BLACK BUTTE  PART 1

P. 67

BLACK BUTTE

  Black Butte is the area south of Roy. There was a Black Butte school, now a part of the Gary Blakemore's house. Most residents came into Roy or went to Gilt Edge-Ft. Maginnis for supplies. Stubbins Hall was probably where most from this area went for social activities.
  There was also an area south of Roy known as the Sand Rock community. No accommodations, just an area. Listed among those in this area in 1918 were J.A. DeSilva, John Coleman, Jack Woodard, Burl DeSilva, J.H. Hustad, Moyers, W.M. Kruger, Weike and High Selvige.

#205 BLACK BUTTE SCHOOL

  This district was created in 1925 from part of #74 Roy. Guy Townsend, Walter Cox and Clyde Miller were the first trustees. The first teacher was Helen Lawton. Other teachers were Roland Schreier, Roselyn Krall, Ada Corth, Josie Jones, Laurie Hinkley, Barbara Blair, and Mary Hogan. Adelphia Koliha was the last teacher with the term ending May 31, 1937. The district was abandoned in 1942 and attached to #74 Roy.

Bill Davis Sez:

  At the time Johnny Rife was going to country school he kept being a little late in arriving. When the teacher questioned him about it, he said he had gotten caught in a fence and tore his clothes.
  One morning the teacher said, "John I see you're little behind again". John replied, "I know, but if I'da had one more safety pin, you couldn't!"

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C. F. "SPOKANE" ANDERSON
by Con Anderson

[The following story is pieced together from several stories that Con Anderson wrote in the 60's and early 70's about his father and the early days of homesteading.]

FATHER ANSWERED AD FOR SETTLERS

  I, Conrad Anderson, was 17 years old, living with my parents at Glenrose, a community adjacent to the city limits of Spokane and attending the South Central High School in Spokane when I heard my father discussing the idea of going to Montana to take up a homestead.
  My Dad saw advertisements in the Spokane paper that the Milwaukee Land Co. was going to build railroads to Winifred, Roy and Winnett with much land in those areas, so homesteaders were needed.
  My father, who was a brick layer, had worked in Spokane since the first railroad reached there. A neighbor who had farmed in Kansas had tried to discourage my father from the homestead idea, stating that all the good lands had been taken long ago. Then, as now, the thinking of people is that the other fellow has the best opportunities, so Dad stuck with the homestead idea, saying it must be a poor stick that could not make a good living on 160 acres of land.
  My father, in the year 1883, while in Helena, Montana had turned down the chance of taking a homestead adjacent to, and where a friend had one on a creek and a band of sheep. The fellow wanted a partner who worked in town and could bring him supplies once a week, and would go halves. Good land was to be had then, almost anywhere in Montana.
  Dad's name was C. F. Anderson and he was later called by many as "Spokane" Anderson, after homesteading.
  In April 1910, my father, my older brother Ted, a Mr. James Know, two ladies and another fellow left Spokane for Lewistown to meet their locating representor, Mr. Joe Montgomery, who would locate them on good lands in these areas. I have good reason to believe they were the first homesteader's or rather "honyockers" or "scissorbills" to locate here.
  Joe Montgomery had an office in Lewistown. Joe took them to the Roy area that spring and they located homesteads about five miles southeast of where the town of Roy was built some three or four years later. Joe Montgomery, like all locaters, would say "This is about the best land left to be taken by homesteaders."
  The filing fees were $16.00. The locater charged $50.00 for showing him a piece of land, surveyors description. Homesteaders had to build a house on their land within six months, so Dad and my brother had to do this by September 1910.
  The saying was at that time, "That the Government bet 160 acres of land against $16.00 that you could not live on it for five years without starving to death." Well, some won the bet and others sold their relinquishments to other sucker land seekers. Many others sold to insurance companies and lending agencies who were eager to invest or loan monies to the homesteader's after proving up on their homesteads. Well, actually they did not sell but took the loans and left the country. Smart people, I would say.
  In the fall of 1910 several land seekers filed south of Roy where the better grass and land seemed to be. The Olson's (dad and 3 sons), a Mr. Burk, and Mr. Hatch, and Mr. Ginthur from Iowa came and homesteaded on what was later called Iowa Bench, S.E. of Roy. Mr. Art Jones and wife came in the winter of 1910 and 11 and worked for Bert Sargent building their cabin in the spring of 1911.
  I came to Montana with my Dad, later in 1910. After arriving in Lewistown with some bedding and cooking material, a team of horses had to be purchased and a wagon.
  We had a tent with us, as we had to wait in Lewistown a few days for the railroad to bring in some other equipment. We pitched our tent on the depot grounds which was then at the south end of town. We were then told to get our tent off the railroad property; so we moved it over the fence nearer the creek.
  When purchasing horses, there were two teams to choose from -- one of sorrels and the other gray in color. Dad, not knowing much about horses, wanted to buy the sorrel team. They were some cheaper in price. The teams were of the saddle horse type.
  We finally were on our way to the homestead and we stopped at the Andrew Fergus place. This was on the Carroll Trail in the early days.
  We were told, "We used to serve free meals to travelers, but now we will charge."
  "OK," said Dad, "we expect that."
  After eating, the horses were watered and had their good dinner of hay. We stopped at the Romandstad Ranch where we were asked to stay with them for the night, which was what we should have done; because it was very far to the Chamberlain cabins where we had planned to stay until the homestead cabins were built.
  Before we reached our destination, one of our horses became so worn out and tired it could not go any further with our wagon. We then led our team of horses and carried some bedding and walked on to the Chamberlain cabins (a Mr. Chamberlain had located on the creek many years before at the northeastern end of the Judith Mountains, and the creek was named Chamberlain Creek).
 

