An illustrated history of the state of Montana, containing biographical mention of its pioneers and prominent citizens, Part 40

Author: Miller, Joaquin, 1837-1913. cn
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis pub. co.
Number of Pages: 1216

USA > Montana > An illustrated history of the state of Montana, containing biographical mention of its pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 40

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Moses Morris was one of the organizers of the Mer- chants' National Bank of Helena, of which he served as one of its directors, and in which he is still a stockholder. IIe also helped to organize the Electric Light Company, the Gas Company and the Street Railway Company, and has been an important factor in otherwise improving and ad- vancing the interests of the city. The Morris brothers built the St. Louis block, the first fine building in IIelena. The iron cornice and plate glass for this building they shipped from St. Louis at a great expense. Thus they were the pioneers in the fine architecture which followed and which has made Helena the beantiful city it is. There were with them in this enterprise Fred Gamer and Col- onel A. M. Woolfolk. Iu 1867 they built the first plastered residence in the city. In politics Mr. Morris is Republi- can. He has served as Alderman and as President of the City Council of Helena. To this last place of honor he

weakened. Our camp is a little below a creek entering on the south side. During the day, we passed several creeks, on both sides of the river, that are dry at present, but have plenty of water at some time of the year; but whether from rain or snow I am not able to determine. Anybody who will take grasshoppers for bait and go fishing can catch abundance of white fish. We have traveled twenty miles to-day. Abont an hour before sundown, while lying around camp resting after the fatigues of the day, we were startled by hearing several guns fired in a clamp of cottonwoods across the river, and immediately afterward we saw abont

was elected when the Democrats had a majority. Little of his time and attention, however, has been given to po- litical matters, and he has frequently declined to accept nomination for important State offices.

Mr. Morris was married in 1878 at St. Louis, Missouri, to Miss Ema Anson, a native of Missouri and a daughter of Adolph Anson, a prominent merchant of St. Louis. They have had three sons and two daughters, the sons having died. The daughters are Ester and Erma. HIe and his family reside at their pleasant home on the cor- ner of Ewing avenue and Eighth street.

Mr. Morris is a member of the Emanuel Congregation and has aided in the building of their temple, which is an ornament to Helena. In the absence of the Rabbi, he has on funeral and other occasions conducted the services. Mr. Morris was made a Mason in 1865 in Helena Lodge, No. 3, A. F. & A. M., and that fall he was made Senior Deacon of the lodge. Since then he has taken great interest in the order and its work. In 1867 King Solo- mon's Lodge was organized and he was one of its charter members. He received the appointment of Senior Deacon, and in 1870 was elected Senior Warden and was acting Master during the year. In 1871 he was elected its Mas- ter, to which office he was re-elected continuously for fifteen years. In 1889 he was elected Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of the State at Great Falls; in 1891, at the session held at Butte, was elected Deputy Grand Mas- ter of the Grand Lodge; and in 1892, at Deer Lodge, was elected Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Montana, which exalted position he is now filling with great credit to himself and to the highest satisfaction of the order. He also belongs to the Scottish Rite, having received its thirty-second degree; is a noble of the Mystic Shrine; has been Warden and Venerable Master, and served three terms; and is now also High Priest of the Chapter.

JAMES L. HAMILTON, a prominent business man of Ana- conda and Butte, came to Montana in 1870.

Ile was born December 16, 1852, in Wisconsin. llis

204

HISTORY OF MON TANA.

thirty Indians fording across. They came on a run, vociferating . Ilow-dye-do,' and ' Up-sar- o ka,' which latter means 'Crow Indians,' in their language. By the time they were fairly in camp we had our horses all tied up, and every man prepared for emergencies. They first inquired who was our captain. I told them, and asked which was their captain. They showed me three, one big and two little ones. The large chief told me to have my men put all our things in the tents, and keep a sharp look- ent or we would loose them. I then gave him a small piece of tobacco to have a grand smoke, and I also found that one of them, a very large

father, William Hamilton, a native of Scotland, was mar- ried in that country to Miss Jean Lindsay and had three children in Scotland. In 1851 he emigrated with his family to America, settling at Milwaukee, where his wife died, in 1856. In 1864 he crossed the plains to Montana, where he engaged in mining and in working at his trade, shoemaking, in Virginia City, until the following spring, when he moved to Helena, where he continued in busi- ness until 1869. Then he went to Pipestone Park, where he owned diggings, and followed mining until 1875, at which time he came to Butte and opened a boot and shoe store and met with good success in his trade until he met with an accident, which caused his death. He was erushed by a wagon in a gateway. For his second wife he had married Miss Kate Shadair, who now survives him. By his wife one ehild was born in this country, the subject of this sketch, and of the four only two are now living. Be- sides him the other living member of the family is Mrs. Elijah Bakter.

Mr. James L. Ilamilton received his education in Stoughton, Wisconsin, and when seventeen years of age came to Montana and began the life of a miner at Pipe- stone. Ile was engaged in mining most of the time until 1876, acquiring a thorough practical knowledge of the business. JIe then turned his attention to merchandising, and in this line his trade has grown to large proportions, and at the same time he is still engaged in mining. In 1875 he purchased in Butte the ground on which the Windsor hotel now stands, and the next year he erected thereon one of the first good buildings in town. In 1890 he built the Hamilton brick block, 30 x 70 feet, four stories and basement; and in 1892, in connection with the Wilson brothers, he built the Butte Hotel, 85 x 100 feet in ground arra, with four stories and basement, at a cost of $80,000. If i- fitted out with all the modern appliances, is first-class in every particular and is one of the best hotels in the State, having a large patronage: in fact, it is considered the leading hotel in the city. The buildings referred to

man with a big belly, could talk the Snake language, and he was at once installed as inter- preter. They (the interpreter and chiefs) sat down in a circle and requested the pleasure of my company. I complied with the invitation, and our party soon stood guard over our horses and baggage, while I smoked and exchanged lies with them. It would take me a week to write all that was said, so I forbear. Mean- while the other Indians began disputing with each other about who should have our best horses. I requested the chief to make them come out from among the horses and behave themselves, which he did. At eight P. M. I

are all adjoining on Broadway. Messrs. Largey, Curtis and Hamilton intend to erect another building, to fill the space below the Butte Hotel, on Broadway during the com- ing season.

In his political principles Mr. Hamilton is a Demoerat. For four years he was County Commissioner of Beaver Ilead county, and he also filled the position the same length of time in Deer Lodge county. Ile is still largely interested in mines, owning a fourth interest in the Keo- kuk, the Crystal and the Welcome and various others. From the two first mentioned a eonsi lerable amount of ore has been taken out, and the others are considered good prospeets.

Mr. Hamilton is a member of the I. O.O. F., is esteemed as a reliable citizen and a man of excellent business judg- ment.

HON. WILLIAM MCDERMOTT, of Butte City, Montana, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 24, 1850.

ITis father, Michael MeDermott, was a native of county Galway, Ireland, born September 10, 1810. He was liber- ally educated in his native land and also in England, and was master of a number of languages. He married Miss Catharine Fitzgerald, a native of county Clare, their mar- riage occurring in Canada in 1842. Nearly the whole of his life was spent as a civil engineer. He was Civilian Surveyor on the Ordinance Survey of Ireland, Parochial Surveyor of England, Certified Land Surveyor for Great Britain and Ireland, Provincial Land Surveyor for Canada, and was Civil Engineer of Chicago and Milwaukee. He was a member of many scientifle societies and was the author of a work entitled the "Surveyor's Manual." Both he and his wife were members of the Catholic Church. She died at the age of forty-five years and he lived to be seventy-seven. Two children were born to them in Can- ada and three in the United States. All are living. The oldest, Michael, is a prominent contractor in Chicago and is a stockholder in the elevated railroad of that city. An- other son, Andrew, is a merchant of Denver, Colorado.

20.5

HISTORY OF MONTANA.

put on double guard, and at ten r. M. all but the guard retired to rest. The Indians wan- dered around camp all night, like evil spirits; and such an odd night's sleep as we had! Every few minutes somebody would have to rush ont of his tent and capture something which the Indians would steal from under the tents, in spite of the guard, and this, too, when it was bright moonlight. * * * At daylight I aroused the party, and we proceeded to aseer- tain our losses; everybody had lost something. As soon as we began to pack up, they at once proceeded to forcibly trade horses, blankets, etc., and to appropriate everything they wanted. I saw that the time had come to do or die; there- fore, I ordered every man to be ready to open fire on them, when I gave the signal. With one hand full of cartridges and my rifle in the other, I told the Indians to mount their horses and go to their eamp. The weakened, got on their horses and left. Two of the chiefs, however, very politely requested to accompany us, which we refused, but they eime along.

