ROBERT WILLIAM NICOL
Robert Nicol, Skalkaho, born at Dearbornville, Mich., March 4, 1847,
is the youngest of a family of six children. His father's
family moved to South Bend, Ind. In 1853 they moved to near
Aurora, Kane Co., Ill., and in 1855 moved to northern Iowa, where
they remained until 1862. Robert Nicol, Sr., died in 1850, and
his widow married D.C. Elliott in 1853.
In 1864 the family, consisting of Mr. and Mrs.
Elliott, L. C. and Clara Elliott, son and daughter of Mr. Elliott,
and Robert Nicol came to Montana, and D. C. and L. C. Elliott and
Robert Nicol located each a piece of land adjoining each other, and
all in one body. L. C. Elliott was killed in the Big Hole
battle of 1877. D. C. Elliott was appointed postmaster in
1874, and Robert Nicol his deputy. D. C.
Elliott died March 2, 1881, and Robert Nicol took
his place. Mr. Nicol cultivates about sixty acres of land, with an
average wheat yield of twenty-five bushels; oats forty bushels per
acre. His principal business is stock-raising, both horses and
cattle, marketing his young stock as fast as it becomes
marketable. He has about thirty head of horses. He has
about 175 fruit trees, consisting of apple, crab apple, plum,
cherry, etc., a few vines of Concord grapes, and some strawberries
are found in his orchard.
Mr. Nicol was married April 2, 1878, to Miss
Nellie, daughter of Jacob and Emma Goff. Mr. and Mrs. Nicol
have two children, viz: Florence, born July 28,1880; Robert, born
July 6, 1882. February 8, 1883, before 6 a.m., Mr. Nicol's
house caught fire and burned to the ground with nearly all the
contents saving only a little clothing and the post office.
Biographical sketch, Robert Nicol, Michael A, Leeson, A History of
Montana, 1739-1885 (Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co. 1885), p. 1314: