Progressive men of the state of Montana, pt 2, Part 7

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 7

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JOHN CILANDER, one of the progressive and successful ranchmen and stockraisers of Car- bon county, is a native of Sweden, where he was born September, 1840, a son of Anderson Cilander, who was a large landowner and prosperous farmer in that country. His son John passed his school days in his native land, remaining on the home- stead until 1870, when he came to the United States. After remaining a year in Iowa, where he had a sister living, he went to St. Louis and passed six years in the employ of the Chicago & Rock

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Island Railroad. From there he went to Mani- toba and remained four years, engaged in store- keeping and the hotel business. He was very suc- cessful at the start, but owing to the failure of a contractor he lost $2,600 and had but little left. He then came to Montana, and after remaining a short time near where the town of Billings now stands, took up land on the Musselshell and started in the stock business with a few head of cattle. He remained there two years and, his land being claimed by the railroad company, then located on the Yellowstone, ten miles below Billings, where he passed two years as a tenant, and then engaged in cattleraising twenty-eight miles north of Bill- ings. In 1897 he removed to his present ranch, four miles northeast of Gebo, having sold his cattle and retained his sheep, of which he has about 5,000.

Mr. Cilander was married in September, 1877, to Miss Bertie Johnson, a native of Iceland. She came to America with her mother, who is still liv- ing with her. Mr. and Mrs. Cilander have four children : Charles, Salma, Jennie and Nellie. Their home is one of the most attractive in the county. The ranch contains 500 acres, and is im- proved with a comfortable two-story house which has recently been erected. The land is partially irrigated, and when a new ditch now under con- tract is completed, Mr. Cilander is to have 400 inches of water out of it, which will enable him to irrigate the entire tract. His crops of hay and oats are large and of excellent quality. He is a skillful farmer, and applies to his business the in- telligence acquired by reading and observation, being up to date in every way. He is a highly re- spected citizen, and is much esteemed as a neight- bor and friend by a large circle of acquaintances.

ILLIAM CHOISSER .- Descended from dis- tinguished French ancestry, William Chois- ser, of Forsyth, was born at Raleigh, Saline county, Ill., October 31, 1837, and was there reared and educated. His father, William, was a native of Illinois and a farmer, and his grandfather of France. In 1864 William removed to Minnesota, but in 1868 returned to Illinois and there engaged in farming until 1885, when he came to Montana, locating at Miles City, and the next spring took up a homestead in the Rosebud valley twelve miles from Forsyth, which has since been his home. To

the original tract of 160 acres he has added 320 in the valley and 680 of adjoining bench lands, all of which is devoted to farming and stockraising, both cattle and horses. From 1886 to 1898 Mr. Choisser was engaged in freighting. From 1890 to 1898 he and his son, E. E. Choisser, had the government contract to run a stage from Rosebud to Lame Deer and the government freight con- tract from Rosebud to Muddy on the Cheyenne reservation.

In politics Mr. Choisser is a Republican. He was appointed assessor for the new county of Rosebud in March, 1901. In 1863, at Raleigh, Ill., he was united in marriage with Miss Mary Jane Provine, who was born at Sumerville, Tenn., in 1842. They have four daughters and three sons: Mrs. C. B. Tabor, who lives at Forsyth; Joseph E. Choisser, of Forsyth, who was married at Miles City September 25, 1901, to Miss Florence Gilli- land, a native of Nebraska ; E. E., who has been as- sociated with his father in business since 1885; W. E., who lives on the home ranch; Mrs. George S. Mendenhall, who lives at Rosebud, and Luella Dimples and Gladys Etoile, who are living at home.

C 'HARLES B. CLARK .- Through many vicis- situdes and reverses, through disappointments and hopes deferred, through privations and hard- ships of magnitude, in all of which he maintained a cheerful demeanor and a superb nerve, the pleas- ing subject of this sketch has come to his present condition of consequence and comfort in life. He is a native of Henderson, Sibley county, Minn., where he was born August 31, 1856, his parents be- ing John A. and Sarah (Butler) Clark, natives of Ohio, whence they removed to Illinois, spending some time in Jo Daviess county. From there they went to Henry county, Iowa, and returned later to Galena, Ill., during the lead mining excitement at that place. There the father engaged in lead min- ing for a period of five or six years, and then the family removed to St. Paul, Minn. This was in the year 1846, and they remained at St. Paul until the spring of 1852, when they settled in Hender- son, being pioneers in that section. Here he re- mained until his death, which occurred in 1857. after a career of prominence and usefulness in mer- cantile and public life in the community. He suc- cessfully conducted a large general store, and as a public-spirited citizen took a prominent and act-

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ive part in all matters affecting the welfare of his town and county. He served as sheriff and in many other official capacities, and won from all classes high commendation for the manner in which he administered every trust committed to his care.

His son Charles, our immediate subject, spent his school days in his native town, remaining there until 1866, when he was ten years old. At that time he removed with the family to Litchfield, where they remained until 1873. He then joined the Stanley expedition, engaged in running the first lines of the Northern Pacific Railroad, em- ployed with the surveyors. That same year he made his first entrance into Montana, and re- mained within the limits of the territory until the expedition disbanded a few months later, when he went to Bismarck, N. D., and in the fall of 1876 joined the stampede to the Black Hills, where he spent the next four years mining and freighting, but with indifferent success. In the spring of 1880 he came up the Yellowstone to Bozeman, going to Helena in the fall and engaging in the sawmilling business with Holter Brothers. He remained in that vicinity until 1888, during which time he located the Jerusha copper mine at Em- pire, which he and John 'Gleason, commonly called "Deaf John," developed. After taking out about $50,000 worth of metal Mr. Clark sold his inter- . est to A. J. Seligman. He then went to Butte, where he leased and worked mines with a fair de- gree of success. In 1893 he gave up mining and located his present property, being brought into the neighborhood by reports of the good placer ground there abounding. Liking the climate he settled on a ranch on Clark's Fork, fifteen miles east of Red Lodge, at the mouth of Bear creek, where he now has one of the finest ranch resi- dences in the state, with every improvement for successfully conducting his business known to the trade.

In April, 1893, Mr. Clark was married to Miss Mary Barkley, a native of Shakopee, Minn., a daughter of John Barkley. Mr. and Mrs. Clark have no children except an adopted daughter named Ruth. Mr. Clark is a great cattleraiser, and is an acknowledged authority on the subject. He is decidedly of the opinion that Herefords are best adapted to the section in which he lives, and con- sequently makes a specialty of that breed, having as many as 500 head until recently, when he sold off most of them, intending to retire for a time

from active work and travel. In fraternal rela- tions he is allied with the Modern Woodmen of America and the order of Elks. He is well known throughout his own and adjoining counties, and stands high in the good opinion and esteem of all classes of the people.

H UBERT ALPHONSE MILOT .- The scenes and incidents of pioneer life on the Montana frontier are thoroughly familiar to Mr. Milot, who has maintained his home. in this section of the Union for fully forty years, and is now residing in the capital city, giving his attention to various business interests. Mr. Milot is a native of Yamachiche, province of Quebec, Canada, born December 24, 1837, the son of Francois and Cath- erine (Hubert) Milot, the former a native of the same province, where he was engaged in agricul- tural pursuits until his death, and where his wife also passed her entire life. Hubert A. Milot was educated in the Christian Brothers' school in his native parish, and on abandoning his studies in 1853 he secured a clerkship in a general store. On April 27, 1857, he left Canada for St. Louis, Mo., where he arrived the following month, and was employed in a mercantile establishment until 1861, when he proceeded to St. Joseph, the great outfit- ting point for freighters over the plains. On May 9, 1861, he joined the party of L. R. Maillette and others, and started for Deer Lodge, Mont. The train consisted of but four teams, with six oxen in each, three families making up the company. Mr. Milot did cooking for the privilege of accompany- ing the train, and his lot was no sinecure, since he he was compelled to walk all day and to cook dur- ing a goodly portion of the night. The first night out the party camped on a hillside, Mr. Milot mak- ing his bed under one of the wagons and in a gully. His choice of sleeping quarters proved rather un- fortunate, as a severe rain storm sent the water down the gully and washed out his bed and practi- cally himself. The party followed the route to Green river, at which point our subject left the others and joined his cousin, whom he met by ac- cident, and the two proceeded to Deer Lodge, where they arrived on November 9, 1861. In Pleasant valley the party encountered a band of Nez Perce Indians, who stole some of their best horses and escaped with them. While on the trail between Snake river and Ross Fork, in Montana,

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they encountered three families who had lost their trail; they joined the party of which Mr. Milot was a member, and thus made their way to Deer Lodge, in which place our subject stayed with the Demars family and assisted in the care of stock. In the spring of 1862 he went to Elk City, where he was engaged in driving cattle until October; thence to Bannack, where he started in as a herder of cattle, having cattle and horses of his own and also looking after stock owned by others. In Decem- ber the Indians swooped down in large numbers and drove off the entire herd, whereupon Mr. Milot went into Bannack and engaged in collecting for various concerns and other employment until July, 1863, when he went to Virginia City, engaged in the liquor business, but sold out in the fall and re- turned to Deer Lodge. In the spring, after the vigilantes had hung William Bunton, his partners, Messrs. Cook and Campbell, did not care to remain longer in the locality, and Mr. Milot purchased their interests in the liquor business and remained there until the fall of 1865, when he went to the crossing of Little Deer- Lodge creek, just half way between German gulch and Silver Bow, the place being now known as Milot station, and there en- gaged in general merchandising and in the raising of horses until the fall of 1870, when he took up his abode on a ranch in the Deer Lodge valley. In the following year he visited his old home in Canada, where he was married and then returned to his ranch, where he and his wife made their home until 1874, when he purchased another ranch, three miles from the city of Deer Lodge, and lo- cated thereon.

In 1876 he removed to Lewis and Clarke county, located at Dearborn crossing, between Fort Ben- ton and Helena, and assumed charge of the Dear- born house. At the expiration of two years Mr. Milot removed to Sun river crossing, where he conducted a general store about eighteen months, then returned to Dearborn and engaged in the same line of business, where he served as post- master, notary public and school trustee. In 1890 he took up his permanent residence in Helena. Here he has been identified with merchandising, and has also superintended his interests in other parts of the state. He owns considerable property within the town site of Castle, owns the hotel prop- erty there, now rented. His realty holdings in Helena are quite valuable.

In politics Mr. Milot is a Democrat : fraternally he is an honored member of the Lewis and Clarke

County Pioneer Society, of which ne is now vice- president. Mr. Milot's marriage was solemnized in Canada in the year 1871. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary LaFleur, was born in Montreal, Canada, where she was reared and edu- cated. Of this union eleven children have been born, the eldest son, Charles, who celebrated his twenty-third birthday anniversary on May 12, 1901, being a successful young business man of Helena ; the younger children are attending the public schools of the capital city, their names, in order of birth being as follows : Mary A. F., Daisy E. L. (deceased), Josephine L. O., Charles H. A., Arthur O., Leon I., Louis A., Edwidge L., Eus- tache O., Aveline N. and Eva A.

/ ILLIAM H. CODER .- One of the pros- perous representatives of the sheep industry in Fergus county is Mr. Coder. By the time this work is issued he will have been a resident of Fergus county for twenty years, and within this time he has contributed his quota toward the in- dustrial development and material progress of this section of the state.

Mr. Coder was born in Stark county, Ohio, on the 25th of March, 1838, the son of Charles and Sarah (Scott) Coder, the former of whom was born in Pennsylvania and the latter in Jersey City, N. J. They removed to Ohio early, becoming pioneers of that state, and later removed to Ne- braska, where they passed the residue of their lives, the father's death occurring in 1871, and that of his wife in 1869. They were consistent and worthy members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Charles Coder was long engaged in the foundry and machinist business and was a skilled mechanic. During his later years he lived retired from active business. He was a Republican from the organization of the party. Two of his four chil- dren, Curtis and Alonzo, are now dead. Curtis Coder was associated with W. H. Coder in his ranching and stock business in Fergus county until his recent death, and was highly esteemed and a successful business man. The two living children are William H. and Catherine.

William H. Coder was educated in the com- mon schools of his native state and the academy at Mount Union, Ohio. He began life for himself at the age of seventeen, giving two years time to learning the moulder's trade in Ohio. He then

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removed to Dowagiac, Cass county, Mich., where lie followed his trade for nearly three years. In 1859 he removed to Kansas, and the next year to Nebraska, where he bought and sold horses and cattle, later successfully engaged in farming. In 1861 he located in Falls City, Neb., and continued dealing in horses until 1869, when he located in Omaha, where he was deputy United States mar- shal for four years. In 1870 he located at Rulo, Richardson county, where he was a clerk and man- ager of a drug store. In the spring of 1874 he came to Cheyenne, Wyo., and soon afterward to Fort Laramie, where he was ill in the hospital for four months. He was employed then for a time at painting and the ensuing eight months he devoted to hunting and trapping, realizing $3,000 from this enterprise. In the fall of 1875 Mr. Coder went to the Black Hills, where he was successfully en- gaged in mining for five years. In the spring of 1882 he came to his present ranch on Ford's creek, eight miles southeast of Fort Maginnis, first taking up a homestead, as did also his brother Curtis. To their original tracts they added until the ranch now has an area of 2,000 acres. After the death of his brother Mr. Coder continued the business, and his operations are of wide scope. In politics Mr. Coder gives his support to the Republican party.

