ST. JOHN FUNERAL AT STEVENSVILLE
    Stevensville, Nov. 13 – Funeral services were conducted for Floyd E. St. John, Polson druggist at the Federated Methodist church here today by the Masonic fraternity, assisted by Rev. H. B. Ricketts. The DeMolay order and the order of Eastern Star participated in the services. Pallbearers were George Taylor, Charles Rudolph, C. L. Franks, J. H. Winger, Thomas Gott and Earl Franks.  Burial was at Corvallis.
    Mr. St. John, son of H. J. St. John, Stevensville druggist, was born at Victor 28 years ago. He died at Polson Thursday where he had operated a drug business for the past two months. Besides his wife he is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. H. J. St. John, Stevensville; three brothers, Morris St. John, Thompson Falls, druggist; and Rex, Max and Leo St. John, Stevensville; his grandmother, Mrs. J. W. Morris, Corvallis and four uncles, James St. John and Ray, Dan and Lester Morris, all of Corvallis.
The Western News, Hamilton, MT, Nov 17, 1932, Page three column 4
Contributed by Gloria McGough

Henry St. John, Prominent Valley Businessman, Died Sunday
Photo captioned:  VALLEY DRUGGIST TAKEN BY DEATH, Henry J. St. John
    One of Ravalli county’s leading citizens, Henry St. John, passed away at Daly hospital Sunday, Oct 21, following an illness which had extended over a number of months. Funeral services were conducted by Rev. Harry Soloos at the Dowling chapel in Hamilton yesterday afternoon following which the remains were taken to Victor where burial was made in the family plot. At thte graveside rites of the Masonic fraternity, to which Mr. St. John had for years been a member were conducted. Pallbearers were Mac Hughes, George Godron, Tom Smith, Ron Blake, Morris Strange, Bill Groff. Honorary pallbearers were H. C. Groff, Kim Hickey, Pat Dineen, Charles
Rosecrans, William Thrailkill, Oakley Coffee, Boni Fileff, Milton Byrd, and William Carter.
    Henry J. St. John was born at Sparta, Mo. Nov. 30, 1872 and came to the Bitter Root in 1897 as a school teacher, instructing in the Burnt Fork and Etna districts. He entered the pharmacy business in Victor in 1905, which he continued to operated until 1920 when he sold his Victor Drug store and began operation of a drug store in Stevensville which he had purchased. He operated this store until 1944 when he sold it only later to move to
Hamilton where he joined his son, Rex, in operation of the St. John Drug store in the county seat after another son, Max, entered the navy during World War II.  After Max came home Mr. St. John continued to see duty as a pharmacist in the store of his sons in Hamilton until he retired in 1952.
    Mr. St. John early became identified with the Farmers State Bank of Victor which was organized in October, 1906 with a date set for opening as March 10, 1907. L. R. Peek of Hamilton was the leading spirit in the
pre-organization work. At a meeting held in Victor on Oct 20, 1906 the following officers were elected:  A. S. Blake, president; H. J. St. John, vice president; L. R. Peck, cashier; Clarence Goff, Martin Cramer, J. L. Humble, John Wood, H.J. St. John, A. S. Blake and L. R. Peck, directors. A site was purchased for the erection of a banking building and the capital of the establishment was set at $25,000.  It was determined to open the bank the next March, operating in the St. John Drug store until the new bank building was constructed. Early the next March, the famed pioneer A. S. Blake, who had been named president of the institution, died and Mr. St. John became president, a position he held for 36 years. He was vice-president of the bank at the time of his death.
    Mr. St. John was an ardent sportsman, an enthusiastic follower of athletic events, a highly successful business man, a member of the Victor Masonic lodge, of the Bagdad Shrine and of Hamilton Elks lodge.  Henry St. John, having lived in Victor, Stevensville and Hamilton continuously for almost 60 years (copy incomplete)
The Western News, Thursday October 25, 1956, Front page
Contributed by Gloria McGough

