Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume III, Part 23

Author: Stout, Tom, 1879- ed
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago, American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 1144

USA > Montana > Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume III > Part 23

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March 27, 1907, at Townsend, Montana, he married Miss Etta Townsend, daughter of William and Lucy Townsend, the latter now deceased. Her father is a Montana pioneer, coming to the territory in 1884, and for over thirty years has been a successful rancher and still lives on his ranch at Martinsdale.

Richard Graham

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Mrs. Fowell is a graduate of the Townsend High School and finished her education in a young ladies' seminary at Helena. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Fowell; Kenneth, born May 10, 1908; Theron, born November 26, 1911; Murlen, born August 25, 1914, and Kathryn, born February 28, 1916.

O. M. LANSTRUM, M. D. For a physician and sur- geon busied with the exacting cares and duties of his profession, Doctor Lanstrum of Helena has had an exceptional range of other activities in politics and business affairs, all indicating the versatile talents of the man and his ability to perform an astonishing amount of work in the twenty-four hours allotted to every day.

Doctor Lanstrum has been a resident of Montana for a quarter of a century. He is a son and grandson of a Union soldier during the American Civil war. His grandfather was John Lanstrum, a native of Sweden, who brought his family to this country in 1848 and settled on a farm at Knoxville, Illinois. He was well advanced in years when the Civil war came on, but he showed his patriotism for his adopted country, and enlisted in 1861 in an Illinois Silverspray Battery of Artillery. During his serv- ice he was captured, was confined in Libby Prison, and while coming north on an exchange boat died as a result of prison hardships.

The father of Doctor Lanstrum was Christian E. Lanstrum, who was born in Sweden in 1837 and was eleven years of age when he came to the United States. He grew to manhood on his father's farm at Knoxville, Illinois, and in 1861 joined Company B of the Eleventh Iowa Infantry. He was in four years of the fighting, his soldier's record including the battles of Shiloh, Gettysburg, Lookout Moun- tain, Missionary Ridge, the Atlanta campaign and Sherman's march. to the sea. He was mustered out with the rank of captain, then returned to Gales- burg, Illinois, and for many years followed mer-' chandising there. In 1916 he removed to Seattle, Washington, where he died in December, 1919, at the advanced age of eighty-three. He was a very successful business man, wielded much influence in republican politics, and was a member of the Swed- ish Lutheran Church and an active Mason. At Natchez, Mississippi, he married Susan E. Crocker. She was born in Kentucky in 1843 and is still living at Galesburg, Illinois. Her brother was Gen. M. M. Crocker, a distinguished commander of Iowa troops in the Civil war. The children of Christian E. Lanstrum and wife were: Carl, an insurance man at Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Frank, who for a number of years was employed as a printer at Butte, but died at Hot Springs, Arkansas, at the age of fifty; Fred, advertising manager for a newspaper at In- dianapolis ; Doctor Lanstrum; Evelyn, wife of How- ard Waterman, a Seattle attorney; George, who is county commissioner of Lewis and Clark County and lives at Helena; and Claude, state manager for the United States Rubber Company at Great Falls, Montana.

Oscar Monroe Lanstrum was born at the home of his parents in Galesburg, Illinois, November 26, 1869. He attended the public schools of his native city and also Knox College at Galesburg, from which he received his A. B. degree in 1891. He took his medical course in the University of Illinois Medical School at Chicago, graduating M. D. in 1894 with the highest scholarship in his class, and at the same time receiving his Master of Arts degree from Knox College. Doctor Lanstrum is a member of the Phi Gamma Delta and also a member of the medical

fraternity of Nu Sigma Nu. During 1894-95 he practiced in Chicago and in December of the latter year located at Marysville, Montana. He enjoyed an increasing practice and participation in the af- fairs of that community for ten years, but since 1905 has been a resident of Helena. He has always kept up with his professional interests in the capital city and still maintains offices at 12 Edwards Street. Doctor Lanstrum has several times interrupted his professional routine to take advanced courses in medicine and surgery at the New York Post Grad- uate School.

Doctor Lanstrum is one of the prominent repub- licans of Montana. He served two terms as mem- ber of the Montana House of Representatives, from 1903 to 1905, in the Eighth and Ninth sessions. He was chairman of the republican County Central Committee one term, in 1906, and chairman of the State Central Committee in 1908 and chairman of the executive committee of the State Central Com- mittee in 1910. He was also chairman of the Mon- tana delegation to the Republican National Conven- tion at Chicago in 1912. Doctor Lanstrum came into national prominence during 1918, when he had the distinction of receiving the republican nomina- tion for United States Senator in the state primaries, and defeating Miss Jeannette Rankin, Montana's first congresswoman.

