Progressive men of the state of Montana, pt 2, Part 148

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 148

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D AVID A. PENRY .- Those who are envious of others who may temporarily hold government stations instead of working for themselves are afforded an object lesson in the life of David A. Penry, who has been in both positions, and his testimony is in favor of the independence of ranch life in Montana. His extensive and valuable ranch property is located twelve miles southeast of Augusta, near Clemons. He was born in Henry county, Iowa, on August 26, 1861. His parents are Thomas and Katherine Penry, the father a native of Ohio, the mother of Indiana. Thomas Penry was for many years engaged in the sad- dlery business, but is now retired and living in Mis- souri. He is one of the few remaining veterans of the Mexican war. Politically he is a stanch Demo- crat and fraternally an Odd Fellow. Mrs. Penry is a devout member of the Methodist church. David A. Penry secured an excellent education in the public schools of Princeton, Iowa. At the age of eighteen he began life as a farmer, working for $15 a month which was later increased to $20.

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At the age of twenty-one years he entered Dunbar Bros.' machine shop and learned the machinist's trade, remaining three years at a salary of $26 per month. In 1885 he removed to Moline, Ill., and secured employment at the Moline pump-works where he remained one year, working for $1.75 per day. Removing to Janesville, Wis., he studied telegraphy, in which he soon became proficient, and going to Chicago, he engaged in commercial operations at a salary of $35 per month. After a a year and a half he went to La Crosse, Wis., where he secured work with the Green Bay & Winona Company for $40 per month, staying there six months, and the next four months he was working for the Southeastern Company.

Going to St. Paul, Minn., he joined the United States signal service and was assigned for duty to Fort Assinniboine, Mont., for one year, to Fort Buford for eight months, and to Fort Shaw for six- teen months. Subsequently he removed to Sun River crossing where he conducted the postoffice, carried on telegraphy and interested himself in other vocations. At Sun River he worked two years at $85 per month and subsequently at Choteau with Julian Bird for $75, at which employ- ment he continued four years, acquiring a full knowledge of the dry goods business. In 1896 he was elected assessor on the Democratic ticket and served efficiently until 1901. He then purchased 320 acres of land twelve miles southeast of Au- gusta and engaged in ranching and stockraising. One hundred and twenty acres of this land are suit- able for cultivation. In September, 1891, Mr. Penry was married to Miss Nora Dailey, a native of Ireland, and daughter of Richard and Katherine Dailey. Her father was engaged in the butcher business. Both of her parents are now dead, and they were members of the Catholic church. Mr. and Mrs. Penry had one child, Thomas, and Mrs. Penry died on February 26, 1896. The second mar- riage of Mr. Penry occurred on May 31, 1898, when he was united to Miss Florence E. Bean, a native of Minnesota. She is the daughter of Joseph and Rachel Bean. Her mother was a native of Norway and her father of New Hampshire, and both are members of the Christian church. They came to Montana in 1882 by railroad to Bozeman, thence by wagon to Prickly Pear valley. Here they en- gaged in farming and stockraising with good suc- cess, but in 1885 they removed to Dearborn can- yon, engaging in ranching and stockraising fifteen miles south of Augusta. Included in this ranch

are 1,680 acres, of which 300 acres are arable. Po- litically Mr. Bean is an active Populist. Mrs. Florence Penry was superintendent of public in- struction for Teton county for two years, and she is a highly accomplished lady and a member of the Christian church. They have one son, Samuel D. Penry. Fraternally Mr. Penry is a Freemason, an Odd Fellow, and politically a Democrat.

B LIN F. PERKINS .- Back to the far distant Pine Tree state must we revert in designating the place of nativity of this well known and pros- perous stockman of Cascade county, for we find that he was born at Unity, Waldo county, Me., July 30, 1851, the son of Ansel and Eleanor Per- kins, natives of the same state, where the father was a prosperous farmer. He and his estimable wife were worthy representatives of that stanch New England stock which has lent vitality to the citizenship of the entire nation. They were de- voted members of the Methodist church ; the father died on November 24, 1884, and his widow still maintains her home in Maine. Blin F. Perkins was afforded excellent educational advantages and in his youth assisted his father in the work of the old homestead farm until attaining his majority. In 1871-2 he devoted his attention to cutting ship timber ; in July, 1873, he removed to Rutland, La Salle county, Ill., where he rented 160 acres of land, upon which he engaged in general farming with excellent success. In the fall of 1874 he went to Stuart, Guthrie county, Iowa, where he associ- ated himself with Hale B. Jackson in renting 500 acres of land upon which they engaged in farming and raising hogs upon an extensive scale. Chol- era caused a great fatality among their herd of swine, entailing a loss of fully $6,000. In the spring of 1877 Mr. Perkins came to Montana, making the trip from Bismarck, N. D., up the Missouri river by boat to Fort Benton. He secured work five miles south of Fort Shaw, where he devoted his at- tention to ranching and dairying until the fall of 1881. In the autumn of the preceding year he had purchased 100 head of cattle, losing seventy-five of the number by reason of the hard winter. In 1883 he sold his cattle and purchased sheep to the num- ber of 2,700 head, having entered into partnership with Mrs. May Brown. At the dissolution of the partnership, in 1886, the band of sheep had in- creased to 5,000 head, and our subject sold his in-

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terest in the same. He rode the range during the season of 1886, after which he took 150 head of cat- tle on shares, having charge of the same until the fall of 1889. He then took 2,500 sheep on shares and kept them until the spring of 1892, when he disposed of his interests, together with his own private ranch property and stock, realizing from these transactions the sum of $7,000. He there- after rode the Chestnut valley range until the spring of 1896, when he took up a homestead claim of 160 acres, to which he has since added until the area of his estate now aggregates 1,600 acres, his ranch being located thirty-two miles south of Cas- cade. Here he has since been successfully engaged in raising sheep and cattle, and also conducted a sawmill business for the past two years. In his political adherency Mr. Perkins is identified with the Democratic party ; fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He has been signally successful in his operations, and enjoys a marked personal popularity.

CHARLES PERKINS .- Among the successful and enterprising sheepgrowers of Choteau county is numbered Mr. Perkins, who was born in Clarinda, Iowa, on October 12, 1859, the son of George and Rebecca (Compton) Perkins. His father was born in Frankfort, Ky., and in that state and in Iowa devoted his attention to farming for many years, becoming one of the pioneers of Iowa, where he retained his residence until 1899, when he removed to San Jose, Cal., where he and his wife, a native of Indiana, have since made their home, retired from active business. Charles Per- kins received his education in the public schools of Clarinda, Iowa, and assisted in the work of the parental homestead until 1875, when he came to the Black Hills, S. D., there with a partner con- ducting sheepraising for one and one-half years, after which he was for several years in the employ of the Northern Pacific, at Glendive and Billings, Mont. In 1882 he went to the Judith basin, where he entered the employ of Frank Bain and worked on the range for six years. In 1892 he became a resident of Choteau county, locating in the district of the Sweet Grass hills, where he took up two squatters' claims in the vicinity of West Butte, his postoffice address being Gold Butte. He eventually entered into partnership with Messrs. Wareham and Evans, and they have fine grazing facilities of

their own and also utilize the surrounding free range, many miles in extent, running an average of about 5,000 head of sheep and recognized as ener- getic and progressive ranchmen. At Fort Benton, on January 25, 1897, Mr. Perkins was united in mar- riage to Miss Rosa Wagner, born at Yankton, S. D., on December 4, 1876. They have a daughter, Maud.

JOSEPH PERRAULT .- Prominently identified with the stockraising business of Cascade coun- ty, and owning a fine ranch, located twelve miles southwest of Belt, Mr. Perrault, known as one of the successful and progressive ranchmen of this section of the state, is eminently entitled to con- sideration. He is a native of the province of Quebec, Canada, where he was born on March 22, 1856, the son of Narcissus and Rose Perrault, both of French descent. They were born in Canada, · and there the father was engaged in work at his trade, that of blacksmith. He made two visits to Montana, where he remained for a time. He died in 1900, and his wife passed away many years pre- viously, in 1869. Both were members of the Ro- man Catholic church.

Joseph Perrault secured his educational disci- pline in the public schools of his native province and continued his studies until 1869. He then secured a position in a mercantile establishment, where he was employed until 1872, when he be- came identified with lumbering in Canada. Giving up his work in this line in 1876 he enlisted in the Northwest Mounted Police of the provincial gov- ernment of Canada, and served in British Columbia for three years. In 1879 he left the service and engaged in various kinds of work until 1881, a part of the time hauling freight from Fort Benton to Fort McLeod with bull teams. In the fall of 1881 he took up a homestead of 160 acres and a desert claim of equal area, and since then has ac- cumulated an additional amount of 320 acres, which he purchased of his father, Narcissus Per- rault. He has been successful in the raising of cattle, having on hand at the present time about 100 head. His operations have been carefully di- rected, he has become one of the leading ranchmen of this section and is held in high esteem by reason of his sterling character and well directed indus- try. In politics he gives his support to the prin- ciples and policies of the Republican party, but has never been an aspirant for public office.

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In November, 1881, Mr. Perrault was united in marriage to Miss Delia Keaster, who was born in Sedalia, Mo., the daughter of Elias and Nancy Keaster, natives of Virginia, the father having there been a farmer by occupation. He died dur- ing the Civil war, and his wife passed away in 1881. Both were zealous members of the Baptist church. To Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Perrault have been born eight children, namely : John L., Mary A., Agnes, Rosa, Joseph, Belle, Frank and Louise.

B ENJAMIN D. PHILLIPS .- One of the ex- tensive stockmen of Montana, Benjamin D. Phillips has passed nearly all of his life in Montana, and is one of her representative and progressive men. He was born in Brigham City, Utah, on May 9, 1857, the son of Benjamin J. Phillips, who was born in Carnarvonshire, Wales, on April 1,. 1830, and emigrated to America when fourteen years of age. Until 1850 his life was passed in Iowa, Utah and California, and he was one of the pioneers of Montana, for he was here in June, 1865, located on a ranch near Deer Lodge, where he con- tinued operations until 1884. From 1884 to 1887 he was ranching and stockgrowing in Fergus county, after which he removed to Oakland, Cal. His wife, whose maiden name was Sarah Davis, was born in Wales, on February 8, 1826. She died in Oakland, Cal., on February 11, 1898.

Mr. Phillips was educated principally in Deer Lodge county, where he remained at the parental home until September, 1878, when, going to Fort Benton, Choteau county, he, in the Highwood mountains, south of that place, took up a squatter's claim on Willow creek, and there gave his atten- tion to stockraising. Here his well directed ef- forts met due reward, but desiring a larger field and accommodations, Mr. Phillips removed to Fergus county in 1881, locating on Wolf creek, where he took up homestead, desert and timber- culture claims. He was here engaged in the rais- ing of sheep and cattle upon an extensive scale until 1890, when he removed to the north side of the Missouri river, and there continued his resi- dence until 1894. In that year Mr. Phillips formed the nucleus of his present extensive estate on Warm Springs creek, Choteau county. This comprises 16,000 acres of fine grazing and agricul- tural land, his ranch property being located eight- een miles from Wagner and twenty-five from

Malta, the nearest railroad point. His postoffice address is Phillips, the office being on his place and named in his honor. Mr. Phillips is one of Montana's successful sheepmen. He is running an average of 40,000 sheep, and through his efforts much has been accomplished for the advancement and material prosperity of the interests he so ably represents. Although retaining his interests in Montana, Mr. Phillips resided in Oakland, Cal., from 1890 until 1894, being there engaged in the real estate business.

In connection with public affairs in Choteau county Mr. Phillips has played an important part, and he is known as one of the wheelhorses of the Republican party. In 1896 he was elected to the lower house of the legislature of Montana, serving with such ability that he was looked upon as the legitimate Republican candidate for senatorial hon- ors, and was nominated and elected to the state senate in the fall of 1898. He is the present in- cumbent of this dignified and responsible office, and is one of the strongest men in this strong body, doing much to promote the welfare of the com- monwealth with whose interests he has been iden- tified from childhood. Fraternally Mr. Phillips holds membership in Benton Lodge No. 25, A. F. & A. M., at Fort Benton; and belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and to the Knights of Pythias at Oakland, Cal. At Oakland, Cal., on June 20, 1886, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Phillips and Miss Emma Mayer. She was born in Milwaukee, Wis., on June 5, 1866. They have had seven children, of whom three are de- ceased, Daniel J., who died in 1889, aged twenty- two months ; Charles, who also died in 1889, at the age of eight months; and Edward, who died De- cember 18, 1891, aged one year. The survivors are Benjamin M., Walter W., Sarah and Roy.

C 'LARENCE B. PERKINS, who has the dis- tinction of being president of the board of county commissioners of Teton county, is recog- nized as one of the progressive farmers and stock- growers of his section and as a representative man of his county. Mr. Perkins was born in South Valley, Oswego county, N. Y., on July 15, 1855, the son of Rufus and Clarissa (Rice) Perkins, the former of whom was born in Vermont in 1807 of French lineage. Mr. Perkins supplemented his early public school training by a course of study in

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the normal school at Darlington, Wis., and at the age of sixteen came to the Black Hills, S. D., where he arrived in 1875, and was there engaged in prospecting and mining for three years. In Jan- uary, 1878, Mr. Perkins went to the Cheyenne reservation in Dakota for one year, after which he came to Montana, arriving in Fort Benton in May, 1879, and thence making his way to the Three Forks district of the Gallatin valley, and was there employed in a general store.

In June, 1882, Mr. Perkins came to Teton coun- ty, then a part of Choteau county, and located three claims of government land on Dupuyer and Deep creeks, five miles northeast of the present village of Dupuyer. He has since purchased land until his estate now aggregates 500 acres. Here he has been very successfully engaged in the raising of cattle, and also secures excellent yields of hay from his ranch, which is provided with effective ir- rigation. He also owns a seventeen-acre addition to the town site of Dupuyer, having purchased this in 1899, and it is being improved with numerous residences. Mr. Perkins gives unswerving al- legiance to the Republican party and he has been prominent in public affairs of a local nature. In 1898 he was elected one of the county commission- ers of Teton county and is the president of the board. Fraternally he is identified with Mountain Meadow Lodge No. 234, Woodmen of the World, at Dupuyer. At Holy Family Mission, Mont., in April, 1892, Mr. Perkins was united in marriage to Miss Sarah A. Dean, who was born in Lancashire, England, August 17, 1857, and they have three children, Clara, Everett and Curtis J.

BENJAMIN A. PERHAM, one of the energetic citizens of Butte, who has added to its busi- ness reputation, is a young man who has won prominence by the sheer force of indomitable per- severance and superior ability. His birthright has been the great northwest and of this he has availed himself at every opportunity. He was born at Hood River, Ore., on April 16, 1879, the son of Eugene L. and Margaret L. (Geary) Perham. The father was a civil engineer of note and an eminent judge of the district court. He was born on Au- gust 30, 1827, and passed away from earth on De- cember 9, 1891. The mother, a native of West Allegheny, Ohio, was the daughter of Edward R. Geary, a Presbyterian minister of Pennsylvania,

and, without doubt the first clergyman of that denomination to visit Oregon. In the graded and high schools of Portland; Ore., Mr. Perham obtained an excellent business education and when only twelve years of age he assumed charge of his father's ranch, which he conducted with the ability of a man of twice his years. He then engaged with the celebrated Goodyear Rubber Company in Portland as salesman, continuing this for nearly two years. In 1898 he came to Butte, Mont., where he engaged in contracting work with his brothers, who are still interested in that employment. Mr. Perhanı was also with the Silver Bow Electric Sup- ply Company as bookkeeper for one year, subse- quently engaging in business for himself with A. D. Mitchell in the Unique Tailoring Company, a profitable enterprise, in which he is still inter- ested. Fraternally Mr. Perham is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and the Broth- erhood of American Yeomen. He is a man of strong integrity and has a host of warm friends.

G EORGE PHILIPSON .- It might appropri- ately be said of Mr. Philipson that he was reared in an atmosphere of finance and statecraft. In his native city of Fredericksborg, Denmark, where he was born on September 20, 1870, his father, Charles Philipson, a native of the same place, was president of the leading bank and for many years a representative in the Reichstag. He died in Fredericksborg in 1876, leaving a widow, of French descent but also a native of Denmark, where she is still living with her two daughters, and who before her marriage bore the name of Caroline Langdore. Mr. Philipson began his edu- cation in the public schools at Fredericksborg and was graduated from the high school at the age of seventeen. He then pursued a six months' course at a military school at Copenhagen. In 1888 he emigrated to the United States, and came at once to Montana, locating at Anaconda, where he learned the trades of bookbinding and pressman. In 1891 he removed to Helena and worked for two years as assistant mailing clerk for the Daily Inde- pendent of that city. In the spring of 1893 he trav- eled overland from Helena to the Bear Paw coun- try, and in 1894 took up a homestead in the lower Clear creek basin, where he has since been en- gaged in farming and stockraising on a scale of some magnitude and with good profits. He started

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ranching with only thirty cents in money, and now, after seven years of industry and thrift, has a well- improved farm in a state of fine fertility, producing large annual crops of grain and hay, and support- ing liberally a large herd of cattle. In politics Mr. Philipson is a Republican and takes a prominent part in all local public affairs. For years he has been one of the judges of the primary elections, and has rendered efficient service to his party in other capacities. He is a man of excellent stand- ing.