The daughter is now Mrs. Dennis O'Connell of Chicago. William was their third born.

He was educated in Chicago and in early life worked at engineering with his father. Later he became a bridge builder, and had charge of the building of bridges on the Northern Pacific Railroad between the Red river and the Missouri river. He also had charge of the bridge build- Ing in Chicago after the great fire there, and did much other work. In 1874 he came to Montana and turned his attention to placer-mining in Jefferson county, where he met with fair success. Ile was also for some time em- ployed as a millwright. In 1876 he built the Centennial mill in Butte ('ity, and in 1878 he built his own mill, the Clipper, which was built for custom work. Ever since he came to Montana he has been more or less interested in mines. He was a part owner of the Bell mine, the one that gave Butte City its first boom. Mr. MeDermott and Jefferson Lavelle paid $2,250 for this mine and subse- quently sold it to C. T. Meader for $100,000. It proved to be a rich mine. Ile next owned the Liquidator at Meaderville, a copper mine, which he sold to the Boston & Montana Company for 865,000. He built in connection with that property the Liquidator Concentrator. Mr. MeDermott has also invested in real-estate here and else where, and everywhere his investments have proved a snecess. At Spokane Falls, Washington, he owns both

eluded to go along. After the Indians fil on the fragments of the breakfast, the chiefs and five others offered their robes, which we refused, I saying to keep them until we meet again. After breakfast they went back and we traveled on down the river. After sundown we saw two " 29th .- Started at sunrise accompanied by the two chiefs and six others, who also con- Indians coming. One of them had a letter from Agent Schoonover, of Fort Union, which stated that the bearer was ' Red Bear,' one of the principal chiefs of the Crow nation. We gave them some supper, etc. IIe then pre- sented me with a black horse; said he was all right; friend of ours, etc. Ilad a long talk with him, in the course of which he asked about old Jim Bridger, and also Peter Martin, desiring to know where they were and why they never came to see the Crows any more. The other Crows had told me that the Sioux had attacked the Fur Company's express-boat trom Fort Benton, near Fort Union, and some said they had taken it, and others said they had

town property and ranches. In 1889 he built the MeDer- mott hotel in Butte City, at a cost of 895,000, not includ- ing the furniture. This hotel is 86 x 132 feet, has three stories and a basement, and is fitted and furnished with every modern improvement. It is without exception the best hotel in Montana and is a credit both to the builder and to the city in which it is located. Mr. McDermott is now running it himself.

Politically, he is a Democrat, and has ever taken an active interest in public affairs. He has served for years as an Alderman of Butte City and at one time represented his county in the State Senate. Before the expiration of his term as Senator he received from President Clove land the appointment of United States Marshal for the State of Montana. In this latter position he is now serv ing.

Mr. MeDermott was married July 18, 1884, to Miss Nora L. Murphy, a native of Illinois and a daughter of Timothy L. Murphy of that State. They have two chil dren, Ora Martena and Morgana Bland, named for the two statesmen who are the champions of silver in the United States Senate. Upon being informed that they had little namesakes in this Western city, each of these distinguished gentlemen wrote to Mr. MeDermott a nice acknowledgement of the honor.

206

HISTORY OF MONTANA.

killed some of the crew, but had not captured the boat. I asked Red Bear if it was so, and he replied that a rumor to that effect was cur- rent among the tribes, but lie did not know whether it was so or not. I hope it is only a Crow lie, for Worden and Powell were on that boat, and it would grieve me to know the Indians had injured them, or anybody else, for that matter. It rained a little about dark. When we retired to rest I gave orders to the guards not to kill, but take prisoner, any Indians that they might discover prowling around after our horses, and sure enough, about

ANDREW JACKSON DAVIS, deceased, was one of Mon- tana's most eminently successful pioneers. He was born in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, April 25, 1819. His father, Asa Davis, emigrated from Wales when a young man and settled at Wilbraham, where he was married and reared a family of thirteen children. He died in the eightieth year of his age.