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  Next morning we went back to our wagon and supplies and brought them to our camp and then had our breakfast. We let our horses rest a day.
  Dad then drove to Lewistown to buy lumber. He was worried about the horse and thought something must be the matter with it so he went to a veterinarian.
  "No wonder," he was told. "A two-year-old colt could not make such a hard trip."
  So Dad bought another horse and let the colt rest and grow up. It later became a very good horse.
  Lumber was hauled and a 12 x 12 shack was built on Dad's homestead, the same size as my brother's. A lean-to 12 x 12 stable was built for the horses. Mr. Know had a house about twice that size.
  There were three men who had located claims in the summer of 1910 who worked helping get up hay. The men were Harry 0quist, John Nylander, and Don (Pat) Cochran.
  I went with Dad in the early spring of 1911 to purchase oats for horse feed. We were told that John Brooks had oats for sale; so we stopped there. He had many seamless sacks. We filled the sacks with oats and loaded them (about a ton and a half) into our wagon. Mr. Brooks asked us to stay overnight. Early next morning we headed for home. The horses could not pull the wagon and oats up the steepest part of the Gilpatrick hill, so we unloaded half the load; and the horses could then pull the rest up. We unloaded at the top of the hill and went back for the other half we had left on the road. Back on top of the hill we reloaded and
were soon on our way.
  Some miles west of Roy we had to cross a dry weather creek, but the ground near the creek was very soft in wet weather and in the early spring. Holy, gee! All four wheels sank nearly axle deep. The horses could not pull any further. Dad and I had to each take a sack of oats and after several trips had carried all the load to solid ground, about 100 feet away. Then we had to dig the wagon wheels and loosen them from the mire, so the horses could pull the empty load and headed for home reaching it late in the evening.
  Another time we took our wood and fence posts from Black Butte. While getting some dried timber from the east side, a Mr. Townsend, brother of Guy Townsend, was digging a hole in Black Butte some 50 feet deep hoping to find gold. He came to where we were loading our wagon. "Say men," he said, "I want all the timber here for propping up when needed for my gold mine and for other necessary timber work."
  The years of 1912 and 1913 Dad and Mother moved to Lewistown. In the summer he contracted the brick work on several homes and one large brick building. This was because he had used up some $2000 he had when he homesteaded. Brother and I did the farm work on his and Dad's homestead.
  In 1884 Mr. Stephens lost a whole band of 3,000 sheep in a blizzard. One man was sent to help the sheepherder, but he never returned to the ranch and was found later frozen to death. The ranch was known as the Red Barn because of the large barn Mr. Stephens had built at an early date. It could hold several horses and many sheep. It had two wide alleyways through it with hay stored between them. There was also a large sheepshed near the barn.
  There were Jake Miller, William Lome, Joe LaFountain and family, John Doney and family, two LaRocque families, and the Gardipee family. These were all in a radius of 10 miles of the town of Roy.
  Walter Haney, an old cowhand, filed in 1908 on some land along Bear Creek east of the Red Barn Ranch and built a house and barn in 1909.
  There were no schools in our area until Mr. Haney, Mr. Know, and Dad hauled lumber from Lewistown and built a 16 x 24 one on the south side of school section 16, which was about a mile and a half southeast of Roy. School was held there in 1912 and 1913. When the Roy school was opened in the fall of 1913, our school was moved some four miles southeast. Grace Rowland was the first teacher in this school.
   Back in 1911 Mrs. Haney had a relative named Hazel staying with her. The girl rode by our house and took my sister with her to the first teaching held at Smith Laraway's about a mile west of Roy. This was a few months in the summer. Julia Sargeant and some of the John Doney children attended school there.
  Many homesteaders located southeast of Roy, and a school house was built there in 1911.
  Lewistown was not a very big town in those first years. We bought all our supplies there and travel was on the Carroll Trail with no grading or bridges.
  There were people living on most of the Missouri River bottoms, some for a long time. They were nick-named "River Rats." And there were many around Ft. Maginnis, Giltedge, and Fergus. 
 

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BOWSER FAMILY
information by Lavinnie Bowser

JEREMIAH B. AND HANNAH

  Jeremiah B. Bowser was born in Fayette County, Iowa on June 18, 1859. Hannah Bowser was born in Dunleith, Illinois on February 27, 1860. The couple married in 1880 in Claremont, Iowa and came to Montana in 1913, originally homesteading near the Snowies. Jeremiah walked from the Snowies to Valentine where he secured land; later he took up considerable farm holdings near Roy where they made their home until their deaths. Jeremiah died on October 7, 1943 when he was 84 years old. Hannah died on September 30, 1954 at the age of 94. She was a life time member of the Royal Neighbors and of St. Victor's Catholic Church. Interment was in Lewistown at the Calvary Cemetery.
  The children of Jeremiah and Hannah were: Maude (Mrs. E.M. Baxter), Fern (Mrs. Charles Brown), Marie (Mrs. Frank Cimrhakl,) William Ernest and a son, George, who died in infancy.

