A history of Montana, Volume III, Part 159

Author: Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald, 1883-
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 970

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At Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, June 16, 1900, Mr. Mar- tine was united in marriage to Miss Helen Johnson, a daughter of Ole Johnson, of Sleepy Eye. Five children have heen born to this union, namely: Alice, Gladys, Myrtle, Howard and Ruth. The two oldest children were born in North Dakota, the next two in Idaho and the youngest in Conrad, Montana.

ROLAND W. REED, who has gained nation wide rep- utation as a photographer of Indians and of Indian life in Montana and the Northwest, has been a resident of Kalispell since 1910. He is not a native westerner, but was born and reared in Wisconsin, Winnebago county being the place of his birth, which occurred on the 22nd of June, 1866. He is the son of Royal W. and Mary Jane (Hammond) Reed, both of Scotch ances- try, and respective natives of New York state, and of Augusta, Maine. The father moved to the middle west in the early forties and engaged in farm life in Winnebago county, Wisconsin. He saw service in the Civil war as a member of Company C of the Four- teenth Regiment of Wisconsin Volunteers, and was in the service for two and a half years, seeing much of the realities of war and participating in many of the decisive battles of the protracted struggle, with his regiment, as may be seen in the official record of the Fourteenth Regiment. He died in California, at the age of seventy-nine, in the year 1908, having spent all his life in Wisconsin with the exception of two years in California, and four years in Minnesota.

The mother, who was born in Augusta, Maine, was married in Winnebago county, Wisconsin, and died in 1908, when she was in the seventy-third year of her life. They were the parents of five children, of which number Roland W. was the fourth born.

Roland W. Reed was educated in the schools of Win- nebago county to the age of eighteen years, and when he had quit school devoted himself to the business of learning the carpenter's trade. He completed his ap- prenticeship to that trade and gave something like teri or twelve years in all to the work. During those years he was associated with the Southern Pacific and Great Northern Railroads, in construction work, and it was his work for these roads which eventually brought about his coming to the West. He became at- tracted to the study of photography here, and apply- ing himself to the work in an amateur way, he later

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

decided to go into the work in real earnest. He ac- cordingly took up the study of that art under the in- struction of Daniel Dutro, then of Havre, but now of Helena, and in a comparatively brief space he had at- tained a proficiency in the work that justified Mr. Dutro in taking his pupil in as a member of the firm, which came to be known as Dutro & Reed. From the beginning of his identification with Montana, Mr. Reed had been enormously attracted to the Indians and their life and customs, and he began to make a thorough study of them. During the past six years he has devoted himself in a large measure to his re- searches among them, and he photographed practically every tribe in the state, as well as those of the state of Minnesota. Mr. Reed has photographs of the chiefs of the Ojibway, the Flathead, the Kootenai, the Pagans and the Blackfoot tribes, and holds the largest collec- tion of bona fide photographs to be found in the state of Montana, and the second largest collection known to exist in the United States. Many of these photo- graphs represent the Indian as he is, depicting him in his natural environment, and they are the results of many a difficult task and exciting experience, and hard- ships of no inconsiderable nature have been undergone by Mr. Reed in the procuring of this wonderful col- lection. He is known as one of the greatest, if not in- deed the greatest photographer of the Indian, living today. His work has not been confined solely to this branch, however, and Mr. Reed conducts a regular studio business with excellent success. He has a large clientele among the best people of Kalispell and the surrounding country, and gives a portion of his time to conventional studio work, in addition to his activi- ties among the red men.

Mr. Reed is a Progressive Republican, but takes no active part in the political life of the district in which he lives beyond that which is made necessary by the demands of good citizenship.

ANTHONY L. RASMUSSEN. A man of vim and energy, possessing undoubted business aptitude and ability, An- thony L. Rasmussen, secretary and treasurer of the Teton Commercial Company, is identified with one of the leading mercantile establishments of Cut Bank, and holds a noteworthy position among its foremost citizens. A native of Minnesota, he was born in February. 1878, in Todd county, and was reared to agricultural pursuits.

