Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume III, Part 49

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 49

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Walter C. Blomquist attended the public schools of Montana, and finished his education in the Mon- tana Wesleyan College at Helena. In January, 1908, at the age of twenty-one, he went to work for the State Bank of Belt as messenger boy. He was promoted to teller, became assistant cashier in 1910,

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and since January 3, 19II, has been cashier. For the past five or six years he has been the active manager of the bank; has handled its affairs wisely and efficiently, and by his courtesy has attracted a great deal of patronage to the institution.

During all the years he has not avoided those duties and responsibilities that rest upon good sit- zenship. He served as city treasurer of Belt six years or more, was an alderman one term, on the school board several terms, and during the war was chairman of the Liberty Loan and Red Cross com- mittees in the Belt district. The Belt district over- subscribed its quota in every campaign. Mr. Blom- quist is past chancellor commander of Cascade Lodge No. 39, Knights of Pythias, at Belt, and was chair- man of the building committee which erected the twenty-five thousand dollar Knights of Pythias Temple. He is also affiliated with Great Falls Lodge No. 214, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and in politics is a republican.

In June, 1913, he married Miss Flora M. Wright, who was born in England, being the oldest of the three children of Thomas and Sarah Wright. Her parents are living at Belt, Montana, and her father has been a hard working blacksmith in that city for the past twenty-four years.

GORDON O. SHAFER. Among the earnest and enter- prising men whose depth of character has gained him a prominent place in the community and the respect and confidence of his fellow citizens is Gor- don O. Shafer, of Great Falls. A man of decided views and laudable ambitions, his influence has ever made for the advancement of his community, and usefulness to his fellow men has by no means been a secondary consideration with him. Thus strong and forceful in his relations with his fellows, he has gained the good will and commendation of his business associates and the general public, retaining his reputation among men of integrity and high char- acter, and never losing the dignity which is the birthright of the true gentleman.

Gordon O. Shafer was born on his father's farm in St. Clair County, Michigan, on April 29, 1878. His parents were Oren H. and Mary (Sperry) Shafer, both of whom were born in Michigan, the former in 1846 and the latter in 1848. For a num- ber of years Oren Shafer followed agricultural pur- suits, but later entered the employ of the M., H. & O. Railway Company, leaving that company some time later to go with the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Company as station agent at Houghton, Michigan. He held that position for a number of years and then became branch manager at South Bend, Indiana, for the International Harvester Com- pany. Politically he gives his support to the repub- lican party, and he is a member of the Masonic fraternity.

Gordon O. Shafer was educated in the public schools of Mount Clemens, Michigan, completing his studies in the high school. His first employ- ment was as a farm hand, for which he received $8 a month. In 1896 he went to Denver, Colorado, where he was employed on a ranch, and later fol- lowed the same employment in Wyoming, riding the ranges and doing all the ouside work characteristic of a large ranch. Later he went to St. Paul, Min- nesota, where for one season he was employed to handle stock in the yards of the St. Paul Stock Yards Company. The following winter he spent in the lumber camps, getting out timber, but in the spring of 1899 he came to Montana, locating on the Judith Basin with Jack Waite. Later he was a range rider at Fort Maginnis, but a short time later he went to Lewistown and entered the employ of

Charles Lehman & Company, who operated a large mercantile business at that place. Afterward he be- came connected with the Judith Basin Bank, now the First National Bank of Lewistown. He entered the bank as bookkeeper, but later became paying teller and a director of the bank. In 1905 he organ- ized the Citizens State Bank at Moore, later the First National Bank, of which he became cashier. He also managed a large lumber and mercantile business aside from his bank duties up to 1910, when he sold his interests there and constructed a water and electric light and power plant at Libby, Mon- tana. Soon afterward he was appointed receiver of the Chester Trading Company at Chester, Montana, which required considerable of his attention for a time. In 1913 he came to Great Falls and organized the Shafer Investment Company, and in 1916, in association with his brother Hugh L. Shafer he organized the Great Falls Building, and Loan Asso- ciation, of which he was chosen secretary, treasurer and manager. This has been one of the most suc- cessful enterprises of its character in this part of the state and reflects considerable credit on the conservative and yet wisely liberal policy of its manager. From 1904 to 1910 Mr. Shafer, with Mur- ray H. Deaton engaged in the cattle business on a large scale in Fergus County, Montana. Today Mr. Shafer is numbered among the enterprising, progressive and influential business men of Great Falls, and holds the unequivocal confidence of all who have had business dealings with him.

Politically he supports the republican party, though he entertains no ambitions for political honors or leadership. Fraternally he was made a Freemason in Lewistown Lodge No. 37, of which he later be- came a past master, and demitted to Great Falls Lodge; he is also a member of Hiram Chapter No. 15, Royal Arch Masons, at Lewistown; Black Eagle Commandery No. 8, Knights Templar; Great Falls Consistory of the Scottish Rite, and Algeria Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Helena. He is also a member of the Great Falls Chamber of Commerce.

LOUIS H. KOMMERS has been a well known and popular citizen of Cascade County during a third of a century. A test of his popularity is the fact that he was the only man in the county to serve three consecutive terms in the office of sheriff. Mr. Kom- mers was also chairman of the draft board for Cas- cade County during the World war.

He was born on his father's farm in Wright County, Minnesota, May 6, 1870, being second in a family of thirteen children, eight of whom are still living, born to Adolph and Barbara (Longheart) Kommers. The parents were both natives of Ger- many. His father was brought to America when a child by his parents, who established their home at Green Bay, Wisconsin. Adolph Kommers was educated at Green Bay, and at the beginning of the Civil war volunteered in the Sixteenth Michigan Infantry and saw four years of active service, being a participant in thirty-eight battles. He rose to the grade of sergeant of Company A. At the close of the war, after making a record of which his de- scendants may always be proud, he chose the life of a pioneer in Minnesota, opening up one of the first farms in Wright County. He has followed the business of farming there for half a century and is now seventy-seven years of age, while his wife is seventy-two. He has been honored with several township offices, including township assessor and jus- tice of the peace. He is a republican and a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Louis H. Kommers grew up on his father's farm

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

in Wright County, Minnesota, attended public schools, and at the age of seventeen began earning his own way. For a time he was water boy for a gang of workmen on the Great Northern Railway. Coming to Montana in the spring of 1890, he was employed by the Cascade Land Company three years, and then established his home at Great Falls and was clerk for several stores. He was employed as furnace man, machinist, and electrician with the B. and M. Smelter Company fourteen years. He left that industry to accept appointment as first deputy sheriff under John A. Collins in 1909. After his experience as deputy he was elected and began his first term as county sheriff in 1913 and was re- elected in 1915 and 1917. He is a republican in politics, and is a member of Great Falls Lodge No. 214 of the Order of Elks.

January 18, 1898, Mr. Kommers married Lillian Berteshe. She was born in Michigan, a daughter of Henry J. and Rose M. (Molthen) Berteshe, the former a native of Buffalo, New York, and the latter of Michigan. Her father died in 1905, at the age of fifty-seven. Mrs. Kommers was the oldest in a family of eight children, six of whom are still living. Mr. and Mrs. Kommers have one daughter, Clara J.

IRWIN F. DAVIS was one of the youngest soldiers on the Union side in the Civil war, and was still a young man when he came to Montana more than thirty-five years ago. For many years he was one of the pioneer saw mill operators in the Flathead country, and his name is widely esteemed and known in that section of the state.

He was born in Warren County, New York, Jan- uary I, 1849, a son of W. S. and Margaret' A. (Swartwout) Davis. When he was a child his par- ents moved to Illinois, and he received his early education in that state. At the age of fifteen he ran away from home, and on October 24, 1864, joined the navy. His mother was worried and wrote to the governor of Illinois concerning his where- abouts. It was learned that he had found a berth on the hospital receiving ship Red Rover at Cairo, Illinois. This ship was providing for disabled and wounded soldiers and sailors. Later he was trans- ferred to the Memphis Hospital, and on account of illness was an inmate in that institution three weeks. Following that he was on the gun boat Sybil in the Mississippi River service until the close of the war. He received his honorable discharge at Cairo and returned to Lodi, Illinois.

