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O’Fallon Flashbacks

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

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ride party, chaperoned by Aunt Hibbard. Mostly we were known as the "giggles."

We had basket socials, dances, Home Talent Plays to purchase needed articles for schools, to build the Hall, and for Red Cross during World War 1.

We must not forget the branding bees, which were a source of horror to us "greenhorns" at first acquaintance, but were soon to become an accepted facet of our existence. One man remarked that even the cattle of Fertile Prairie wore blue ribbons on their horns. Never a dull moment, and so many delightful things to do at such small expense.

Though it must have been a hard blow to the early ranchers when the "honyockers" came in to fence the open range and turn it upside down, their hospitality came up top.

One of our neighbors had sent their 12-year-old daughter, my playmate, over to invite us for supper one evening. We girls started back across the mile or so to her home ahead of the older folk. We met her Dad along the shore of the pond getting up the milk cows. It was about sundown, and just as he passed us girls he shaded his eyes with his hand and remarked loudly enough for us to hear "Wall, heah comes them damn honyocks after another squaah meal.' All with a twinkle in his eyes. Ha!

No mention of pastime would be complete if I did not describe the many long hikes we made carrying long poles to defend ourselves against rattlesnakes. Also, a gunnysack or pail in which we stowed the treasures of the plains. We were always alert for "pretty stones," especially agates and raw sapphires; buffalo berries, chokecherries, wild plums; arrowheads and other Indian relics and petrified wood and other pre-historic remains. The prairie, at that time was decorated with many, many varieties of flowers.

And the "buttes" were a source of wonder, where we could discover many interesting objects. Buffalo skulls were sometimes used to decorate ones yard.

Another pastime was getting lost. It was a rather common occurrence in those days of wide-open spaces, especially when there was snow on the ground.

One of the times was sort of a queer adventure. My Uncle Hibbard had gone with the sled and team to the Tom Ridgway ranch over near the Dakota line to bring home a quarter of beef that we had purchased. It was a couple of days before Christmas and quite pleasant weather. There was a good trail into Baker, so my aunt and I hooked up old Jerry to the light buggy and took off for town. About the middle of the afternoon it became overcast so out-of-towners began to make toward home. We got within a couple miles of home when it began to snow. As we went along, the wind rose and by the time we were a half-mile from home base, we were off the trail.

Suddenly old Jerry dug in his toes and stopped, nor would he budge an inch, so I got out and discovered that we had come up against a low spot filled in with deep snow. I walked and led him along, my aunt driving, and after a time we found the packed trail again, and so got home " 0. K. " The old scoundrel was smart!

As I climbed into the buggy, I sat down on a bag of chocolate creams that a boy friend had given me while in town, smashing them flat. Presently I discovered that a sack I had been carrying in one hand had sprung a leak and that we had only 5 eggs left of a dozen.

My uncle had not arrived and we put in a restless night. By morning the storm had cleared and we watched and waited. No telephones! No one came, but at last we saw the sled and team approaching slowly.

Uncle had started home the day before but had lost his way as he crossed an unfenced area. Finally, he turned back on his tracks and was able to retrace enough of those to get back on the packed road, on which he made it back to

Ridgways where he spent the night. A Merry Christmas! Ha! So we had roast beef.

Next spring, when I was riding after the milk cows, I ran across a row of 7 eggs, quite evenly spaced and really not too awfully far from the trail.

EDUCATION

Kirschten

I had started school in a small Wisconsin town, continued in grade school in St. Paul, and later in Fertile Prairie. I was among the first 5 pupils who took the first High School work in Baker in 1911-12; 1912-13. They only offered 2 years at that time, so I studied, took teachers examinations and began teaching in the fall of 1913. 1 attended summer sessions at Missoula, Miles City and Dillon, where the Normal School was then located. I also did much Extension Correspondence work as well as doing lengthy book reviews on books recommended by the State Board of Education. All so different from the present procedures.

I taught 13 years in Custer and Fallon Counties, 2 years of which were in Plevna and 4 of which were in Baker.

Then I took to homemaking. During the Depression I was offered work once more in Baker. Again I joined the force, acting as Librarian of the Junior and Senior High School, as well as teaching classes in spelling, music and Montana History. This covered another 13 years and now, presently, again a Homemaker.

I married Mike Kirschten on Nov. 6, 1926 at Baker, Montana at St. John the Evangelist Church. We had four sons. James Douglas, Eugene Michael, Francis William and Elmer Joseph, all born, raised and educated through High School in this locality. All graduated from Baker High School. James spent a year at Bozeman College, taking a concentrated course in general agriculture and stock raising. Eugene spent a year at Carroll College and some time at Eastern in Billings. He also took some courses while in the Air Force. Frances graduated at Missoula in the Forestry Department, majoring in Ranch and Range Management. Joseph attended the mechanical Institute at Fargo, and earned a diploma there. James served in Army Communications in Japan and Korea; Eugene as M.P. in the Air Force in England; Joseph in Signal Corps (Army) in Austria and Italy.

James, as of 1972, is located on the home place east of Baker, which he operates together with his father, Mike Kirschten. Eugene is employed by an Electric Appliance Company at Elgin and LeGrande, Oregon. Francis is District Conservationist at Deer Lodge, Montana. E. Joseph is a diesel mechanic for a Highway Construction Co. presently at Boulder, Montana.

James married Miriam Inga Crawford on June 11, 1955. and as of now has six children; Michael James, a sophomore at Baker High; Shane Douglas, Mark Robert, Marri Lynne, Bertha Kaye and David Paul.

Francis married Betty Jo Huseby of Circle on July 22, 1962. They have three children; Jason Anthony, Deanna Marie, and Kevin Andrew.

Joseph (Joe) married Nadia Bertilla Rin at Vicenza, Italy on July 4, 1957. They have four children; Jean Elaine; Kay Marie; Joseph Ugo and Anita Lee.

EDWIN AND ANNIE KNIPFER

By Annie Knipfer

My husband, Edwin M. Knipfer, was born in East Hampton, Massachusetts on November 17, 1882. He had homesteaded in Fallon County on Horse Creek in 1907 or 1908. He came back to Massachusetts in 1910 and 1912, and we renewed our friendship, but I did not decide to come out to Montana until 1919. 1 left Springfield, Massachusetts Saturday noon, October 18, 1919 and reached Baker on Tuesday morning October 21st. Ed met me at the train and we were married that afternoon at the home of Mr. and Mrs. L. C. Burns by the Reverend Nye of the Congregational Church.

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On Wednesday, Ed's friend and neighbor, Jack Chesnover came with his intended bride and we took them to the parsonage where the Reverend Nye married them. Ed and I were their witnesses. There was 18 inches of snow in Baker and we left on Friday to drive the 42 miles to our home with a team and wagon.

Carl Loger met us on the Porcupine Creek Hill with another team and a sled and they transferred the brides and the luggage to the sled with Carl as the driver. We stopped that night at Bruce's and the following night at Deady's, just past Little Beaver Creek. We reached home - a log cabin built in a hillside - about four P.M. on Sunday. That evening a beautiful dinner was served for almost all the neighbors at Oscar Knipfer's home.

The first year's initiation for the "tender-foot bride" included a blizzard on March 15, 1920, that left a huge drift which completely covered the whole cabin. Ed dug a way through it and I went to Oscar's home for two days until he could dig all the snow off the roof and make paths in between the duties of doing the chores. On May 19th Ed and Jack Chesnover had gone to town for supplies and to meet Ed's brother, George, and family who were coming out from Massachusetts to prove up their claim. Mary Chesnover stayed with me to help with the chores and keep me company. A big storm came up in the afternoon, rain, hail and lightning. A dam broke and Horse Creek backed five feet of water into the cabin. Mary and I put the two dogs and two cats out of the little side window. Then Mary crawled out onto the hillside and I took a chair to stand on while I got out. I got stuck half way through the window and when I looked back the chair had floated away. So! I kept struggling until I got out. We went up the hill and across the prairie and finally wound up at Dad Finley's shack. The door was locked as he had gone to town, too. I took an iron wedge and broke the padlock and we went in and stayed all night.

Ed and Jack and their wagons of cargo had stopped at the top of a hill where a bridge was washed out and had gone back on foot to spend the night at the S. E. Mosts. Ed found us at the Finley place the next morning after Carl Loger and young Oscar Knipfer had come looking for us. A lot more details could go into the story but it would be too long.

We lived for 26 years on the place and then moved to South Dakota for five years. After the blizzard and storm in the winter of 1949, when the Army had to come and dig us out, our children pressured us to go up to Bozeman to be near them. We went in 1950 and Ed passed away in 1952.