W. ERNEST AND HATTIE BOWSER

  William "Ernest" Bowser was born on August 6, 1895 in Estherville, Iowa. He attended schools in Iowa and Kansas. On November 26, 1924 he was united in marriage to Hattie Dobeus, in Hilger.
  Ernest came with his family to Montana in 1913 and moved from Lewistown to Valentine in 1917. A few years later he moved to Roy. In 1927 they bought the home ranch south of Roy where they made their home until the death of Ernest on January 26, 1963, at the age of 68. Hattie then moved into Roy where she lived until her death on January 15, 1984 at the age of 84. Both are buried in Calvary Cemetery in Lewistown. He was a member of Modern Woodman of America and she was active in the Sacred Heart Altar Society, the American Legion Auxiliary and the Roy Women's Club.
  Ernest and Hattie had three sons: William "Bill" E. Jr., born in October of 1925; James E. "Jim" born in February of 1927 and Jerry who was born in 1933 and died when about 6 months old.
  Bill Bowser graduated from RHS in 1943. He served the U.S. Army from 1944-1946. He returned to Montana after his discharge, for a short time. For most of his life he was employed as a tree faller in the lumber industry in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, and Montana. He returned to Roy in 1981 where he made his home until his passing on November 2, 1985. Bill never married.

JAMES AND LAVINNIE BOWSER

  Jim Bowser and Lavinnie Strausburg were married on May 2, 1946. After their marriage they ranched on Hannah Bowser's place in the Valentine area as well as farmed for Joe Murphy in Valentine and Roy from 1948 to 1961. They began farming for Fred Mabee in 1961, whose place they still farm though it is now owned by nieces of Fred's.
  From 1949 to 1955 they leased the Clark place where they lived until moving into Lewistown where their children attended school and where the two oldest, Ken and Larry, graduated from Fergus High School.
  The family returned to Roy when they purchased the home place from Jim's mother, Hattie, which they continue to operate.
  Jim and Lavinnie had five children.
  Larry was born on August 18, 1949. After graduating from high school he attended Billings Business College for two years, then he joined the army. He was stationed in Germany. Larry farmed at Roy for a few years and is now employed as an accountant.
  Ken, born in March of 1951, was in the service in Germany also. He and Larry were both in the army at the same time, 1970 to 1973. Ken has one daughter, Nicole.
   Jerry graduated from RHS in 1971; attended college in Bozeman and graduated with an Engineering Degree. He married his high school classmate, Linda Rindal, daughter of Melvin and Ella Rindal. The couple have 3 children: twins, Mindy and Melissa and a son Lance. They live in Helena where Jerry is the Resident Engineer for Northern Testing Labs.
 Richard "Rich" graduated from RHS in 1976. He is
 

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married to Deb Montgomery, daughter of John and Marcy Montgomery. They live on the old Con Anderson place, south of Roy, and run a successful sheep operation. They have 3 sons: Loren, Adam and Evan.
  The Bowsers only daughter, Rhea graduated from RHS in 1980. She is married to Jim Hughes and they ranch south of Grass Range. Rhea has 2 children, Jillian and Jeffrey.

BERTIE BROWN

  A story about "Nigger" Bertie Brown as written in the Dec. 22-26 issue of the Lewistown News Argus 1976. Also from her obituary in the May 14th, 1933 issue of the Lewistown Democrat News.

HER MOONSHINE WAS BEST BUT
THE LAST BATCH WAS FATAL! 

   Moonshine, stills and "revenoors" have long been associated with the hills of Kentucky and Tennessee, but Central Montana had its share of all three in past years.
 One of the leading makers of the thirst-quenching brew was a native of Missouri who settled on Brickyard Creek about four miles from Black Butte.
  "Nigger" Bettie as she was known, "Made the best in the country" according to a Lewistown man who sampled her moonshine occasionally in the early days. He remembers "her place was like a bar is now. You could stop there for a drink," the old timer says. "She sold it by the drink or you could buy a pint bottle if you wanted."
   He remembers Bertie Brown as a short, heavy-set person who seemed jolly and good natured. She took great pride in keeping her home spic 'n span.
  A man who lived above "Nigger" Bertie is reputed to have been her lover. His name was Jack King. He was reportedly not the kind of man anyone questioned about his relationship with Bertie, or about much else. He carried a gun up to the time he died in the '40's.
 Bertie kept her still somewhere near King's cabin on Edwards Creek. The creek which still flows year around apparently supplied the water required for moonshine.
  Burr Hill was the prohibition officer and Internal Revenue agent in those days.
  There is a story told of Jack Badger, moonshiner in Maiden Canyon, who Hill often tried to capture. Hill knew the man had a still but could never find it. Finally he rode up one day and said, "Jack, let me have your horse."
  Badger did not know why Hill wanted the horse and let him have the animal.
The horse had carried its owner to the still so many times that he automatically went right to it. Hill arrested the still operator.
  'Nigger" Bertie was never arrested, but Hill warned her repeatedly not to sell any more 'moon'. The ladies of Lewistown were becoming very vocal in their objections to her presence.
  Bertie agreed that when her current set was brewed she would make no more. That last batch was one too many. While Bertie was running it off the still blew up, scalding her severely. She died five days later.
    Bertie was 62 years old when she died in May of 1933. The burns from the explosion which covered her body, were especially bad on top of her head and were so deep that it affected brain tissue. It was reported in her obituary that the explosion occurred from "gasoline she was using in connection with cleaning some garments".
  When Gilt Edge was booming she resided there and later she resided in the Valentine area for five years. At the time of her death she was reported as operating "a large scale stock ranch near the old Stoddard buildings" 

STEVE AND JOSEPHINE JUNGER CAMPAIN
T 17N R 22E Sec. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

  Steve and Josephine Campain met and married after they had homesteaded near each other in the Black Butte area, south of Roy.
  Julia Sargent Theilman recalls, "They came separately to the area, about 1910 (1914). Each took up a homestead. The homesteads were joined when they married.
  "I remember Josephine would ride horseback into my Dad's place to get the mail. My folks had the post office for 8 years before the town of Roy got started. Josephine would stay for several days before going home to the homestead again.
  "They had a little band of sheep and a few cattle--for milk and meat, at least."
  Steve was born on January 3, 1892 in Charles, Nebraska, the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Campain. He
 

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graduated from business college at Grand Island, Nebraska before coming to Montana. Josephine was born on June 16, 1887 in Watertown, South Dakota, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Jungers. She received her education in South Dakota. They were married on March 24, 1917 in Lewistown.
  In addition to their homesteads the Campain Ranch eventually consisted of several other homesteads they bought out. They raised cattle and had a band of sheep. In 1945 they sold out to Don and Margurite Marso and moved to Lewistown. Links eventually bought the place.
  The Campains had no children of their own, but helped raise a niece, Pearl Selchert.
  Steve and Josephine died about 10 weeks apart in 1973; she on March 13th and he on May 30th.

THE FRANK CARTER FAMILY
by Floyd Carter

  After the Joslin Post Office closed, Frank and Nancy Carter moved to the Black Butte area.
  Loyd attended the Stubbins school. After he was through school he married Phyllis Pierce, the eldest daughter of H.O. Pierce. They farmed the McCauley place until 1937 when they went broke and moved to St. Ignatius where Loyd "did any kind of a job to make a living" throughout the forties.
  Phyllis passed away in 1947 from cancer. The couple had lost their oldest son, Glenn, the year before from blood poisoning. Glenn was born in Roy in 1931.
  Loyd remarried and moved to Kalispell in 1953 where he worked for Flathead County until his retirement. He still resides in Kalispell and is a member of the Montana Fiddlers Association.
  The Frank Carters other children were Sadie Ellen, Gertie May, Herbert Ray and Tilford "Tip" Spurgeon.
  Sadie was married to Clarence Baker. She passed away in 1962. Gertie (Syron) passed away in 1950.
  Herb and Tip, along with their wives, ran boarding houses during the mid 30's in Roy. The Herb Carter's ran one for the school teachers and the Tip Carter's had one for the high school students. The men also did all kinds of odd jobs to earn a living. Herb passed away in 1975.
  Herb's son, Homer, attended Roy schools and went on to become a County Extension agent in Montana.
  The Frank Carter's were originally from Mountain Grove, Missouri where all their children were born. They were married on December 30, 1888 and came to the Joslin area and homesteaded in 1914. Frank passed away in 1948; Nancy in 1930. Both are buried in the Roy Cemetery. 

COURTNEY AND STENSON
by Betty L. Musselman

  George Courtney was born in Waseca County, Minnesota in May of 1874. He worked on a farm near Roy.
  Ella Florence Stenson was born in Boyd, Minnesota on September 10, 1887. She attended St. Cloud Normal School and taught for several years in different areas of Minnesota. She heard about homesteading available in Fergus County and came to Montana and filed on 320 acres, which she homesteaded. Her acreage was near a big ranch called the Red Barn. They had lots of cattle and leased most of my Mom's land. Mom taught school nearby where she had from 3 to 6 students . . . She taught school there from 1913 until 1918.
  My Mom and Dad were married in 1919 and decided
 

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to move to Washington State where my Dad got a job as an automobile mechanic in Opportunity, Washington. I was born in Odessa, Washington.
  They decided to return to the Roy area early in 1921, where they farmed until 1925.
  We had a dear friend and neighbor, his name was Antone (Tony) Frehner. I located his name in a Bible he had given me. He seemed elderly at the time, tho' maybe not.
  My Dad was from a large Irish family of 10 children and he was next to the youngest. The family farm always went to the eldest boy in the family, so naturally my Dad left home around age 18 or 20 and was 'daring' and went West. The rest of his family stayed close to home; all lived within a 50 mile radius of the 'home place'.
  My Dad seemed to have a knack for mechanical things. His interest in animals was not that great. He loved farming and if the machinery of 'today' had been available, he'd have been truly thrilled.
  He was a person that could just drive by a wheat field and tell the "bushels to the acre". It sometimes irritated my Mom, so she'd ask the people in the fall what their harvest ran and my Dad's figure was always within a bushel or two!
  After we left the Roy area in 1925 my Dad worked for the Don Deyoe Agency, selling Stars and Durants and whatever Don handled later on.
  Since my Dad was Irish, he loved to dance and Irish jigs were his specialty.
  I remember my folks talking about the Stabb family a great deal. I think they probably visited back and forth. I remember going back to the area when I was 10 or 12 and stopping by Stabb's. I remember there was a new baby.
  My Mom talked a great deal of Rose Scott Clow, a dear friend and the person who attended her when she and Dad married. Dad's attendant was a C.D. McCullen. 

BLACK BUTTE MEMORIES
O. J. "WHISKER" DAVIS FAMILY
by Kathryn Johnson and information by Bill Davis

  O. J. Davis homesteaded 8 miles south of Roy, Montana in the early 1900's. He married Alexzina LaRocque at Gilt Edge in 1909. They had 11 children. With the exception of Jack who was born in a hospital in Lewistown, they were all born in the log cabin that Whisker built. One child died at birth and is buried on a hill not far from the homestead. Another little boy, a son of Joe Y. and Tillie Doney, is buried beside him. His name was Boy Blue.
  Whisker Davis was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was in poor health. His doctor told him to "go west" and at 16 years of age he started out. He moved into Idaho and then Montana. He spent a few years as a freighter from Fort Benton to Lewistown and Gilt Edge. He was a farmer-stockman and raised horses, sheep and cattle; also a lot of hay and grain. Mr. Davis did his banking and business in Grass Range. On one occasion he was unhitching the wagon and the horses were spooked by a little dog and ran over him. He broke several ribs and never fully recovered from the accident. Owen Judson Davis passed away in a Lewistown hospital February 22, 1932.
  The children attended the Black Butte school which was a mile from the home. Owen Jr., Simon, Rose, Nora and Frances graduated from the eighth grade at the Black Butte School. Bill and Kathryn from the eighth grade at the Roy school.
  Owen Jr. married Louise Plummer LaFountain in 1931. They had six boys: Monroe, Vernon, Ted, Oliver, Charley and Jim, and they also raised Louise's three children, Alex, Alfred and Lorraine LaFountain. Louise had a homestead 5 miles from the Davis ranch and 5 miles from Roy. They lived there during the summer months and moved to their home in Roy during the school months so the children could attend school. Owen was a government trapper for years. He moved to Lewistown and worked for the Milwaukee Railroad. Louise died of a heart attack in the early sixties. Owen
 

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moved to Great Falls and worked for the railroad for 22 years, until his death in August of 1967 at the age of 56.
   Simon didn't stay at the ranch after finishing school. He moved to the Missouri Breaks and worked on different ranches· He married Jane Rickenbacker from Sumatra. They had 2 girls, Betty Jane and Nina. He worked on a ranch at Wilsall and then moved to the west coast. He served in the Navy and the Army and spent his remaining years with his wife, Erlene, in Starbuck, Washington. He was a meat cutter until his death in 1972.
  Rose married Arnold Dolsman at an early age. They lived on farms near the home place also at Fergus and Grass Range and Roy. Arnold was a horse trader at the time. They had 12 children· The oldest girl, named Vivian, died at age 2. The others were: Clinton, Kenny, Wayne, Melvin, Sharon, Gary, Curtis, Kay, Pam, Deanie and Harold·
  Arnold was a truck driver and railroad man so they lived in several towns and states throughout their marriage. Arnold died in California in 1970. She passed away in 1983 in California.
  Nora worked for several ranches, after school, as a young girl. Bill says of his sister, "Nora rode a lot of bucking horses. Horses of Albert and Tony LaFountains that they couldn't ride -- she could ride. She never got bucked off, just would sit up there and let them buck. She'd be sick for several days afterwards though"· Bill said she died of cancer, he blamed it on her riding those bucking horses·
  Nora had a daughter, named Nina Norrine, who was born while they lived in Roy. She lived to be 7 months old and died of pneumonia·
  Nora married Ray Canfield and lived in Dillon and Lewistown. She later married Ted Hanson. She loved to help friends and family when they needed her. She had a great sense of humor and it was a joy to have her around. She had many talents. She passed away at age 34 in Lewistown, Montana.
  Frances graduated from Roy High School and moved to Butte and worked for several years· She married Harold Gugler of Big Timber and they moved to Boeing in Washington state and worked throughout the war years· She later married Walt Leninget and they operated an Insurance Business until their deaths; Walt in 1982 and Frances in 1984.
  Kathryn moved to Roy with the family when she was 9 years old. They then moved to Lewistown and later to Livingston where she married George Adkins and had 8 children: Vernon, Sonny, Frances, Gloria, Tom, Jackie, Mike and Ronnie. She lived in Livingston 16 years and moved to Jardine with her husband, Vern Johnson· They had 5 children: Clarence, Warren, Ralph, Lloyd and Charlotte. They operated the Johnson Outfitters and Guide Business· Vern passed away in 1980 and Kathryn still manages the business with her sons and daughter.
  Perry lives in Livingston and as a young man worked on several ranches in the Wilsall area. He joined the army in World War II and served in Germany. He married Lois Ford in Seattle and they had one boy, Stanley, who graduated from Roy High School in 1971.
  Stan now lives in Arizona where he works for a plumber contractor. On the off season -- when not busy plumbing -- he works on his boss's ranch.
  Perry is married to Marge Atwood and after working for the railroad all these years he retired· He spends his time fishing and visiting his sister Kathryn in the mountains where he loves to go camping·
  Tom worked on ranches as a young man and is a friend to all. He was a meat cutter by trade and broke a lot of horses for his friends. He joined the army and served in the Korean War. He married Elva Ripley and they had 4 children: Tom, Denny and Danny (twins) and Cheryl. Tom is now retired and lives in Helena. For several years he would go help his brother Bill during lambing and calving.
  Jack Davis was a truck driver for years and served in the army in England· He later married Bette June Enger in Livingston and they had 6 children: Jackie, Donnie, Bill, Steven, Yvonne and Carla.
  In the past years after several car and truck accidents he has been crippled and went into the horse 'trading business. He buys and sells horses, tack, feed and grain· He now lives in Helena, Montana.
  Mother Alexzina was born and raised at Flat Willow near Grass Range and attended school in Gilt Edge. She worked on ranches near Roy; helping out when needed. She did a lot of canning so was in great demand throughout the community. Besides raising her family, with all the hardships and work in those days she never changed. She always had a nice word to say about someone. She always told her family "If you can't say something nice about someone don't say anything at all." She worked in Roy for Mrs. Sturdy at the cafe a few years and throughout her life worked in cafes. She passed away in Livingston on April 16, 1956.
 

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BILL DAVIS

  Bill Davis was born on his dad's place, south of Roy, in 1921. His dad originally had a place in the Little Crooked area; a dug-out house, corrals and he ran horses. He later lived where Doc Smith eventually located. In the early 1900's he settled in the Black Butte area, just down from where the Blakemores live, where his children were born and raised.
  Bill was only 11 years old when his dad died, in 1932. He was a tough young guy; said he never owned a pair of overshoes, cap or underwear until after he was grownup. One classmate remembers that Bill could run around outside, barefooted, at 40 below with no ill effects!
  One of the things he did as a young fellow was run a trap line. Every Saturday a.m. he took off and would go up the creek to the Jim Ranch (Melvin Rindal's), cut across over the hills and go down the Chamberlain Creek, around by Stoffields, over to where Winnie Rife used to live and back into Roy -- all in one day. Sometimes the snow would be knee deep. Bill laughs about it today, "Hell of a long ways to go for a skunk or two and a few weasles. I don't know how I did it, must have been 20 miles or better!"
  He took the hides to town; "had to ride in the back of the stage", he laughs. "I skinned the skunks till I found out the guy was giving another guy more money for unskinned ones. After that I buried and froze the skunks in a snowbank." He got $1 to $1.25 for the skinned ones.
  Bill attended the Black Butte school and a half a year at Little Crooked. They needed 5 kids to keep the school going there -- at least to get it opened up in the fall, so Eli Doney and Bill went down. "They paid for our food and clothes, so we would attend." The other students were Marie Webb, Belle and Earl Castille. Mrs. Bertha Jenson was the teacher.
  He was attending high school in Roy when he got into a difficulty with a teacher who was accusing him, wrongfully, of cheating. Bill got mad and quit school; no amount of pleading from Holmstrom or apologies from the teacher could get him to go back. "Biggest mistake I ever made, hurt me worse'n it did the teacher. Ever since I always stress to these kids, GET THAT DIPLOMA --no matter what!"
  Bill joined the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) in 1937. Later he worked for the Montana State Highway department. He was working for the highway department and began the preliminary work on the building of the section house at Mobridge.
  Bill was employed by the Fish and Wildlife Service for 7 years before he took over the job of "county road maintenance" from Jim Murphy. He held that job for 14 1/2 years before retiring and turning it over to Dan Horachek.
  Bills ranch is made up of the Jire Jurica place, which he bought from the county, and the Cliff Larson place. He and his present wife, Sharon, raise sheep and cattle and do some farming.
  Sharon came to Roy with her first husband, Kenneth Mosby, and children, Cy, Mickey and George "Buck", from Mosby, when they took over the custodians job at the school in 1974. Kenneth passed away in 1980.
  All three of her children are RHS graduates. Cy joined the army. He married while in the service and after being discharged he and his wife, Rhonda, and her two sons, Kevin and Cory, came back to Roy and he became school custodian for a couple of years and they both drove school bus. They now live in Henderson, Kentucky.
  Mickey is married to Dale Williams. They have a son Christopher. They live and work in Great Falls.
  Buck is stationed with the Navy in Tennessee.
  Bill only had one child of his own, Janet (Nelson), but he helped to raise and put about 14 others through school. "I don't know how we did it on those wages I got -- but we did. We didn't live on steaks I know!"
  His grandson, Brad Anderson, lives in Great Falls. His granddaughter, Tammi Anderson Combs and her sons, Ean and Shaun, live in Mt. Vernon, Washington. Ean and Shaun love to spend their summers with "Grandpa". Janet lives in Elko, Nevada. Two other grandchildren, Charlene and C.W. Kananen both graduated from RHS and reside and work in the Roy area.
  Bill has a wonderful sense of humor and a great outlook on life. He loves to tell stories about people he's known -- he always remembers the humorous and wonderfully human side of those people.
  One he tells about concerns Mr. and Mrs. Joe Wright.
  The Joe Wright family lived where the Gary Blakemores live now. They had a large herd of dairy cattle.
  According to Bill, one time a cow got down in the barn and Joe called upon the assistance of his wife to help get her up. Mrs. Wright was a very short woman.
  Joe, evidentally had other help on hand, besides her. They got the cow hoisted up in the rear and it was Mrs. Wrights job to "hold up the rear" while they got the front end up. As the front end came up, the back went down, with the result that Mrs. Wright was on the barn floor with a cow sitting in her lap.
  She sat there, uttering phrases, trying to get someone to help her. But it was impossible for awhile, they were all laughing too hard. Mrs. Wright was the only one not amused by the situation!
 