February 20, 1869, in Wisconsin, Mr. Davis mar- ried Miss Selena R. Mollett. She was born in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, August 4, 1852, a daughter of Nicholas and Rebecca A. (Crawford) Mollett. She acquired her early education in the public schools of Stevensville, Wisconsin. In her younger days in Wisconsin Mrs. Davis was em- ployed as a nurse, and many will remember her skillful care and attention among the sick of the Flathead Valley.

Mfr. Davis came to Montana in May, 1884, and as a sawyer and filer was engaged in the saw milling industry for many years. He helped operate the Patterson Mill at Jefferson City and later operated a mill for the Kalispell Lumber Company in the Flathead country, at the same time improving his farm. He filed on a homestead in 1891, and greatly developed it by the planting of fruit and shade trees. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have seven children: Carrie A., Mattie H., Duane W., Myron I., Myrtle (de- · ceased), William L. and Bert B., all of whom were educated in the public schools of Wisconsin and Montana. Carrie became the wife of Carroll Frank.

Mattie was married to John J. Dyer, who was killed in a logging accident, and the six children of their marriage were Elbert I., Stella (who became the wife of Harry Cook, and they have three children, Elinor, James and Fern), Alice, Ray, Carroll and Glenn. Duane married Anna Leland, and had two children, Arthur, now deceased, and Alice. Myron married Rebecca Cooper, and they were the parents of six sons, Myron, deceased, Maurice, Clayton, Ho- mer, Ernest and Penrod. Myrtle became the wife of Smith W. Sheldon and died at the birth of her only child, Myrtle, who in time was married to Omar Hawes. They have one child, Buddie. Wil- liam L., who was a sergeant major during the Mex- ican border trouble and was a recruiting officer at Butte and Helena during the World war, married Ladessa Streper and has three children, Howard, Hazel and Ellen. Bert B., who was a soldier in the World war at Camp Dodge, being a drill seregant, is a mining engineer at Wolf Creek, Montana.

Mr. and Mrs. Davis are members of the First Presbyterian Church of Kalispell. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Masonic order and the Grand Army of the Republic, while Mrs. Davis is active in the Eastern Star and the Woman's Relief Corps. Politically they are of liberal views and support the candidates best fitted for office. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have made good use of their opportunities since com- ing to Montana, and besides accumulating sufficient material prosperity have reared and trained their children to good citizenship. Besides the children and grandchildren above mentioned they have four great-grandchildren, Eleanor Cook, James Cook, Fern Cook and Buddie Hawes. A number of years ago Mr. and Mrs. Davis planted an orchard of 200 trees a mile northeast of Kalispell, and this orchard is now in full bearing, being twelve years old. There they built the first bungalow in Kalispell.

LOUIS NEWMAN, present mayor of Great Falls, has shown a remarkable ability to adapt himself to cir- cumstances or rather circumstances to his own needs, and has risen from newsboy to success and prestige in business, banking and public affairs in Montana.

Mr. Newman was born in Germany February 27, 1866, a son of Samuel and Bertha (Snider) New- man. His parents spent all their lives in Germany, where his father was a merchant. His father died in 1873 and his mother in 1869. Louis, the second of three children, was left an orphan at the age of seven and soon afterward came to America and acquired most of his education in New York City. While in school he sold papers on the streets of New York, and later was employed by the Union News Company, selling papers and other supplies on trains between New York and Chicago. He studied this line of business thoroughly, and grad- ually acquired a more than individual interest in it. In 1909 Mr. Newman took over the news and lunch system on the Butte division of the Great Northern Railway. Since coming to Montana he has rapidly developed his financial interests and is one of the directors of the Commercial National Bank, the First National Bank of Carter, the West Side State Bank of Great Falls and other banking institutions. For several years he was a resident of Havre, Mon- tana, and was elected mayor of that city in 1904 and again in 1906. In 1918 he was chosen a mem- ber of the Montana Legislature for a two year term, and was elected mayor of Great Falls on April 7, 1919. He is a democrat in politics.

Mr. Newman is active in irrigation work in the state and is now president of the Montana State Irrigation Congress, which has charge of the in- itiative bill that will be submitted to the people at

mr J.7. Davis mas s. R. Davis

Photograph taken In 1870

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

the next election, authorizing the state to issue $20,000,000 in bonds to help finance irrigation enter- prises of the state, the money to be returned within thirty-three years.

Mr. Newman is affiliated with Euclid Lodge No. 58, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, with Butte Consistory of the Scottish Rite, and Algeria Temple of the Mystic Shrine.

November 20, 1897, he married Miss Jennie Sine- berg, a native of New York State. Their three children are Bernice, Edward and Arthur.

ARTHUR J. BREITENSTEIN. The man who has made a success of life and won the honor and esteem of his fellow citizens deserves more than passing notice. Such is the record, briefly stated, of Arthur J. Breitenstein, the well-known manager of the Hotel Rainbow at Great Falls. By a life of per- sistent and well-applied energy and commendable industry led along the most honorable lines, he has justly earned the right to conspicuous mention in a work of the province assigned to the one in hand along with other progressive and public-spirited men of the great Treasure State who have made their influence felt in their respective communities. And because of his unswerving honesty in all his deal- ings with his fellow men, his generous and kindly nature, he has won and retained a host of warm personal friends throughout the locality honored by his citizenship.

Arthur J. Breitenstein is a native son of the old Hawkeye state, having been born at Fort Madison, Iowa, on November 7, 1879, and is the son of Julius F. and Amelia (Noll) Breitenstein. Julius F. Breitenstein was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1843. After completing his education he learned the trade of a machinist, but at the outbreak of the great war between the states he enlisted in the Confederate navy. He was assigned to the "Mer- rimac," one of the most historic boats of the Civil war and which for a time threatened to destroy the Northern navy, and the story of the battles fought by this famous Confederate ram in Hampton Roads is extremely interesting as told by Mr. Breitenstein.

The "Merrimac" was originally a Northern vessel. Set afire in a battle with ships of the Southern navy, the ship was burned almost to the water line. Then it was taken by the Confederate Government and rebuilt. Above the water line the completed vessel showed nothing but iron four inches thick and beneath that was twelve inches of solid oak. The transformed ram carried a crew of two hun- dred and fifty-five men and ten guns, consisting of two seven-inch rifles, two six-inch rifles and six nine-inch smooth bores. The ship was 180 feet in shield length, while fore and aft there was a sixty- five-foot "wash," which was submerged slightly when the ram went into action, giving a total length of 310 feet. Despite the fact that the "Merrimac" was slow and clumsy, and would not last ten minutes in a modern naval battle, the craft was the only armored ship then afloat in the world. On that memorable morning of July 8 the "Merrimac" boldly steamed into Hampton Roads, where the Northern navy lay, and, after setting the "Congress" afire, she steered direct for the "Cumberland," into the side of which she plunged her nose. The "Cumber- land" began to sink at once, and if the "Merrimac" had not succeeded in backing away at once she too would have gone down, but quick action and the fact that the ram's nose was broken off in the impact saved her. It was a terrible experience for the crew, who were cooped inside, with no pos- sible chance to either escape in case of accident or to get away from the awful concussion which fol-

lowed every shot that struck the ram. The next day the "Monitor" came and gave battle to the "Merrimac," one of the most famous naval engage- ments of modern times, because of the character of the two antagonists. At the end of the engage- ment practically every man on the "Merrimac" was bleeding from either the ears or the nose on account of the recoil of their own guns or from the con- cussion of the shots from their opponents.

Mr. Breitenstein has long been engaged in the machinist's trade, in one capacity or another, and he is credited with having originated some valuable improvements on the Westinghouse air brake, now so universally used on railroad cars. At the pres- ent time he is inspector of air brakes for the Chi- cago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad at Burlington. He is a member of the Confederate Veterans Asso- ciation, the American Handicap Association, an asso- ciation of expert gun shots, the meetings of which he has never missed, and is also a member of the Burlington Gun Club. Politically he is a Democrat, while fraternally he is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

In 1873, at Quincy, Illinois, Mr. Breitenstein was married to Amelia Noll, who was born in Quincy in 1850, and to them were born six children, of whom five are still living.