Nels Rasmussen, his father, was born in Norway in 1842. In 1860, following in the footsteps of so many of his fellow-countrymen, he came to America, a land bright in promises, locating in Minnesota. . After work- ing as a farm hand for a few years, he bought a tract of wild land, and from that time until the present writ- ing, in 1912, has been actively and prosperously em- ployed in tilling the soil. He married Anna Larsen who was born in Norway, and as a girl came with her parents to this country, settling with them in Minnesota, which has since been her home. She is now sixty-five years of age, and as active as in the days of yore.

The fourth child in a family of four children, An- thony L. Rasmussen was educated in his native state, principally in the public schools of Sauk Center. When about twenty-two years old he migrated to Canada in search of cheap land, and having proved up on a homestead claim was there engaged in general farming several years. Selling out his Canadian property in 1910, Mr. Rasmussen came to Montana to join his brother, who had previously settled at Cut Bank, and had es- tablished the Teton County Commercial Company. He bought an interest in his brother's business, and the same year it was incorporated under its present name; with R. C. Rasmussen, president; 1. M. Rasmussen, vice presi- dent; and Anthony L. Rasmussen, secretary and treas- urer. The Teton Commercial Company is one of the leading mercantile organizations of Teton county, its

general store being one of the best equipped and best stocked of any in this section of the state, and having the largest trade.

Mr. Rasmussen is well and favorably known as one of the prominent factors in promoting the business and prosperity of Cut Bank, having a large circle of friends in both the social and business world. He is not mar- ried, mayhap having been too busily engrossed with his business affairs to form matrimonial ties. Religiously he is a member of the Lutheran church.

CHARLES A. WYETH. A true westerner is Charles A. Wyeth, whose executive ability is of an unusually lively and practical sort. He can make you believe that the center and circumference of the world lie west of the Mississippi. In Wyandotte, Kansas, he was born, on the 3Ist of January, 1874, and from that time his field of activity has broadened ever and ever toward the westward, for pioneer blood was in his veins. His father, Charles A. Wyeth of Ohio, followed the path of the setting sun, first to Indiana, where he married Miss Theresa Mewhinney, and later to Kansas and then to Colorado when that state seemed still on the edge of civ- ilization. In spite of his having lived through the vicissi- tudes of the Civil war in his young days and having fol- lowed as a life-work the strenuous and useful occupa- tion of a blacksmith, the elder Charles Wyeth is still living in Minneapolis at the ripe age of 76. His wife died in 1895, before reaching her forty-seventh birthday. Their children numbered six, of whom Mr. Wyeth of Polson is the third.

It was in Denver that Charles A. Wyeth, the subject of the present narrative, received his elementary and high school education. After his graduation in 1890 he proceeded to add practical ability to his general knowl- edge by learning the fine and valuable art of manufactur- ing jewelry. Having begun this work in Denver, he went to Colorado Springs where he accepted a position with Longbean & Company of that place. After two years here, Mr. Wyeth became interested in the Black Hills region of South Dakota and settled in Deadwood. where he pursued his vocation as the assistant of George M. Butler, the prominent jeweler of that community. continuing the connection for years. At the end of that time he accepted a contract with the Homestaker Min- ing Company of Leeds, South Dakota, where he main- tained an up-to-date jewelry store of his own. In 1910 he was attracted by the promising conditions at Polson and came to this place where he opened the present jewelry establishment, rapidly developing it into one of the largest in the state. Mr. Wyeth is the only manu- facturing jeweler in the Flathead. His originality and ingenuity make his emporium a popular one.

In 1901 occurred Mr. Wyeth's marriage to Miss Chris- tina Johnson, a popular young woman of Leeds, South Dakota. A Methodist in religious connection, his at- titude toward church, as toward business, is a practical one, closely related to the ethics of every day life. The same habit of mind is seen in his political party pref- erence; for in spite of his own success, Mr. Wyeth is clearly conscious of the many inequalities existent in present national conditions. He believes that the wel- fare of mankind or of a nation should be considered from a universal point of view, rather than from the narrow outlook of the class or the individual. He is therefore frankly a Socialist in political theory, though always moderate and rational in his applications of such theory to any case in hand. He is a popular and widely known progressive along all lines and is fraternally affiliated with the F. O. E. organization. His rise in life has been due solely to his own intelligent and persevering effort.

FRANK STONE. Among the prosperous and prominent business men of Polson, Frank Stone, the proprietor of a thriving real estate and insurance business, takes a

andrewil Recwar,

HISTORY OF MONTANA

1819

leading rank. His connection with the business inter- ests of Polson has been but a brief one, but in a short time he has been able to establish a good business and win the confidence and esteem of the community.

Mr. Stone was born in Decatur, Indiana, in 1863, the 2Ist day of December being his natal day. He is the son of Daniel and Lucinda (Laing) Stone, the father a native New Yorker and the mother an Ohioan. As a young man Daniel Stone settled on a homestead in Indiana, in which state he passed the remainder of his life. He was a veteran of the Civil war, having en- listed in the Seventh Indiana Volunteers at the opening of the war, and he served throughout the conflict. He died at his Indiana home shortly after the war was over. The mother, who was born in 1800, lived to the good old age of eighty-two years, her death occurring in 1882. She was one of the best known and most highly esteemed residents of her section of the state when she died, having a host of warm friends throughout the country. Ten children were born to Daniel Stone and his wife, of which number Frank Stone was the youngest.

After receiving such advantages as were available in the schools of his home town, Mr. Stone was variously engaged for some time, and as a young man became connected with the hotel business. For twenty years he conducted a hotel in Indiana, and in 1901 went to Okla- homa, locating in Macade county. He became engaged in farming there and later was identified with the town site business at Hinton, Oklahoma, and is known as the founder of the towns in that section of the country. He came to Montana in 1910, settling at Polson, where he formed a partnership with Mr. Z. B. Silver and en- gaged in the real estate business. Soon after the part- nership was dissolved and Mr. Stone continued alone in the business, in which he has been very successful. In connection with his real estate operations, he is the local representative of a number of prominent insur- ance companies and is an extensive dealer in farm lands.

The few years that Mr. Stone has been a resident of Montana have been sufficient to convince him of the vast possibilities of the state, and he has not been slow to recognize the opportunities that are everywhere await- ing the man of brains and energy. He is confident that Montana will one day become one of the leading states of the union. Mr. Stone renders allegiance to the Dem- ocratic party, and takes a wholesome interest in all its affairs. He is a citizen of sterling value, bearing cheer- fully his full share of the civic responsibilities, and is

Mr. Becwar affiliates with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His politics is independent, his support going to the man and principles rather than to party. He is devoted to his church, the Catholic, and is a strict attendant to his everywhere regarded as one of the leading men of the , religious duties. His recreation from a busy life is community. He is a Mason, and affiliates with Lodge No. 32 of the order of Guthrie, Oklahoma, having passed through all chairs of that lodge. found often in the sports of hunting and fishing, of which he is an ardent follower. He is proud of his citizenship in the great state of Montana, and his busi- Mr. Stone was married to Miss Lucy Persons of Chickasha county, Oklahoma. They have no children. ness success and his public-spirited citizenship have brought him a host of friends in this new country.

ANDREW J. BECWAR. An experienced merchant and man of broad abilities, Mr. Becwar decided to cast his lot in the new town of Hingham, founded about three years ago, and there in the subsequent interval he has became one of the most prosperous citizens and is known and esteemed for his business integrity and personal character throughout a region covering many miles of the flourishing settlements about Hingham.

Andrew J. Becwar is a native of the state of Wiscon- sin, born in Crawford county, October 4, 1864, and re- ceived his education in the country schools near his father's farm. Up to the time he was twenty-three years old he followed farming on his father's place. His natural inclination and tastes were for business life, and he first engaged as a salesman for the Milwaukee Binder Company, covering a large territory and doing a good business for two years. Then for a time he was a railroad conductor, a position which he resigned and invested his savings in a mercantile business in Minne- sota. In 1901 he sold out and established a store at

Anamoose, North Dakota. All his career has been iden- tified with the great northwest country, and he is one of the men who have promoted the upbuilding of this region.

His business at Anamoose was very prosperous until a destructive fire on July 22, 1907. In the meantime he had established a branch at Berthold, North Dakota, and as this was on a paying basis he moved his home to that point. He is still owner of this business. On Feb- ruary 17, 1910, Mr. Becwar came out along the line of the Great Northern to the newly opened town of Hingham, where he established one of the first stores. With his large experience behind him, and with char- acteristic energy he has developed the largest mercantile concern of the kind in this section of Montana. His stock comprises all that would be found in a modern deparment store of the cities, and his trade has been growing steadily from the start. His success has been due in large measure to his complete confidence in the future of this locality, since he has not been afraid to extend his business to meet future growth, and in this way has reaped the rewards of progressive enterprise.

Mr. Becwar's father was Andrew Becwar, who was born in Bohemia, and who died in Crawford county, Wisconsin, where he is buried. His death occurred in 1871, when he was forty-five years old. He came to America in the early '50s, settling first in Galena, Illi- nois, but not being satisfied with that location, moved to Crawford county, Wisconsin, where he was a pros- perous farmer during the rest of his life. He was mar- ried in Bohemia to Miss Anna Slayback, who came from a substantial family of that country. She is still living in Crawford county, a very active old lady at the age of eighty-nine years.

Mr. Andrew J. Becwar was married at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, in May, 1893, to Miss Frances Mar- vin. Five children have been born to their marriage: Ethel, born March 24, 1895, at Ortonville, Minnesota ; Clarence, born September 30, 1898, at Ortonville; Louis, born in 1901 at Ortonville; Agnes, born in 1902, at Anamoose, North Dakota; and Marian, born November 10, 1910, at Fort Benton, Montana. The first four are all attending school in Hingham.

DR. THEOLOP SCHJOLDAGER. The enriching of Amer- ican life that comes from the addition of brilliant Europeans to our communities is nowhere more in- terestingly and worthily exemplified than in the case of Dr.º Schjoldager. Descended from a fine Norwegian family, traceable back as far as 1558; educated to an unusual degree, both in breadth and specialization; pos- sessed of keenness of intellect, notable strength of char- acter and a genial nature Dr. Schjoldager well deserves the high regard accorded him. His father, Hakon Schjoldager, who was born in Norway, was a prominent colonel of the Norwegian Cavalry. The fact that he was married in Rome, Italy, in 1846 to Agnese Celi adds especial interest to Dr. Schjoldager's parentage. Of the five children born to Hakon Schjoldager, and his wife, the doctor is the youngest.

Theolop Schjoldager was educated in the elementary schools of Christiana and in the Royal University of that city. He completed an eiglit-year course in medi- cine at the latter institution, taking his degree in 1907.

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

At once he began his practice, meanwhile pursuing spe- cial courses in Spendorf and in the universities of Ber- lin and Vienna. Thus perfecting his knowledge of sur- gery and of the intricate subject of criminal insanity, Dr. Schjoldager was well equipped for an important life work. Having an uncle, Thorwald Schjoldager, who had been one of Chicago's earlier citizens, it was natural that the young physician should look westward and across the sea in his search for suitable field for his professional endeavors.

Coming to America in the autumn of 1909, he prac- ticed first in Knox, North Dakota. Here he remained for one year, his stay in Knox, short though it was, being marked by the happy circumstance of his marriage to Miss Marit Dehli on January 24, 1910. They re- moved first to Glendive, Montana, and later-in Sep- tember, 1911, to Polson, where from the very first Dr. Schjoldager has been most prominent in his profession. He was very soon elected health officer for Polson and his practice is increasingly extensive.

Every phase of the young doctor's life is replete with activity and with promise. He finds relaxation in his pleasant home, which is brightened by the presence of two little ones, Arnoid Torfinn, born in Knox, Novem- ber 4, 1910; and little Gerd, born November 16, 19II. Out-door recreation also enters into his life, as do social movements for the public good. Few temperance lectures carry more weight than do those of a scientific and medical authority such as Dr. Schjoldager is known to be. His interest in the Boy Scouts is another outlet for his abundant energy and vigorous human sympathy. Politically he is a Republican, but his friends feel that wholesome measures and clean men in office mean more to him than arbitrary party lines. His social and pro- fessional affiliations include membership in the Sons of Norway, the Scandinavian Brotherhood, The Royal Highlanders, The Norwegian Medical Association, the American Medical Association, the Modern Woodmen of America,

Dr. Schjoldager is, in a word, a model type of the high-class Norwegian-American and a valuable citizen of Polson. He believes that the future of the Flathead country is the finest in the United States.

