Progressive men of the state of Montana, pt 2, Part 125

Author: Bowen, A.W., & Co., firm, publishers, Chicago
Publication date: [19-?]
Publisher: Chicago : A. W. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 1092

USA > Montana > Progressive men of the state of Montana, pt 2 > Part 125

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THOMAS BOYCE .- The parents of this pros- perous and industrious miner, Thomas and Margaret (Cleator) Boyce, were born in the Isle of Man, where Thomas himself came into being on July 2, 1855. His father was a miner and died in the place of his nativity in 1894. His wife also died there. Mr. Boyce was educated in the public schools of his native island. When he was fourteen years old he came to the United States, coming di- rect to Virginia City, Nev., where he worked in the old Hale and Norcross, Dunburg, Hamburg and Utica mines until 1877. In that year he removed to the Salmon river mining district in Idaho, but after passing one summer there returned to Nevada, locating at Eureka, where he remained until 1879. In the fall of 1878 he was one of the discoverers

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of the Wood river mines in Idaho, and there located more than 100 claims, many proving valuable, not- ably the Green Horn and Occidental.

On July 16, 1883, he left the Wood river country with sixteen men for Sonora, Mexico, but on the way the party was attacked by old Geronimo and his band, and all were killed but Mr. Boyce, Edward Cowell and Frank Mather. Mr. Boyce then located in Butte, Mont., which has ever since been his home. He passes the summers in prospecting and in winter finds profitable employment as a foreman in the mechanical department of the mines. In his career as a prospector he has located nearly 400 claims in widely separated portions of the country in some of which he still holds valuable interests, the most promising being in Summit Valley, Idaho. Seven years of his life were passed in the hills of Idaho, and he is familiar with nearly every portion of the mineral producing regions of that state. He has been a pioneer in many sections, having built the first house at Belleview in the Wood river district and also the first one at Ketchum in the same section. Both of these places have since become large and progressive towns. . Mr. Boyce belongs to Butte Lodge No. 1, A. O. U. W., he was a charter member.

CHARLES J. BRACKETT is a native of Brook- lyn, N. Y., where he was born on September 4, 1867. His parents were Charles L. and Frances J. (Smith) Brackett, the former a native of Dedham, Mass., and the latter of Bridgeport, Conn. The mother is still living in Brooklyn. He is a de- scendant of Abraham Brackett, one of the "minute men" of Revolutionary fame, who enlisted at the age of sixty-four. He was a descendant of that William Brackett honorably mentioned in the old chronicles as a member of Capt. John Mason's La- conia company who landed in New Hampshire in 1630. One of Mr. Brackett's distinguished an- cestors on the maternal side was Thomas Smith, of East Haven, who settled in Connecticut in 1660.

Mr. Brackett, in the public schools of Brooklyn, took elementary and grammar school courses, but was compelled to abandon his intention of acquiring a university education owing to his father's fatal illness, which obliged him to leave school and go to work, which he did in the office of a wholesale mer- cantile house at the age of fifteen. After a number of years faithful service here he went into the

metal brokerage business in New York, which he was soon compelled to relinquish by failing health and take a trip to Florida to recuperate. After his recovery and return he went to the Connecticut State School at Storrs, and then lived with the Shakers at Enfield, Conn., for a short time. In 1890 Mr. Brackett came to Montana in the service of the government on the Missouri river improvement sur- vey, under command of Lieut. Chittenden, and when through with that work he located in Helena. His knowledge and skill as an accountant and his judg- ment of values, acquired in a long practice and through close observation, made him the choice of the authorities for the office of deputy assessor for the county, an office which he filled for three con- secutive terms with ability and general approval. Fraternally he is identified with the Woodmen of the World and the Sons of the American Revolu- tion, being treasurer of the local organization of the last named. While he was in New York he was a member of the Twenty-third Regiment of the National Guard.

Mr. Brackett married on October 23, 1893, at Spokane, Wash., with Miss Frances Allaire Smith, of Jacksonville, Fla., a daughter of C. H. Smith, secretary of the board of trade of that city. They had two children, Frances Allaire and Grace Thel- ma, both born at Helena, where Mrs. Brackett died on December 23, 1899. On September 23, 1901, Mr. Brackett contracted a second marriage, his choice being Miss Bertha Thompson, of Helena. Their nuptials were solemnized at Butte. Mr. Brackett is actively engaged in business as a real estate agent and collector, and enjoys the confidence and esteem of a large body of patrons. In his real estate oper- ations he exhibits good judgment and an aggressive enterprise;' and in his collections he has a high reputation for success without offensive persistency. It has been said of him that while "he cannot get blood out of a turnip, he can get sugar out of a beat," and this aptly describes his success.

W J. BRATTON, one of the energetic and progressive farmers and stockmen of Cas- cade county, is a native of the state of Indiana, having been born at Indianapolis, its capital city, on April 24, 1858. His parents were Henry J. and Amanda E. Bratton, the former a native of Illinois and the latter of North Carolina. His father was a mail carrier from the post office at In-

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dianapolis, of which position he was incumbent at the time of his death in his fifty-sixth year. The mother is still living in the capital of Indiana. W. J. Bratton received the educational advantages in the public schools of his native city, where he continued his studies until he was seventeen years old, when he found employment in a drug store, where he remained until 1880, when he came to Fort Benton, Mont., remained a short time and then secured work on a ranch on Box Elder creek, where he remained until 1883, after which he was for three years engaged in hunting, fishing and trapping in company with Messrs. Willett and Currier. In 1886 he took up as a pre-emption claim his present ranch of 160 acres, which is lo- cated in the Evans district, where he is success- fully engaged in the raising of cattle. He began operations with three head and at the present time has 100 head of good stock in this line, also keeping a sufficient number of horses for his own use. He has been prosperous and is well satisfied with the opportunities afforded him in Montana.

G EORGE L. BOWLES, who is one of the repre- sentative citizens and business men of Lan- dusky, Chotean county, and who has been a resident of Montana for more than a score of years, is a native of Kentucky and a representative of one of its pioneer families. He was born in Hardin county, on December 28, 1847, and the son of John Bowles, who was born in Kentucky about 1820, and who there devoted his life to agricultural pursuits, his death occurring at Mumfordsville, Hart county, in 1867. His wife, whose maiden name was Re- becca Ruth, also passed her entire life in the same state, dying in 1850. George L. Bowles received his early education in the Boiling Spring school, in Kentucky, until he had attained the age of four- teen years, when on June 30, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Company I, Twenty-sixth Kentucky Infantry, with which he served until the close of the war, receiving his honorable discharge on June 30, 1865, participating in nearly all the principal en- gagements during his time of service, while he was fortunate in being neither wounded nor taken pris- oner. After the war Mr. Bowles associated himself with his brother Albert and engaged in agricultural pursuits in Hart county, Ky., being thus engaged until 1868, when he removed to Missouri, where he was employed as a fireman on the Chicago &

Southwestern Railroad for three years. In 1871 he established a wood yard in Omaha, Neb., con- ducting it until 1874 and devoting the ensuing three years to farming and stockraising on the Loop river in the same state.

In the spring of 1877 Mr. Bowles drove a bull team from Sidney, Neb., across the plains to Mon- tana, making Fort Custer his destination, and there raising hay until the spring of 1878, and from May, 1878, until the fall of 1879 he maintained his resi- dence at Hunter's Springs. In the fall mentioned he went to Yogo gulch in the Judith basin, being there engaged in mining during the winter, while in the fall of 1880 he went to Bozeman, where he was employed in getting out logs for Perkins & Stone, later being similarly engaged in the employ of George W. Flanders & Co. From 1883 to 1885 he made his headquarters in Marysville, his health being seriously impaired during this interval, and thereafter he devoted one and one-half years to logging for Sanford & Evans, of Helena, while in the following year he was in the same occupation at Boulder. In the spring of 1890 Mr. Bowles took up a ranch one mile west of the village of Harlem, Choteau county, and was there engaged in stock- raising for seven years, thereafter for a year being in the liquor business in Harlem. In the fall of 1898 Mr. Bowles came to Landusky and here associated himself with C. W. Powell in merchandising. He purchased his partner's interest in the firm in the spring of 1899, and continued operations individu- ally until July, 1901, when he sold a half-interest to the Harlem Mercantile Company, of which he is a member, and the enterprise is being success- fully continued.

In politics Mr. Bowles has been unwavering in his adherency to the principles of the Republican party, in whose cause he has ever taken a lively in- terest. In 1894 he was elected justice of the peace at Harlem, serving in this office for two years, and he was also a member of the board of school trus- tees at that place for five years. Mr. Bowles now holds the office of postmaster at Landusky, and is giving a careful attention to the duties thus de- volving upon him. His popularity is unmistakable in the community and he commands the confidence of all with whom he comes in contact in the various relations of life. In Hart county, Ky., in 1866, Mr. Bowles was united in marriage to Miss Eunice King, who died in the following year, and on August 6, 1901, he consummated a second union, his marriage to Mrs. Alice C. (Wheeler) Dyas,

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being solemnized near Harlem. She was born at Columbus, Ohio, in 1862, and accompanied her parents to Montana in the early 'seventies. Her fa- ther, William Wheeler, was United States marshal at Helena for eight years, and later was for several years librarian of the state historical society. Mrs. Bowles' first husband was John P. Dyas, and of that union two children were born, Lucille and George S., both of whom remain at the parental home.

W ILLIAM J. BROWN .- For three decades this honored gentleman has been identified with the industrial life of Montana, and may be consistently termed a pioneer, and it is with pleas- ure that we present in this connection a brief re- view of his career. Mr. Brown was born at Platts- burg, Clinton county, N. Y., on February 3. 1833, the son of Robert and Sarah Brown, both of whom were natives of the Emerald Isle, descending from stanch old Irish lineage. Robert Brown emi- grated to America when a young man, locating in St. Lawrence county, N. Y., where he devoted his attention to farming until his death in 1885, at a venerable age. His widow died at Platts- burg, N. Y., about 1837. William J. Brown re- ceived his early education in the public schools of Edwards, St. Lawrence county, N. Y., and after- ward continued to assist in the cultivation and management of the parental farmstead until 1862, when he came westward to the Pacific coast and to California. There he located on the old Govern- ment ranch on the Sacramento river, the prop- erty of C. S. Hastings, of San Francisco. There Mr. Brown resided eight years, working the ranch on shares and conducting general farming and stockraising.

In 1871 Mr. Brown came to Montana by the way of Ogden, Salt Lake City and Corinne, Utah, to Helena, and then going to the Sun river district, where he passed the years of 1872 and 1873. He then purchased eight yokes of oxen and was for eight years engaged in successful freighting be- tween Fort Benton and Helena, Bozeman and Deer Lodge. In 1882 he came to Choteau county and located in the Sweet Grass hills, where he devoted his attention to prospecting and mining for seven years, and in 1893 he located a squat- ter's claim of 320 acres, and has since been suc- cessfully engaged in gardening, finding a ready market for his products and showing discrimina-

tion in the carrying on of this industry. Gold Butte is his postoffice address. In politics Mr. Brown renders a stanch allegiance to the Demo- cratic party and its principles, and he is honored as one of the pioneers of the state.

ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL who owns a fine ranch of 320 acres, located in the Evans district of Cascade county, and who has here been very suc- cessful in his operations as a grower of horses and cattle, is a native of Manila, County Victoria, Canada, where he was born on March 2, 1852, the son of Hugh and Kate Campbell, both of whom were born in Scotland, whence they emigrated to the dominion of Canada. In 1869 they removed to Independence, Iowa, and later to the vicinity of Waterloo of that state, where the father was en- gaged in farming until 1878, then removing to Plymouth county, there continuing in agricultural pursuits until 1896 when he retired from active business and with his wife took up his residence in Lemars, the county seat, which has ever since been their home. Archibald Campbell passed his boyhood days under the sturdy discipline of the farm and attended the public schools of Canada until 1869, when he came with his parents on their removal to Iowa, in which state he made his home until June 9, 1881, when he embarked on the Mis- souri river and made his way to Rocky Point, Mont., and thence to Fort Benton, in which place he arrived on the 19th of December of the same year. After a short interval he proceeded to Fort Assinniboine and in that section was engaged in freighting until the spring of 1882 when he came to Helena and in that vicinity was employed on various ranches until 1885, when he bought a ranch . of 160 acres, near the city, placing forty acres of the tract under cultivation and disposing of the property in 1887 for $2,000. He then came to Great Falls where he purchased a ranch of 160 acres in the vicinity of Evans and he has brought all but thirty acres under effective cultivation. Iii the fall of 1889 he began the raising of cattle and horses, starting with twenty-five head of cattle and nine head of horses, and he has at the present time 235 head of cattle and forty horses. In 1898 Mr. Campbell purchased 320 acres of land adjoining his original place, so that he has ample accommoda- tion for his stock and for raising sufficient crops of hay to maintain the same through the winter.

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P ATRICK BROGAN is a native of Ireland, born in March, 1844, and where his father and mother were also born, and were members of families that had lived there from time immemorial. His father was Thomas and his mother Rose Bro- gan. They had nine children, of whom he was the second. He attended school until he was six- teen, then came to the United States and passed four years in mining coal in Carbon county, Pa., after which he mined for gold two years at Wil- low Springs, in Sacramento county, Cal. He came to Montana in 1865, and has ever since been en- gaged in mining at Elk creek, where he has large mining interests. In 1884 he bought 320 acres of land near New Chicago in Granite county, on which he makes his home, carries on general ranching and raises stock in considerable quantities. In poli- tics Mr. Brogan is an ardent Democrat, and at one time was postmaster at Yreka, Mont., when that was a busy mining camp. In religious af- filiaton he was reared a Catholic. He was married in April, 1883, in Luzerne county, Pa., to Miss Mary Dugan. They have seven children, Thomas, John, Patrick, Margaret, James, Hugh and Rose. Through struggles and privations Mr. Brogan has reached a position in which all the conditions of life are agreeable, and has acquired it by his own force of character, industry and business ca- pacity, without the aid of fortune's favors or the help of friends. He is safe from the reach of ad- versity in worldly matters, has the confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens, is blessed with an interesting family that is a credit to him, and has an influential voice in matters affecting the welfare of the community.

THOMAS H. CANNON .- Following a life of western hardships and many of the vicissi- tudes as well as pleasures incident to Montana pioneering the gentleman whose name heads this sketch is now enjoying the comforts and profits of ranch life in the Blackfoot valley. Thomas H. Cannon, of Ovando, Powell county, is one of the old-time residents of Montana who is thoroughly posted on all its various resources and attractions. He was born at Elgin, Ill., in 1840, and his parents were Jerome B. and Sarah (Allen) Cannon. The father was a native of Maine and a farmer, who at the age of thirty removed to Illinois and located at Elgin, where he resided until his death in 1886.

The mother, Mrs. Sarah Cannon, who died in 1890, was born in the north of Ireland of Scotch-Irish parentage ; her family immigrated to Canada and later to the United States. "Tom" H. Cannon is a bachelor, and a typical Montana pioneer, having reached Alder gulch on May 18, 1864. Leaving his eastern home for this destination in 1863 he was more than a year on the way. He came with quite a large party of prospectors and fortune- seekers who followed mule teams across the plains from Omaha, Neb. Mr. Cannon remained at Alder gulch until 1865, when came reports of fabu- lous strikes at Last Chance gulch, and he went there remained two years and reaped the rewards of the average placer miner. Subsequently he went to the Blackfoot country and followed mining for a number of years. He experienced all the hard- ships and experiences typical of western mining life in those pioneer days, when it was by no means an infrequent incident for him to make $500 a day by washing gold. But he discovered that all the money to be accumulated in Montana did not lie in "pay-streak," or creek bed, and in 1890 he set- tled down to ranch life, purchasing 160 acres of land three miles southeast of Ovando. By many improvements he has increased the value of this property until it is one of the most eligible loca- tions in the Blackfoot valley.

LJANS BRUSGARD was born on November 22, 1844, the son of John and Amelia Brus- gard, also natives of Norway, where the father was engaged in dealing in merchandise, tim- ber and coal, meeting with comparatively good success. Both of the parents were members of the Lutheran church. The mother died in 1885 and two years later was followed by her husband. Hans Brusgard received only an ordinary education, and at the age of sixteen years went to sea as an apprentice, receiving $5 per month as wages. At the termination of his first year he was given a position as an ordinary seaman at a wage of only $7.00 a month, and this was continued for two years. during which time he visited many different por- tions of the globe. Following this he was suc- cessively promoted to able seaman at $10 per month for four years, then second mate at $15 per month for one year, with a "raise" to $20 while holding the same position, then as first mate for three years and last as captain at a salary of $35

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per month. In this latter berth he remained for ten years. There are few important sea ports of the world that were not visited by Capt. Brusgard during these last ten years of seafaring life. Fol- lowing this he acquired an interest in the vessel, which he sold for $2,000.

In 1883 Capt. Brusgard came to Montana. Truly he was not exactly a pioneer, but the coun- try was still a territory and the wilderness was rugged. He located at Helena, worked in a res- taurant for $40 per month, and after one year's experience in this enterprise he secured pre-emp- tion and homestead claims comprising 320 acres in the vicinity of Augusta, Lewis and Clarke county. This tract of land, lying five miles south of Augusta, he improved, engaged in stockraising and gardening, and he has met with unqualified success in both of these branches of pastoral in- dustry. On August 15, 1876, Mr. Brusgard was married to Miss Hannah Eklund, a native of Fin- land, the daughter of Jacob and Johanna Eklund, also natives of Finland, where the father followed the trade of a stone mason, and died on Septem- ber 29, 1898. The mother still resides with her children in Finland. To Mr. and Mrs. Brusgard have been born four children, Olaf F., Amelia H., Harold S. and Clara S. The parents are members of the Methodist church, and fraternally Mr. Brus- gard is a master Mason. Politically he is a Repub- lican and says he has never seen cause to regret his coming to the territory of Montana. The family are highly esteemed.

