Sorted by date Results 1158 - 1182 of 1634
In 1901, Andrew J. Mercer (AJ) of Maryville, Missouri took a homestead east of the Yellowstone River – approximately six miles southeast of Sidney, MT. AJ was an aggressive entrepreneur. He owned bars, rented out his work horses on the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation System project and owned most of the block north of Main St and Central in Sidney. AJ met Florence Gardner, a graduate nurse from Croydon, England, while on a train hauling cattle from Sidney to Minneapolis. They married soon after i...
The year was 1910. Carl and Anna Bergstedt had begun their journeys in Sweden. Like so many immigrants of their time, they moved from place to place before settling and establishing their legacy on a homestead eight miles northwest of Savage, Montana. Carl arrived via stage coach and Anna and their two children arrived shortly afterwards. With no doctors in the area, Anna returned to Minnesota to give birth to their third child in 1910. Carl purchased three beautiful Percheron horses, farm...
I was born and raised on an Iowa farm where I worked for my board and room and a little spending money until I was 21 years old after which I received wages of $20 a month for a few months. But it didn't take me long to make up my mind that I would never own a farm of my own at that rate, so I asked for a week's leave and bought a round-trip homeseeker's ticket to Culbertson, Montana. I had seen an advertisement of homesteads there in an eastern paper. As my ticket allowed for stopovers, when I...
Farming and ranching built Sidney and have played a crucial role in the health of the community for the past 100 years. The faces of farming and ranching have changed in that time period, particularly the farming aspect of agriculture. Farming made an abrupt shift about 50 years ago when it moved from a resource and tradition enterprise to a science-based business. The science based aspect of farming has led to more reliable production and larger harvests, which translates to better food...
The Gossett Post Office was named for Dan Gossett by Mrs. Tom Bone, one of the early settlers on Gossett Flat; however, Gossett never lived in the immediate area. He was an old round-up boss from South Dakota. They came here in 1900, had no children. He acquired a ranch in 1901 that McPeak, the desperado, was killed. The Gossett Post Office was discontinued in 1913 and was transferred to the Charley Clark, Sr., home and called the Clark Post Office. Still later Skaar Post Office was established, and Gossett patrons received their mail on Skaar...
This is the history of Sioux Pass, a farming and ranching community half way between Sidney and Culbertson. Because this was the home of the Sioux Indian the pass in the divide was called Sioux Pass. Sioux Pass at one time consisted of general store, post office, dance hall, school, telephone switchboard, and church, located three miles south of the pass. The post office was established in 1907 and was located one and one-half miles north and one-half miles east of the pass in the divide. In...
The first account of Montana crude was in 1864 when an emigrant wagon train used naturally exposed crude to grease their wagon wheels near the Big Horn River. The state’s first oil well was drilled by Butte Oil Co. in 1901 near Kintla Lake which is now within Glacier National Park. According to a historical overview of mining in Montana compiled by the U.S. Forest Service, American Indians and fur trappers knew about oil seeps in that area and early-day prospectors wondered about the p...
In honor of Richland County’s centennial, and to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of Richland County, the Lions Club is selling three Barbara Schaffner prints, individually at $25 or in sets of three for $50. The prints were commissioned by the Lions Club in 1988, just before Montana’s Centennial. There were only 250 numbered prints made of each one. There are about 45 complete sets and some individual prints remaining. The club also has belt buckles for sale at $25 each. Buckles and prints may be purchased at Seigfreid Agency Ins...
Sidney's birthdate goes back to the fail of 1888. The story goes that petition for a post office for the new townsite was held up until a proper name had been chosen. The name Eureka had been sent in before, but there was already had Eureka in the state. Mr. And Mrs. Walters and their six-year-old so, Sidney, were living in the home of Justice of the Peace, Hiram Otis, at the time. Judge Otis had grown very fond of Sidney, his young fishing partner. While he was making out the paper, he decided...
Only Section 22, Township 25, Range 58 can boast of the early homesteaders and old-timers of Upper Hay Creek in Richland County. Fairview , at that time, had its main street north of the Fairview Mill. Half of the business houses were on the east side of the street in North Dakota, and the other half of the city’s business establishments were on the west side of the street in Montana. The street was called State Street, it meant just that! The old stage coach driver could drive on either side of the street, or smack down the middle of the stree...
This community became known as Brorson around 1909. Pastor Niels Damskov was called in 1909 to serve the Danish Lutherans in the Sidney area and the area northwest of Sidney. He took a homestead 12 miles northwest of Sidney, and the first post office for that community was in his home. As the post office had to have a name, Pastor Damskov named it Brorson, after the famous Danish hymn writer, H. A. Brorson. Thus the community received its name, also the Brorson Church and the Brorson School. In 1916 the Brorson Church was built and was...
Newlon was named for William W. Newlon. Mr. Newlon with his wife and children arrived at Fort Buford in September 1879 aboard the steamship “Batchelor” with Captain Grant Marsh. Newlon was the first settlement in Dawson County, an area of over 13,000 square miles. People moved into the area in increasing numbers. Eighteen-eighty-one was a big year for the new community. Charley Adams arranged to teach school in his home. This was the first school in Dawson County. Sidney, five miles to the north, wa growing and prospering. Newlon bus...
Levi Turner, who had come to the Elmdale community before 1905, became postmaster in 1912. The Elmdale Post Office had been established by Mrs. C.P. Goodwin. She had chosen the name Elmdale because of all the large elm trees on their homestead. As more homesteaders moved in, a Star Route was developed and Levi found it necessary to spend much time helping his wife. A new lumber house with four bedrooms was built and the old log kitchen which served as a post office also housed a supply of...
The Epworth community was located on the Great Northern Railroad line eight miles west of Newlon. There was a section house and Gust Ahlquist was section foreman. The Epworth School was the community center. Picnics and other community activities were held at Epworth Grove. Families living at Epworth included Simards, Finks, Chisholms, Bakkens, Ahlquists and Lovstads....
Lewis Newlon, was the founder and promotor of Fairview. He was born December 15, 1878 at Lincoln, Nebraska, but to him, Montana was his home. He came to what was to be Fairview in 1903. He built a claim shack which was a bit larger than most claim shacks. It had five rooms and was built of sod. It was the first house built on the townsite of Fairview.\Various lines of industry were begun in the Fairview area before the coming of the railroad, which brought a real boom to the area. Mr, Newlon...
At one time buffalo roamed this area freely. Indians camped along its creeks and draws. The Three Buttes have always stook out as a landmark. In the early days, the buttes were used as a lookout by the Indians, government surveyors, artists and homesteaders. The school, post office, clubs and graveyard were named for this distinctive landmark. When there was no priest or minister available for young couples wishing to be married, they traveled by buggy or wagon to Williston, North Dakota or some similar place for the occasion. These were the...
The Four Mile Church was established in 1906. The Ladies Aid was organized March 26, 1906 at a meeting held in the Helm home with Mrs. John Helm as the first president....
The Girard Post Office originated in about 1907 and was located on the William Pinkly farm, about one-half mile north and quarter of a mile west of the present Raymond Franz farm. Mrs. Pinkly was the first postmistress. The post office took its name from Girard Butte which was about two miles southwest of the Pinkly farm. The story goes that the butte was named after Girard Whistler, an army officer of Fort Buford. In the spring of 1928, Ruby Daniels, was appointed postmistress. At that time the post office and store were relocated in a small...
Girard Hall is one of the few remaining community halls in Richland County still in use. Located 17 miles west of Fairview on Highway 201, the hall will celebrate it's centennial this year with a community dance in September. The Girard Hall Association maintains the hall and activities include dances, showers, meetings, funeral lunches and more. From Courage Enough: The fall of 1913 and early 1914 a group of homesteaders held a few meetings at different homes to make plans for a new community...
In the fall of 1909 an influx of people came to the Fox Lake area to homestead on government land. Some frame houses were built as early as 1909. Leo Prevost came here from Quebec, Canada in 1911 and built a four-room house two miles east of Lambert. The Cummings home was the first house which consisted of two stories, with one room on each floor. The post office of Fox Lake was established in 1911 in the home of L.C. Cummings. Mrs. L.C. Cummings was instrumental in opening the first school...
A railroad man from Billings, Montana by the name of Savage came down the valley and spotted a bit of prairie which he thought was an ideal spot for a town. He may have been Patrick B. Savage who proved up on a homestead in Section 20, Township 27, Range 56 on April 21, 1913. He bought the land and the town started March 3, 1910. Homesteaders were rapidly settling the area. The main canal was completed in 1909 and water turned on in 1910. Emma Jeffries was the first telephone operator. She owned...
More settlers were coming in and people realized that a school was needed. There was a German man by the name of Henry Elm in the community who was instrumental in the founding of many of the school districts. He had belonged to German nobility but because of a birthmark on his face, his family was ashamed of him and thought it was a disgrace to have him around. This sent him to school away from home as much as they could. This was an advantage to him as he got a good education. He left home and went to South America where he decided to raise...
Sears was a small town located east of the stage road about one-half mile and north of Sears Creek. The present highway follows the old stage road. The town was located on the site of the home of the late Fred Peterson. Sears grew fast and died fast when the railroad went through approximately one-half mile east and below the hill. The first train went through to Sidney in 1912. The Sears Schoolhouse was cut in two and upper floor was moved about one and one-half miles south where the main road intersected the railroad tracks. It was graded...
Manrock too, had visions in those early days. It was originally platted in four blocks but abandoned in 1963. It lies a few miles west of Lane and was named after odd rock formations nearby....
Our community which is now Mount Pleasant, had its first people set foot on it in 1891. The first settlers were Pete Quilling, Ralph Blair, Ally McChesney, Frank Delamore and Frank Young. Pete Quilling was the first to plow the land. In the years 1921 more settlers moved in and by this time there were enough children for a school. The first school was held in Ally McChesney’s house for three months. The building that Mr. McChesney was going to tear down was moved to an acre of land that Sarah McChesney sold for 60 dollars. The sight for the s...