Arthur J. Breitenstein was educated in the pub- lic schools of Burlington, Iowa, to which city his parents had moved. His first employment was as a call boy for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Rail- road, at a salary of $10 per month. He afterward had employment with several other railroads, notably the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific Rail- ways, and in the employ of the latter road he came to Missoula, Montana, in 1900, as a member of the superintendent's office force, where he remained for four years. During the following five years he was manager for a mercantile company, but gave up that position to become secretary of the Missoula Chamber of Commerce, which position he held for three years. His superior executive and administra- tive abilities had become generally recognized and he was induced to become manager of the Montana State Fair, a position of large responsibility, which he occupied for two years. On March 1, 1915, Mr. Breitenstein came to Great Falls as secretary of the Commercial Club, with which he was identi- fied until May 6, 1918, when he became manager of the Hotel Rainbow, one of the best-known and most popular hotels in the Northwest. Mr. Breiten- stein's wide acquaintance, his versatile experience and his natural qualifications peculiarly fit him for his present position, and he is proving very emphati- cally the right man in the right place.

Politically Mr. Breitenstein is an earnest sup- porter of the democratic party. Fraternally he is a member of all the Masonic bodies, including the Commandery of Knights Templar, the Great Falls Consistory (thirty-second degree) of the Scottish Rite, and Algeria Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine at Helena. He was also a charter member of the Great Falls Rotary Club and is a director of the Great Falls Commercial Club.

On December 10, 1903, Mr. Breitenstein was mar- ried to Margaret Gillies, who was born in Burling- ton, Iowa, and to them have been born three chil- dren, Dixon, Margery and Elinor. Mr. Breitenstein has ever taken a commendable interest in the gen- eral welfare of the entire community and is a cham- pion of every movement which promises to advance the best interests of the people. He is a man of pleasing personal address, who has won and re-

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tained a host of warm friends since locating in Great Falls.

ALOYSIUS DOLAN, M. D. It is not always easy to discover and define the hidden forces that have moved a life of ceaseless activity and large pro- fessional success; little more can be done than to note their manifestations in the career of the indi- vidual under consideration. In view of this fact the life of the distinguished physician and public-spirited man of affairs whose name appears above affords a striking example of well defined purpose, with the ability to make that purpose subserve not only his own ends but the good of his fellow men as well. Doctor Dolan has long held distinctive prestige in a calling which requires for its basis sound men- tality and intellectual discipline of a high order, sup- plemented by rigid professional training and thor- ough mastery of technical knowledge, with the skill to apply the same. In his chosen field of endeavor Doctor Dolan has achieved more than ordinary suc- cess, and his eminent standing among the leading medical men of Montana is duly recognized and ap- preciated in Great Falls, the city honored by his residence.

Aloysius Dolan was born in Morris, Grundy County, Illinois, on December 6, 1871, and is the eldest of the three children born to James and Julia (Fitzsimons) Dolan. James Dolan was born in County Clare, Ireland, on May 3, 1841, and in young manhood was brought to the United States by his mother, the trip, which was made by a slow- going sailing vessel, requiring eight weeks, during two weeks of which time they were practically with- out fresh water. Landing at New York City, they soon came west to Rockford, Illinois, where young Dolan received a good practical education in the public schools. His first employment was with the Rockford Fire Insurance Company, now the North American Fire Insurance Company, and it is worthy of special mention that during all these years Mr. Dolan has remained with this company, acting at the present time as a special agent and adjuster. In politics he is a stanch supporter of the democratic party. His wife was born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 3, 1841.

Aloysius Dolan, who is the only survivor of the children born to these parents, received his elemen- tary education in the public schools of Morris, Illinois, where he was reared. He was also a stu- dent in St. Mary's College at St. Mary's, Kansas, where he was graduated with the class of 1893, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He was then a student in Loyola University, Chicago, where he was graduated in 1895, and then, having deter- mined to make the practice of medicine his life work, he matriculated in the medical department.of the University of Illinois, where he graduated in 1898, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Doctor Dolan at once entered upon the active practice of his profession in Chicago, specializing in diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat. On May 28, 1900, Governor J. R. Tanner appointed him to the med- ical department of the Illinois National Guard, from which he resigned in 1905. In 1901 he was appointed assistant superintendent of the children's sanitary department of the Chicago Health Department, and he was also appointed medical advisor to the city attorney, in which capacity he served for two years. In 1912 Doctor Dolan came to Great Falls, per- manently locating here, and since has been closely identified not only with the medical circles of this city, but also with many phases of the community life and the city's development and growth. In 1918 he was commissioned a captain in the United

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Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume III, Part 49

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