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O’Fallon Flashbacks

Copyright 1975 O'Fallon Historical Society, Baker, Montana. ALL RIGHTS RESEVED

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Copyright 1975 O'Fallon Historical Society, Baker, Montana. Printed by Western printing & Lithography

 

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like the trees did not grow the weeds flourished, as the girls would testify. Weeding the trees in the hot sun seemed an endless task.

In 1938 Gilbert bought a used Rumley Oil Pull tractor. The same year they were able to discard the Model T for a '35 Ford.

In the late forties they were able to build a home which they greatly enjoyed. They celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary in 1969. Their four daughters and sons-in-law held an open house in their honor at their home.

Mr. And Mrs. Gilbert Clocksene Golden Wedding Anniuersary-1969

In the spring of 1970 they sold their holdings reserving the buildings, to their son-in-law and daughter, the David Enoses. This was done in hopes that one of their four grandsons would one day farm it. They bought a home in Portland, Oregon, next door to a daughter, where they spend the winters.

Gilbert Clocksene Home In Portland, Oregon

HARRY CLOCKSENE

Wisconsin was the home state of Harry Clocksene. His parents were Gust and Minnie Clocksene. They were farmers there and became the parents of 13 children; of these six were boys and seven were girls. There were two sets of twins. The farm had to provide most of the living for the big family. The mother died when Gilbert, Harry's brother was only seven years old. An older sister stayed home to assist the father with the family and she also took in sewing. Twin sisters, Susie and Sadie, then ten years old, when returning home from school generally found dishes and cream separator to wash. A job both disliked.

Near their home was a church and a country store. Harry tells that on a Saturday night all the young folks would gather the men of course, around the cracker barrel swapping stories. Most of the young ladies of that time were not allowed away from home. Sunday there was always church. The nearest town of any size was six miles away.

In 1917 Gust Clocksene, along with Harry and sisters, Sadie and Susie, came to Montana. Preceding them was Art Clocksene who had taken up a homestead. They came on the train to Baker and then traveled by lumber wagon to Art's place. There they set up housekeeping.

When Ralph Ness gave up his homestead, Harry bought it, and through the years has built a modern home and other buildings. He never married but through the years his sisters, Susie and Sadie, ran the house and raised a flock of laying hens delivering eggs to customers in Ekalaka.

For several years after 1917 the sisters found horseback riding a fun thing. They often rode to the Willard Store and post office then run by Fred Anderson. They were often hired to help when a new baby arrived. Susie married Francis Ginsback and they lived, for a time, on the Elmer Anderson place across from the Fred Andersons. They later lived west of the Medicine Rocks. In later years she lived with her brother and cared for her ill sister. Sadie passed away in 197 1.

Early day neighbors at the Medicine Rock place were; Lewis Brufford, John Brack and Art O'Conners. Today the neighbors are the Reverend and Mrs. Dave Olmstead, the pastor for the Wesleyan Methodist Church on the north edge of the Rocks, Nellie Cretsinger, Roland Cretsinger, his brother, Gilbert and wife and a niece and family, the David Enoses.

JOHN JASPER COLDWELL

John Jasper Coldwell was born August 11, 1879 at Lampasas, Texas. His mother died when he was two years old. He was raised by relatives until he was thirteen years old, when he went to Oklahoma where his Uncle John Crismon was sheriff of the Cherokee Strip. In 1897, he came to Montana (Miles City) and took the stage for Ekalaka and not being properly dressed for Montana weather, nearly froze to death.

He worked for quite a few old-timers: the Hunter's, the Anderson's the Emerson's, the Yokley's, the Speelmon's and the Mulkey's. They contributed a great deal to the shaping of his life.

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John Jasper Coldwell

Jim Hunter gave him his start in the ranching business -a bunch of sheep on shares. At the end of the year, he bought the sheep and moved to the place at Baker in 1904. Here he spent most of the remainder of his life.

He married Frances Jane Brewer in 1906 at Rogers, Arkansas, and brought her to Wibaux, the nearest railroad at that time. They drove the rest of the way to the ranch with a team and buckboard. Four sons were born of this union: John Leroy on July 28, 1907; Robert Ernest on December 21, 1908; Russell Coleman on December 1, 1914; and Walter Leo on February 18, 1922.

He served as Deputy Sheriff for Bill Holmes, and, at Holmes' death in August, 1949, he finished the term as Sheriff. He, also, served another term as Sheriff of Fallon County till January 1955.

He suffered a severe stroke November 27, 1954 and never recovered. After an eight-month illness, he passed away June 22, 1955.

Frances Jane Brewer Coldwell

MRS.

JOHN COLDWELL

My name is Frances Jane Coldwell. I was born at Rogers, Arkansas, on March 15, 1885. There were eight in our family. I was the seventh child. My father's name was George Franklin Brewer, born in Tennessee on January 15, 1834. My mother's name was Frances Elizabeth Garner, born in Texas on August 29, 1844.

My family lived on a farm along the White River in the Ozarks. There were lots of farms along the river because it was real rich soil. People lived on every side of us. I don't know how many neighbors we had, but, I would say fifty, or more, families lived close by us. As we used to say, "within a whoop and a holler" of us.

My family was considered pretty well off for the times. We always had plenty to eat; never a lot of money, though. We raised most of our foodstuff and our meat. We took our corn to the mill to be ground into cornmeal. We had a few sheep and my mother carded the wool and made our clothes for us. She made our soap; just about everything came off the land.

I'd better say here that our place and all the old places are covered with water because there is a big dam in the White River now. I haven't gone back since they put the dam in and I don't want to. I would rather remember it as it was when I lived there.

My father was handy with his hands. He was a good carpenter and made all our buildings himself. The house and barn were made from black walnut and there wasn't a nail in them; he put them together with wooden pegs. He was a good blacksmith and did all the neighborhood work. He, also, invented, or built the first sorghum mill, or press, in the country and all the neighbors would come to our place to have their sorghum made. Those were great old days for us kids; lots of company and something going on all the time. It was usually in September when they would bring their cane to be made into sorghum. I would like to tell about the sorghum press but, I don't know if I can. As I remember, it was a big press that was powered by a horse and a man fed the cane into it. It always had to be the same man because he was the best in the country. His name was Tommy Clifton, a neighbor. From the press, the juice from the cane went down a wooden trough to a boiling vat. There was a rock furnace built under it and was fired by oak logs to boil the sorghum. The sorghum had to boil; then, they would skim off the top. My mother knew when it was ready so, of course, she was the one that always did the skimming. After that, they would drain it out and put it in wooden barrels to be used as a sweetener in cooking and for syrup, taking the place of sugar.

The Crismons were our neighbors and they were John Coldwell's grandparents. My oldest brother, Billy, married May Coldwell, John's sister. That is how I first knew Johnny. He had come to live with his grandparents for awhile. He was twelve and I was six (just a baby, as far as he was concerned) but he did remember me as he came back from Montana and married me!

The schoolhouse was just a hundred yards, or so, from our house and it was called The Willow Springs School. There were about sixty pupils in the school and one teacher taught them all. They were from age six to twenty- some different from the schools of today!

We had a church close by and we had Sunday School where we were always sent. It was six miles from our place to Rogers and my folks would go into town every two or three weeks. That was a great day for us "younguns. " We would go with a team and what we called a "hack "-something like a surrey, and it would take all day to make the trip. The roads were up hill and down but never muddy. The road went by what we called "the diamond hill" and we always stopped and picked up diamonds; always a big day for us.

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That was my home life until I married John and came to Montana. What a big change it was for me! I married John on July 12, 1906 and we came by train to Wibaux, getting there on July 24, 1906. We hired a team and buggy to go to the ranch with, and, we made the trip in one day. It was hot and everything was so different than I was used to. I just didn't think I could ever get used to the open country--mile upon mile of nothing but grass!

There weren't but two ranches from Wibaux to our place. We had a lunch fixed, but, we met a freighter, Mr. Andy Breckridge, who had four horses, a wagon and a trailer wagon. He hauled from Wibaux to Ekalaka or any place people wanted him to. This was all new to me. I had never seen a freight outfit before. Nothing would do but we have dinner with him. I was to learn that was the custom anywhere you went. I can't remember all that Andy Breckridge had for dinner, but he did have canned apricots and sandwiches and they sure tasted good. Andy got water from Sand Creek and made coffee. I have never drunk coffee (never liked taste or smell of it), and I didn't then. Anyhow, I drank water while they had their coffee and it tasted pretty bad to me: grass, mud and a few other things; it sure didn't taste like the water from the springhouse at home!

We got to the ranch about dark. It wasn't much to call a ranch: a two room house, a dugout, a barn and a hay corral, with no hay in it!

Our nearest neighbors were Johnnie Muller, who lived on the Wiley ranch, and Billy Wagner. It was twelve miles to Johnnie's place and I don't know how far it was to Billy Wagner's; probably about the same distance, the way we had to go.

There were quite a few ranches along Little Beaver Creek. The Fred Barbers, the 101, of Mr. Mulkey, the Emerson, the Hunter, and the Anderson ranches, just to name a few.

We would go visiting and stay all night wherever we went. The country was all open range. I mean it wasn't fenced in and there were lots of cows and horses belonging to different ranches. We got our mail in Ekalaka and generally someone would bring it as they were going by.

Our first son, John Leroy, was born on July 28, 1907, in Wibaux. After that, it wasn't so lonely for me. Bob (Robert Ernest) was born on December 21, 1908, at the ranch with the help of a neighbor lady. That was the same year the railroad came through and John Gunderson always said that he, Bob, and the railroad all came to Baker, Montana, the same time.

I've seen Baker from the first shack along the railroad right-of-way to what it is today. The first stores were opened by Bob Pearce and Billy Lang. They were general stores, had everything in them: groceries, hardware and the like. I think that Horace Sparks had the first livery barn, and Slim Niccum had the first barber shop. Bert Hitch had the first saloon. The post office was run by a man named Pickard-can't remember what his first name was. The schoolhouse was a tarpaper shack on the north side of the tracks. They had quite a time getting a school started because they needed four students to start a school, and only had three. So, someone talked Don Harris into sending Glen Harris so that they could have a school. Glen stayed with us and went to school. The other three were girls. I can't remember but two of their names--Maude Loveridge and Margeret Hasty. That was the first school in Baker.

After the railroad came the country began to settle up real fast. The homesteaders came by the bunches. Almost every 160 acres had someone on it. We had always gone to Wibaux once a year for groceries and things we had ordered from Sears, Montgomery Ward and Sawyer's. Generally, we got enough to last a year, but after Baker got settled we didn't have to go to Wibaux anymore.

We had neighbors on all sides of us; in fact, so many that we didn't have any place to run our stock. Thinking back, I can just see the old-timers getting together and saying that the railroad sure had ruined the country, brought in the homesteader, settled up the country, and there just wasn't any good about it.

Our third son, Russell Coleman, was born in Baker on December 1, 1914. 1 stayed with some people by the name of Harper. Walter Leo, was born in South Dakota on February 18, 1922, while we lived on the Standing Rock Reservation.

My John, Elias Traweek and Jess Kerr went hunting new range in 1917. They went down into South Dakota on the reservation and got a five-year lease on some Indian land south of Mobridge and east of Timber Lake. Jess Kerr never moved down there so we took over his leases. Mr. Traweek moved down and quite a few other ranchers were down in that country. We stayed there until 1922, then we came back to Baker.

It had been some dry years and hard winters and most of the settlers were gone. All there was left was their shacks and a lot of barbed wire scattered all over the country. The country was pretty much open again and it had been hard times for Baker and Fallon County. A lot of the land was let go back to the county for taxes and the people that stayed were hard put to make a living. Through the twenties and thirties it was tough going for everyone: bad years, low prices, and we always said, "that is something you can't beat".

John and I stayed on the ranch until the fall of 1942 when Bob and his family took it over. John was undersheriff for Bill Holmes until Bill died and John finished out Bill's term as sheriff. He was elected for one term, making six years he was the sheriff of Fallon County.

John died in 1955 and is buried in Bonnievale Cemetery in Baker. My oldest son, John lives in Minot, North Dakota; Bob lives in Jordan, Montana; Russell lives in Glasgow, Montana, and Walter lives in Baker.

I have seen many changes in my time and it has been a great life for me and and my family.

I say the Good Lord has been good to me

ALEX AND LOIS BUCKLIN COLLIE

Alex Collie was born in Ismay, Montana on January 19, 1Q28 to Mr. and Mrs. Dave Collie who had homesteaded on Fallon Creek in 1910.

As a child Alex herded sheep and helped with the chores. He got his grade school education at the MacKenzie school and then went to high school at Ismay and at Baker.

The ranch was small so they couldn't raise enough cattle to make a very good living.

Some of the neighbors were Gene Caton, Mose Mireau, John and Frank La Bree and Dan Fulton.

On April 17, 1949 Alex Collie and Lois I. Bucklin were married at Baker. Lois is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C.W. Bucklin who lived on a ranch which C.W's father O.C. Bucklin had homesteaded and started near Calumet in 1910. Lois grew up on the ranch and went to the Milk Creek School which was close to her home. In the summer she had to help herd the sheep and there were always a few "bum lambs" which she had to help raise. The neighbors to the ranch were the Adolph Brandemihl, the Earl Ketchum, the Jacob Rath and the Cliff Hanley families. Before marrying Alex, Lois attended high school in Baker.

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Alex and Lois have one son, Alex Collie, Jr. They live in the original house of the homestead where his folks lived for many years. The house has been remodeled and built onto and is a lovely modern home for a modern ranching family.

 

Alex Collie Home Taken In 1972 This Is The Original House On The Homestead Has Been Remodeled And Built Onto By Alex

MR. AND MRS. DAVID COLLIE

David and his twin brother, Alex, were born to George and Margaret Collie on September 2, 1884 in Monkton, Scotland. David received an elementary education in the Monkton Schools. When he was out of school he worked on a farm in Scotland for a man by the name of John Taylor. He had to go to work to help support the family. On December 30, 1908, he became a Master Mason of the St. John Catrine Lodge No. 494 in Edinburgh, Scotland. After he came to Montana he became a member of Sandstone Lodge No. 84 AF and AM of Baker.

 

Dave Collie-Early Day Cowboy At The Fulton Ranch

In 1909, at the age of 25, David came to America by boat and on to Montana by train, to work as a cowboy on the William Fulton ranch which is 30 miles southwest of Baker.

In 1914 he became a citizen of the United States. He worked at the Fulton ranch until he married Edna Marshall, whom he had met after they had both come to Montana. They were married in the living room of the David Bickle, Sr. residence in Ismay on May 6, 1915.

Edna Marshall was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Marshall of Beetown Township, Wisconsin. She was born June 14, 1888 and lived on the farm with her folks until her mother passed away in 1904; after which time she went to make her home with her grandparents.

While she was growing up she went to school and Sunday School and helped with the farm chores. The chores consisted of those which are natural to all farms, such as milking the cows and working in the fields.

Edna Marshall Riding Side Saddle

On April 18, 1910, at the age of 22, Edna came to Montana. She came by train and filed a claim on O'Fallon Creek about 30 miles south of Ismay. Being that she was a single girl and had to live alone she purchased her first claim shack. It wasn't very big-ten feet by twelve feet and the weather and light came through big cracks and holes in the walls. There were about 14 or 15 single girls homesteading within the radius of 15 miles, so Edna wasn't the only lone woman in the neighborhood.

Jokes were always being played on the young homesteading girls by the boys of the community and sometimes the girls would think of some way to pay them back. One young fellow sent the names of two of the girls to a "Heart and Hands" magazine in Minneapolis. One of the

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Picture Taken-1953

Edna Marshall Collie In Front Of Her Original

Homestead Shack Which Was Built In 1912

girls received 65 letters and the other one got over 100 from amorous young fellows who were interested in coming West.

Out of a class of 19 children who went to school with Edna in Wisconsin 5 of them came to homestead in Eastern Montana. They were: Clara Brandemilil Marshall liomesteaded close to Calumet-Edna L. Marshall who homesteaded 4 miles south from the MacKenzie post officeCharles Walker who homesteaded 6 miles south of IsmayAdolph Brandemihl settled I mile from Calumet and Rudolph Brandemilil whose homestead was 2 miles east of the Fulton ranch. Edna Marshall lived at her place seven months out of the year. During the coldest part of the year she went to town and worked. The winter of 1910-1911 she worked in Ekalaka for the mother of " Smokey " Speelmon. The second winter she worked at Ismay and the winter of 1914-1915 she worked for the Dave Bickle, Sr.'s at Ismay.

While back at the homestead, she had built, with the help of her neighbors, a bigger and better house. The lumber was hauled with team and horses from a sawmill in the Pine Hills along Sheep Creek about 20 miles west of the holdings.

After David and Edna were married they lived on Edna's land and proceeded to farm, and raise a family. During the following years hail took the first crop but there was adequate moisture and lots of snow until the drought of the 30's. There was an infestation of grasshoppers in 1935 and 36.

All the wells had to be dug by hand in those days.

Along with the trials of farming and ranching and making a living for the family there were many good times. There was the church at Ismay; there were dances at the neighbors and at all the schoolhouses, and rodeos and picnics were held at the Me Lean Ranch on O'Fallon Creek. This ranch is now the Bob Askin place. There were also box socials held at the various schools and the Fourth of July was always

1913-Edna Marshall's Houses On The Homestead-She Built The House To The Right With The Help Of The Neighbors-The Little House In The Back To The Left Is The Original Homestead Shack

celebrated at the Me Lean Ranch or at different places along O'Fallon Creek. In the early summer the neighbors would get together for brandings and picnics. The neighbors were Mrs. Nellie Caton, the Sible La Brees, the William Fultons, the Jim Clellens, the John MacKenzies who kept the MacKenzie Post Office and the Mireau brothers-Mose, Charlie and Gene.

1956-Daue and Edna Collie Beside Their Home In Baker

In 1951 Mr. and Mrs. Collie retired and moved to Baker to make their home. In July of 1955 they went to Scotland. This was David's first visit back to his homeland since he came to America in 1909. They went to Minneapolis by train. From there they took a plane on to Glasgow, Scotland. They spent two months visiting David's friends and relatives. While they were in Scotland they were the house guests of Mrs. Georgina Collie, the widow of David's twin brother, Alex.

On September 4 they left Scotland to return to their home in Baker.

David and Edna Collie had six children-Mary (Mrs. Bud Mac Kay), Daisy (Mrs. Walter Me Naney), David, Jr., Vivian (Mrs. Edward Celander), Goldie (Mrs. Frank Sparks), and Alex. Daisy and David are twins. There are 17 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.

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David and Edna Collie's Family-1939

Standing-Left to right-Daisy and David, Jr.

[Twins], Alex, Mary and Vivian

Seated-David, Sr., Edna [Mother], Goldie

 

David, Sr. passed away February 25, 1962 at the age of 79 and is buried in the Bonnievale Cemetery at Baker. Edna still lives in their home in Baker.

CHARLES C. CONSER [C. C.]

C.C. as he was called generally, was a native of Iowa, born on Feb. 20, 1875. he was the son of Ely and Rebecca Conser. It was not until 1910, when he had reached the age of 35, that he came to this area with his mother and two sisters. His father by this time had passed away. They all took up homesteads, adjoining, 2 miles south of Plevna, Montana. They traveled by way of the Milwaukee Railroad, built through, not too long before, and proceeded to the work of farming the land.

All during boyhood he had been much interested in History and Science, and as he grew older, in politics. All his life he enjoyed music. He became an expert on birds and some animals; a very versatile man.

C.C. received his elementary education in Iowa, and later the family moved to Clark, South Dakota where he graduated from High School after which he attended the University of Minn. While still in the east, he taught in high school at Windom, Minn.; was Supt. of Schools at Elk River, Minn. also acting a-, coach for the football team there.

After settling on the homestead, he taught a year at the grade school in Plevna. He enjoyed this very much and he was able to make the subject matter most interesting to the pupils. At times, he also engaged in the carpentry trade. He believed in electing the best man for the job, regardless of party affiliation. His greatest interest was for the betterment of the life of the farmers, especially for the securing of fair prices for farm products. To this end, he was instrumental in organizing the "Farmers Elevator Cooperative" at Plevna in his early years there. He later taught at the Agricultural College at Bozeman. He served as State Senator from Fallon County as well.

Along with others in the area, he experienced the problems of the drought years and the below zero winter weather, which he found to be of the "dry cold" variety, unlike that of Iowa and Minnesota.

Some of their neighbors of early days were the Geo. McHoes, the Hoffman, the Rabe, the Hepperle, the Kearney and the Weinschrott families along with others.

His brother, L. A. Conser had homesteaded in 1908, the mother and the two sisters and C.C. all came two years later.

They were all in the same area. Louis, (L.A.) was married and had a family when his wife passed away, so the grandmother, Mrs. Ely Conser, C.C. and the two sisters made a second home for the children, taking the youngest boy into their home and keeping him and sending him through school from beginning to end in Bozeman. They were a great and good influence on the motherless children.

C.C. was member of the Masonic Lodge; and was not formally affiliated with any church.

His sister, Letta, acted as Postmistress of the Post Office in Plevna during the 1920's and early 30's. She was in the habit of walking the 1 1/2 miles from farm to employment. One evening a blizzard came up and she became lost as she made her way home. She wandered for some hours, until she finally spotted a light. She set her course for it, and held to it until she came up against a barbed wire fence which she followed to the light. And the light proved to be at the home of brother Louis, some distance out of her way! She was much exhausted and nearly frozen.

His sister, Hattie, was the expert cook and baker for the family. Friends and threshing crews and all enjoyed her good home grown vegetables and home churned butter. She always baked a birthday cake for each of the family, and when later, the family left the land and lived in Baker, it was Aunt Hattie who came and helped care for and amuse the three older children through the miseries of a siege of measles.

In 1933, C. C. was chosen as a member of "The Roosevelt Team", as director of the wheat division of the A. A. A. This operation covered 11 wheat producing states. During his term of service, he spoke before many farm groups in many areas of the wheat belt. He and his two sisters went to Washington, D.C. during this time. He was still a member of "the Team" when he suffered a heart attack in March of 1939, which proved to be fatal.

He always enjoyed being with people, visiting and entertaining friends, watching baseball games and enjoying the local games which were popular in this locality in those days. He loved to get out into the open on plumming and berrying expeditions with the family. He never married, but was greatly interested in and very fond of his nieces and nephews and a real help to them.

LOUIS A. CONSER [L. A]

Louis Agassiz (Agazee) Conser was named for the famous Swiss naturalist, whom Louis' father greatly admired. He was born in Iowa on Nov. 5, 1869. His parents were Ely and Rebecca Conser.

At the age of 15, he rode in a cattle car looking after the family's livestock as they migrated to the Clark, S. D. area where the father became active in politics and also set up a newspaper "The Golden Sheaf". Louis helped around the shop with various tasks such as sweeping and typesetting. It was here that he acquired the experience which he later put to work in his early years in this vicinity.

He received his education in Iowa and at Clark, S. D.; then going on to the University of Minn. Law School. Later he worked as printer, editor and attorney.

He married Nettie Faus on Nov. 7, 1897 at Montevideo, Minn. They were the parents of 5 children, the two youngest of whom were born after they came to this vicinity, one on the farm and one in Baker.

Mr. Conser arrived in Ismay, Mont. in the summer of 1908 and soon established a weekly paper, "The Ismay". His family followed later in early fall. They remained there for a year and then they moved to Baker where he soon had established a newspaper called "The Baker Sentinel", and opened a law office in the front section of the print shop. Here

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he handled many local cases as well as a few in Helena where he became acquainted with Judge Cooper, father of actor Gary Cooper.

In 1910 he also acquired a piece of land in the same general location where his brother, C.C., his mother and his two sisters were located a short distance southeast of Plevna, Mont. He desired to own a piece of land in a developing area.

His early years were spent mostly in rural areas of Iowa, S.D. and Wis., with the activities that normally accompany rural living. All through life he loved to visit, dance and enjoy music and did an enormous amount of reading. During the earlier years here, he thoroughly enjoyed family picnics and trips into the countryside south of Plevna on plumming and buffalo berrying expeditions. He maintained that Buffalo Berries made great jelly and spiced relish.!

He was also invited to speak at 4th of July celebrations in Baker and Ekalaka. He retained ownership of the "Baker Sentinel" up until the early 1920's. His wife, Nettie, passed away in 1914.

At about this time trouble with Mexico cropped up. Baker organized a National Guard Unit; Company 1; in which L.A. was a Lieutenant. He served on the Mexican Border in 1916.

In 1920 he was married to Mary McConnell who operated a Womens' Wear shop in Baker, and later, in Ekalaka. During the 1930's he was a County Judge at Buffalo, S.D.

In ensuing years, he made trips to Bozeman to visit a son, Eldon; and to Milwaukee to visit his daughters there and also to Winnetka, Ill. to visit one son. He traveled by car or train, but since air travel was then not in general use, he never did get to visit the eldest son in California., While he was with his daughters in Wis. he passed away in March of 1945.

The 5 children are: Beth Woods of Milwaukee, Wis. now a widow; Eugene of Winnetka, Ill.; Hugh of Phoenix, Ariz.; Lois Zinn of Reno, Nev. also a widow; and Eldon of Bozeman. He also had 25 grandchildren and 27 great grandchildren, as well as 1 great-great grandchild, none of whom reside in Montana.

Mr. And Mrs. Ira Cooper

IRA AND ANNA COOPER

On January 17, 1872 at Garden Valley, Jackson County, Wisconsin twin sons were born to William Cooper and

Christina Hollenbeck. They were Jesse and Ira Cooper. In 1894 Ira Cooper married Anna Anderson at Alma Center, Wisconsin. They were the parents of nine children, Gale, Ray, Ira, Arthur, Merel, Roy, Lois, Alice and Lottie. All were born in Merrillan, Wisconsin except the youngest daughter who was born in Fallon County, Montana.

In March, 1911 the Ira Cooper family homesteaded the South 1/2 of Section 28 about ten miles northeast of Ismay. Ira resided there until his death on January 16, 1920 at Miles City, which was caused by a broken hip of long standing. This injury was the result of a run-away team while hauling water from his brother's place. He was looking forward to his birthday when his twin was to visit him. It was their yearly custom to spend the day together, but Jesse arrived one-half hour too late.

Anna Anderson Cooper was born on May 31, 1871 at Jarna-Dalarne, Sweden and came to America at the age of 12. After the death of her husband she continued to live on the farm until she sold it in 1940. Her boys were good workers and helped their mother develop the family homestead. She was a true pioneer in every sense. She made her own soap, bread, butter, raised chickens and sold eggs, owned a loom on which she wove rugs to supplement the family income. She bought shirting material by the bolt and made the shirts for her family of boys. Her girls were born last and she desperately needed help with the many household tasks. She solved this problem in her own unique way. As each son reached the age of twelve he spent an apprenticeship of about two years helping her. She taught each one in turn the skills of making butter, baking bread, etc. Anna Cooper died on December 22, 1946 at Miles City.

Christina Cooper, mother of Ira, also came to Fallon County in 1911 and lived in a little house nearby. Anna Cooper cared for her until her death on July 6, 1918 at the age of 84.

Catherine Hoffman, sister to Christina Cooper, was known to all from New York State to Wisconsin to California as "Aunt Kate". At the age of sixty-five she moved from Black River Falls, Wisconsin to what is now Fallon County and took a homestead of 320 acres which she operated for fifteen years. Her twin nephews, Ira and Jesse Cooper both filed homesteads later in the same area.

Gale Cooper-1923

Gale Cooper, the oldest son of Ira and Ann Cooper, remembers his dad saying that he, Ira, first saw eastern Montana in 1892 and dreamed of living there some day.

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Gale worked as a cowboy a few years for Walter Maxwell's 5M outfit, and rode range from Ismay, Montana to Belle Fourche, South Dakota. One time he was on a roundup when they camped along the Powder River. A young schoolteacher from one of the eastern states and a friend visited the camp. She had never seen a roundup or cowboys, and remarked she had heard of jokes played on "greenhorns". The men were informed she was aware of this and was watching to be sure no one played a trick on her. Lacy Speelmon invited the two ladies into the main tent. As they were short of seating space, Lacy threw a sheep skin over a box and offered her a place to sit. She sat but not for long! Underneath the sheep skin was a large pan of bread dough.

Bernice Jones Cooper-1923

Gale married Bernice Jones in Baker on June 28, 1923. Bernice, the daughter of B.B. Jones one of the first homesteaders in Fallon County, taught school three years in rural schools before her marriage. She taught one year at the Dry Forks School, one year at the Whitney Creek School and one-year at the Riley School.

As a girl, she spent many hours riding the range. She had a horse named Ginger, and rode to Westmore to high school. There was only one graduating class from Westmore. This was in 1921 with three graduates; Bernice Jones, Lloyd Jones and Charlotte Lieurance.

As a small child her favorite hiding place was in the feed box in the barn. She spent many happy hours nibbling on a handful of dried apricots, and listening to all the gossip of the area when the men put their horses in the barn. She had one of the first pianos on Pennel Creek. It came from Minneapolis, and she took piano lessons from Mrs. French.

After Gale and Bernice were married they had a few horses, cows, and chickens and later they raised sheep. There was little money. They raised wheat and used a separator at harvest time which was fed by grain hauled by team and wagon. The neighbor women came in to help cook for the threshers. At times the families and friends assembled to have ' home made ice cream, played horseshoes and told stories. The ice was stored during the winter months so as to have some for the summer months. Kerosene lamps, stocked groceries in the fall and carrying coal was typical. One of the most useful things was the flour sack, printed or plain. Dresses, curtains, dishtowels, and quilts were made of these. An annual event was the day the catalogues arrived; the Montgomery Ward "Monkey Ward" as it was often called and the Sears and Roebuck. Many hours were spent dreaming over the catalogues. "Kids" used them as cutout books, they were folded page by page into door stops and were a standard toilet article in the little house out back. The Watkins Man visited periodically and brought all the news from miles around. During lambing time, the bum lambs were brought into the house and put behind the kitchen stove. Sometimes during hailstorms the stones would break windows, and sometimes there were terrible electric storms. Washing meant pumping the water, carrying it in pails to the house where it was heated in a boiler on the stove. All the water was alkali, there was a rain barrel to catch rain water for soft water. In the winter frozen long underwear was brought in to dry by the stove.

 

Gale and Bernice moved to the B.B. Jones place in 1924, and farmed it. They had cows at first and then later they had sheep.

In September 1934 the couple moved to Bonner's Ferry, Idaho where Gale engaged in farming and logging until his retirement.

Gale and Bernice have three children; Twila, Basil and Melvin.

 

Mr. and Mrs. L. M. Corbitt

1963-60th Wedding Anniversary

MR. AND MRS. L.M. CORBITT

Mr. and Mrs. L. M. Corbitt and their two sons, Harry M. age 12 and John Robert age 9, came to Fallon County from Burnside, Illinois in March of 1917.

They had hoped to homestead but by that time the desirable land had been taken. They farmed in various locations for several years.

Mr. Corbitt went to work for the City of Baker in 1921. He worked as Chief of Police and also as Water Superintendent. His work covered whatever turned up, including fixing water leaks and impounding stray horses and cattle. His police service was in the earlier years of his life, two terms to be exact, 1921 to 1936 and 1937 to 1948. His final term was as Water Superintendent from 1947 to 1955.

Mr. Corbitt was Chief of Police at the time all of the banks in Baker were closed in 1924. The merchants kept sizable sums of money in their stores and homes and all

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night policing of the business area was requested. There were many hoboes riding the freight trains at that time and for extra precaution as soon as they unloaded they were picked up and put in the little old city jail until morning. On one occasion twenty four hoboes were counted coming out of the small building, glad for a little fresh air and to be able to move about. It was also part of his job to keep bands of gypsies out of town and to persuade them to move on. The gypsie women wore garments in which they could cache anything they could get their hands on. One effective way of dealing with them was to start putting the women in jail. They were quick to figure it was better to leave the dust of Baker behind them.

Mr. Corbitt was a butcher by trade and worked in that capacity on occasions.

Mr. Corbitt has been a member of the Masonic Lodge since he was a young man. He has also served on the local school board, the church board and has been, an active member of the Commercial Club.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Corbitt were active in the Baker Community Church and leaders in its work. Mrs. Corbitt will be remembered for her many years as a Sunday School teacher. As long as her health permitted, Mrs. Corbitt was active in the Baker Woman's Club and Order of the Eastern Star.

During the depression years, Mr. and Mrs. Corbitt opened their homes to at least four high school girls from the rural area, who stayed with them and went to high school.

Mr. and Mrs. Corbitt celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary on February 25, 1963.

Their eldest son Harry married Evelyn McLeod in April, 1925. Miss McLeod was a Commercial teacher in the Baker High School~ They have three sons, Harry, Jr., Tom and Richard. The Harry Corbitts left Baker in 1927. They have lived in several places in Montana, North Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska. Since his retirement they have made their home at Kalispell, Montana.

Mrs. Corbitt passed away on September 26, 1966 following a fall in which she sustained a broken hip.

Mr. Corbitt has been a resident of the Fallon Memorial Nursing Home since November 1971.

The Corbitts had five grandchildren and sixteen great grandchildren. Mr. Corbitt now boasts about three great great grandchildren.

J. R. (Bob) Corbitt came to Fallon County with his parents in March 1917.

Bob completed Baker High School in 1926 and went to Billings Business College during the winter months for the next two years. In the spring of 1928 he went to work in the Bank of Baker. The first of January 1929 found him in the court house as Deputy County Clerk and Recorder, working for Walter F. Wilson.

J. R. and Verol Shepherd were married on October 24, 1931 at the church parsonage by the Reverend Roy H. Phillippi of the Baker Congregational Church.

In July 1933 Bob went to work for the Gas Development Company, predecessor to the Montana Dakota Utilities Company, on the working end of a shovel. As the years went by, J. R. ad advanced through a succession of positions until his appointment as Field Superintendent in 1950. He held this position until his retirement February 1, 1973.

Bob and Verol had two daughters, Ashley (Mrs. Eugene Vest) now deceased, and Myra (Mrs. Douglas Plummer) of Mandan, North Dakota. They have three granddaughters and three grandsons. Since the death of their parents on July 8, 1972, Martha and Timothy Vest have made their home with the grandparents, J. R. and Verol.

Verol started her working career after graduating from Baker High School in 1926, as a stenographer for various law firms. She also worked as a revolving clerk in the offices of the County Clerk and Recorder and Clerk of Court for a couple of years and then as Deputy Clerk of Court for eleven years. Verol worked as disbursing agent for the American Red Cross during the winter of 1931 and 1932, when that organization gave help to needy families in Fallon County. She also worked on the government emergency cattle and sheep purchase program in the summer of 1934. The drought years had left precious little feed and water for the stock. In a couple of instances feed and water had to be hauled to herds while they were being trailed to loading points. Most of the range cattle in Fallon County were shipped out under this program and some of the dairy herds were also reduced.

Verol worked for the City of Baker from 1954 to December 1969, first as Water Collector and then as City Clerk and Water Collector, for a period of almost sixteen years.

J. R. and Verol have both been active in the Baker Community Church over the years and have held various offices.

J. R. is a past president of the Baker Chamber of Commerce and has also served as director of the Chamber. He has been active in the Lions Club, having held the offices of President, Treasurer and Director. For a number of years he was Chairman of the Fair Parade Committee for the Lions Club.

Bob recalls one particularly thrilling incident in the summer of 1918 when his parents were living on -some farm land that is now part of the Baker Air Port. Late in August, Bob and Harry were home alone eating lunch when a cyclone moved in taking the roof off over their heads and landing it neatly in one piece about one hundred feet east of the house. Bob says this is a "never to be forgotten" experience.

Bob and Verol have lived in Baker all of their married years and at their present home on Third Street West for over thirty-eight years.

ANASTASIA WHALEN COREY

 

I was born in Rosemont, Minnesota on May 11, 1909. 1 was fourth in line in a family of six girls and three boys. My family owned a farm on which they raised dairy Cattle and hogs. I grew up much as other boys and girls of that era, helping with chores when necessary. The children all walked to the rural school and ours was two miles from our home.

After graduating from the eighth grade, I walked four miles to high school. During the coldest part of the winter I, stayed in town and worked for my room and board. I took extra subjects so I could finish in three years. In those days girls played basketball and competed as our girls do today. I enjoyed those three years of playing guard and center on our team.

I attended the Wisconsin State College in River Falls for two years preparing for teaching. When I completed my course in 1929, teachers were more plentiful than they are now. I managed to get a rural school about fifty miles from home. I really looked forward to my first paycheck, as I had borrowed money to finance my education along with working for my room and board. There never seemed to be any money for fun or frills while getting an education.

After teaching school for one year in Minnesota, I decided to join a group of teachers who were being lured to Montana by the promise of salaries of $100 a month. I boarded the train in St. Paul and rode all day and all night to get to Baker. There were several teachers who got off the train at the same time, all planning on teaching in one of the 27 (I think) rural schools that were in Fallon County in 1930.

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Anastasia Corey.

We were met by Ruth Lyman who was County Superintendent then. She managed to see that I got a ride

with a Mr. Marshall who had come to meet a teacher for the Lame Jones School which was located six miles west of

Willard.

We left Baker after dark in a Model T Ford loaded with our luggage and his groceries. We chugged along up hill and down hill for what seemed like hours and finally arrived at the place where I was supposed to room and board. The people were not home so I was taken to the home of Dr. Foster and his wife, Sally, to spend my first night in Montana. Dr.

Foster was a dentist from the east who had come west to raise cattle and to live in the "wide open spaces." I woke up the next morning to the smell of fried chicken which was served for breakfast.

Some time later that morning Sally Foster took me to my boarding place in a horse and buggy. I spent the next several months with the Albert Rummelharts, who lived across the road from the school house. The school was attended by the Huber, the Greenlee, the Mangold, the Molstad, the Rabe and the Kiser children. I remember what a terrible time I had keeping the fire going with lignite coal. Many mornings we sat around the stove with our coats and overshoes on until nearly noon.

I really missed the trees and level land that I had been used to at home, also I had always lived close to town and The Twin Cities and now I was out in the country where I didn't get back to Baker until Christmas week. The entertainment that fall and winter consisted of going to basket socials and dances in the school houses. In the fall

there were community rodeos that we attended.

I was very happy to go home for two weeks vacation at Christmas time. The train was crowded and many of the

passengers were teachers going home for the Holidays. The aisles had people sitting on their luggage as the rest of the seats were full. We called it the "milk train" because it made 90 stops between Baker and St. Paul. Many of these stops were just to pick up a few cans of cream to take to Mobridge or Aberdeen, or some other place where there was a creamery.

The Red Hill School-1930.

The Red Hill School term was only a six-month term as there wasn't enough money to continue. I applied for a summer term at the Fletcher Creek School, which was south of Webster and would start in March. I got the position and moved to the Roy Corey home where I would stay for nine months. I had about a mile and a half to walk to school and during the hot, dry summer it seemed like several miles. We took two weeks vacation around the Fourth of July, and I went home to visit during, that time The children who attended that school were the Olingers, the Weiss', the Bowmers and the Bill Bergstroms.

 

The Fletcher School-1931.

I was married that fall to Ray Corey, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Corey, who were some of the early homesteaders in Fallon County. We tried raising wheat that next summer and were hailed out. That summer our daughter, Marlene, was born. Like other farmers and ranchers we felt that next year would be better. That winter was very cold and the snow was deep. Both Ray and Marlene caught the Scarlet Fever from neighbors, and were quite sick. I had had it as a youngster, so I was able to take care of them. The next year Montana was getting into the drought period and the dust storms. We were hailed out again and Ray worked for neighbors and relatives who had hay to put up. The pay was only a dollar a day, but in those days it went quite a long ways on buying groceries.

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