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RICHARD (DICK) CLARENCE SOLBERG FERGUS

  Dick Fergus was born, 5 November 1911, at Lewistown, Montana. His "real name" was Richard Clarence Solberg. His father was Ben Solberg. His mother, Regina Egeland, was born at Stavanger, Norway, 1888-1953. Solberg's had three children: Richard, Thelma, and Eleanor. After Ben Solberg's untimely death (suicide, 13 May 1933 at Black Butte ranch), Regina married Robert Fergus, son of William Fergus.
  At that time Richard took his name of Fergus. Dick carried on this ranch operation. He was schooled in Lewistown and left school in 1928, at the age of 16 and carried on his stepfather's ranch interests. This prospered, after the depression years. They sold the cattle in 1936, at a good profit and went into sheep. In 1945, they went back to cattle and sold out in 1949.
  Richard Fergus married Marcella Gerstenhauer at Hobson, Montana, 12 November 1932.
  With the proceeds of the cattle ranch, they purchased and built the Fergus Motel at Great Falls, Montana, a 28 unit, AAA establishment which is still in operation.
  Dick Fergus participated in the organization of the Grass Range Grazing District and was a director from 1938 to 1948. He was state Governor, 1953-54. They reside in Great Falls.

FRED AND LEORA FOGLE

   Fred Fogle and Leora Stratton were married in Bozeman in June of 1896.
  They moved to Fergus County in 1903 with their daughter, Esther. Esther died in 1912 when they were living in the Moore-Straw area. There were also four boys in the family: Wilfred, Roy, Lester and Ralph.
  In 1915 the family moved to an area east of Valentine where they farmed and raised cattle. Fred also hauled freight between Roy and Valentine.
  In 1920 they relocated on a farm southeast of Roy for a brief time then moved back to Moore; spent brief periods in Washington and Oregon and finally settled in Bozeman in 1929, where son Ralph passed away in 1953, Leora in 1955 and Fred in 1959.
  Wilfred married Lydia Jurica of Roy and they farmed in the area until, they too, moved to Bozeman.
  Fred Fogle and George Fogle, father of Harvey, were brothers.

ANTONE FREHNER

  Antone Frehner was a native of Switzerland and was known as Tony, a very special friend to the George Courtney's little girl. He was unmarried and had no relatives in the United States. When he died, December 21, 1928, he left his entire estate, which included Roy properties, to his two young nieces, Lyde (age 8) and Millie (age 6) Vogd, in Zurich, Switzerland. Frehner was around 60 to 62 years old when he died and had resided in the U.S. for over 40 years.
  Frehner was a skilled meat cutter and he worked at the Kalal Market in Roy where he resided for many years, and at various markets in Lewistown.

WALTER HANEY
by Fred Haney

  Walter W. Haney was born July 11, 1872 in Greenville, Texas and died June 14, 1941 in Lewistown, Montana. He spent his boyhood on ranges near Vernon, Texas. In 1892 he and his partner, Earl Butler, hired on at Amarillo, Texas with a trail herd heading north. The trip ended on the Powder River, south of Miles City, Montana. He worked for the Lazy S A outfit awhile and for several other outfits. In '96 he rode for the Circle Diamond outfit trailing cattle from Billings to the Canadian line. He worked for the Bloom Cattle Co. at Crane Lake on the C.P. & R. in Canada for a year. He said the mosquitos were as big as horseflies.
  In his early years in Montana he did some trapping on the Missouri River. One time when work was scarce he got a few head of beef and started a butcher shop in Zortman, Montana. He also accumulated an interest on a small herd of cattle in the Wilder area. When "Humpy" King of King Island died, Walter became
 