A. J. Davis at thirteen years of age left home to make his own way in the world. He spent three years in the employ of a Boston dry-goods house. They then, when he was only sixteen, advanced him a small stock of goods and he went to Madison, Indiana. There he sold the goods at a profit and paid for them, and the house be- came so convinced of his ability and integrity that they ever afterward trusted him for all he wanted. Later he drifted down the Ohio to the Mississippi and traded in towns on the east side of the river. In 1839 he was in Iowa, had several little stores at different places and spent his time in going from one to another and looking after them, making his headquarters at Fairfield.

During all his merchandising he evinced great aptness in making trades for almost any thing and always turn- ing the property to advantage. He was in Iowa dnring the Black Hawk war; became well acquainted with the chief, and from the Indians made a purchase of 800 acres of land located on the west side of the Des Moines river, a property which still belongs to his estate. This prop- erty, notwithstanding it was valuable, was always a bill of expense to him. When asked why he did not dispose of it, he said he would keep it for a "nest egg" to fall back upon if necessary. Some years after he purchased it he had a distillery there.

In 1852 Mr. Davis crossed the plains to California. He met with only fair success, however, and soon afterward returned East. Then he made a second trip to California and on this occasion explored the country along the coast as far as Puget Sound. From there he made his way back and arrived in Montana in 1863. Seeing the great demand for miners' supplies here, he engaged in bringing merchandise from the East with ox teams, and continned

11 p. M. they discovered one crawling up to two of our best horses that were tied to the same tree. They watched and waited until they got dead-wood on him, and then captured him and called me up. I introduced him to Red Bear as one of his good Indians, who, he had just been telling me, would not annoy us any more, as he had told them not to, etc. He said the man was crazy, had no ears, etc. The old story, anything to exense him. We had already had a practical illustration that stealing or at- tempting to steal is far from being considered a crime by even the best of them. We turned

this business successfully for several years. At that time whiskey was in Montana a staple article and brought high prices, while at his distillery in Iowa the price was low. In 1866 he brought a whole ox train loaded with the pro- ducts of the establishment to Montana. He became the owner of two grist mills at Gallatin, and he had traded for a number of old quartz mills which he obtained cheap; so, in 1870, he built a foundry at Helena, in which he could repair and fix up these mills, and in this way he realized large profits. While engaged in this business he became the owner of a number of quartz mines in the vicinity of Butte City, among which was the Lexington. In 1877 this mine, nnder his development, showed such a wealth of both silver and gold that he built a mill to treat its ore, and he make out of it no less than $300,000. During all this time he had also been extensively en- gaged in raising cattle. In 1880 he and his partner sold off their cattle, and from this industry realized another $300,000.

In 1881 Mr. Davis sold his Lexington property to En- glish and French capitalists for $1,000,000 cash, they agreeing to incorporate the property and expend not less that $500,000 in additional machinery and appliances and give him fifteen per cent. of the stock of the new com- pany. They incorporated under the title of the > ociete Anonyme Des Mines de Lexington, and did all that they promised. The mine was operated at a large profit up to the recent decline in silver, and it is still being operated; not, however, to its full capacity.

During that same year, 1881, Mr. Davis became the organizer of the First National Bank of Butte. He was also a large stockholder in the First National Bank of Helena. In 1882, on account of impaired health, he made a tour of Europe, returning in the spring of the following year, much improved and rested. In 1884 he purchased the rest of the stock of the First National Bank of Butte, assumed control of it and devoted nearly the whole of his time and attention to its affairs, and its business greatly prospered under his management. In the meantime he had been picking up a number of mining claims, and in

207

HISTORY OF MONTANA.

the thief lose, and early in the morning they all started back, leaving us alone in our glory. Traveled eighteen miles.

30th .- Traveled all day down a valley be- tween terraced table lands and buttes; valley about eight miles wide; snowy range to the west about eighty miles distant; no other snowy mountains in sight; low, open country around base of mountains. Camped three miles below the month of a large stream coming in on the south side; suppose is to be Clarke's Fork; plenty of buffalo grass here; many elk and some antelope in the valley; saw two big-horn rams on high cliff by the river. I accepted Red

1887 sold them in a bunch to the Butte & Boston Mining Company for about $750,000 in cash, he retaining one- half of the stock of the new company. This transaction practically ended his mining enterprises, as his health continued to fail. He died at his home in Butte City, March 11, 1890, in the seventy-second year of his age, of paralysis of the brain.