1 have lived in the St. John's Lutheran Home in Billings, Montana for seven years.

Ed and I had three children; Edith Margaret (Mrs. John P. Parker), Robert Irvin who married Joan Loveless and Helen Maxine (Mrs. Orville Graslie).

KNIPFER

Written by Oscar J. Knipfer

My father, Oscar H. Knipfer, came to Montana from Massachusetts in 1897 to work for an uncle, Joe Herrmann, one of the earliest ranchers of the vicinity, running mostly horses. At one time the horses numbered 1500 head. The ranch headquarters were on upper Spring Creek, now in Carter County. He worked there until 1902 when he and Mother started out for themselves raising a family of four girls and four boys. The girls are; Edith Sipma, Louise

Oscar J. Knipfer, July 1972.

Strangford, Wanda Jardee, all living in the vicinity, and Eunice McComes of Mosheim, Tenn. The boys are; Edwin of Seattle, Oscar, Ernest, and Vernon of this vicinity. Our early home was a three room log house. They built the ranch which is still operated by my son, Ronald Knipfer, and me. It is much smaller now than it was at the time I was a young fellow. When I was young one could leave the ranch buildings and ride for 50 miles and never have to open a gate. The ranch supports both cattle and sheep and farming on a small scale-mostly for feed.

Three room log house built by Oscar H. Knipfer, 1902.

When the country was opened for homesteaders there was a homestead shack on every 320 acres. Most of them have all gone due to the bad years and low prices. Some of the early homesteaders were Edwin Knipfer, Horace Mayfield, Brook Croft, Dick Smith, Frances and George Barber, Frank and Lewis Hawkins, Billy Jackson, Robert Finley, John Anderson, Tony Haven, Tony Birtic and Lawrence Hantoon who was a wood carver.

The people came with families so schools were needed. Peter Cox, Otto Newberry and Oscar H. Knipfer went to Miles City and met with the Superintendent of Schools and thus the first schools were established. These were mostly made of sod. The books were furnished by the district or the county. The teacher's were paid by some of the patrons for a term of 3 months at $35. a month. The first school which I

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attended was a one room sod house with a dirt floor. It was built just north of the Mayfield and Craft Ranch, now owned by Les Strangford and was known as the Squabble Creek School. At one time it had an enrollment of 30 pupils. The teacher taught Hygiene and when the kids got to throwing dirt at each other in school she made them eat the dirt. One boy told her that it tasted just like Hygiene.

Bucking hay on the Knipfer Ranch in the early days.

The summer of 1919 was very dry so there was no grass to speak of. In July Dad, with the help of my Uncle Warren Knipfer, Uncle Gene Turbiville, Uncle Charlie Turbiville, Carl Loger, Albert Ott and Joe Artesies, trailed 600 cattle to the Indian Reservation near Promise, S. D., a distance of over 200 miles, to summer and winter cattle there. They left Mother and 6 children at home to care for the ranch and the few remaining cattle. Edith, the oldest, was 15 years old while I was only 11. Vernon, the baby, was only a few months old. We all pitched in to help with feeding, milking, and cleaning the barns. Later in the summer Carl Loger came back to help put up Russian thistles for the cattle's winter feed.

Feeding time on the Knipfer Ranch, winter.

The winter of 1919-1920 was cold with lots of snow. In May of 1920 we had a cloud burst. The basement filled with water. Walking through the corral to the barn to do the chores we had to wade water which was waist deep. We had plenty to contend with weather wise and other wise when I was growing up..

Present day home on the Knipfer Ranch.

I, Oscar J. Knipfer was born on the same ranch, which I now own, April 30, 1908. in Custer County, Montana. I married Alice V. Permala of Ely, Minn. on May 1, 1932, to which union were born two children; Charlene Mehling and Ronald Knipfer. We have one granddaughter, Marcia Mehling.

MABLE LAWRENCE KOCHEL

I was born at Decatur, 111. on August 7, 1894 to Andrew and Sara Lawrence. We made our home there until I was 11 years old. My father decided that as they couldn't get ahead where they were, they would try their fortunes further west. Accordingly they boarded the Northern Pacific Train to Miles City, Montana.

Since the Milwaukee was not yet in operation in this area, we traveled from Miles City by team and wagon to a location 4 miles north of a settlement called Knowlton. This was in March of 1906. Knowlton was at that time a thriving village. It possessed a hotel, a general store, a stage station, a dance hall and a school. There were several families living there so there were thirty students going to school under one teacher. It was to this school I rode my horse the distance of four miles. Sometimes I stayed in Knowlton a few weeks at a time during the hardest part of the winter. At first there were very few fences but after the Milwaukee was built, people came in fast to prove up on homesteads. They were called honyockers. "

My husband, Jim, helped his father build many miles of barbed-wire fence after that. There was no entertainment of any kind at that time except for Silent Movies in some of the cities. Whenever we met at a house that had a piano or an organ, we sang and often danced and had a fine time. A few people had phonographs. Sometimes an accordion was used at-, the dance in Knowlton Hall but mostly a "fiddle" and a piano were played. If anyone had a large room in their home, that was where the dances were often held with a "fiddle" and banjo or a guitar. I began dancing as soon as we came to Montana as I was often needed to fill out a "square" as girls were scarce around those parts. Everyone played cards , especially Pitch. It was a good game to play to see who had to wash the dishes, get the water, bring in the wood, milk the cow and etc. Water always had to be carried as the springs were down in the draw below the houses. The first settlers took the land near the good springs. My brother, Vern, and my father each took a half section where a good spring was located. My father had to dig a well which turned out to be very good, too. My folks kept milk in a spring house in troughs which were hand hewn from logs. The water ran through and kept the jars and crocks of milk and butter cool.

During my girlhood I rode my horse a good deal of the time, visited the neighbors, carried water up the hill from the

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spring and helped my mother with housework. When I finished grade school at the age of 14, 1 went to work for the Harry Schlosser family, tending baby and helping with the housework. The nearest High School was at Miles City.

John Andrew Lawrence, 1906 or 1907. The seed corn was brought from Illinois, called bloody butcher as it was a red corn. Had a fine crop that year.

The first few years were good years although the winters usually brought much snow. My folks raised cattle, hogs and crops of wheat, corn, oats, as well as good gardens.

Quite a few people would gather at the ranches to help with the branding. Usually one or two fellows (cowboys) would ride a bronc or two for a little excitement. All the cowboys at that time wore guns and carried Bull Durham and rolled their own cigarettes. There was still much talk of 1ndians in those days although there were never any around Knowlton. There were lots of them down around Ekalaka especially in the summer time. They were mostly relatives of Ekalaka Russell's.

The mail came to Knowlton 3 times a week by 2 stage drivers, one coming from Ekalaka and one coming from Miles City. It came by stage which was a spring wagon or buck board at that time. The stage stationmaster took care of the horses overnight and the drivers rested. In the morning they returned to Ekalaka and Miles City. Passengers and mail were transferred here, too. There were no covers for the passengers. They had only umbrellas for rain, hot bricks or hot salt or hot rocks as foot warmers. No amount of clothing could keep a person warm in the winter if he had to ride all day. There was a noon stop at the Dominy or Preller ranch and at the Frank and Mary Murphy ranch where fresh horses were exchanged for the tired ones on the Miles City run. I believe the Hill Ranch was an exchange depot' TeeDee and Mackenzie were both stage stops on the Ekalaka end.

When the round-up time came we would all go out to watch them work the cattle and we also got to eat with the cowboys. We would take pies and cakes which the boys really enjoyed as it was a change from what the cook usually made for them, the old "spotted dog" or " son-of-a-bitch in a sack." This was a boiled suet pudding with raisins and spices. It was very good, too. They also had dried fruit, which was usually dried apples. In the Knowlton hills were many wild plums, chokecherries, serviceberries and buffalo berries. These were canned, preserved and jellied. Sourdough and the old dried yeast was used by every one as there was no refrigeration then. A few people put up ice and after a few years many had ice houses. The ice was cut in the winter and stored in sawdust in the icehouse. It came in handy for lemonade and homemade ice cream in the summer time.

Picnic at Medicine Rocks, 1907 or 1908. Ekalaka people: Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Wier, Nellie Monroe, Katherine Taylor and other old timers. Mable Lawrence also in the picture.

I would like to mention Frank and Mary Murphy who were at Mizpah before 1906. They ran a roadhouse and a post office on the Old Yellowstone Trail. I think the stage changed horses there, too. Many stayed there overnight when traveling. Mary was a hard working woman and a friend to all. She rode the range as well as cooking for many. They had no children.

The bachelors at Knowlton when we arrived were: Tom Stevens, Jess Black, Dick Brown, Frank Lurn and Colonel J.H. Price. Frank Lum had a piano and played it very well. Dick Brown was a trapper and a wolfer. Col. Price owned the Crown W horse ranch. He was from England and appeared very aristocratic. He kept a cook and several riders for the horses. It was also a place for unemployed men to stop and stay a while. There were always a lot of men around. Price went broke when the horse market deteriorated. My father found Tom Stevens dead on the 4th of July when he went to visit him. The cause of death was never known.

Picnic at Knowlton about 1906. Will George starting a ladies foot race. Some of the people, Arealma Lawrence and Mrs. Geheart. The Gehearts had the stage station.

There was usually a picnic held at Knowlton or near there on the 4th of July or sometime during the summer. Old "Doc" Knowlton (as everyone called Mr. Knowlton) homesteaded where Knowlton is. He was from Canada and

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his Canadian relatives sent him maple sugar every year. He would often call us kids to his door and give us a chunk of sugar. He was very good-hearted, but sort of shiftless. He kept a messy house and never took care of his cattle. The cowboys loved to tell him big tales about someone running his cattle off the range, branding his calves or anything they could think of to bother him. They liked to hear him tell the things he would do to them. He lived there until he died letting the neighbors take care of him. He is buried in the Knowlton Cemetery.

One winter about 1907-1908 my mother and I were alone at the farm. Our little bunch of cattle came running over the hill to the corralls and barn as fast as they could run. A gray wolf was chasing them and sprang at a yearling and cutting his tail off. He stood there eating it while we watched, to afraid to shoot the rifle as neither of us had ever shot a gun. Wolves were very scarce by then. The men figured that it was an old one traveling through. It was the only one I ever saw.

My mother died at the age of 57 and my father at the age of 75. Both are buried in the Miles City Cemetery.

In 1914 1 was married to James Kochel of Miles City, Montana. We homesteaded 6 miles south of Knowlton, where we built a 12 by 28 tarpaper shack. The first winter Jim and I were married, we rode down on the Mizpah to a big dance in a ranch house. It was 20 miles and the snow was deep. We came home after sun up. One summer after we were married, I was feeding my chickens when a coyote came rushing in and grabbed a chicken not very far from me. I ran and yelled after him but he never dropped the chicken. For many years we could hear coyotes howling every night.

Fun at the old swimming hole, 1915. Sam Kochel at far left.

JAMES KOCHEL [JIM]

Jim was born in Hopkins, Missouri on October 9, 1892 to Sam and Kate Kochel. He went to school in Missouri after the work was finished in the fall. There he finished the eighth grade.

In the summer of 1907, when Jim was 15 years of age, Sam and Kate Kochel brought their belongings to Terry and Miles City from Missouri in a railroad car. Among the furnishings was an organ which Jim's sister, Ollie, played. Sam came out ahead of the family, lived in a tent, cut logs, hewed them on two sides by hand and built a very nice two-story house. This was by far the nicest home in the community. It also had a good root cellar just a few steps from the kitchen door. The Kochel home was a gathering place for young and old. Sam and Kate were very gracious to al1 comers and the young folks had wonderful times at their home. Many of the cowboys didn't work in the winter so they rode from place to place. Sometimes they stayed many days at one place, especially at the Kochels. They called this 11 riding the grub line." Sam had also built a nice big, log bunkhouse so they had someone visiting most of the time. Kate was a fine cook and Sam was a good provider. He enjoyed hunting and always had plenty of venison in the winter and a fine garden and chickens in the summer.

Sam was a fine carpenter and built many houses, schools, sheds and etc. A hard working man but full of fun and always with time to help a neighbor. When the oldest Ranum boy, Henry, came to Montana., he had T.B. He took a homestead but couldn't handle it alone for very long. As he grew unable to live alone, his father and two brothers came out to help him. When he died, Sam Kochel was there helping. It was the winter of 1915-1916 with lots of snow and no telephone. Sam made a casket for Henry, bought some black cloth and white muslin at the Knowlton store and covered it with the black and lined it with the white. Several neighbors attended the service. They sang a couple of hymns - no music, no clergy. Some one read a chapter from the Bible and said a prayer. They carried him to the top of the hill and buried him on his own place where he had wanted to be.

After Jim and Mable were married Jim cut wood and sold it to a couple of schools in the winter. He always had a big woodpile. Jim was a hard worker. In the winter he dug coal and in the summer he farmed. There were several dry years when they didn't get a wheat crop. They had a crop in 1922 but only got 50 cents a bushel for it.

Plowing in the good old days, the way Jim Kochel plowed.

Kate Kochel helped many young mothers when their babies were born. Jim and Mable lived on the Richard Green place when their son, Reid, was born. Kate and a Mrs. Dragseth helped with the birth.

In 1923 Jim and Mable left the homestead and moved to Oregon where Jim worked in the sawmills. They moved back to Montana to manage the Clyde Burrell Ranch; came to Baker and ran a dray line for a while. Jim went into the sheriff's office under Bill Franklin, who died in office. After that Jim was appointed Sheriff by the County Commissioners. He served 18 years in this office. The children all finished high school while living in the jail. In the early years no one ever locked their houses. When living in the jail the living quarters were never locked. One night Jim and Mable were wakened by a flashlight in their faces. A Highway Patrol man was looking for a place to lock up a prisoner. Another time a deranged rancher walked in and

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startled them. He had a big story to tell the sheriff, mostly his imagination.

Mable and Jim left Baker when he was appointed Brand Inspector and Investigator for several western counties. He had his headquarters in Dillon where they lived for over 20 years. He retired at the age of 65 and died July 16, 1968 at the age of 76 years.

The Kochels had five children: Lawrence Samuel (Larry) who married Helen Clough and lives at Wishram, Washington; Marjorie Kathryn married Edward J. Nelson of Baker; Arron Reid was killed in World War 11 over Hamburg, Germany June 20, 1944; Kenneth Lester married Darleen Anderson and lives at Bowman, North Dakota and Robert Vernon, who married Merna Stephenson , lives at Kirkland, Washington. There are 16 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.

After Jim's death Mable moved back to Baker in 1972. She is residing alone in a house near her daughter.

 

Sheriff Jim Kochel on the right, under sheriff Lacey Speelmon on left, about 1941.

MRS.

PAULINE B. KOENIG

[MRS. EDWARD KOENIG, SR.]

My parents were Fred and Sophie Pietzke and their home was near Bowdle, South Dakota. They farmed and raised stock, along with raising a family of boys and girls, including myself, Pauline B. I joined the family on April 5, 1893.

I attended grade school at Bowdle and did not go on to further grades. There was plenty of work to do at home, such as herding sheep, raking hay, driving header box, etc. I once had a runaway while engaged in these labors. Besides these, I helped around home in caring for my brothers and sisters, thus preparing myself for the career of homemaker.

On July 20, 1911 at age 18, 1 married Edward Koenig at Java, South Dakota. He soon came west and located on a homestead 12 miles southwest from Plevna, Montana. He then returned to Bowdle for me and we traveled by train to Westmore, and from there to the place with a team and wagon. Here we set up in the business of farming and raising stock as well as a family. We experienced all the joys and troubles of living through the years that followed. Some years were good; some very much otherwise.

One experience of the homestead years stands out for me. It was a day in December and there was snow on the ground. Mr. Koenig had gone the 12 miles into town with a load of wheat. Slow going with a team! Our two little girls and I were at home and it happened that I was again awaiting the Stork to drop by at our house. I realized that he was on his way so I put the little girls to bed. It darkens early at that time of the year. Then I waited hopefully for Mr. Koenig to reach home. He came at 5:30 but the Stork was a jump ahead of him, so he speedily drove to a neighbor's home and brought her to us.

All was well! A nice baby boy, our first son, Edward, had put in his appearance!

The children later had 2 miles to drive to school. We had 10 children, 7 of whom were born on the homestead. After a number of years we moved to the Wm. O'Loughlin place some 10 miles northwest of Baker. Here our last 3 children were born.

While we were on the homestead some of our neighbors were Walter Wilson, who later served as County Treasurer and Clyde Burrell, who also held a County office. Others were the Ed Sielers and John Bohlinger. Later neighbors were the Bill Gevings, the Gottlieb Leischner, and the Oakley James. We spent the years from 1937-1939 on the G. Leischner place and then we bought the Cobleigh place 5 miles northeast of Baker, which has since been the family home.

My husband, Edward, passed away on April 18, 1944. 1 stayed on the farm for a couple more years and then purchased a comfortable home in Baker where I have since resided.