Doctor Lanstrum is president of the Montana Record Publishing Company and from 1904 for a number of years was managing editor of the Mon- tana Daily Record. He is a property owner and interested in a number of other business enterprises. He is interested in some ranch properties in Lewis and Clark County, and among other real estate at Helena has a modern home at 802 Madison Avenue. He is a director of the Tru Blu Biscuit Company of Spokane and Portland, director and assistant medical director of the Montana Life Insurance Company, a director of the Murgittroid Drug Company of Spo- kane, a director of the Montana Trust and Sav- ings Bank, and owns some extensive mining interests.

Doctor Lanstrum is a member of the Swedish Lutheran Church, is affiliated with Ottawa Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, at Marysville; Helena Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Helena Com- mandery No. 2, Knights Templar ; is a past potentate of Algeria Temple of the Mystic Shrine, and is an honorary thirty-third degree Scottish Rite Mason, his home affiliations being with Helena Consistory No. 3. He is a member of the Montana Board for the Masonic Board and belongs to the Montana Club, the Rocky Mountain Club of New York City; is affiliated with Marysville Lodge, Knights of Pythias; Montana Lodge No. I, Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Helena; Helena Lodge No. 193, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and keeps up his professional affiliations with the County, State and American Medical associations. Doctor Lan- strum is a trustee of the Montana Wesleyan Uni- versity. He was prominent in behalf of all war causes, and served as a member of several commit- tees representing the positive patriotic forces of the community and state.

December 18, 1897, Doctor Lanstrum married Lillian Gertrude Conrad, of Marysville, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph D. Conrad. Her parents now reside at Helena. Her father, who is public administrator, came to Montana in the early '6os, was a placer miner and afterward a pioneer merchant at Marysville. Mrs. Lanstrum was born at Cave Gulch, Lewis and Clark County, and completed her education in St. Peter's Mission School. Doctor and Mrs. Lanstrum have three children : Claude Conrad,

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born September 12, 1900; Frederick Crocker, born March 9, 1902, and Philip Monroe, born October 9, 1908.

GEORGE W. LANSTRUM, who came to Montana twenty years ago and is one of the Board of County Commissioners at Helena today, is a brother of Helena's distinguished physician and surgeon, Dr. O. M. Lanstrum.

George W. Lanstrum was born in Galesburg, Illi- nois, August 24, 1874, son of Christian E. Lanstrum. He grew up and received his education in the pub- lic schools of Galesburg, but left high school and took up the serious business of life as an insurance salesman. He was with the Covenant Mutual Life Insurance Association of Illinois for five years. After that he was employed in the Chicago office of the Republic Iron & Steel Company until he came to Montana in 1900. Mr. Lanstrum located at Marys- ville, and for about five months worked as a tim- ber cruiser for some of the extensive lumber inter- ests. For another two years he was superintendent of mines on the Big Blackfoot at Lincoln, and then became deputy county clerk and recorder under Percy R. Witmer. Mr. Lanstrum is one of the pop- ular men in republican politics in the western part of the state. He served a four-year term as postmas- ter of Helena under President Taft. After retir- ing from that office he was in the wholesale and re- tail cigar business for two years. Mr. Lanstrum was a member of the Fifteenth Legislature in 1917, and was appointed county commissioner to fill an un- expired term and in the fall of 1918 was regularly elected to that office by a majority of 1,800 votes.

Mr. Lanstrum is a prominent Mason, being affil- iated with King Solomon Lodge No. 9, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is junior warden; Helena Chapter No. 2, Royal Arch Masons ; Helena Commandery No. 2, Knights Templar ; Helena Consistory No. 3 of the Scottish Rite, and is on the Divan of Algeria Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of Helena Court No. 3 of the Royal Order of Jesters; Helena Lodge No. 193, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and is a director and chairman of the grounds com- mittee of the Helena Country Club.

November I, 1905, at Helena, Mr. Lanstrum mar- ried Miss Bessie Hendricks, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Hendricks. Her mother is still living at Helena and her father died in the Helena Hospital. This is the pioneer family of Marysville, and J. A. Hendricks in the early days was a freighter from Old Silver City to Marysville.

EMORY ARTHUR ANDERSON. Throughout his ac- tive business experience Mr. Anderson has been identified with the building and building supply business, and as a resident of Helena is manager of the local branch of the Boorman Lumber Company.