LEONARD H. KNUTSON. A man of undoubted busi- ness ability and talent, honest in his dealings, and cour- teous to all, Leonard H. Knutson is fast winning a place of prominence among the leading merchants of Concord, where, as secretary, treasurer and manager of the Concord Mercantile Company he is carrying on a substantial trade. He was born March 5, 1872, in Nor- way, on the west coast, being the eleventh child in the family of fifteen children born to Lars and Laurine (Knut) Knutson. His parents were life-long residents of Norway, the father, who for many years was captain of a sailing vessel, dying.in 1898, aged eighty-one years, and the mother passing away December 22, 1911, aged eighty-three years.

Obtaining his rudimentary education in Norway, Leonard H. Knutson made up his mind as a boy to be- gin life for himself in America, a land that always had a special fascination for him. Bidding farewell to home and friends in 1889, while yet in his teens, he came to this country, and located first in Benson, Minnesota, where he remained five years, working on a farm sum- mers, and attending school winters. For five years Mr. Knutson worked in a general store for the Fremod Asso- ciation, at Glenwood, Minnesota. In 1900 he went to North Dakota, where he proved up on a homestead which he still owns. In the meantime working for a real estate firm. In 1905, Mr. Knutson helped organize The Ertresvoog Company of Battineau, North Dakota, a firm doing a large and extensive business in general merchandise and farm machinery, Mr. Knutson being treasurer and manager of said company for five years. Ready then to start in business for himself, Mr. Knut-

son came to Choteau, now Hill county, Montana, locat- ing at Concord, and here, in March, 1910, established himself as a merchant, being instrumental in having in- corporated, under the state laws, the Concord Mercantile Company, with the following named officers : L. J. Mork, president ; H. J. Bidne, vice-president ; and Leonard H. Knutson, secretary, treasurer and manager. The com- pany is already well known throughout this section of the county, and has built up a large and exceedingly prosperous trade, its aim to please and accommodate so far as possible all patrons being widely appreciated.

Mr. Knutson is identified with the Republican element in politics, and fraternally belongs to Tuscan Lodge, No. 44, Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons. Religiously he is a member of the Lutheran church. He is a skilful fisherman and hunter, finding great pleasure in using rod and gun.

Mr. Knutson married, in Kalispell, Montana, January 7, 19II, Miss Nettie Roland, a daughter of Ole and Anna (Olsen) Roland who came from Norway to the United States settling first in North Dakota, and later in Dunkirk, Montana.

Mr. Knutson has two brothers, Rasmus Knutson of Saint Cloud, Minnesota, and Jacob Knutson, "Vednes" editor-in-chief of the daily, Social-Demokratin, Chris- tiana, Norway, and a great political speaker and leader of said country.

FRED E. RENSHAW. Among the members of the legal profession in Montana many instances may be found of those of the younger generation who have met with im- mediate success in their chosen vocation, due in many cases to the fact that they have been shrewd enough to select the proper field in which to display their abilities, and in this connection a brief record of Fred E. Ren- shaw, of Lavina, will not be inappropriate. As junior member of the firm of Renshaw & Hendershott he handles the legal affairs of this progressive and success- ful concern, and is rapidly gaining an enviable reputa- tion among the legists of this section, where he first settled in 1911. Mr. Renshaw is a native of Sac City, Iowa, where he was born July 19, 1885, a son of Clar- ence V. and Augusta (Hollingsworth) Renshaw, natives of Iowa. His father spent his life in farming and stock- raising and died in 1904, at the age of forty-eight years, while his mother still resides there. There were five children in the family, of whom Fred E. is the third in order of birth.

Fred E. Renshaw was three years of age when his parents removed to Hull, Iowa, and there he received his early education in the public schools. Later he went to Inwood, in the same state, being a student in the high school there, and after graduating therefrom attended the law department of the University of Iowa, where he received his degree in 1909. Returning to Inwood he entered upon the practice of his profession, but was not satisfied with that locality, and accordingly spent some time in travel through the west, seeking a more favorable location. In 1911, having decided that the town of Lavina offered satisfactory opportunities for the enterprising young professional man, he settled here and in January, 1911, formed a partnership with George W. Hendershott, who carries on an extensive real estate, loan and insurance business. From boyhood Mr. Renshaw has displayed habits of industry and integ- rity, and these characteristics, in connection with his ability in his profession, have made him a decided fac- tor in the affairs of his adopted community.

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A history of Montana, Volume III, Part 159

Author: Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald, 1883- Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 970

Author: Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald, 1883-
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 970