Last Rites For Martha St. John Tomorrow Morn She Died Monday
    Funeral services in tribute to Martha St. John, widow of the late Bitter Root business man Henry St. John, will be conducted at Dowling chapel in Hamilton at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 22.  Mrs. St. John passed away Monday, April 19 following a protracted illness. Rev. Robert Sherwood will officiate at the last rites and the pallbearers will be Leonard Halder, David Halder, Larry Halder, David St. John, L. M. Powell and Howard Waddell. Interment will be made in the St. John plot in Victor cemetery. Eastern Star ritual will be carried out at graveside by Beulah chapter members.
    Martha Jane Waddell was born June 15, 1882 in Beaverhead county but as a girl came to the Bitter Root with her parents, members of the prominent Waddell family of the Darby district. She was married to Henry St. John in 1905. The couple resided in Victor, Stevensville and Hamilton.  Mr. St. John died Oct. 21, 1956.
    In addition to her husband Mrs. St. John was preceded in death by three sons; Clell, Floyd and Rex. Surviovrs are sons Henry Max, Leo, both of Hamilton, and Morris of Seattle, and two sisters, Mrs. Ralph (Ruth) Powell, Victor, and Mrs. Ole (Mary) Berge, Hamilton. There are also surviving nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
    Mrs. St. John was widely known throughout the valley and her departure from their midst will be marked with mourning by numerous friends. She was a resident of Hamilton since 1912 and was a member of Beulah chapter OES, Victor. Memorial may be sent care of Ester of Beulah chapter OES.
The Western News, Hamilton, MT, Wednesday, April 21, 1971, Front page, column 4
Contributed by Gloria McGough

    Gertrude Bonita Stanfield, 73, of Myrtle Creek, Oregon, died January 21 of natural causes in a Roseburg, Oregon hospitals. She was born January 3, 1913 in Hamilton to Henry and Henrietta Oertle. She attended Missoula schools, graduating from Missoula County high school.
    On October 15, 1932, she married Charles Stanfield in Missoula. The couple lived in Haugen, Havre, and Summit before moving to Oregon about 190. Mrs. Stanfield leaves many friends and relatives in western Montana.
    Survivors include her husband, Charles, of Myrtle Creek; two daughters, Sharon L. Malcom, Salem, Oregon, and Lorna Lore, Myrtle Creek; a sister, Doris Duffield, in Idaho; and four grandchildren.
    Memorial funeral services were held in Myrtle Creek.
Ravalli Republic, February 3, 1986

Joe Stanford Claimed by Death; Rites Were Saturday
    Funeral services were Saturday at Dowling Chapel for Joe Stanford, 73, who died April 15. He had left home at 7 a.m. saying he would look at a ditch near the Geo. Hieronymus place 1 mile north of town. He parked his car just off the hiway and was inside the Hieronymus fence lying on the ditch bank when grandson Wayne Stanford, 14, found the body just before 8:00. Joe had suffered a heart attack three years ago, a stroke two years ago Easter and another stroke this Easter. He had kept active however.
    Rev. Edwin Dover officiated at the rites and interment was in Corvallis cemetery. Pallbearers were Roy Tillman, Emil LaChambre, Sam Taber, Asa Yerian, Floyd McCormick, and George Wickham. Odd Fellow lodge rites honored him at graveside. He was a past noble grand of the local IOOF and a member of the Encampment and Cantons.
    Joe A. Stanford was born February 5, 1890 in Oberlin, Ohio, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Stanford. He married Martha Leming on February 5, 1916 at Niagara Falls and they returned to the Bitter Root the year.
    Surviving beside the widow are twin sons, Tom and Frank, and three grandchildren.
The Western News, May 1, 1964, page 1

Margaret Stanford Taken By Death This Morning At Daly Hospital
    Mrs. Joe Stanford, 74, of Hamilton, died at Daly hospital this morning. Margaret Taylor was born on August 5, 1888 in Pennsylvania. She married Joe Stanford February 5, 1912 at Niagara Falls, NY and they came to the Bitter Root that year. They farmed in the Hamilton area and about 21 years ago moved to the West Fork district where he ran a star route from Darby to Alta. They moved back to Hamilton in 1961.
    Mrs. Stanford was a school teacher about 20 years, obtaining her teaching education at Erie, PA, the city of her birth.
    Surviving are twin sons, Thomas and Frank of Hamilton, and four grandchildren. Interment will be in the family plot in Corvallis cemetery beside the grave of Mr. Stanford who died May 1, 1963.
Western News, December 16, 1963, page 1

Sad News Received
    News of the death of Henry Stangeland, brother of Mrs. Clarence Applebury, reached here Monday from Finley, North Dakota, which had been the home of the Stangelands since moving from Corvallis. Death was due to tuberculosis from which the young man had suffered for several months though bedfast only a few days. He was 28 years of age. While residing in the valley, the deceased made many friends who are grieved to learn of his death. Mrs. Applebury, but a few days ago, returned from a visit to her people, and will not return to Finley at this time.
Ravalli Republican, Friday, May 19, 1916

Hold Last Rites For Mrs. Stanley
    Funeral services for Mrs. R. Dean Stanley, 66, Corvallis, who died March 25 in a Missoula hospital, were held Monday afternoon from the Cowling chapel. She had been ill for several months, entering the hospital in October and had spent only a month out of the hospital since then. The services were conducted by the Rev. C.J Taber and the Corvallis chapter of the Order of Eastern Star of which she was a member. Pallbearers were Russell Smithey, M.L. Barr, Guy Cockran, Lois Wolff, Howard Boyer and O.S. Lockwood. Interment was in the Corvallis cemetery beside the grave of her husband who died last year.
    She was born March 13, 1876 at Halltown, MO, and came to the valley with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. W.C. Wan, in 1884.
    Two daughters, Mrs. Richard Bryson, Corvallis, and Mrs. Marvin Hart, Missoula; sons, Robert D. Stanley, Chicago, IL, and Max Stanley, Anaconda; sisters, Mrs. Flora Morris, Corvallis, Mrs. W.W. Hunt, Clarkston, Washington, and Mrs. PC. Nicholson, Pomeroy, Washington, and three grandchildren survive.
    Mr. and Mrs. Robert Stanley, Mr. and Mrs. Max Stanley, and Mr. and Mrs. Hart and three children were the out-of-town relatives who attended the services.
Ravalli Republican, April 2, 1942


Death of G.F. Stevens
Had Been a Resident of Corvallis and Hamilton for more Than Quarter of a Century
    George Franklin Stevens died at his home on South Eighth Street May 29 after a long illness of cancer. He was a patient sufferer, realizing that he had not long to live. He was 60 years of age, being born at Newton, Indiana, March 22, 1865. When a small child, he moved to Knox City, Missouri, with his parents. When about 19 years old, he went to California, returning to Knox City in 1894. He came to Corvallis in 1897 and ten years later was married to Bertha Bones of Woodside. To this union six children were born, two dying in infancy.
    Deceased is survived by a widow, two sons, George and Gordon, two daughters, Annie and Nina, two sisters, Mrs. Annie Collins of Knox City, Missouri, and Mrs. Homer Yancey of Lewistown, Missouri; and two brothers, Lafe Stevens of Durham, Calif, and Ivan Stevens, whose whereabouts is unknown.
    The funeral was held by Rev. L. E. Obert the following Sunday at the Christian Church and interment was in the Corvallis Cemetery.
Ravalli Republican, June 12, 1925, page 1

Colorful Lunberjack character Dies at Age of 84 at Missoula; In Bitter Root Many Years
    Hamilton old-timers were reminded of the thrills that came with early day logging operations in the upper Bitter Root Valley when they learned of the death at Missoula last week of Daniel Stewart, 84-year old Canadian lumberjack. For many years, Stewart was known here as "Danny, the Cougar." He was a logger in the Bitter Root when the drive down river was the only means of getting timbers to the mill that was operated by the Anaconda Copper Minding Company in Hamilton. Known for his prowess with a canthook and axe, Danny early established himself as a colorful character of the woods. His death followed a brief illness. Stewart worked for the Kendalls and the Harpers in their lumber camps of the '90's and he was considered an expert river man and teamster.
Ravalli Republican, May 11, 1939

Young Girl Dead
Mary C. Stewart Fatally Injured in Fall
Native of Hamilton Laid to Rest in Riverview Cemetery Yesterday Afternoon
    Injuries received when she fell from her horse Thanksgiving day proved fatal to Mary Carlyle Stewart, youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E.K. Stewart. She died Friday evening shortly before 8 o’clock without having regained consciousness. A skull fracture was incurred by the girl when she was thrown to the ground as the result of a broken saddle strap while riding with her sister, Miss Annie Jean Stewart, near the family home about noon.
    Mary had returned to Hamilton the previous day from her studies at the state university in Missoula to spend the holiday at her home. She was a freshman at the institution and a member of the 1933 graduating class of the Hamilton High School. Born in Hamilton February 38, 1915, her entire life had been spent in this community except for the few weeks spent at the university. Always of a sunny temperament, she was a favorite among the younger members of the community and her death brought a shadow such as Hamilton has not experienced for many months.
    Members of her family are the parents and sister and her brother, E.K. Stewart Jr, all of whom were with her when the end came. Her grandmother, Mrs. A.W. Barrere, who had been visiting at her former home in Ohio since last summer, returned Tuesday, called by the death. Mrs. R.H. Daniels is an aunt.
    Hundreds gathered yesterday afternoon to pay their last respects to the young girl’s memory. Services were conducted at the Presbyterian church by Rev. J.C. Irwin and Rev. C.R. Miller, assisted by Rev. H.C. Stark of Kalispell, former pastor of the Presbyterian church here. The pallbearers were Paul and Charles Pagenkopf, Ross Erickson, Victor Miller,james Geiman, Dick Hogue, Woodburn Brown, and Jack Davis. Interment was in Riverview cemetery. Several classmates of the dad girl came from the University at Missoula to attend the services. The body lay in state at the Dowling funeral home for the three days prior to the funeral and many friends who had known the deceased from babyhood viewed the remains during that time. Death occurred at the Daly hospital.
Ravalli Republican, December 7, 1933