CHARLES J. PERRY .- In retrospective view it seems only a few years since Montana was 011 the very frontier of civilization, and yet the lapse of years may be appreciated when we revert to those who are now prominent in the business and industrial life of a great and enlightened common- wealth and yet who figure as native sons of the state. Such is the case with Mr. Perry, who is extensively engaged in raising live stock on the Fort Belknap Indian reservation, where he also conducts a successful mercantile business, his post- office address being Harlem, Choteau county. Mr. Perry was born at old Fort Browning, at the mouth of Peoples creek on the Fort Belknap reser- vation, in January, 1867, from which date it may be discerned that his parents were among the pioneers of Montana. His father, Charles Perry, was born in Massachusetts, on July 1, 1841. He came to Montana as a young man, and in 1866 at Fort Browning, took unto himself a wife in the person of Red Horns, a good woman of the Assinni- boine Indian tribe, who assumed the Christian name of Bridget after her marriage. She was the mother of Charles J. Perry, and she separated from Mr. Perry, her first husband, in 1877, and in 1882 she became the wife of Daniel Kuhnkenn. Charles Perry, Sr., devoted his attention for many years to buffalo hunting, and he was drowned in the Milk river at Hinsdale, on July 5, 1897.

Charles J. Perry received excellent educational advantages, having been sent to the Santee Nor- mal School at Santee, Knox county, Neb., where he was graduated as a member of the class of 1888, completing both the industrial and literary courses. In June of that year he returned to his home in Montana, and was employed in the mines at Maiden, Fergus county, until 1891. In Decem- ber, 1891, he came to St. Paul's mission, on the Fort Belknap reservation, and located on his pres-

ent ranch, which has now 320 acres under fence and is equipped with good improvements in other respects, while he also has access to a great area of grazing land in the range, and is giving his at- tention to the raising of cattle and horses, conduct- ing operations on a large scale and meeting with well merited success. In 1897 Mr. Perry opened a general store on his ranch, and here he carries a good stock of merchandise and secures a large trade. He is a thorough business man, having al- ready accumulated a competence, and is one of the influential citizens of the community in which he lives. Mr. Perry has been twice married. At the Belknap agency, on April 26, 1894, he wedded Josephine Ball, a Sioux woman, whose death oc- curred on New Year's day, 1897. She left one child, James, now eight years of age (1901). In 1898 Mr. Perry married Mary Haley, of the Gros Ventre Indian race, who was born near Fort Benton, in 1882, and they have two children, Thomas Charles and Ella Martha. Mr. Perry is a man of integrity and honor, has a good home and is respected by all who know him.

C HARLES PETERSON, one of the leading stockmen of Teton county, located near Browning, is a type of the many energetic Mon- tanians who have conquered adversity and achieved independence in cattle ranching, and this, too, when all other alluring projects had failed. In the local- ity in which he resides he is recognized as having great force of character and superior business ca- pacity. He was born in Sweden, on September 13, 1854, his father, Peter Nelson, a farmer, dying in 1890. His mother, Johanna Nelson, survived her husband but four years, passing away in 1894. Ac- cording to the Swedish custom the last name of our subject became Peterson, as he was the son of Peter. The limited education received by Charles Peterson was obtained in the night schools and Sunday-schools of his native place. The first em- ployment he secured after coming to the United States in 1870, was in construction work on the Northern Pacific Railroad, then building west from St. Paul, Minn. Later he was a brakeman and served in other positions. In the fall of 1874 he- went to the headwaters of the Mississippi river and worked during the winter at logging in the pineries.

In the spring of 1875 he went to Bismarck, N. D., and subsequently to the Black Hills, now in

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South Dakota. In company with Joseph Pennels, scout "Calf Joe," Robert Roberts and a Mr. Dodd, prominent residents of Bismarck, and eighty-four others, he prospected and mined in the Elkhorn bar and Gold Run gulch districts until June, 1877. He then joined a sensational stampede to the Big Horn mountains, prospected there for a short time with indifferent success, and went to Clark's fork on the Yellowstone, and from there to Bozeman. During the winter of 1877-8 he continued pros- pecting on Sun river, thirty miles above Hot Springs. In April, 1878, he removed to Fort Ben- ton, and was employed in the store of Kleinschmidt Brothers five and one-half years. The next two seasons Mr. Peterson and a Mr. Price conducted a general store at Castner's, now Belt, and subse- quently he prospected one summer in the Little Rockies. From 1892 to 1894 he was assistant farmer at the Blackfoot sub-agency at Cut Bank. At Fort Benton, in 1879, Mr. Peterson was mar- ried to Miss Maggie Belledeaux. They have five children, Oscar, Walter, Frank, Melvin and Mitch- ell, aged twenty-one, eighteen, sixteen, fourteen and twelve years, respectively. Mr. Peterson is prominently identified with the Republican party.

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Progressive men of the state of Montana, pt 2, Part 148

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