Mr. Anderson was born at Marshall, Lyon County, Minnesota, December 29, 1893. His father, Herman L. Anderson, was born in Sweden in 1855, grew up in his native country, had some experience as a sol- dier in the regular army, and coming to the United States in 1880 settled in Lyon County, Minnesota. For a number of years he was manager of the C. M. Youman Lumber Company at Marshall, but in 1915 removed his home to Minneapolis, where he is now a hardwood grader for the Anderson Brothers' Wagon Works. He is a member of the Christian Science Church and the Masonic fraternity. His wife is Sophia Carlson, who was born in Sweden in 1865. Her father, August Carlson, brought his fam- ily to this country and settled on a farm in Lyon County, Minnesota. He was born in 1840 and died

in Minnesota in 1913. Emory A. Anderson is the oldest of four children. The next younger, Selma, is the wife of Ernest Constable, and they live at Minneapolis. Mr. Constable is a professional mu- sician, now employed in the Donaldson store at Minneapolis. For about six years he was in the regular army and is a veteran of the World war, having spent eight months overseas. The other two children are Alice and Violet, the former married and living in Minneapolis and the latter a senior in the Minneapolis High School.

Emory A. Anderson was educated in the public schools of Marshall, attending high school through his junior year. He took the bookkeeping and gen- eral business course at the Mankato Commercial College, and on leaving college in 1914 removed to Minneapolis, where he spent nine and a half months with Charles Anderson in the contracting and build- ing business. The following three years he was in the main office of the Lampert Lumber Company, then four months was manager of the Standard Lumber Company's plant at Lake Benton, Minne- sota, and on the 22d of February, 1918, arrived in Montana. After a few days at Great Falls he was sent to Helena, March 7, 1918, as bookkeeper and office manager of the Boorman Lumber Com- pany, and since August 15, 1919, has been manager of the local plant and office on Helena Avenue be- tween Jackson and Main streets. The largest stock of lumber in Lewis and Clark County is carried by the Boorman Lumber Company.

Mr. Anderson is a republican, a member of the Christian Science Church, and his home is at 618 Peosta Street. He married in Minneapolis April 21, 1917, Miss Mae Gudmundson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. August Gudmundson. Her parents are residents of Minneapolis, her father being a car- penter foreman in the shops of the Soo Line Rail- road.

JOHN D. Ross, one of the oldest active business men of Great Falls, has been a witness and actor in the growth and development of the great north- western country for over thirty-five years.

He was born on his father's farm in Nova Scotia March 14, 1860, son of Donald and Elizabeth (Suth- erland) Ross. Donald Ross was born in Scotland in 1828 and came to Nova Scotia with his mother when he was quite young, received his education in that country, and as a young man hewed a farm out of the wilderness and spent his life as a Nova Scotia agriculturist. He died in 1902. His wife was born in Nova Scotia and died in 1880. Of their twelve children nine are still living, with John D. the oldest. The parents were active members of the Presby- terian Church.

John D. Ross grew up on his father's farm and attended school to the age of seventeen. He then worked out as a farm hand and in the fall of 1882 came to the Northwest and had his first experience working in the great lumber woods and camps around Tacoma, Washington. He also engaged in coal mining, and it was his interest in the coal mining industry that brought him across the coun- try to Great Falls in the autumn of 1886. He pros- pected for coal, worked in saw mills, and in 1896 settled down to his permanent business in the flour, hay, seed, wood and coal business. His partner was Richard Graham, under the firm name of Gra- ham & Ross, and the firm continued business for over twenty years, until Mr. Graham retired in December, 1917.

Mr. Ross is affiliated with Cascade Lodge No. 34, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Great Falls Chapter No. 9, Royal Arch Masons, Black Eagle

John Di Poes

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Commandery No. 8, Knight Templars, Algeria Tem- ple of the Mystic Shrine at Helena, and the Lodge of Perfection, Scottish Rite, at Great Falls. He is also a member of Rainbow Lodge No. 28, Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows, a member of the Pres- byterian Church and in politics a republican.

On June 27, 1896, Mr. Ross married Miss Tena J. Ross. She is also a native of Nova Scotia. They have four children, Donald R., Helen, Hazel and John D., Jr.

A. I. REEVES. Any city, however large or small, has reason to be grateful for the presence of such a citizen as A. I. Reeves. Mr. Reeves has built up a large business in musical merchandise at Helena, though his relations with the community have many interesting aspects beyond that of a mere merchant.

Mr. Reeves was born January II, 1864. For sev- eral years after his birth his parents had affixed no Christian name upon him. His father was a great Bible student and a minister of the gospel, and one day, when his small son, then between three and four years of age, was indulging his teasing pro- pensities, the father reproved him by calling him "Ai." That cognomen stuck, and has remained his only given name. This is a biblical name, of a city in which the Ammonites dwelt, a people who were rather hostile to the children of Israel, and were usually contriving some means to tease and torment the chosen people.

Mr. Reeves' father was Michael Dean Reeves, who was born November 16, 1816, at Rising Sun, Indiana, and died September 11, 1906, at Parker's Prairie, Minnesota. His grandfather was in the Revolution- ary war. He was lost, it never having been known what became of him. His given name is unknown now. He lived in Virginia on the Monongahela River, near where the salt works were located. He went there about 1745 and his family remained there until after the War of 1812. He came from Wales. His wife afterwards married a man by name of Meyers. His grandfather on his mother's side was Michael Dean Reeves, who was born in Kentucky. He and his wife were American born, she being twelve years old when married. Their home was about fifty miles south of Cincinnati. His mother's name was Thirzsey Dean, who was born in Kentucky in 1796 and died in 1831. She was English and she died in Oxford, Ohio, near Hamilton. His father, John Reeves, was born in Virginia in 1790, and died in Bartholomew County, Indiana, in 1845.

Michael Dean Reeves spent his boyhood in his native state and for fifty years was a Baptist clergy- man and labored unceasingly in the cause of his church and community. At the age of nineteen he became a fellow of Christ at a camp meeting in Cook County, Illinois, where Chicago is now located, and was baptized in the Des Plaines River. In June of 1855 he moved to the Territory of Minnesota, where he was one of the early Baptist ministers and after the birth of his son, Ai, he preached in Fillmore County and Olmsted County, in 1876 moved to Otter- tail County, and died at Parker's Prairie in that county September 11, 1906. He organized the second Protestant Sunday school and church in the state, and in other words, the first south of the City of St. Paul, in the Town of New Lebanon. It was at this place he was ordained a Baptist minister. As a youth he had served as a soldier in the Blackhawk Indian war. He was a republican in politics, though in later years he cast his vote where it would do most good for the cause of temperance. His first wife was Martha Harrington, to whom he was mar- ried in Will County, Illinois, and who died at Pleas- ant Grove, Minnesota. Two of their children are

still living: Joseph, a minister of the Free Will Bap- tist Church, living in Nebraska, and Mrs. Sarah Rev- nolds, a widow whose home is at Helena. The sec- ond wife of Rev. Mr. Reeves was Mrs. Rider, a widow, whose maiden name was Newman. She was born in Pennsylvania in 1824 and died at Alex- andria, Minnesota, in 1910. Her four children were: Harriet, wife of John Donaldson, a telegraph operator in Colorado; Ai, who as a matter of con- venience has in recent years written his name as A. I .; Martha, who died at the age of five years, and Charles, a farmer in Minnesota.

A. I. Reeves acquired a rural school education in Fillmore County, Minnesota, at Parker's Prairie in that state, attended the public schools of Alexandria, and graduated in 1885 from the Pillsbury Academy at Owatonna. In the meantime he had taught in rural schools in Ottertail County for three years. While there he introduced community singing with much success and was the first teacher to popularize that class of music in the schools of Minnesota. After graduating he lived with his half-brother, J .. D. Reeves, at Groton, in Brown County, South Da- kota, and was employed on the Groton Independent newspaper for two years. He leased and operated the Independent for a year and then bought the Claremont Gazette in Brown County, remaining as editor and publisher three years.

Mr. Reeves came to Montana in 1892, for a short time was employed in the Livingston National Bank, then with the Livingston newspapers and in the old Albemarle Hotel. On leaving Livingston he spent one season as clerk in a leading hotel in the Yellow- stone National Park, subsequently was employed in the Bozeman Hotel at Bozeman, spent a short time in Butte, and on returning to Livingston con- tinued with the hotel where he had been first em- ployed for a few months. In the fall of 1892 he became a resident of Helena. His first work here was for the Jackson Music Company's store, until the failure of that business in 1893, and he then re- mained in the service of the assignee. During 1893 he visited the Chicago Exposition and in the spring of 1894 opened a business for himself. Beginning with a capital of less than $150, his was obviously a very modest stock and shop at Main Street at the corner of Broadway. Mr. Reeves has studied the needs of the city in musical merchandise, has steadily expanded his business, and his store has long been considered one of the musical centers of Helena. At the present time this business maintains the largest assortment of musical literature for teachers, chil- dren and the public generally west of Minneapolis or St. Paul. The store is at 19 South Main Street.