Funeral Services Held For Mrs. E.E. Stockman
    The last tributes of a host of friends and neighbors were paid Sunday afternoon to the memory of Mrs. E.E. Stockman, Sr., who died last week at a Missoula hospital. Death came after several months of illness due o gallstone troubles and followed two surgical operations. Funeral services were held at the Methodist church by Rev. C.D. Swisher and burial was made in Riverview cemetery. The pallbearers were George S. Downing, Henry Terou, James Dunbar, M.L. Barr, Edward Jackson, and F.H. Drinkenberg.
    mrs. Stockman had been a resident of Hamilton for the past 28 years. Besides her husband, she is survived by three daughters and two sons. The daughters are Mrs. S.H. McDonald of Penant, Cal., Mrs. Joseph LaCompte and Mabel Stockman of Hamilton. The sons, George Stockman and Elmer E. Stockman, Jr., of Hamilton. Her aged father, D.J. Haines, two sisters, Mrs. Ed Selby of Missoula, and Mrs. J.F. Donovan of Hamilton, and a brother, Clare Haines, of Hamilton, also survive her.
The Western News, December 4, 1924

    Funeral services for Elmer E. Stockman, 82, who was stricken with a heart attack and died suddenly at the home of a step daughter, Mrs. Ben Garlan, in Seattle, Washington, Saturday, will be held in the Dowling chapel here at 2 o’clock Wednesday afternoon. The Rev. C.R. Miller will officiate. Interment will be in Riverview cemetery. Pallbearers will be C.J. Carlstrom, L.E. Downing, Charles Granke, Marin Willi, Del King, and Frank L. Burns.
    He was born in Rolling Prairie, Ind., May 11, 1862 and came to the valley April 1, 1897, from California. In July of that year, he took a job as a mail rider, taking the mail from Skalkaho to the Big Hole on a newly established mail route. He was once held up by a trio of Indians and after much palavering was ordered to “go.” He homesteaded east of here, later opening a livery stable at Grantsdale and moved his business here when Hamilton was founded. He late years, he was a rancher, giving up his west side ranch about 10 years ago because of his age. Mr. Stockman was a member of the Hamilton Eagles and a past president of the aerie. He also served the community as a constable.
    Survivors include two daughters, Mrs. Herbert McKillop, Hamilton, and Mrs. Anna Basham, Missoula; son, George Stockman, Anaconda; stepdaughters, Mrs. Joe LeCompte, Hamilton, and Mrs. Garlan, Seattle; 10 grandchildren, five great grandchildren and two treat great grandchildren.
    Mr. Stockman went to Seattle in August to spend the winter with the Garlans. They will come here for the funeral.
Ravalli Republican, October 15, 1945


Too Much Booze; Rancher is Suffocated
Stevensville, December 24 - Louis Stone came to town yesterday from the Otto Behn ranch on Three Mile to celebrate Christmas; today his body is at the Dowling undertaking parlors. Stone suffocted in his room at Hotel Stevensville this morning when the bedding caught fire from a cigarette. Stone, a Norwegian, aged about 40 years, was drinking heavily last night and purchased freely of cigarettes. It is thought that in smoking, the man let the bed clothes catch fire. When the locked door was forced about 6:30 this morning, his lifeless body ws taken from the room. The burned bedding was taken out and although the room was charred from the smoke and the body was in no way burned, County Coroner G.A. Gordon was called from Hamilton and after an examination decided that an inquest would be unneccessary. The door of the room was a tight-fitting one and but little smoke escaped into the halls until the door was opened. Stone has been employed on the Behn ranch for three years. No funeral arrangements have been made as of noon today.
The Western News, December 28, 1916

    David William Stonehouse, 84, died Tuesday morning at his home in Stevensville. He was born to Edgar and Emma Stonehouse in Choteau, Montana January 27, 1900.
    He spent the early part of his life ranching in the Choteau area, served in the U.S. Army and was employed y the U.S. Forest Service. He retired from the Fish and Game Department as game range manager in 1966. He married Eva. L. Huseby in 1968. He belonged to the Golden Age Club and the Eagles Lodge in Hamilton.
    He is survived by his wife in Stevensville; a brother, Edgar Stonehouse, Sumas, Washington; five stepchildren, Melva Campbell of Oakley, Idaho, Marvel McManus of Kalispell, Ralph Huseby of Auburn, Mass., Ruby Wiley of Brady, Montana, and Lois Band of Lolo; 14 grandchildren, and three great grandchildren, two nieces and one nephew. He was preceded in death by one stepdaughter, Valera Balek of Great Falls.
    Memorial services will be Thursday, December 13, at 2 p.m. at the Lolo Community Church with the Rev. Gale Fister officiating. Funeral arrangements and cremation under the direction of the Whitesitt Funeral Home.
Ravalli Republic, December 12, 1984
            