TRA BROWN .- Having been identified with the industrial activities of Montana for more than a quarter of a century, and now the manager of the Gold Butte Mining Company, in which he is a stockholder, Mr. Brown was born in Keokuk, Iowa, on March 4, 1854, the son of Avery and Eliz- abeth (Boatman) Brown, both of whom were born in Ohio. As a young man Avery Brown re- moved to Iowa, locating near Keokuk. Here he de- voted his attention to farming until his death. His widow now maintains her residence in Los Angeles, Cal. Ira Brown was reared on the Iowa homestead and his education was secured in the schools of Keokuk. At the age of eighteen he went to Red Bluff, Cal., but soon, in 1874, came to Montana, locating in the Chestnut valley, in Cas- cade county, where he was identified with sheep-

growing for eight years, while from 1882 until 1890 he conducted the same enterprise in the vicin- ity of Dupuyer, Teton county. In 1890 he dis- posed of his sheep and has since been manager of the Gold Butte Mining Company, in which he owns one-fourth interest. This valuable prop- erty is located on Willow creek, one and one- half miles from the town of Gold Butte, and, under the effective management of Mr. Brown, its devel- opment is being prosecuted with success. This gentleman possesses distinctive individuality and excellent executive ability, and under his direction the business of the company is destined to be profitable. Mr. Brown gives stanchest allegiance to the Republican party, and he has been an active and effective worker for its cause in a local way. He is a man of broad information and business tact and ability, while his probity of character has gained and retained to him the confidence and esteem of his fellow men.

W ILLIAM T. CAPLE .- Among the number who have contributed to the mighty results of human enterprise in this favored region both by their skill and their industry, the Caples are en- titled to honorable mention. The elder Mr. Caple was a native of Tennessee. His educational ad- vantages were limited, being in early life required to make his own way in the world. He left Ten- nessee in 1854, going to Webster county, Mo., where he married Miss Armelo Vettito, of that county, and settled on a farın with the expecta- tion of passing his life in that vocation. But in 1884 he came to Montana with his family, located on Burnt Fork in Ravalli county, purchased a ranch and took up a claim, and remained on his land, farming it successfully and raising stock in good numbers, until, with the idea of retiring from active life, he sold his property and bought a home in Stevensville. Not liking a residence in town, how- ever, he sold it and removed to his son's ranch, where he and his wife now live in a house to themselves. In 1861 Mr. Caple offered his services as a soldier in the Union army, but from physical disability was rejected.

William T. Caple is the only child of this worthy couple and he was born on July 14, 1856, in Web- ster county, Mo., where he attended the public schools until he was seventeen years old, then worked on the farm with his father until January,

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1884, when the whole family came to Montana, lo- cating on Burnt Fork in the Bitter Root valley. Here he rented land and ranched for two years, and then bought a ranch on which he is still living, en- gaged in farming and raising cattle, and he has been very successful, applying to his operations the most advanced methods and the best intelligence. His ranch is a model of neatness, systematic ar- rangement and development, is well improved with good buildings and is equipped with all appurten- ances necessary for its purpose. One feature of especial interest and value is a fruitful and prom- ising orchard, which is the product of Mr. Caple's own enterprise and skillful adaptation of means. Like his father, he is in politics an ardent and zeal- ous Democrat, and in religious affiliation a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, South. He was married at Marshfield, Mo., on September 18, 1879, to Miss Josie Buck, daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth Buck, prosperous farmers of that neighborhood. Mr. and Mrs. Caple have four chil- dren, Lola, now the wife of James Burgoine, who owns and lives on an adjoining ranch; Windsor, aged twenty ; Bessie, aged nine, and Edward, seven. Both father and son are highly respected in the the neighborhood, and the whole family has a large number of friends.

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Progressive men of the state of Montana, pt 2, Part 125

Author: Bowen, A.W., & Co., firm, publishers, Chicago Publication date: [19-?] Publisher: Chicago : A. W. Bowen & Co. Number of Pages: 1092

Author: Bowen, A.W., & Co., firm, publishers, Chicago
Publication date: [19-?]
Publisher: Chicago : A. W. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 1092