Our family was: Sophie (Hansen), Margaret (deceased), Edward, Alvina (Lundgren), Erna (O'Donnell), Arnold, Arthur, Otto (deceased), Bill and Howard (deceased).

There were times when the sledding was rough, but we made it through. The years have been very busy ones. We enjoyed many picnics, some rodeos, County Fairs and a few box socials in the early days.

I am now (1973) in retirement but that doesn't mean that I am not busy! I love to sew and do a lot of it. I also enjoy doing hand work and have made pretty pillowslips for each of my 25 grandchildren. I belong to our church mission circle arid have made numerous quilts for use where needed.

I also do some gardening and raise flowers. My church is the Congregational Church at Baker. I am happy to have 3 of my children and their families living in this vicinity; The Edward Koenigs, the Arthur Koenigs and the Bob O'Donnells (Erna). The Arthur Koenig family now occupy the homeplace north of Baker. Besides the 25 grandchildren there are also 18 great grandchildren.

DANIEL AND PEARL KORNEYCHUK

Daniel Korneychuk was born at Kiev, Russia on December 24, 1884. Pearl Shishkowsky was born in Odessa, Russia on May 5, 1885. Daniel and Pearl were married in Russia on January 26, 1906 and three of their seven children, Anna, Lena and Fred were born there.

In 1909 the family migrated to Quebec, Canada. From there they came to the United States and settled in Herreid, South Dakota where Mr. Korneychuk worked on a Section Gang for the railroad until he was able to earn enough money to purchase a team of horses, two cows, some chickens, a walking plow and some small hand tools. In the fall of 1909 the family moved to Webster, Montana, a community southeast of Baker. There they filed on a homestead and it was in this vicinity that their other four children, Dorothy, Mayme, Laura and George were born.

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Daniel Korneychuk family, 1924. Daniel and Pearl [parents] and children Anna, Lena, Fred, Dorothy, Mayme, Laura and George.

The neighbors were most generous in helping dig a large root cellar, the first home for the Korneychuk family. The Yokley, Mulkey (101), Flastad, Norman, Zink, Hamilton and many other ranches around the neighborhood contributed help and machinery without request along with sound advice on methods of conquering the virgin soil.

What seemed to be Dan's greatest joy in the new country was the big hearts of the people, neighbors and business men alike. Many times he stated that the family could not have survived had it not been for good friends. As the years passed they were able to build up a beautiful place with a seven room house, a large barn and good outbuildings. Things there after were about the same as the average Montana family.

Pearl Korneychuk passed away at Baker on June 29, 1963, and Daniel passed away in Billings, Montana on January 6, 1970.

The children of Daniel and Pearl Korneychuk known by the Webster and Baker communities are located as follows

Anna married Paul Devnich and they live in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. They have nine children.

Lena is married to Louis Heffer of Billings, Montana. There are two children.

Fred lives in Billings, also, with his wife the former Elsie Erlenbusch. There were five children.

Dorothy is at the State Hospital at Warm Springs, Montana. She never married.

Mayme married John Bechtold. They are both deceased.

Laura and husband, Edwin Geossen, live at Doland, South Dakota. There was one child born to this union.

George, the youngest, was born on December 28, 1921 at Webster. He attended school at Webster, Baker, and the NorthWest Bible School. He and Irene Kost from Harried, South Dakota were married in 1944. There are four children. George took over the homestead after he had served in the military. In 1947 the urge to seek another occupation became very strong. They leased the homestead and moved to Baker. He found work in the Post Office at Baker and in 1967 he accepted a transfer to the post office at Miles City where they have been since.

Sophie Kreager, better known as "Grandma Kreager."

HENRY AND SOPHIE KREAGER

Gen. 35: 11 "And God said unto him, 'I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply.' "

Approximately 100 years ago, Henry Kreager and his wife Sophie, with their two sons, Fred and Henry, Jr. came to America from Germany. They settled near Radcliff, Iowa, where they raised a family of eight children. Besides the two older boys there was Celia, Ella, Clara, Lilly, Frank and Andrew.

In 1909 they located south of Baker just across the road from what is now known as the home of Mrs. Wayne Traweek.

Grandpa Kreager was killed in an accident in October of 1910. Grandma then used her homestead rights to prove up on a piece of ground near the first Ekalaka highway. She operated what was called a "Halfway House", where freighters could stop over night enroute to or from Baker. There was a charge for the horses, meals and a place to make out their bedrolls. Many times she boarded the schoolteachers, also.

With the help of her family and some of her grandsons, she was able to make her own living for many years.

In 1922 she bought the house now belonging to Charlie Ballau, where she lived until she was no longer able to stay by herself. She spent the remainder of her life with her children, but mostly with Celia Stanhope. She passed to her reward in March of 1933.

TRIBUTE TO MOTHER

[Author unknown]

The days have come, the clays have gone, And now the years have passed away, Since we were left so sad and lone, With Mother gone from home to stay.

Gone and yet we can always find about the home no matter where, Some things of hers that bring to mind her anxious thoughts and loving care.

A rich reward she must have won, at close of life's well fought fight. And she must have heard, "Well done", When from this earth she took her flight.

She left a halo that will glow along the way that we must plod. I'm sure that it will brighter grow and lead to Mother, Home and God.

At one time, all eight children had homes in Minnesota Valley. Henry Kreager (better known as Hank), was married to Anna Stevens. They had one son, Andy. They later moved to Washington, where they resided until their death.

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ANDREW AND LAURA KREAGER

Laura Noftsker was the youngest daughter of Emma and Charles Noftsker. She came to Montana in the spring o 1910 at the age of 11 years. Earlier her uncle, Bill Young, had persuaded her father and brother, Sam, to come to Montana and look the country over. By then he had lived here for about two years in the Fertile Prairie community. By the time Laura came her father had located on a homestead about 14 miles south of Baker.

After filing on the land in the fall of 1909, her father and Sam returned to Minnesota where they made preparations to move. They loaded an emigrant car with household goods, livestock, machinery, and lumber and returned to Montana in March of 1910. Upon arrival they unloaded their goods, hitched the horses to the wagons and headed for the homestead. Laura, her mother, sister-in-law, (Sam's wife) and their two small children, Elenora and Charles, left Wells, Minnesota in April of that same year. They would have come earlier with their menfolk but due to the illness and death of her grandmother, it was a month later that they arrived. For some reason they were let off at Kingmont, a siding about three miles east of Baker. Here they found themselves in the black of a cold, rainy night. With no other means of travel than to walk, they took off across the gumbo carrying the numerous pieces of luggage and the two children for Uncle Bill Young's place.

The first thing the men did that spring was to build a one-room shanty, and with a tent, the two families lived together until a larger house was built.

Laura continued her schooling in a nearby school with Miss Nora Marks as the teacher. Others attending this school were, Gertrude, Verne and Leonard Kreager, Floyd and Florence Young, Henry, Maud and Orvilla Cate, and the Greasy children. This school was later moved about a mile north to accommodate more families and was called the Hidden Water School. Some years later it was torn down but another school was built on north Hidden Water Creek, also known as Broken Arm Creek, near the Homer Young place. Now this school has met its doom as most of the county schools have by being sold and moved away.

In a few years time this area was pretty well settled. Most of the homesteaders were of German, Swedish and Norwegian descent and came from different parts of Minnesota so it was little wonder the community became known as the Minnesota Valley. It was a closely knit community. The Noftskers lived close enough to neighbors to visit back and forth. Church services were often held in the homes or the schoolhouse with a pastor from Baker holding the services. One time a Sunday School picnic was held near the Barkley place and in order to have some music, Laura's organ was hauled over in a wagon, one of the many times her organ was used to add to the occasion. Neighborhood dances and socials were frequently held, socials in particular, to help raise money for some cause. One time a home talent play was presented and especially enjoyed in the community. It was put on by a family named, Phellps, who were "show people" and lived on a homestead about 5 miles north of the Noftskers.

In December of 1912 Laura married Andrew Kreager who also lived in the Minnesota Valley. They were married in Bowman, North Dakota.

Andrew had come with his father, Henry Kreager, Sr. from Browns Valley, Minnesota in the spring of 1909. His father filed on the land and stayed the winter with his daughter and son-in-law, the Bert Cates, while several of his sons went back to Minnesota. After the crops were harvested the following fall, they loaded all their belongings and returned to Montana. At Marmarth, North Dakota the stock was inspected and several horses were found to have glanders disease, a dangerous, highly contagious disease of horses and communicable to man. The horses had to be killed. This caused an added hardship as the homesteaders livelihood depended much upon horses.

Andy and Frankie took up homesteads farther west of their father's place. One of their hardships that winter was the heating of the shack. In Minnesota, wood was the main source of fuel, while here it was a soft coal that didn't burn Very well in the stoves they had brought with them. In the fall they had ordered a heating stove but didn't get it until spring and it wasn't much bigger than a five gallon can. It never proved to be very satisfactory.

After living here only a short while the father, Henry Kreager, met with a tragic accident when returning from town. It was presumed he was thrown from the wagon while driving over frozen ground. He was found by John Rambur. Death was caused by a broken neck. A year or two later his wife filed on land towards the Ludwig Bechtolds.

For some years all the sons and daughters of Henry and Sophia Kreager lived in the Valley. They were Lillie Cate, Ellie Young, Clara Cate, Celia Stanhope, Fred, Jr., Hank, Frank and Andrew.

Andy and Frankie knew the carpenter trade and were called upon for the construction of both homes and schools. They built the first school in District 36. Between them they were paid $44.00, this included seats and desks. The other bid was $45.00. Not all homes were made from wood - sod was used. Andy and Laura's first home was an 8 x 14 ft. shack, but before long they built larger quarters using sod for the walls and the boards from the shack for the roof. This was used until a two-room frame house was built in 1917.

A neighbor by the name of Lawrence Fuller used the natural materials in another way. He combined soft gumbo with grass then mixed it by stomping it with his feet. From this he formed blocks from which he built his home, as well as his bed, stove and table.

Andy and Laura's first child, Walter, was born in the sod house in the spring of 1915 and Denzil, the second son was born in the early summer of 1919. In order to be nearer to school a transaction was made between Kreagers and Cates whereby the Cates moved onto the Kreager place and the Kreagers moved onto the Cate place, which was located about one mile east of the Myhre School and the 101 Road.

There was always plenty of entertainment in the community. Dances and socials were popular as well as the school functions. A team of horses was always kept on hand to hitch up to drive to the neighbors to visit or lend a hand. Andy and his brother, Frank, playing a violin and a guitar often furnished music for the dances around the country. At other times Laura's organ was taken and she would contribute to the music.

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In the early years a small church was built in the midst of the Valley, but it burned to the ground shortly before it was to be moved. It wasn't until 1929 before another church was built and that was when the Wesleyan Methodist congregation had one built near the 101 Road about 15 miles south of Baker. Again, much of the building was done by Andy and Frankie Kreager.

During the depression and later during the war years the population of Minnesota Valley dwindled. Many of the earlier homesteaders had either sold or given up their land. When the Second World War broke out, more changes took place. Many of the sons joined the armed forces while parents left to work in defense plants. Andy and Laura, with their sons, Walter and Denzil, and their families worked in different areas on construction jobs during those years. Eventually Denzil was called to the army and was sent to Germany. He lost his life near Saarbruken, Germany in 1945. When the war ended the Kreagers returned to Baker.

During these reminiscences many happy and humorous thoughts come back -- like one hot summer day when Denzil was about eight years old and he and one of the neighbor friends were playing in a water hole that was drying up but contained a multitude of pollywogs. They decided the creatures needed water so they proceeded to carry them by the buckets full to the stock tank near by. When his father came home from the field in the evening with tired and thirsty horses what should greet them but a tank of pollywogs! There was no choice then but to empty the contents and refill the tank. If the wind blew there would be power for pumping water, otherwise it had to be done manually. And the times in the winter when Grandma Myhre would come home with them from church and the only way to get home was by being pulled on a piece of tin which served as a sled pulled by one of the boys on a horse. With hooves flying and nothing to hold on to it wasn't unusual to roll off. In no time she would be reseated and laughingly they would take off again.

During the war years many of the friends and neighbors in the Minnesota Valley had scattered including the brothers and sisters. The Kreagers decided to make their home in Baker. Andy continued to work as a carpenter. He had their first home moved into town which he remodeled and this was their home until he died in July 1959.

Some years later Laura married Jack Shutta of New Brighton, Minnesota and they made their home in Baker.

Laura's organ that had been hauled around and had participated in the many, many events of those early years is now in the possession of her grandson, Clarence Kreager.

Editor's note: Walter Kreager, son of Andrew and Laura, is at present [1973] serving his second term as Mayor of Baker.

MEMORIES

By Frank Kreager

A new Adventure! New life and total excitement. We were grown men but who wouldn't feel a lift of spirits at the possibility of owning a piece of good old Mother Earth.

June 2, 1909 Clarence Wright, Henry I Foote, brother Andy Kreager, two other men whose names have slipped my memory, and myself, left Beardsley, Minnesota, catching the train at Pever, South Dakota. This is where the main line of the Milwaukee train ran through Milbank.

We arrived at Baker the 3rd day of June. Everything looked so beautiful and green that year. The hillsides dotted with wild flowers and this promised to be the Canaan Land.

As in all western early towns, the saloons outnumbered other establishments. There was Big Foot located where the

Heiser Bar now is. The corner bar was run by John Heffiner, Ed Jackson had the saloon on the East Side, later owned by a man named Glass. Billy Beck owned the saloon where the Green Dragon is now located, later sold to Jim Ovens.

J. Lang and son had a grocery store and sold farm machinery as well. They were located at the present Russell Store.

Bob Pearce had a grocery store where the Granger's restaurant used to be in later years. Emil and Ed Lentz bought out Bob Pearce.

One bank, called the Bank of Baker (and not much larger than a homestead shack) balanced the corner where The National Bank now stands. Dick Smith was the banker. This building was built of rock.

At that time Baker lay claim to one hotel just north of the present LaCross store. Not set up for cold weather, that's for sure. Here is where I first saw Dr. Young.

Later the Bert house was built, present location of City Hall. Still later a Mrs. Lloyd built the Lewellyn house where the present Baker hotel now stands. Her son had a restaurant on the west side where the Jackson Bar now is.

During the winter of 1909 and 1910, Elma S. Stevens and Lena Stevens worked at the Lloyd restaurant. Much later this was purchased by Lew Jim Chinese.

My father, Henry Kreager, had arrived in Baker in March of 1909 and had already picked out homesteads for Andy and myself. He was living with my sister, Clara Cate, wife of Hosea, who had homesteaded in Montana in 1908.

On the morning of the 7th, six of us walked the approximate fifteen miles to Baker in a cold northeast rain. The 8th was the opening day for filing on the homesteads. We then boarded the train back to Minnesota.

That fall after harvest we had an auction sale after shipping two carloads to Baker.

The first winter there was lots of snow and quite cold. Andy and I were still living at home with the folks, in our twenty-two foot long tarpaper shack built into the side of a hill. The coal just previously mined was wet and didn't burn too readily.

The spring of 1910, brothers Fred and Andy and I purchased a steam outfit. A 35-horse, Reeves engine threshing separator, eleven breaking plows, two water wagons and a cook shack. This was the first steam threshing machine in the south country but since none of the farmers had much money, we didn't make much either. The only other threshing machine around was a horse-powered one owned by Dick Foster.

That fall, October 2, 1910, my father was killed in a wagon accident east of the Henry DeGrand place and was found by John Rambur. John did not know my father so he went to Mel Egerts and Mel identified him and let us know. We took his body home and went after the deputy sheriff, a Mr. Evens. This was still Custer County. On the 5th of October, my father was laid to rest in the Baker Cemetery. The second person to be buried there.

Since father had never proved up on his homestead, mother did, with the help of Andy and me. Later mother, Sophia Dorothy Kreager (nee Wagner), filed on a homestead of her own on Hidden Water Creek and lived there for a number of years.

During the long, cold winter of 1919 she ran an overnight stopping place for freighters on their trek between Ekalaka and Baker. She also boarded the school teacher that taught at the Bechtold School.

Much later in her declining years she stayed with my sister, Celia Stanhope and family on the old H. J. Foote place, then when they moved west of Baker, she moved with them, passing away in March 1933 at the age of 89 and was placed beside my father in the Baker Cemetery.

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Coleman Krokker, Sr. and chuck wagons.

COLEMAN KROKKER

Reflections of Mrs. Coleman Krokker, Sr.

Coleman Krokker was born October 11, 1883 in Petohaza, Hungary. He had eight brothers. After serving in the Austria-Hungary Army he came to the United States. He went first to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to visit an aunt. There he worked in the mines for two years. From Lancaster he went to LaCrosse, Wisconsin. In 1905 he went to St. Paul, Minnesota where he worked for the Great Northern Railroad.

Coleman and I were married in February of 1912 and soon after that we left for our homestead in Montana which was located on Cabin Creek about twenty miles northeast of Ismay. We planted a garden early in the spring and in the late summer the range cattle cleaned it up. When the snow fell and it turned cold the cattle ate the straw stuffing out of the hen house. Coleman bought wire fencing and it was my job to keep the staples for the fence thawed out so I was kept busy warming the metal staples in the oven.

Most years we had good crops, but one year it was so dry that the grain never even sprouted. It was a summer of blowing sand and dry electrical storms.

Our nearest neighbors were Hans Larson, Jack Hagen, Ed Rohner, Bill Anderson and the Matson family. That summer Mr. Matson shot himself, leaving his wife and three children.

Bill McNaney had an adjoining homestead and did some farm work for Mrs. Matson. They were eventually married and begat a large family.

On April 1, 1913 Mrs. Matson and I went to Ismay. Her horses had been in the pasture all winter and they played out about the time we reached the Riley Ranch on our way home. She wasn't acquainted with the curve of the road which was under water. The horses went over the bank and were drowned. We spent the night at the Hoffman's on Pennel Creek and returned home the next day.

Some winters we experienced severe blizzards and the snow was driven through the cracks in the house and the stoves sputtered from the moisture. On one occasion the blizzard lasted three days. The wind blew so hard that the only way you could carry fuel from outside was to use the wash-boiler and hold it against your chest.

About 1916 the ladies decided to have a meeting once a month at one of the homes. We named our group the Cabin Creek Country Club. We had dances and built a fair sized clubhouse which would accommodate from 25 to 30 couples. We had lots of good times together, but after a while some of the ladies wanted to start another club "closer-by," so it was decided that the old club would remain on the north side of Cabin Creek and the new one would be on the south side. The new one was called the South Side Social Society. To keep the name secret, it was know as the S.S.S.S. When the notices of our meetings were in the news paper, there were lots of remarks made about the 4 S Club, but it was never quite identified.

 

 

Coleman Krokker at chuck wagon camp.

Coleman, Jr. was born at the Brackett Hotel in Ismay Montana on July 24, 1913. The whole community had a picnic each year about three miles out of town. The Doctor, Mrs. Ryan (who ran a hat and dressmaking shop) and I were the only ones left in the town that day. When the folks returned from the picnic about six P.M. there was a new addition to the population of the community.

Krokker's chuck wagons crew. Coleman, Jr. on his Dad's lap.

During the flu epidemic of 1915 and 1916 Coleman, Sr. and Jack Hogen were immune to the disease so they mined and hauled coal to the folks who were sick in bed.

About 1920 Coleman, Sr. had a "bronc" which he wanted to break. He made a trip to Camp Crook, South Dakota to see a man about breaking the horse. On the way he ran into a blizzard. Toward evening he became very tired and cold. He saw a shack in the distance and thought he would find shelter there. Besides being cold and tired he had been lost for about 26 hours. As he approached the house he realized that it was no warmer than the outside. He said to himself, "You S.O.B.! Don't go in there or you"ll freeze to death." He went on and about twenty miles farther he found the man whom he had come to see. Coleman's face was badly frozen but he returned home a day later.

Coleman, Sr. worked at the Industrial School at Miles City, Montana for 17 years. He retired in 1969.

The homesteaders were a different breed of people than you find at the present time. They were rugged individuals who worked hard and struggled through unbelievable hardships. They were generous to a fault and were always willing to share with anyone in need. They fought the

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elements and attempted things that seemed impossible at the time.

Some other reflections about other of our neighbors follows:

Steve Macumber was an honest and helpful neighbor who had a ranch about five miles up Cabin Creek. He had to depend on hired help to care for his stock as some of his cattle were being stolen. He had Archie Cook, homesteader who lived east of him, tend some of the sheep on shares. In the hard winter of 1912 Archie lost most of the sheep. More than he should have. He should have fed them on higher ground as there was no food or protection in the river beds during the storms.

Jack Krcma, his wife and daughter came to Montana and filed on a homestead. He had been a blacksmith before coming to this country. I remember that he made his own snuff. He would make a pint a week. Sometimes he found it hard to get to sleep at nights, so he would take a pan of onions, peel and eat them before retiring at night. He said that they always made him go to sleep. When Colemen, Jr. was five years old "Old Jack" made him a beautiful little bobsled. Coleman still has the little sled and is real proud of it.

Mr. and Mrs. King and son, Jay, had adjoining homesteads. There were three boys and two girls. The names of the girls were Grace and Inez. In 1913 Inez and Bud Foley were married. They lived on the West Coast.

Phil Aumoch had a homestead near the Griffith's. He married a schoolteacher.

Cy Robinson built his home right on Cabin Creek about a mile from the Hogan's place. Mrs. Robinson died after a short illness and their two girls went to live with an aunt, a Mrs. Amundson. Cy left his homestead and we never heard where he went.

Mr. and Mrs. Amundson lived about three miles from Hogans. Along with their own three boys and two girls they reared the two Robinson girls.

Mr. and Mrs. Art Coldwell and children lived about a 1/2-mile north of Hans Larson. He had quite a bunch of horses but not many cattle. They left Montana around 1919 for Peace River, Canada.

Mr. and Mrs. Giles lived on the north half of Jack Hogan's section. They had three children. May, the oldest one married Ed Sutton.

Mr. and Mrs. McKonkey and children lived on the north side of Cabin Creek. Mr. Brown was hired to help with the farming and he later married May, the bosses daughter.

Bill and Florence Anderson arrived in Beach, North Dakota from Minneapolis, Minnesota about 1910. Mr. Anderson had had training in the repairing of cars, mostly Model T's. He rented an Automobile Shop. Ed Rohner and family arrived in the country about that same time and Ed went to work for Bill. During threshing time Bill Anderson was hired to start the steam tractors for the threshers. The main crop of that time was flax seed which bought $3.00 per bushel.

Later Bill Anderson left the homestead and took a job in Ismay in an Auto Shop where he sold cars, worked on cars and did the advertising. Later he moved to Miles City and did similar work for a while after which he left for parts unknown.

Florence went to work at a Stein's Clothing Store in Miles City about 1918. She later married Andy Udgaard. They are both deceased.

In 1910 Ed Rohner, his wife, Jo, and their daughter, Kathleen, came from Minneapolis to live on their homestead. Ed was born in Switzerland and Jo was born in Norway. Mrs. Rohner was tubercular and went to Minneapolis in 1913 to stay with her in-laws. She passed away there, The daughter, Kathleen, went to Norway and lived with a grandmother for a time, then she returned to Minneapolis to join her father who had stayed on the homestead for a while before he went to Minneapolis to live with his mother. The last report was that Ed had remarried and was living at Minnesota Mills, Minnesota.

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Hogan and daughter, Oral, came from Wisconsin about 1909 and filed on a homestead at Fallon, Montana.

Jack had a half-brother who was ill with T.B. The doctor told him that he had only part of a lung left and that he should live outdoors if he wanted to live. Jack sent for his brother, Hans Larson, and helped him regain his health. Hans slept outdoors for over a year and after that time he felt so much better that he filed on a homestead in 1903. Jack filed on a desert claim in 1912 about three miles from Hans. Now he had land on both sides of the creek and started to build a dam which he worked on from time to time. Both Hans and Jack raised horses and cattle.

Paul and Nina Nabholz had adjoining homesteads. Paul took care of the farming and Nina taught school. The schoolhouse was near Amundsons so she carried her lunch with her. One time she brought some home-canned food from home, ate it for lunch and was poisoned.

Fred Piwitt was ranch manager for Orin Titus and they ran cattle and sheep together. About 1911 Piwitt sold his cattle for $16,000. He deposited the money in a new bank at Ismay. The bank went broke and Fred lost most of his money.

In 1910 Catherine Weaver filed on a homestead and was cooking at the Titus Ranch. Mrs. Titus died and left a small son. Mrs. Weaver took care of him. Mrs. Weaver had two daughters and a home in Seattle, Washington. In 1912 she relinquished her claim to Fred Piwitt. They had to go to Ismay to make the transaction. On the way to Ismay Fred remarked that he had a girl in mind who would marry him. Mrs. Weaver said, "Frederick, if you want to be married, I'll marry you. I know you will be better off with me." They were married the same day and returned to Cabin Creek.

Frank Yonish married Esther Jacobson who lived on the Alkali Flats. They worked on the homestead and raised a few cattle. After a son was born, Frank was satisfied with having an heir when he left to serve in the army.

Joe Younash homesteaded close to Steve Macumber. He farmed for himself and remained a bachelor. He left the country around 1922.

A young man by the name of Johnny Doran filed on a homestead and worked for Steve Macumber. He died in the flu epidemic of 1919.

REFLECTIONS OF COLEMAN KROKKER JR.

Titus - 1911-1912 - had two bands of sheep. One band was where Green Acres is now. Adam Schieber, a homesteader, told him that he was losing 100 sheep a day due to the cold weather. Titus sent two four-horse teams to Fallon to get corn but it was too late. Some of the sheep lived but many were too weak to survive.

Mr. Titus was an extremely tall man. When he sat in a Model T Ford his knees were up around the steering wheel on both sides.

Alex McIntire herded sheep for Titus. Alex was 18 years old when he came from Scotland to Montana. He was called into service in the Royal Navy at the outbreak of World War 1. England discharged him and he came back to the United States whereupon he joined the United States Infantry and went back overseas again. He came back to this country after the war and continued to herd sheep until his death in about 1971.

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Pat McGraw, another Scotchman, was also a sheepherder for Titus on Cabin Creek. One night be became very thirsty so he walked to Fallon to get some beer; leaving the sheep alone. The bartender filled some bottles with tea because he knew that Pat had to get back to those sheep. Pat, of course, didn't know there was only tea in the bottles. He, Pat, had walked thirty miles that night for a drink of tea.

Mat Pettigrew homesteaded on Cabin Creek. He had jumped ship on his way from England and landed up in Canada. He came to Montana but because he was not a citizen he couldn't prove up on a homestead. By joining the United States Military he could become a citizen. This was during World War I, so he joined the Army and was shipped overseas. A German sniper got him and he was in a first aid station when a German shell got a direct hit and killed almost everyone in the tent. Mat was killed, of course, and it took his sister 15 years to find out what had happened to him. She came to Fallon County and settled his estate but would not accept his government insurance of $10,000 because she said it was blood money.

Ed Patterson, sheep man, ran about a thousand head of sheep on the land where Harvey Kile now lives. The winter of 1911-12 he turned his sheep loose in the bad lands in that vicinity and gathered them the next spring and found that the loss was less than ten percent which was real good for that roughest of winters.

Mrs. Mercer hadn't been in this country very long. She was an excellent seamstress and was doing some sewing for Mrs. McNaney. It was late afternoon and she wanted to go home, but Bill Mcnaney tried to dissuade her because there had been a flash flood up creek and Cabin Creek was bank full. She insisted that she had to so, Bill started out with her and her baby. In crossing Cabin Creek the water was so deep that the horses started to swim. In the process of swimming the horses got their front feet over the neck yoke and began to flounder. Bill jumped to the bank and yelled for Mrs. Mercer to throw the baby to him. She would not and thus she, the baby and the horses all drowned. The burial was on the north side of Cabin Creek. A Mrs. McConkey officiated at the funeral.

Oscar Soderling was a young camp tender for the Titus Ranch. The camp tender took the supplies to the sheep herders. This day he went out to get the herder's orders. He went on horseback and two of the ranch hounds followed him. In traveling along the hounds jumped a huge wolf. When the hounds got the wolf down Oscar jumped from his horse and cut his throat with a jack knife. He skinned out the wolf and put the wolf pelt on the back of his saddle. On returning to the ranch, Titus gave Oscar "H---" for taking a chance like that.

There were two brothers who were alleged to have camped out in Smoky Swamp. They both always carried running irons. Now a running iron is an iron rod with a loop on the end. This can be used to draw or alter brands. They would work at a big ranch until they were "black balled." Once they were "black balled" there was no more work at that ranch.

"Bad Land Jack" was sent to prison for horse stealing. He wasn't there long and when Coleman Krokker, Sr. asked him how he got out so soon, the reply was, "A thousand dollars and a Catholic Priest can get you out of h---. "

JOHANN KRUEG AND

MAGDALENA SCHAEFER KRUEG

John Krueg (Krieg) was born Dec. 17, 1884 in the village of Newlustdorf near Odessa, Russia. Magdalena Schaefer was born May 9, 1883 in Neusatz near Odessa. Both stem from German ancestry. Both familes settled in the Ukraine in the middle of the 18th century after immigrating from Wirtenberg, Southern Germany, an area known as Schwabenland. The climate in the Ukraine is somewhat like that of Oregon. In the Ukraine the families were farmers, raising grapes, other fruits and wheat. The people were self sufficient, weaving their own cloth, sewing, knitting socks and gloves. There was some specialization as in shoemaking. Each pair of shoes was made to order to fit the individual. Along with his farming John's father was a blacksmith. They educated their children in the German language in the church schools comparable to our elementary grades. The Russian language was also taught in these schools.

John and Magdalena were married at her village on April 6, 1906. Within eight days after their wedding the newlyweds Were on their way to America. At that time there was a great political unrest in Russia and many people left their old homes and loved ones, never dreaming that many of them would never meet again. None of John's immediate family came to America but three of his cousins came. They were Mrs. William Buerkle, Mrs. Fred Straub, and Mrs. Paul Straub. They became as close as his own family. Mrs. Henry Schell and Andrew Schaefer, sister and brother, of Magdalena's came. This was reason for great rejoicing.

John and Magdalena came by train as far as Artas, South Dakota where they had made arrangements to stay with and work for some acquaintances. Here their first two children were born. The oldest one died. The death of a child is always a sad thing but to the young bride so far from home it seemed that it was surely the end of the world. The second child is Magdalena (Mrs. Henry Hepperle).

In 1910 they came by train to homestead six miles south of Plevna. Here Helene (Mrs. Theophil Ruff) and Erna (Mrs.

Karl Wenz) were born. The house from the homestead was moved to Plevna and is now the home of Mrs. Maria Schaefer

(Mrs. Krueg's sister-in-law). They sold the homestead to Henry Schell in 1916 and bought land seven miles to the southeast. Here he built up a farm which now stands much as he left it. This farm is now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Theophil Ruff. John Krueg died Nov. 13, 19' .8 during the flu epidemic. John and Magdalena were charter members of the Emanuel Congregational Church of Plevna. Both are buried in the

Plevna Community Cemetery. Of the seven children born to them only three survived.

His young widow leased her land and established a home in Plevna for herself and her three little girls, ages 10, 7 and 4. She supplemented her income from the land by taking in sewing. In those days there were no patterns, as we know them so sewing was tedious work. She also did such odd jobs as were to be had such as setting stacks during harvest time. At, the time of her husband's death they owned a 1915 Dodge. She was very brave and learned to drive this monster. At that time very few women drove a car. She was one of the first, if not the first woman in the Plevna area to drive a car. Mrs. Krueg passed away at her home in Plevna Sept. 25, 1949 of a coronary attack.

ART KUEHN

I remember one thing my Dad said when I left home to go homesteading in Montana, "He will be back in a year." Ha! Ha!

I filed on a homestead twenty-five miles southwest of Baker, the first week in April 1910. 1 built a house 14 feet by 18 feet and moved out there by team and wagon. I broke up about 10 acres of land and put in flax, It got to be about two feet high by August and then came a hard frost that froze it all out.

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Mr. and Mrs. Art Kuehn

Neighborhood gathering at Medicine Rocks, 1911.

After the crop was ruined I went up to the Carlyle country in the fall and worked at harvesting and threshing. I earned enough money for a "grub stake" so got by "okay" that winter. We managed to get along as we didn't have many expenses since we dug our own coal and had plenty of wood and water.

Art Kuehn homestead, 1916. Kitchen part built in 1910; the rest in 1916.

The neighbors in our part of the country were very good at helping each other. We exchanged work in harvest and threshing time. In 1912 we neighbors went together and built a schoolhouse.

By 1916 we had had a few good crops and were able to build on to the first little house. Everybody was doing fine and everybody bought a "Flivver" or a model T Ford to the younger generation. After we got the car, transportation was much easier.

 

Kuehn's "Fliuuer", Model T Ford. Doris standing beside it.

In 1923 we finally got mail delivery three times a week out of Plevna. Before that we had to get our mail from the nearest post office which was Willard, eleven miles away. In 1910 Willard had a little store and a big hall for gathering. Big crowds gathered there for entertainment. They still do today and the store and post office are still there and functioning.

From the early days to the present our country has improved beyond imagination.

On January 1, 1937 1 was elected as a County Commissioner and served in that capacity until December 31, 1952.

At the age of 88 (1973) 1 still work on the "Old Homestead" but have lived in Baker since 1942.

JOHN AND FRANCES JORDAN LaBREE

John LaBree was born January 30, 1906 to Sibley and Anna LaBree. He attended rural schools near the ranch south of Ismay. In 1926 he and a friend, Carsie Crosby, went to New Mexico where they worked for a year, otherwise he has lived on the home ranch.

This ranch is 60 years old, Sibley LaBree filed on this section of land in 1910. At that time it was Custer County but later it became part of Carter County. It was open range until 1915 and over the years considerable land was purchased and today there are 32 sections lying in three counties.

John and Frances Jordan were married April 17, 1934 at Baker, they have six children. John bought the ranch in 1945 and runs Hereford cattle and a few Angus. Neighboring ranches are McKay and McKay, Ringling, Frank LaBree, Whitney and Alex Collie.

A number of brands are used on this ranch: John La Bree's, Larry LaBree's, Julie's, Jordan's, Johnella's, Emmett's and Jona Rae LaBree's (Harold's daughter).

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Royal neighbors Lodge at Ismay. From left to right; Ione Shackleford, Cora Askins Pierce, Jennie Anderson, Gladys Nitsche, Pearl Wilson, Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Wolfe. Front row; Essie Shumaker, Mabel Jordan, Mrs. Carey and Madge Holmes.

John and Frances LaBree, wedding picture, 1934.

Neighbors of the LaBree's. Left to right: Mrs. Matt Munroe, Mrs. Danielson, Bertha Fulton and Edna Collie.

In 1940 John moved his family to Ismay where Emmett started to school but the next year they stayed on the ranch and boarded Emmett at Pat LaBree's where he attended Fallon Creek School. When Jordan started he also stayed at Pat LaBree's during the week. The two boys, Emmett and Jordan, rode to Pat's ten miles and came back to the ranch on Friday nights. In 1947 when Harold was old enough to go to school John again moved his family to Ismay. There was no school near the ranch and the pupils in this territory had to go to the nearest town. John bought a house in Ismay from Mrs. Mary Bacon and the family lived there and attended school until 1953. Emmett graduated in 1952 and went to the ranch to stay. From 1953 on they lived at the ranch and Harold and Larry attended the TeeDee School until they were ready for high school. Then they went to Ekalaka, where they boarded with Mr. and Mrs. Frank Freese. Harold graduated in 1958 and Larry in 1960. The girls Johnella and Julie attended the TeeDee School through the grades. Johnella attended high school in Ekalaka boarding most of that time with Bun and Peggy Castleberry. She graduated in 1966 and then attended Billings Business College in Billings and

Larry and Harold LaBree going to the TeeDee School, 1953-1954.

Kinman Business College at Spokane, Washington. She married Laurence Lambert in 1970 and they live at Deer Lodge where he is a guard at the State Prison. They have one daughter, Kola Jean.

Julie graduated from Custer County High School in 1969. She attended Miles City Community College for two years and Miles City School of Beauty where she graduated in May of 1972. She married Dwight Livengood of Plevna in December 1971 and they live in Miles City. They have one son, Joel Dwight.

Emmett married Ora Elmore of Ekalaka in 1957 and they live on a ranch south of Plevna. They have four children, one boy, Tracy, twins, Tami and Teri and a girl, Tana. Jordan lives on a ranch, better known as the John Henry ranch about 10 miles west of the John LaBree Ranch. This ranch has changed hands many times over the years. It is in Custer County and has been owned at times by Clyde Brown, Colin Gilman, John Henry, Henerson and others.

It was taken over by John LaBree at the death of his son, Harold, who had bought it from his father-in-law Jack Hanley. Mr. and Mrs. Hanley had bought it in 1960.

Jordan married Rene Frye of Ekalaka in 1966. They have two sons, John Edward (Buddy) and Lee Tat.

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Harold and Linda Hanley were married in 1965. They moved to the Henry place in 1966 where they lived until Harold's death in 1968. He was found frozen to death on December 30, 1968 one fourth mile from the Quam place on the Miles City - Ekalaka road west of Ekalaka. He was 28 years old, a Veteran of the Vietnam War, and discharged in 1965. He is buried in Sunset Gardens at Miles City. His companion Harry Smith who was working for him at the time was picked up by the mail driver and survived the severe cold weather. Linda, his wife, has since remarried and lives at Melstone, Montana, where she teaches school. Harold and Linda had one daughter Jona Rae.

Three of the LaBree boys served in the U.S. Army. They are Larry, who spent his years in the states, Harold, who went to France and Germany and Jordan, who went to Germany. Larry, who is single, lives with his parents on the ranch.

Many of the things to be remembered on the ranch are, hauling coal by team and wagon several miles from a coal mine, putting up ice in the old log ice house, churning pounds of butter and hanging it in the spring along with pails of milk and cream, to keep it cold. We had carbide lights and a carbide iron for ironing clothes. Later , in 1954 we got electricity. The old wood and coal stove has long been gone and replaced by propane heat. The telephone line came to us in 1961.

John and his sons belong to the Montana Stockgrowers Association and the Southeastern Livestock Association. Frances belongs to Montana, National, Southeastern and Carter County and Fallon Creek Cowbelles. She also is a member of the TeeDee Toilers Homemakers, Royal Neighbors of America, Ekalaka camp number 10771 of Ekalaka and Range Rider Reps of Miles City.

Since the children are grown and left the nest, Frances has many hobbies such as oil painting, sewing and craft projects.

John and Frances LaBree, 1970.

SIBLEY AND ANNA LEE LaBREE

Sibley LaBree was born November 29, 1873 and came to Montana in 1899 from Minnesota and located in Eastern Custer County. The family homesteaded in the Ismay Knowlton area. He filed on land in 1910 and had open range.

Mr. LaBree and Anna Lee were married in 1897 in Minnesota. Anna Lee LaBree was born in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, August 22, 1880 to Mr. and Mrs. Sever Lee.

Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. La Bree. They were Harold Sibley who married Frances Riley. They had five children, all girls; Sibyl, Silvia, Betty and twins, Marcella and Maxine (Maxine died at birth). These girls are all married and live in the Seattle, Washington area.

Anna LaBree and family in the 1930's. Left to right; John, Evelyn, Frank, Minnie, Charles and Pat.

After Harold died, his wife, Frances, remarried and lives near Seattle. Son, Frank N., married Charlotte Mulkey and they live in rural Ismay. They have one boy Frank Sibley of Forsyth and 3 daughters, Rosalie of Las Vegas, Nevada, who married Laurence Askin (Tuffy) and Marlie, who married Chub Askin, and lives at Livingston, Montana and Janice Carlisle, married to Bill Carlisle of Ekalaka.

Minnie LaBree lives at Bigfork, Montana. Minnie was a teacher on Powder River and the Miles City schools for a number of years as well as in California. She is now retired.

John E. married Frances Jordan and lives on the home ranch south of Ismay. They have six children. One, Harold Sibley, died by freezing. The others are Emmett, Jordan and Larry of Ismay, Johnella Lambert of Deer Lodge and Julie Livengood of Miles City.

Mrs. Evelyn Jerrel of Miles City has three children: Jim Bickle of rural Plevna, Hal Bickle of Plevna and Mrs. Lynn Wharton of Billings.

Pat H. LaBree married Nellie Asbury and they live in rural Ekalaka. Their children are Patty Vogel of Billings, Jesse LaBree of rural Ekalaka and Betty Jo Castleberry of Ekalaka. One son Sibley died in 1941 at age five.

Charles LaBree married Mary Kitson and they live at Glendive. Their family are a son, Bill, and three daughters, Judy, Linda and Cathy.

One experience the LaBree family had in 1904 was when their son, 2 1/2 years old was lost in the badlands close to the Powder River for three days. He was found near Devil's Hole after much searching. Mr. LaBree died in May 1925 and is buried at Ismay, Mrs. LaBree died Dec. 2, 1964 and is buried in Miles City.

After Mr. LaBree's death Mrs. LaBree stayed on at the ranch until she moved to Miles City in the early 1940's, where she made her home with her daughter Mrs. Evelyn Jerrel until her death. While on the ranch Mrs. LaBree cooked for large groups of men on roundups and various activities that took place. She baked numerous loaves of bread a week, churned pounds and pounds of butter canned many jars of meat and scrubbed on the washboard.

FRANCIS B. LaCROSS

Francis B. LaCross was born April 12, 1916 in Churches Ferry, North Dakota to Lewis and Esther Barke LaCross. When "Fran" was five years old his folks came to Baker, Montana where his father went into the grocery business

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with the grandfather, Frank LaCross, establishing the Economy Grocery,

"Fran", some people still call him "Monk", grew up and attended both grade school and high school in Baker. After graduating from high school he attended college at Fargo, North Dakota for two years.

In 1949 he married Julie Bennett in Miles City Montana. To this union were born four children; Judeann L. Watson, Sheila M, Lon B. and Rock Francis.

In 1969 the family business was incorporated with Francis and his dad, Lewis, as stockholders. The business is still known as the Economy Grocery.

Julie Bennett LaCross, the daugher of Mr. and Mrs. Sylvan Bennett, was born at Anaconda, