An illustrated history of the state of Montana, containing biographical mention of its pioneers and prominent citizens, Part 95

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 95

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January 5, 1851, our subject was united in marriage with Miss Rebecca Holmes, a danghter of Thomas and Lney (Tuttle) Holmes. They have had two children :- Edward, born in 1856, and died May 7, 1890; and Joseph, who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are members of the Catholic Church, and aided in building the church edifice in Frenchtown. Mr. Brown is now practically re- tired from active life, and his large ranch is farmed on the shares.

HON. JOSEPH A. BROWNE, a respected Montana pioneer of 1862, and now a prominent citizen of Beaver Head county, is a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, born August 1, 1831.

Ile is of English descent. Some of his ancestors emi- grated from England to Ireland about the year 1700. His grandfather, Michael Browne, was born, reared and mar- ried on the Emerald Isle; emigrated to America before the Revolution and settled in Washington connty, Penn- sylvania, where he was engaged in farming and where he reared his family of eleven children. He and his

eating their ponies, and the most of them eame on foot."-Report of Fort Peck Agency, 1880.

The Indians on the Blackfoot reservation, (as large as an average Eastern State), it would seem, still hunted and found the buffalo, up to the time of the report of 1880, as did also the Crows:

"The tribes belonging to this agency are the Blaekfeet, Bloods and Piegans, now generally knows as Piegans, and formerly made parts of large bands that are now known as ' Northern Piegans,' which now roam north of the Canada boundary line. Their history until some few years since was one continued relation of hostil- ity to the whites, as well as to the other Indian

good wife each lived to the advanced age of ninety-two years. They were devont Catholics.

Our subject's father, Michael Browne, was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1793. Ile married Miss Elizabeth Doherty, a native of the State of Mary- land and a descendant of Irish ancestry. He remained at the old homestead, later came into the possession of other lands there, and until late in life continued to reside in Washington county. In 1879 he came to Mon- tana to spend his declining years with his son, Joseph A., and here he quietly passed away, after an active and use- ful life. Ilis good wife had died in Pennsylvania in 1851. Both were faithful members of the Catholic Church.

Joseph A. Browne was the third born in his father's family. Ile was reared on the farm and received his early education in the public schools. When he was eighteen he was sent to St, Francis College in Cambria county, Pennsylvania, and after leaving college his first work was that of bookkeeper in a railroad office, Next he was salesman and bookkeeper at Wheeling, West Vir- ginia. Then he returned to his father's home for a short visit, and on the 14th of March, 1859, started for Pike's Peak, to which place he journeyed with ox teams and in company with fifty others. After his arrival in Colorado he prospected until his means were exhausted, when he worked in the placer mines at $2 per day. In the fall of 1859 he went to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he spent the winter, returning in the spring to Colorado. There he failed to secure a good claim, and that same summer went back to New Mexico, where he also met with failure in his prospecting. Again he returned to Colorado. He mined for wages and prospected in Col- orado until 1862, when, hearing of the discovery at Sal- mon river, he and his partners, W. D. Bender and Edward

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tribes (Sionx, Crows, Gros Ventres, etc.) on their borders. They were the dread of all their neighbors. The severe punishment inflicted some ten years ago by the military (a large band being utterly exterminated) broke down their hostility, and since that time their depre- dations on the property of settlers and their respect for their lives have undergone a marked change, and growing inclination has been man- ifested to copy white men's ways, and take such pursuits as would prepare them for the change from hunting buffalo and other game to locat- ing, farining and raising crops. Their large numbers (over 7,500), and the inadequacy of the appropriation for their support, made, and still renders it necessary, that the donation of the Government be supplemented by hunting;

D. Brown, came hither. At Bannack they secured a claim which they worked until the following spring, taking out about $8,000. In a single day they took ont $125. Some of the specimens they secured there at that time Mr. Browne had on exhibition at the World's Fair at Chicago. As the diggings were some distance from the water, they sacked the dirt, put the sacks on an ox hide and drew it down the steep bank to the wash. Mr. Browne got the credit of starting the first " Bull Hide" express. Many other miners adopted his plan and soon all the dirt was sent down hill in that way.

From Bannack Mr. Browne went to Argenta, and in June, 1864, located the first silver claim at that place. In the winter of 1864-5 he sold a half interest in his claim to Governor S. T. Hauser for $2,000 in currency, but took $1,000 in gold-dust. At Ophir Gulch, in Deer Lodge county, he found a valuable claim, where he and his partner mined during the spring and summer, realizing about $10,000. This place they called Nugget Gulch, on account of the many large pieces of gold they found there, one piece being valued at $90. After supposing that it was exhausted he sold out for $500. He then re- turned to his old home in Pennsylvania, going by way of California, and from San Francisco making the journey by water. After an absence of six months he returned to Montana, via St. Louis and the Missouri river, and con- tinued prospecting and mining until 1870.

After Mr. Browne sold his silver mines to Mr. Hauser, the latter went East and formed the first Eastern syndi- cate for smelting and refining ore, and this smelter and refinery were the first in the Territory.

In 1870 Mr. Browne purchased the Big Hole toll-road and bridge, which he has since operated. He has also acquired a large ranch of over 3,000 acres, and has be

bnt each succeeding year finds an additional number of leading men building houses and working small farms, so that the hunting camps are more and more made up of the younger men. The rapid decrease of buffalo and the fast approach of their final disappearance has its effect in their willingness to give up their nomadic habits.

"In the early part of last fall the report of buffalo in numbers caused the formation of a larger hunting camp than usual, some of those having farms joining it after the harvesting of their crops. The Indians had a fair hunt last fall and got a good many robes, but they were unable to do any winter hunting on account of the buffalo being too far sonth, and the deep snow which fell in November and lay till the

come one of the successful and prominent stock-raisers of his section. His cattle are a high grade of Dnrhams, and he breeds both Morgan and Clyde horses. Be- sides this he still continues his interest in mining, being the owner of the Faithful Silver mine, located in the Vipond district near Ponsonbay. This is considered a very valuable mine.

Mr. Browne was married April 9, 1872, to Miss Agnes M. Murray, a native of Pittsburg, and daughter of Bartholomew and Ellen Murray, of Pennsylvania. They have an interesting family of four children: Mary E .; Joseph A., Jr .; Fanny T .; and Francis V., and their com- modious and attractive home is located in a romantic spot near the river bridge. Here, surrounded by his broad acres, Mr. Browne is "monarch of all he surveys."

Ile has always affiliated with the Democratic party, and has frequently been honored by his party with posi- tions of prominence and trust. In 1869 and 1872 he was elected and served as a Representative to the Territorial Assembly, and he also served in the extra session. In 1881 he was elected a member of the Montana Council. While a member of that body he served on several im- portant committees, and rendered valned service by aid- ing in procuring the passage of the bill which removed the county seat from Bannack to Dillon, the latter place being in the center of the county and a railroad town. In 1884 he was elected a member of the Territorial Con- vention, and was one of a committee of three to carry its proceedings to Washington, the other two gentlemen being Hon. J. K. Toole and W. A. Clark. When Hon. S. T. Hauser was made Governor of the Territory he chose Mr. Browne for one of his staff. Governor Leslie also honored him with a similar appointment, with the com- mission of Inspector General of the National Guards of

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last of March, and the result was that the en- tire camp had to be fed from the commissary all winter.

"This spring, as soon as the snow left and the ice went out of the river, they commeneed getting venison, which, with a part ration of flour, was all they had to live on, and part of the time no flour. In May the buffalo con- menced coming north, and through June and July a large part of the camp were out and had a successful hunt; but while they kill a large quantity of buffalo they never save meat enough to last them over ten days after they come in from a hunt; hence their hunting supplies only their present wants."

But we search the books in vain for reports of hunting parties in future reports. The buf-

Montana. Governors White and Toole also honored him by appointing him to the same position. During the early history of the Territory he was a member of the Vigilant Committee.