W S. CLARK, postmaster of Parrot, Jeffer- son county, Mont., and one of the owners of the Gold Hill mine, was born at Red Wing, Minn., on July 12, 1860. He is the son of W. W. and O. S. (Cleveland) Clark. The father was a native of New York, and his wife of Ver- mont. They married in Minnesota, and before the Civil war Mr. Clark was an attorney in active prac- tice in that state. In 1861 he enlisted in Company A of the Fifth Minnesota. Shortly afterwards died at Fort Snelling from typhoid fever, his son, W. S. Clark, received his education in the public schools of Red Wing and vicinity, and on leav- ing school in 1879, went to north Minnesota and engaged in farming, in which occupation he con- tinued until 1885, when he entered the employ- ment of the Northern Pacific, with headquarters at Fargo.

He remained on this road as engineer until 1895 when he came to Montana. Here for three years he had charge of mining engines and in

1898 he associated himself with the Jefferson Val- ley Trading Company, taking charge of their ex- tensive business in Parrot. In 1896 Mr. Clark discovered the Gold Hill mine. This productive property has been worked continuously and prof- itably from its discovery by Mr. Clark and his partners, Pruett and Cutler. Mr. Clark was mar- ried on September 24, 1890, to Miss Cecilia Fer- gus, daughter of James Fergus, of Michigan. They have four children, William Fergus, Cecil Gay- lord (the first boy born in Parrot), Mary and Eugene. During the past year Mr. Clark has been postmaster at Parrot. Fraternally he belongs to the United Workmen and the Knights of Pythias. By the community in which he resides great con- fidence is reposed in Mr. Clark and he is highly es- teemed. His life has been a busy and an eventful one and the prosperity he enjoys has been gained by business ability and high personal character- istics.

JOHN A. COLLINS, ex-mayor of Great Falls, was born in Ontario, Canada, on September 11, 1865. His parents were William and Mary A. (Lewis) Collins, both natives of Canada. They were of a family of agriculturalists and passed their lives in the Dominion. His grandfather was John Collins, a native of Ireland, who came to Canada in the 'thirties, followed farming as his occupation and died in Canada. John A. Collins and two brothers and one sister are the only ones of the family residing in Montana. The former was reared on a farm and educated in the public schools of the place of his nativity. In 1885 he came to Anaconda, Mont., and was employed in the Mill creek flume, and in the concentrator until 1886. He then returned to Canada, where he visited the old home for six months, and on his return to this state he passed some time in Granite and Deer Lodge counties.

In November, 1887, Mr. Collins first came to Great Falls, and secured employment on the wagon bridge then in construction across the Missouri. Later he was engaged by the Silver Smelting Com- pany, and following this he worked for the city water company. He then entered the employ of Hodkiss & Hodkiss, plumbers, and remained with them until 1892. Then Mr. Collins began business for himself, which he sucecssfully conducted until 1895, when he engaged in the hardware trade as a member of the firm of Huey & Collins. Later

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Mr. Huey sold his interest to Mr. W. F. Brown, and the firm became Brown & Collins. They profitably continued the business until 1899, when C. F. Wright, L. W. Cresswell, J. T. Lyons and Messrs. Brown & Collins organized the Western Hardware Company, with Mr. Collins as president and manager of the plumbing department, Mr. Brown as treasurer and Mr. Wright as secretary. The business is now thoroughly established and the company does an extensive trade in Cascade county and the adjoining territory.

Mr. Collins has always been a Republican, has worked diligently and influentially in the interest of his party and takes a lively interest in its cam- paigns. In 1899 he was elected mayor of Great Falls, and showed great capacity, breadth of view and a comprehensive grasp of municipal affairs in his incumbency of the mayoralty. Fraternally he is a member of the Odd Fellows and the Can- adian American Society. Of the former organza- tion he has passed the chairs, and has been grand master of the state. Mr. Collins has never married. There are many warm friends of Mr. Collins throughout the state, and in the community of his home city none stands higher in the estimation of the people. Pre-eminently he is a broad-minded, progressive, selfmade man of sound judgment and rare executive ability.

W TALTER S. COLLINS is a pioneer of the state and a veteran of the war of the Rebellion in which he rendered Yeoman service. Since coming to Montana Mr. Collins has been intimately con- cerned in the industrial development and normal progress of the state, has assisted in the organiza- tion of every county within its borders and been honored as a man of inflexible integrity of purpose and strong and sterling individuality. Mr. Collins is a native of the good old Hoosier state, having been born in Columbia City, Whitley county, Ind., on October 13, 1844. His father, Richard Collins, was a man of unbending rectitude and strong men- tality and was very prominent in public and busi- ness affairs in Indiana for a long term of years, having been a civil engineer by profession. He was engaged in mercantile business and was the owner of the Columbia City flouring mills. He held for sixteen years the position of sheriff of Whitley county, and during the Civil war served as provost marshal in his home town. He was for many years

clerk and recorder of the county, was a delegate to the national convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln for the presidency, and was an active work- er in the ranks of the Republican party. His grand- father on the paternal side was a soldier in the Con- tinental army during the war of the Revolution.

Walter S. Collins was reared by his paternal aunt, Miss Eliza Collins, and received his early education in the public schools of his native town during the dark days of the Civil war. His patriotism was made manifest in April, 1861, when, at the age of seventeen years, he enlisted as a member of Com- pany E, Seventeenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, mounted in. 1863. Mr. Collins proceeded to the front with his regiment and served until the expira- tion of his term, in January, 1864, when the regi- ment was veteranized and its members re-enlisted for service until the close of the war. From that time forward they served in the Fourteenth Army Corps. commanded by Gen. George H. Thomas. Mr. Collins participated in twenty-eight engage- ments during his long term of service, including a number of the most notable conflicts of the war. He was wounded at the battle of Shiloh, and for the disabilities thereby entailed he now receives a pen- sion. He received his honorable discharge at Ma- con, Ga., on the 5th of August, 1865, and then re- turned to his home in Indiana. After a week's visit he went to Bloomington, Ind., for the purpose of attending the State University, but impaired health, largely resultant from his wound, compelled him to abandon his studies, and under these conditions he decided to seek a change of climate and scene. He came to Montana by way of the Missouri river, making the trip on the steamer Luella, arriving at Fort Benton on October 18, 1865. There he en- tered the employ of James Bird, whom he accon- panied to Helena. In the spring of the following year Mr. Collins bought a placer claim in Blue gulch, and worked the same for three months, witli fair success. He then went to San Francisco, Cal., and in 1867 went out with a government surveying party under Gen. Meredith, assisting in the defining of state lines and being with the corps for nearly two years. In the spring of 1869 Mr. Collins went to Thompson's gulch, in Meagher county, where he became a member of the California Mining Con- pany, his associates being John Smith and Samuel Alabaugh. The company continued the develop- ment of its claims for a period of thirteen years and secured good returns. In 1882 Mr. Collins re- turned to Montana, entered into partnership with

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John Grey and engaged in placer mining for two years in Pony gulch, near Helena; thereafter lie continued to follow placer mining in the vicinity of Jefferson City, Helena and Diamond City until the spring of 1886, when he went to the Little Rockies, where he mined and prospected until Sep- tember. He then identified himself with R. A. Richey in the mercantile business at Rocky Point. Mr. Richey died in 1887, and since that event Mr. Collins has been engaged in general merchandis- ing, located at various points along the line of the Great Northern Railroad, and finally making a per- manent location at Dodson, on March 1, 1897. He has a well equipped store and also acts as post- master, the place deriving its trade from a wide radius of territory. Mr. Collins has a good ranch of 160 acres at Dodson, having taken up the same as a homestead in 1899, and the little hamlet is located on his land. In politics he has ever been an earnest and active support to the Republican party ; fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias at Minot, N. D., having become a mem- ber in 1888. On the 27th of November, 1901, in Butte City, Mr. Collins was united in marriage to Miss Naomi Beatty, who was born in Indiana in 1860, the daughter of John and Nancy Beatty.

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Progressive men of the state of Montana, pt 2, Part 7

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