. McGirl has been very prominent in Masonry, belonging to Ashlar Lodge, No. 29, A. F. & A. M .; Billings Chapter, No. 6, R. A. M .; Aldemar Commandery, No. 5, K. T., and Algeria Temple, of Helena. He was one of the most liberal contributors to the building fund of the beautiful Masonic Temple in Billings in 1910 and was deeply gratified when its building, in the same year, was an accomplished fact. In political matters Mr. McGirl is a Republican, but he has never been desirous of holding public office. As an honored veteran of the great Civil war, Mr. Mc- Girl is a popular comrade of William Mckinley Post, No. 28. Grand Army of the Republic. He has never married.

CHARLES R. WATKINS. The raising of sheep has enlisted the activities of a number of the foremost citi- zens of the Yellowstone valley, and among them one who has achieved success in this line and has been a participant in the struggles between the cattlemen and the sheep raisers of the early days is Charles R. Watkins, who now has large holdings in this industry, although he makes his home in Billings. Mr. Watkins was born in Iowa county, Iowa, May II, 1858, and is a son of William J. and Sarah Jane (Hudson) Watkins, natives respectively of Virginia (now West Virginia) and Indiana.

William J. Watkins removed from his native state to Henry county, Indiana, and from there to Iowa county, Iowa, in 1850, and at the latter place engaged in farming and stock raising, as well as in the manufacture of brick, in which industry.

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

he was a pioneer in that section. In 1882 he took up his residence at Creighton, Knox county, Nebraska, but after seven or eight years spent in farming and cattle raising returned to Iowa, and spent his last days in Keokuk, where his death occurred in 1900, when he had reached the age of seventy-six years. His wife, who was also seventy-six years old at the time of her death, passed away in 1902, and they had a family of ten sons and two daughters, six sons still surviving. William J. Watkins identified himself with Masonry in early manhood and continued a prominent Mason throughout his life. In politics he was a strong Jacksonian Democrat.

Charles R. Watkins was the seventh in order of birth of his parents' children, and his boyhood days were spent under the parental roof. Like other farm- ers' boys of his day, he spent the winter months in attending the district schools, while in the summer he assisted in the work of the home farm. At the age of eighteen years he left home and started out to make his own way in the world, and after spending some time in working cattle in Colorado, came over- land to Virginia City, Montana, and a few months later moved on to Bozeman. In March, 1882, he made a visit to the Judith country, and after a short stay settled in Custer (now Yellowstone) county, where he engaged in the cattle business, shipping extensively to the Chicago and Omaha markets. In 1898 Mr. Watkins retired from the cattle business, sold his interests and became the first sheep raiser near Cody. in the Big Horn Basin, thereby incurring the enmity of the cattle raisers, who finally raided his flock and drove him from the business. Subsequently, however, a settlement was effected, the cattle raisers being com- pelled to remunerate him for his loss, and he continued in the business until 1909, when he sold the greater part of his herds and came to Billings. He still carries on the business to some extent, however, and has 400 acres of land in Clark's Fork valley, on one of the lines of the Northern Pacific Railroad, nine miles from Billings, and between Bridger and Belfry. He is an excellent business man and has various interests in Billings, where his residence is located at No. 212 North Thirtieth street. He was made a Mason in Farmers Lodge, No. 128, in Iowa county, Iowa, and now holds membership in Billings Chapter, No. 6, R. A. M .; Aldemar Commandery, No. 5, K. T., and Algeria Temple, Helena. In political matters he is a Republi- can, but he has never sought nor cared for public preferment.

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A history of Montana, Volume II, Part 64

Author: Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald, 1883- Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1002

Author: Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald, 1883-
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1002