Notwithstanding the many varied experiences through which he has passed in the early settlement and develop- ment of the Territory, Mr. Browne is still a well preserved man, and it is hoped by his hosts of friends that he may live long to enjoy the prosperity which his intelligent and persistent efforts have made

THOMAS C. PORTER, Coroner of Silver Bow county, Montana, has been identified with Montana since 1864. Few have been more intimately connected with the growth and development of Butte City than has he. Following is a brief review of his life:

Thomas C. Porter was born in London, England, Feb- ruary 11, 1832, son of Richard and Grace (Roeket) Por- ter; but, although a native of another land, he is thor- onghly Americanized, he having been brought to this conntry in his infancy. He was reared in Gloversville, New York, and was educated in the public schools and at a branch of the State Normal School. His father being a glove manufacturer, he learned that trade of him, and followed it until 1858. About that time the family removed to Bureau county, Illinois, and there he taught school two years. In 1859 he crossed the plains to Denver, Colorado, where he had three brothers en- gaged in the manufacture of gloves and doing a tannery and fur business, and he became associated with them. In 1863 the two younger brothers, Henry and Charles, came to Montana. Both have sinee died. They were followed here in 1864 by Thomas C., who that year dis- posed of his interests in Colorado.

Thomas C. Porter made the journey from Denver to

falo was fast becoming a thing of the past .-- and it was a good thing for the Indian, for he now began to have herds of his own.

" The only Indians within the control of this agency are under the tribal name of Crows, although there are intermarried with them, and classing themselves as such, Bannacks, Gros Ventres, Assiniboines, Piegans, Arapa- hoes, Blackfeet, and even their hereditary ene- mies, the Sioux. Many of these were captured when infants in the years of the past when the war-path was the ambition and glory of all western tribes, adopted into the Crow tribe, and have maintained their relations with it ever since. My last eensns, take i last February, the most complete and accurate that has prob- ably ever been obtained, gave ns as follows: Men, 957; boys, 758; women, 1,093; girl-, 662. Total, 3,470.

" Their reservation, consisting of about 8,000,- 000 acres, diversified with mountain, hill and valley, the former covered with pine and fir and

Salt Lake by coach, and from the latter place to Alder Guleh with mules, he being one of four men each of whom had a saddle-mule and pack-mule. The date of their arrival at Alder Gulch was February 14, 1864. Mr. Porter paid $800 for a mining elaim, which proved a worthless investment. Until October of that year he manufactured gloves and also ran a tailor shop there, be- lieving that he could make more by working at his trade than in the mines.

In October he took up his abode in Butte City, being one of its first settlers and helping to ereet the first eabins of the place. Immense herds of buffalo and indeed wild game of all kinds abounded here at that time. Like most western towns, Butte City was of quiek growth and it soon became necessary to organize a school district. Mr. Porter helped in its organization and was chosen Clerk of the School Board and also made one of its Directors. Something occurred to prevent the teacher's arrival on the day set to open school, and it thus hap- pened that Mr. Porter taught the first day of school in Butte City. He also taught in the winters of 1866-7-8, at that time having about twenty-six pupils, several of them older than himself. Ile was also clerk of the Summit Valley Mining District (the name the eamp then went by), and he became the discoverer of many valuable claims. Judge Newkirk and Joseph Ransdell were two of his partners. They mined in German Gulch two summers, taking out large quantities of gold, and at the end of the second summer sold their elaim for more than it eost them and invested in a band of cattle-the largest band of cattle in Deer Lodge county. In 1867 they built the first smelter in the county, in Parrot Guleh, at a cost of between three and four thousand dollars, and ran it with horse-power; but it proved a failure. The following year

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the latter having cottonwood and quaking as- pen, the hills and valleys all teeming with rich, nutritious grass, with an abundance of pellucid streams fresh from the eternal snows in the lofty mountain gorges, each hurrying on to join the great . Father of Waters,'-all combine to make it one of the most beautiful as well as most valuable locations in the West.

"The Crows have from 12,000 to 14,000 mules and ponies, including some excellent American horses. A considerable number of them already own cattle. During the past sea- son they took and traded from six to seven thonsand buffalo robes, on which they realized abont $4 each, with perhaps 30,000 pounds pelt- ries, on which they realized about 20 cents per pound; and we have, say: 13,000 mules and horses, value, $200,000; 6,500 robes, value $26,000; 30,000 pounds peltries, value, 6,000; other furs, value, $2,000. Total, $234,000."- Crow Agency Report, 1880.

they began a second smelter, at a cost of about $5,000, but on account of financial embarrassment did not com- plete it. As above stated, Mr. Porter was the discoverer of numerous mining claims. Ile, however, sold out from time to time and never realized a great amount from any of them. Altogether he was probably interested in 150 claims, many of which became very valuable. Among them are the Parrot, Gray Eagle, Shakespeare, Mount Moriah, Magna Charta, IIard Shell and others. While his discoveries have not resulted in great wealth to him, yet he is rich in experience and in possessing the friend- ship of many of Montana's stanch pioneers and best men.

Mr. Porter was made a Mason in Denver in 1862, and in 1876 he helped to organize Butte Lodge, his name being on its list of charter members. He has served three terms as Master of this lodge. Politically a Republican, he was elected by that party to the position he now fills, that of County Coroner.

GEORGE WILLIAM EMIRICK, a Montana pioneer of 1862 and now a well-to-do stock farmer of the Beaver Head valley, dates his birth in Onandaga county, New York, April 3, 1827.

Mr. Emirick is of German descent. Two brothers emigrated from Germany to America previous to the Revolution. One of them served in the British army and the other ou the Colonial side of the great struggle. Adam Emirick was the Continental soldier and the great- grandfather of our subject. Adam Emirick's son Adam was the father of George Emirick who was born, in New York, in 1792 and who married Miss Nancy Rose, her birth having occured in Vermont in 1801. They had a family of seven children, of whom six are living. In 1844 they emigrated to Wisconsin and settled on Bigfoot prairie, and there three years later the father died. The

As we go forward we find not only the live stock of the Indians on the five reservations in- creasing in numbers and quality, and the acreage of tilled lands broadening, but the Indians themselves actually increasing in numbers.

It must be borne in mine that, as indicated before, the number of wild or semi-barbarons Indians was always greatly over estimated. The Indians had an interest in this, in that they could draw excessive rations by reporting exaggerated numbers; and the agents, also, too often had a selfish purpose in keeping the nu- merical valne as great as possible. It will be remembered that the Sioux were so entirely op- posed to a correct census that some of them actually went on the war-path when this was

mother lived to be seventy-two years of age. Both were faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and their lives were adorned by many Christian graces.

Their son, George William, was reared and educated in his native State, being seventeen years of age at the time he removed with his parents to Wisconsin. After the death of his father he continued at home with his mother, taking care of her and the younger children, until 1851. In 1851 he turned his attention to the lumber business on the Wisconsin river, and later he settled on a ranch. He was married in Wisconsin, in 1855, to Miss Helen Marshall, daughter of Captain Marshall, a seafaring man.

In 1860, accompanied by his wife, he crossed the plains to Colorado. At Pike's Peak he mined until 1862, meet- ing with only moderate success. Then he left for the Nez Perces diggings in Idaho, going in company with about twenty other miners and braving much danger from the Indians en route. In one engagement the In- dians killed five of the miners, and it was only by the most dauntless bravery that the rest of the party suc- ceeded in keeping the red men in awe of them. Mr. Emirick had left his wife in Denver, and we here state that he never afterward heard from her. Upon reaching Montana, they camped at Birch creek, and there Mr. Emirick learned from a halfbreed that gold had been discovered at Bannack, to which place he at once di- rected his course and where he arrived August 26, 1862. At that time there were about thirty miners in the camp. He secured a claim and took out considerable gold, con- tinuing there until fail and accumulating about $7,000. Then he went to Virginia City and took a claim, and was there during the exciting times incident to the trial and hanging of the road agents. After this he went on a prospecting tour on the Yellowstone river with the James Stuart outfit. They made the trip to that river an

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first attempted. True, they based their action on a superstition that it was "bad medicine" to be so definitely numbered. But at bottom the reason was rations.

However, after anything like a correct num- bering could be had we find the federal reports year after year, as a rule, when not interrupted or cut down by war or reckless acts of their own doing, giving an increase of population for each of the five Indian reservations. Nor can we help observing that the head of the bureau continually took the side of the Indians when- ever they had even so much as a show of right, whether against soldiers, settlers, gold-seekers or railroads.

there the party divided, a part of them going to Wood river. On the Sweetwater the party again split, and from that point Mr. Emirick returned. After this he mined in British Columbia and also in the Blackfoot country in Montana, being more successful at the latter place than at the former. Taking his mining experience as a whole, his best success was at Bannack, where, with a hand-rocker, he took out in one day $270.

Upon his return from the Blackfoot country he landed in Beaver Head valley on the 27th of December, 1865, and stopped in the old cabin then called the Robbers'roost. The following year he took claim to a tract of Government land, the same on which he has since resided. For a number of years he gave his attention chiefly to the cattle business, in which he was very successful. He still raises some cattle and also horses, but his ranch is now utilized principally for the production of hay. His present residence he built in 1886. In politics he is a Democrat.

Mr. Emirick was married again in 1879, and his second wife died about a month after their marriage. In 1883 he wedded Lunia Crandall, a native of Indiana. This marriage was a most happy one. They had two children, Putman and Boss. The former died at the age of nine months and the latter is now a bright boy of eight years, his father's pride and joy, the mother having died in 1888.

DINGWALL BROS., prominent merchants of New Chi- cago, and also largly engaged in farming operations, came from Canada to Montana in 1868. As representa- tive business men of their part of the State, it is appro- priate that personal mention be made of them in this work, and it is with pleasure that we present the follow- ing sketch:

Dingwall Bros., William and Duncan, are natives of Canada and of Scotch extraction. Their father, John Dingwall, was born in Scotland about the year 1800, and

"In my last annual report I referred to an agreement which had been then lalely entered into between Assistant Attorney-General Mc- Cammon, representing the United States, and the confederated tribes of Flathead, Kootenay and Upper Pend d'Oreilles Indians, occupying the Jocko or Flathead reservation in Montana, for the extinguishment of their title to lands of the reservation required for the purposes of the Northern Pacific Railroad, in accordance with the provisions of section 2 of the act of Con- gress approved July 2, 1864 (13 Stat., 365). This agreement is dated September 2, 1882, and provides for the surrender and relinquish- ment by the said confederated tribes to the United States of all their right, title, and inter- est, under treaty of July 16, 1855, in and to a strip of land 200 feet wide, extending east and west through the reservation, and containing 1.300 acres, as a right of way and road-bed for

when a young man emigrated to Canada, where he was subsequently married to Miss Catharine McGruer, a na- tive of Canada, but of Scotch descent. They hecame the parents of eleven children, eight sons and three daugh- ters, of whom nine are living. The father died at the age of seventy-four years, and the mother lived to be sev- enty-nine. He was Captain of militia, and both were members of the Presbyterian Church.

William Dingwall, the older of these gentlemen, was born October 14, 1843, and the date of Duncan's birth was March 31, 1847. They were reared in Canada and educated in the public schools, and in 1868 came together to Mon- tana to make this their future home. They came up the Missouri river to Fort Benton, where they landed on the 6th of June. At the time of their arrival here they had only $45. At Helena they secured employment in a sawmill, and William continued sawing until 1871 ; while Duncan, after six months in the mill, went to Henderson Gulch and worked for wages at placer-mining. In 1871 they came to their present location and engaged in stock- raising. They located a farm, made some improvements upon it and then sold out, after which they purchased 320 acres, which they subsequently sold to Col. George W. Morse. Since then they have from time to time pur- chased other lands until now they are the owners of 1,500 acres. They have all these years been successfully en- gaged in raising cattle and horses- They now own im- ported Norman Percheron horses. In 1877 they drove 200 head of cattle to Winnipeg and sold them.

From 1873 until 1878 Mr. Duncan Dingwall worked in the store of Caplice & Smith, and in 1878 the brothers opened their present store at New Chicago, Messrs. Cap- l:ce and Smith being in partnership with them and re- maining members of the firm until 1883. Since 1883 Dingwall Bros. have successfully conducted the business alone. In 1878 they built the store-room they have since occupied and where they keep a full stock of merchan-

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without much success. From these causes a steady reduction of the numbers on our record has been going on.

Since the first efforts at farming and house- building were made, some six years ago, the work has made moderate but steady prog- ress. There are now nearly 200 log cabins, sub- stantial and comfortable, with in most cases small patches of cultivated ground attached. They are scattered over the reservation where there is tillable land. Last fall there was a fair crop of potatoes raised, and as no Indian had cellarage frost- proof, they were instructed to bring into the agency cellar a portion to be preserved for seed. This was done by some forty of them, and 1383 bushels were taken care of and dis- tributed to them again this spring. All other Indians who had prepared ground also received seed. The Indian farms being so far apart, it

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An illustrated history of the state of Montana, containing biographical mention of its pioneers and prominent citizens, Part 95

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