During the World war Mr. Reeves, besides assist- ing in the various war auxiliary movements, was given the chief responsibility in conducting com- munity singing as a means of re-enforcing the morale of the people and stirring up enthusiasm. He also conducted singing at Fort Harrison, Montana, for the soldiers in the camp, and was usually on hand at all public and patriotic gatherings, and frequently in moving picture theaters led impromptu singing. This community singing was considered so success- ful and had such good results that by general con- sent Mr. Reeves has been continuing it since the war, and it is one of the very best means of pro- moting general musical taste. Mr. Reeves believes, as General Pershing, that a singing army is a win- ning army and that appropriate songs sung by large numbers of people has an equally good effect on the civil morale.

During the past twenty-five years Mr. Reeves has brought to Helena many musical artists, includ- ing such celebrities as Paderewski, Shumann-Heink

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and the St. Paul Orchestra. He has worked un- ceasingly for the musical advancement of the com- munity and has shown a great deal of public spirit and disinterestedness in his efforts to give Helena its proper place among the cities of the Northwest.

Mr. Reeves might well deserve another title, "friend of children." He has shown the greatest interest in the children of Helena, and the news- boys look upon him as a "daddy" and at their annual or more frequent picnics or banquets it is regarded as a matter of necessity that he be present and his absence would be keenly missed. On such occasions he always has a rousing songfest.

Mr. Reeves is a republican in politics and while at Claremont, South Dakota, served as city clerk. He is a past exalted ruler of Helena Lodge No. 193 of the Elks, is a member of Helena Lodge No. 3, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Helena Aerie No. 16, Fraternal Order of Eagles; a member of the Montana Club, Helena Commercial Club, Helena Civic Club, and is president of the Retail Merchants' Exchange. His home is at the Montana Club.

PATRICK W. WOODS, proprietor of a hay, grain, feed and supply establishment at Helena, is a young business man who has worked steadily toward the goal of success and has seen his efforts well re- warded.

Mr. Woods is member of one of the pioneer fami- lies of Montana. He was born at Highwood, this state, December 6, 1885. His grandfather was Pat- rick Woods, a well remembered Montana pioneer. He was born in Scotland in 1809, lived there until young manhood, then came to the United States, was married in Missouri and lived on a farm near St. Joseph in that state. In 1864, following the first rush of gold seekers to Montana, he came to the territory and for a time indulged himself in placer mining at Virginia City. However, his training and experience best qualified him for farming, and he operated farms near Butte, near Toston, in the Prickly Pear Valley and at Highwood. In the early days he located at Helena, where he followed team- ing, and later moved to Hardy, where he became associated with two of his sons, Allen and George M., in a farm and ranch. He died at Hardy in I903.

Allen W. Woods, father of Patrick W., was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1857 and was only a small boy when brought to Montana. He was reared in several localities where his father had farmed and acquired most of his education in the public schools of Helena. He married at Highwood, where he farmed, and in 1879 moved to Canada and spent a year in that country. Returning in 1880, he settled in the Bitter Root Valley and in 1885 moved to Tobacco Plains, Montana, where he spent two years, and since 1887 has been a resident of Hardy. All his life has been spent at farming and he has done well in a combination of livestock and agriculture. Allen W. Woods is a democrat, an active supporter of the Christian Church, and a member of the Ma- sonic fraternity. He married Alice Woodiwiss, who was born in Canada in 1858. Their children are six in number: H. E., a farmer at Wolfcreek, Mon- tana; George A., a North Dakota farmer; Patrick W .; V. R., a teamster for R. H. Claflin at Helena; Alzora, wife of Alf Pruitt, section foreman on the railroad at Simms, Montana, and Allie, wife of Lee Kearney, of Spokane, Washington.

Patrick W. Woods acquired his education in the public schools of the Bitter Root Valley, Tobacco Plains and at Hardy, and lived on his father's farm to the age of eighteen. For one season he operated a farm on his own account at Simms. At the age

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Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume III, Part 23

Author: Stout, Tom, 1879- ed Publication date: 1921 Publisher: Chicago, American Historical Society Number of Pages: 1144

Author: Stout, Tom, 1879- ed
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago, American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 1144