Mr. Davis had never married, and at his death the greater part of his estate, comprising several millions of dollars, passed into the hands of his brother, John A. Davis. He was considered the first millionaire of Butte City. He left an estate valued at about $7,000,000. His business career as a whole was indeed a most suc- · cessful one, and from the foregoing paragraphs it will be seen that he was a man of great versatility. Merchau- dising, mining and banking, in his hands always proved a success. He was among the first to realize that Butte City had in store for it an era of great prosperity, and he held himself ever ready with his energy and his means to push on such undertakings as would bring about this prosperity-all without asking or wishing the slightest recognition or the least public favor. He was of a genial nature, and was a good converser. Ile had a great fond- ness for children, and always found a welcome wherever he went. While he was careful of his own expenses, he was generous to others, without a particle of ostentation, and many a needy family received help from him and never knew its source. In his death Montana, and espe- cially Butte City, sustained a heavy loss; but he had passed his three score years and ten, the time allotted to man, and his death was quiet and peaceful.

JAMES DUNCAN LEYS, the proprietor of the popular Leys' jewelry store, of Butte City, located in the Owsley block, corner of Main and Park streets, is a native of Scotland, born May 22, 1867. Through both lines of an- cestry he is of Scottish descent. His parents were David and Margaret (Duncan) Leys, and he is the second born of the children, four in number.

Bear's black horse last night and presented him my white mare in return. I thought at the time I had a little the best of it, but I found during the day's travel that I was mis- taken. No timber, except cottonwood, and that very scrubby, within thirty or forty miles of here. Plenty of geese and ducks along the river. We are so far away from any high mountains that all the party feel discouraged and lonesome. Give me the mountains in pre- ference to plains, where one can see more level ground than he can ride over in a day. The ground is literally covered with young crickets. Between them and the grasshoppers I am

He was educated in the college at Aberdeen and for seven years worked at the jewelry business with his father. In the fall of 1886 he emigrated to America and was em- ployed at Eldorado, Kansas, and in Keokuk, Iowa; was with Ayers & Son, wholesale and retail jewelers, until 1889, at which time he came to Helena and on to Butte ('ity and opened out his business in a small way on Gran- ite street, but within thirty days, as he was moving to up- per Main street, the city suffered one of the most disas- trous fires in its history. However, courageously perse- vering, he drove his business along with asteady rein, and prospered. Seeing at length an opportunity of enlarging his business, he bought the jewelry business of D. Gold - berg, on lower Main street, and on moving into that large store he opened a drug business on one side of the store, while he filled the other with his jewelry stock, and he prospered in both of these lines. By the year 1893 his trade had grown so large that he had to have more room, and he moved his jewelry stock into his present large and elegant store, where he now keeps the largest stock of jewelry in the city. Ile manufactures a large amount of his goods from Montana gold and silver, and also souvenir goods for jewelers in Montana, Idaho, etc.

The year after Mr. Leys came to America his father followed, and the next year his mother and brother came. His father is now with him, in charge of the watch-repair ing department. His brother-in-law, Alexander Christie, who is his partner in business, has charge of the books and collections.

Mr. Leys isa graduate optician and has built up a very large optical business in connection with Wis jewelry trade. He employs seven workmen in the jewely store.

When Mr. Leys first began business in Butte, in 1889, he had ouly $1,200 capital: his jewelry stock now exceeds $30,000 and his drug stock $22,000. The trade in the lat ter class of goods is conducted under the name of Gal- logly & Company, Mr. Leys being the "Company." They are young business men of talent and experience and

208

HISTORY OF MONTANA.

afraid the grass will soon be used up. Course of river, six degrees north of east. Traveled fifteen miles.

" Friday, May 1, 1863. - About one o'clock last night Bostwick had his roan horse stolen while he and Geery were on guard. It was done by two Indians, one of whom showed himself, but not plainly enough to shoot at; and while the guards were both watching to get a shot at him, his companion crawled into the other end of camp and cut the horse loose, and got away with him without attracting their attention, and this too when the moon was nearly at the full and without a cloud. Verily,

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

An illustrated history of the state of Montana, containing biographical mention of its pioneers and prominent citizens, Part 40

Author: Miller, Joaquin, 1837-1913. cn Publication date: 1894 Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis pub. co. Number of Pages: 1216

Author: Miller, Joaquin, 1837-1913. cn
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis pub. co.
Number of Pages: 1216