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guardian of Louise King and Wallace King and took care of their interest.
 He returned to Fergus County in 1903 and worked for the 2 Bar outfit, better known as the Stephens Ranch, until 1912. He took up a homestead that is now called the Bowser place south of Roy, Montana. In 1915 Walt married Hazel Anderson. From that time on he ranched in the Roy section continuously.
  Walter Haney lived a very interesting life, coming up with the last trail herd from Texas when only twenty years old. He was a good all around cowboy and well thought of by his many bosses.
  When the cattle drive had to pass through an Indian reservation, a bunch of braves would come out to negotiate the number of cattle they wanted to allow passage through their territory. One time the Indians burnt a cowboy to a wagon wheel and the band of cowboys cornered a bunch of Indians in a dead end canyon. Word got to the Government Indian Agent and he got there in time to prevent a massacre.
  Walt got into a fist fight with a fellow down on the river one time, don't know who won, but from then on they "packed" guns for each other. The nearest they came to meeting was out on the range one day and Walter saw the fellow in the general area. He knew he packed a rifle so Walter circled around to a sheep wagon and borrowed the herder's rifle. By that time the man was out of sight. Walt still took his .45 with him wherever he went, even to his last days.
  For years he made up shipments of cattle that were destined for Chicago and he went with them to make sure they were cared for and sold in the best groups. All the Roy ranchers looked forward to the Chicago shipments and several ranchers would go with him.
  For each carload of cattle shipped, someone could have a free pass with them and a return trip on the Olympian and 10 days to fool around. One time Walt went to a movie, probably a Burlesque, which was popular with the cowboys, and some fellow sat down beside him. In the dark, Walt felt a hand working its way up his leg until it reached the cold steel of the .45. He got up in a hurry, but Walt followed him out and said, "You try that again and they'll carry you out feet first!" I guess the fellow didn't want any more.
  Walter was probably the best man at reading brands in Montana. For several years he was brand inspector at Roy. He was so well known for his abilities to read brands that he was offered the job as brand inspector at the Chicago stockyards.
  At one time he had the Barbee place and also Barngraber place east of Roy. In later years the Fadrhonc family had the Barngraber place.
  The winter of 1919 the Murray Deaton Cattle Co. had their cattle pastured on the creek bottom below the Barngraber place and lost most of their cattle due to bad weather and no feed. A good many years later Fred Haney and Billy Johnson picked up a wagon load of bones from that pasture. Even found one buffalo skull. Bones were selling for $10.00 a ton.
  Walter later moved the family into Roy and started buying the creek bottom and also the house, three houses from the school. That street was known as 'silk stocking row' and had all nice houses on the street. It was real close to school, which didn't please Fred, as he never had an excuse to miss school or even take his lunch.
  Walter lived by the code of the west and figured a man was only as good as his word.

FRED NEWTON HANEY
by Fred Haney

  Fred Newton Haney, the son of Walter M. Haney and Hazel Anderson Haney, was born on July 12, 1916. A brother, Jack Theo., was born a little over a year later but died when only 6 weeks old.
  Fred grew up on the ranch south of Roy and attended grade school and four years of high school in Roy.
  Close neighbors of the Haney's were Fred's grandfather, F. "Spokane" Anderson and his son's, Ted and Con; also his aunt and uncle, Julia and Charles Oquist. Fred's mother passed away in 1926.
  Fred relates a few tales of his childhood in Roy. "These are a few stories I can tell."

"As a kid spending all my childhood in Roy, I guess I got into as much trouble as I was big enough to. It used to be a pastime to talk and play in front of the post office while Mr. Marsh was trying to put up the mail. He would come out and grab a couple of us and take us to the constable, Joe Murphy, for our regular 'talking to'.
Several of us boys with horses would go out north of Roy and round up a bunch of Bert Sargents cattle and bring them in to the stock yards and ride the calves. He would sure get all fired hot.
One time, another boy and I found the whiskey cache of the town bootlegger and took it all, a ten gallon wooden barrel, a two gallon keg and one gallon crock jug. The

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 drinking folks got wind as to who had it and we finally gave back the eight gallons of it for $2.00. We had the town of Roy real dry for awhile.
I guess the worst thing I was involved in, and it was an accident, was the time three of us kids were playing with matches and set the Green Livery Barn on fire and it burned to the ground. It was full of baled hay, brought in by the railroad. The little two wheeled fire engine was no match for it.
Every barber Roy had was a bootlegger and us kids would pick up whiskey bottles Sunday morning after a dance and sell them to them. When I learned barbering, I didn't know I'd have to cut hair."

  In 1935 Fred attended Barber College in Spokane. He barbered for a short time in Lewistown before entering the service. He then spent 31/2 years in the European Theater of War during WWII.
  He married Marion Stella Martin in 1936. They were divorced in 1939. There were no children.
  In 1942 he married Mary Jane Bare. One son, William Lewis, was born of this marriage in May of 1943.
  In 1947 Haney married Mary Clarice Mann. They have one son, Robert Theodore, born in April of 1948 in Long Beach, California.
  When Fred came home from combat in Europe during WWII, he found those who had stayed home got "fat" and wanted to buy his ranch. One made an offer but Fred had promised another first chance if he sold. Well, the two prospective buyers got together and one dropped out and left it to the other. This one dropped his offer two thousand dollars. Fred, fresh out of combat and slightly confused, didn't have brains enough to tell him to "stick it". Before the final sale, several people were involved. The Haney Dynasty came to an end through those whose word meant very little. It is ironical, but everyone that had a part or an 
interest in getting this deal made, have long passed over the "Great Divide". The only two left is the buyer and the seller and who knows which one will be next.

FLOYD AND MAE KENNETT

  Floyd and Mae Kennett lived on the Beatty place and also on a place southeast of Roy where the children attended the Bear Creek School. The children were: Emery, Bessie, Harold, Dorothy and Hazel. Bessie married a William Canet and they lived in Cayucos, California. The Kennetts left around 1923.

C. P. LARSEN FAMILY
by Helen Larsen Martin

  Christian "Chris" P. and Sena (Olsen) Larsen came to Montana in the year of 1912 from North Dakota. They were originally from Denmark. They homesteaded 5 miles southeast of Roy. There was not a town of Roy when they came.
  Chris and his eldest son, Cliff, came ahead with cattle, horses and the family belongings on the train. Mrs. Larsen and the other children: Bill, Myrtle, Laura, Bernice and Chet soon followed. They rode in the caboose of the train as far as Hilger where they were met by

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