    Nellie Marie Stout died at the home of her mother, Mrs. Louis Buck, on New York avenue yesterday morning following a three-months illness. Born at Ravalli on January 27, 1916, the young woman was past 23 years of age. She was the former wife of Lester Stout, and three sons, Freddy, William, and Donald, survive. The mother and step-father, the brothers, William Cummings of Stockton, California, Edward and Harvey Cummings and Fay Buck of Hamilton, and the sisters, Mrs. Carol Bauer of Hamilton and Mrs. William Schroedle of Los Angeles, California are the family members.
    Mrs. Stout had spent most of her life in this community and she attended the Hamilton schools. She was a granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. G.S. Lord, who settled in the Medicine Springs area in the early 1880's. The body is at the Dowling Funeral Home pending arrangements.
Ravalli Republican, May 18, 1939   
                                                                              
DIED - STRANGE - At the residence of her son, William Strange, about 7 miles south of Stevensville, on Sunday Morning, July 28th, 1889 at 3 o'clock, Mrs. Catherine Strange, aged 91 years, 6 months, and 11 days.
    Mrs. Strange was born in Mercer County, Kentucky, January 16th, 1798; removed to Missouri in 1855, thence to the territory of Kansas in 1850, living in that territory until 1864. In the spring of that year she removed to Oregon, remaining there 18 months. She then came to Montana and settled in the Bitter Root valley, Missoula county in 1866, where she lived with her children up to the time of her death.
    Deceased leaves four children, two boys and two girls, one daughter living in Kansas, the other three children and a goodly number of grandchildren being present to follow her remains to their last resting place. The funeral services were held at the house of her son, William Strange, at 11 o'clock a.m. on Monday of the present week, Rev. T.W. Flowers officiating, after which her mortal remains were taken to the Stevensville cemetery for interment.
    Five years ago Mrs. Strange received the ordinance of Baptism and was received in full fellowship into the M.E. church, by Rev. Wilder Nutting, and from that time until her death lived a consistent christian."
 
    "In the death of Mrs. William Strange, Ravalli County and Bitter Root Valley loses one of its noble pioneers. She went as a bride to the farm in Etna where her life was spent. She passed through the terrors of the Nez Perce Indian invasion, and endured the privations of a new, remote and sparsely settled country with patience and cheerfulness. Her influence was a power for good. She trained her two children with loving faithfulness and her life was graciously spared to see them develop into promising usefulness. For months she has been a great and patient sufferer, but her trust was in God, and she was prepared for the glories awaiting the faithful. To her husband who has lost the companion of nearly a quarter of a century, we offer our heartfelt sympathy,. May the son and daughter thus deprived of a mother's loving care and wise counsel cherish her memory and emulate her many virtues. Stevensville Register. Elizabeth died 22 September, 1899."
Contributed by Georgiann Dayton

Stevensville, Mt. MapleWood Cemetery, tombstone, reads " Catherine Strange died July 28.1889 aged 91 years.


    Mrs. G.B. Strange, resident of the Etna District, died suddenly in California, Friday of last week, December 20, 1935. The news came as a shock to many friends of Mrs. Strange. It was known that Mrs. Strange had not been in the best of health for some time but when she and her husband left here some two weeks ago for a vacation in California she was thought to be in fair health. Mrs. Strange became ill enroute to California. Mrs. Norris Nichols left for California last week to be with her mother. She became worse and passed away Friday. Funeral services were held at the farm home, South of town, Thursday and interment in Victor Cemetery. Mrs. Strange was a member of the Christian Science Church & there burial rites were held. Mrs. Strange spent most of her time here in the valley. She was born May 19, 1852 at Springfield, Missouri. Before her marriage, her home was at Florence & her two brothers Zell & Victor Morris & a sister Allice Rankin, still live there. Since she & Mr. Strange were married they have lived in the Etna District and theirs is one of the highly respected families in the valley.
Contributed by Georgiann Dayton                                                       
    In the death of Mrs. William Strange (Elizabeth Delilah Wood), Ravalli County and the Bitter Root Valley loses one of its noble pioneers. She went as a bride to the farm in Etna where he life was spent. She passed through the terrors of the Nez Perce Indian invasion, and endured the privations of a new, remote, and sparsely settled country with patience and cheerfulness. Her influence was a power for good. She trained her two children with loving faithfulness and her life was graciously spared to see them develop into promising usefulness.
    For months, she has been a great and patient sufferer, but her trust in God, and she was prepared for the glories awaiting the faithful. To her husband, who has lost the companion of nearly a quarter of a century, we offer our heartfelt sympathy. May the son and daughter, thus deprived of a mother's loving care and wise counsel, cherish her memory and emulate her many virtues.
    Elizabeth Delilah Wood was born to Lydia Tabor and Meredith Wood in Springfield, Missouri, Webster County. She was the eighth child born to the. When she was just 6 years old, her father died, and 15 when her mother died. She then lived with her older brother, John Franklin Wood. In 1874, with her brothers, John F., William J., and Joshua Taylor Wood and their families, she came to the Bitter Root Valley. She met and married William Allen Strange in 1876. They homesteaded at the corner of the East Side Highway and Lazy Lane, 1/2 mile south of Casey's Store. William's mother, Kitty, came to live with them there. Two children were born to the union, Gibbon Benton and Elsa Alice Strange. Kitty died in 1889 and in 1894, William built the family a new home now occupied by Millie and Casey Keiffer, just west of the old homestead. Elizabeth died an untimely death at the age of 47 years of stomach cancer.
The Stevensville Register, September 23, 1899
Contributed by Georgiann Dayton
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
    One of the Bitter Root's eldest native daughters, Elsa A. Magni, responded to the call of death, Saturday, December 11th in Seattle where she had resided in recent years with her daughter, Beth Gannon.
    She had attained the rich age of 90 years, having been born February 18, 1881 in the Etna district east of Victor, the daughter of the late William Allen and Elizabeth Wood Strange.
    Funeral services were held early this afternoon at the Dowling chapel with Father C. Arthur Latta officiating. Thereafter, burial was made in Corvallis cemetery beside the grave of her late husband, Carl Magni, who passed away December 7, 1948. Pallbearers were Ben Nichols, Bill Strange, Wayne Dayton, William Reimer, Clare Conroy, and Harry Stevenson.
    Elsa Strange grew to womanhood in the district east of Victor attending school at Etna and Willow Creek. She was really one of the early inhabitants of the valley and was widely known and highly respected. She was married to Oscar Manis, November 14, 1906. The couple lived in Stevensville, Missoula, and Lewistown. In the later community, he operated an International Harvester business. The couple became parents of two children, W.E. Manis and Beth Manis. Mr. Manis passed away July 15, 1913.
    In Corvallis on December 18, 1918, she was married to Carl Magni, a painting and decorating contractor. The couple resided in Hamilton for many years until his death. She continued to make her home in Hamilton until 1956 when she moved to Seattle. Mrs. Magni had for several years been in failing health prior to her passing.
    She was an active member of the St. Paul's Episcopal church in Hamilton and was a member of Leona chapter No. 31 OES.
    The survivors are her children, Beth Gannon, who came here from Seattle for the last rite, and the son, W. Gene Manis. His home is in Miami, Florida, but he is presently on an assignment in the Orient. Other survivors are Mrs. Norris (Virginia) Nichols, a niece, and Morris Strange, a nephew. There are also three grandsons, Will, Steve, and Andy Manis. Steve was here for the funeral. He is a student at the University of Montana at Missoula. Besides the family, Mrs. Magni possessed numerous friends among the older residents of the Bitter Root.
The Western News, December 14, 1971

"Beth told me that when Aunt Elsa died, she called out "Gib, Gib." He had come for her. The brother that always took care of her. I was napping in my bedroom the afternoon she died. My grandfather, Gib, came to me in my dreams and was quite insistent that I get up out of the bed and get busy. I felt like he wanted me to work on my genealogy and to get up and get busy with it. It was fitting that he visited me and Aunt Elsa at the same time."
Contributed by Georgiann Dayton

    Gibbon Benton Strange, a lifetime resident of this locality, passed away February 9, 1953 at Marcus Daly hospital in Hamilton, Montana. He had been in declining health for some time.
    Mr. Strange wa a son of Mr. and Mrs. William Strange, early pioneers who came to the valley in 1866. He was born on July 5, 1877 on the original Strange homestead near Victor Crossing, the place now known as the Sam Weigan ranch.
    Mr. Strange's boyhood was spent in that locality and he received his early schooling at the Etna school. When he was an infant, six weeks old, alarm spread throughout the valley that the Nez Perce Indians were on the warpath and coming through the valley. His parents fled with him for refuge in Old Fort Owen, where they remained until the Indians had passed through and until after the Big Hole Battle. Mr. Strange was named for two prominent Big Hole Battle generals, General Gibbons and General Benton (Gibbons yes, but Benton was after his grandmother Wood's place of birth).
    In 1906, Mr. Strange went to San Francisco where he attended business college. He returned to the valley and engaged, with his father, in farming and that is the vocation he followed throughout his life. He was a hard worker, a careful manager, and employed progressive practices. He became one of the most successful farmers in the Bitter Root. He retired from the farm some 10 years ago and had since lived here in Stevensville.
    As a citizen, Mr. Strange was highly respected by everyone who knew him. He was always active in public affairs and took great interest in politics. He was a Republican and was chosen to represent Ravalli County in the state legislature on different occasions. He served as a representative in 1923 and 1925, and again in 1933, and a special session in 1934. He was a Mason of long standing and belonged to Victor Lodge No. 43, A.F. & A.M. He was also a member of the Bitter Root Fifty Year Club.
    Mr. Strange was married in 1908 to Jessie Littel. There were two children by this marriage. She died in 1935. In 1941, Mr. Strange was married to Ruby Beavers, who is still living here. Other relatives living are a son, Morris and a daughter, Mrs. Norris (Virginia) Nichols of this place, and five grandchildren. They are Gib, Ben, and Karyl Nichols and Georgiann and Bill Strange. A sister, Mrs. Elsa Magni lives in Hamilton and there is a nephew, Gene Mannis, of Costa Rica and a niece, Beth Gannon, of Seattle, Washington.
    The funeral services for Mr. Strange were held at the Whitesitt Chapel here at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Reverent A.L. Swarens was in charge of the chapel service and the Victor Masonic Lodge was in charge of the burial at the Victor Cemetery. The pallbearers, whom Mr. Strange had already selected were: Earl Redding, Bert Parker, Harry Mittower, Carl Dayton, H.D. Gidenonse, and Steve Bosckis.
The Western News, February 12, 1953
Contributed by Georgiann Dayton
                                                                                                                                                                                                            
    Mrs. G.B. (Jessie Ethel Morris) Strange, resident of the Etna district, died suddenly in California, Friday of last week. The news came as a shock to many friends of Mrs. Strange. It was known that Mrs. Strange had not been in the best of health for some time, but, when she and her husband left here some two weeks ago for a vacation in California, she was thought to be in fair health. Mrs. Strange became ill enroute to California. Mrs. Norris Nichols left for California last week to be with her mother. She became worse and passed away Friday, December 20, 1935.
    Funeral services were held at the farm home, south of town, Thursday and interment in Victor cemetery. Mrs. Strange was a member of the Christian Science Church and their burial rites were held. Mrs. Strange spent most of her time here in the valley. Before her marriage, her home was at Florence. Her two brothers, Zell and Victor Morris, and a sister, Allice Rankin, still live here. Since She and Mr. Strange were married, they have lived in the Etna district and theirs is one of the highly respected families in the valley.
Ravalli Republican, December 26, 1935
                                                                                                                                                                                    
    Catherine "Kitty" Robards Strange, aged 91 years, 6 months, 11 days, died Sunday morning, July 28th, 1899, at the residence of her son, William Strange, about 7 miles south of Stevensville.
    Mrs. Strange was born in Mercer County, Kentucky, January 16th, 1798; removed to Missouri in 1855, thence to the territory of Kansas in 1850, living in that territory until 1864. In the spring of that year, she removed to Oregon, remaining there 18 months. She then came to Montana and settled in the Bitter Root Valley, Missoula county in 1866, where she lived with her children up to the time of her death.
    Deceased leaves four children, two boys and two girls, one daughter living in Kansas, the other three children and a goodly number of grandchildren being present to follow her remains to their last resting place. The funeral services were held at the house of her son, William Strange, at 11 o'clock a.m. on Monday of the present week, Rev. T.W. Flowers officiating, after which her mortal remains were taken to the Stevensville cemetery for interment.
    Five years ago, Mrs. Strange received the ordinance of Baptism and was received in full fellowship into the M.E. Church, by Rev. Wilder Nutting, and from that time until her death lived a consistent Christian.
Contributed by Georgiann Dayton                                                                          

    One of the better farmers and stockmen of the Bitter Root, and a man who performed his civic responsibilities seriously and competently, Morris Allen Strange was born on the large Strange ranch about five miles south of Stevensville (Cramer Ranch) about five miles south of Stevensville, January 7, 1910. Upon the fields of that ranch, which he gave solicitous care for many years, he breathed his last sometime Monday afternoon, October 15, 1973.
    He had gone into the fields about 11 a.m. with his activity unknown to the family, to haul fence posts and place them in line for later setting. When he failed to be found about the ranch home, a search was instituted and he was found where he had died, probably from a heart attack, upon the soil he loved.
    Probably, had he been given a choice of where to die, it would have been in such activity, or along some fishing stream or mountain trail that pleased him, because he was ever a lover of nature in all of its facets. The loss of so good a farmer and stockman, a business man of such acumen, will be long felt by his family, business associates, and the community.
    Morris was reared on the family farm, attended school at Etna and Stevensville, graduated from Stevensville High School after which he majored in agriculture at Montana State University in Bozeman. He devoted his life, until semiretirement, to caring for the ranch which, being one of the superior pieces of ground in the valley, yielded to his administration of knowledge of best agricultural practices. But, he was not content with success in farming and stock growing. He also served his community for many years as a trustee of the Stevensville school district, and his county as one of the board members, also for many years, of the Ravalli County Fair. In March, 1962, he was elected a director of the Citizens State Bank, a post held at the time of his death. He was a member of the Masonic lodge at Victor, of the Algeria Shrine at Helena, and of the Hamilton Elks lodge.
    He is buried in the Victor Cemetery north west of Victor, about 1/3 of the way down the hillside from his parents, Gib and Jessie Strange. His tombstone has the Hereford cow and a sheaf of wheat on it.
The Western News, Hamilton, Montana, October 18, 1973
Contributed by Georgiann Dayton        
                                                                                    
    William Allen Strange, one of the Bitter Root Valley's pioneers, died Sunday, July 22, 1934, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Carl E. Magni, at Hamilton, after a period of declining health which extended back about a year. Mr. Strange was almost 90 years old at the time of his death. Had he lived to his next birthday, in September, he would have reached the age of 90.
    He was born in Kentucky in 1844, and lived in Kansas and Missouri where his parents went when he was a lad. He came to the valley in 1864 and lived for many years a few miles south of town. For the past several years, he had made his home with his daughter in Hamilton.
    Beside Mrs. Magni, there is one son, Gibbon Benton Strange, now representative for Ravalli County in the state legislature. He resides on a ranch near Bell Crossing, south of Stevensville.
    The funeral services were held at Hamilton on Tuesday and interment was made at the Maplewood Cemetery at Stevensville. The funeral was attended by a large number of old time acquaintances of the deceased.
The Republican, July 26,  1934

    William Strange, one of the Bitter Root's best-known pioneers, and for 68 years a resident of the valley, died here Sunday at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Carl E. Magni. Although he was nearly 90 years of age, Mr. Strange was in good health until a few days preceding his death.
    A large number of friends and relatives attended last rites held in his memory from the Dowling chapel Tuesday afternoon. Rev. Charles R. Miller of the Presbyterian Church officiated at the services and pallbearers were S.J. Barclay, M.L. Chaffin, Alex Chaffin, Bob Nicol, J.D. St. John, and Fred Van Blaricom. Interment was made in Maplewood Cemetery in Stevensville.
    William Strange was born in Washington County, Kentucky, on September 15, 1844. At the age of 11, he moved with his parents to Missouri, where the family remained for a year. When he was 19 years of age, he left Brown County, Kansas with his parents, and after a long arduous trip by wagon train of over five months, they finally arrived in Polk County, Oregon, October 1, 1864. Two years later the family moved to the Bitter Root.
    The town of Stevensville, the first permanent white settlement in this territory, had just been established. Near this historic town, William Strange took up a homestead, where he resided for most of the active years of his life. He saw the Bitter Root emerge from a region thinly populated with Indians and white to the most productive region in the entire state of Montana.
    July 9, 1876, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Wood. Two children were born to them, Gibbon Benton Strange of Stevensville, former representative in the state legislature for a number of terms, and Mrs. Carl Magni of Hamilton. Also surviving him are four grandchildren, Eugene and Beth Manis of Hamilton, and Morris and Virginia Strange of Stevensville. For the past 21 years, Mr. Strange has made his home with his daughter, Mrs. Magni, who has lived in Hamilton for the past 17 years.
Northwest Tribune, July 26,  1934
Contributed by Georgiann Dayton

Resolutions of Condolence
Adopted Wednesday, November 16th, by Leona Chapter No 31, Order of the Eastern Star
Whereas, the Sublime Architect of the universe has seen fit to remove from this earthly home our beloved sister, Maud M. Stuffel, in the springtime of youth when life is most alluring and the coming years most full of promise; and
Whereas, her sudden calling home has taken from us a loyal, trusted and earnest member, has robbed a happy home of a devoted wife and loving mother, and the community of one of its most lovable members; now, therefore be it
Resolved, That the sympathy of the members of this order be tendered to the stricken family; that the charter be draped in black in honor and memory of the departed; that a copy of these resolutions be spread upon our records and that they be forwarded to the bereaved relatives and furnished to the local press.
Emily Harris, Jennie Hanson, Emil Magni
The Ravalli Republican, Friday, November 13, 1904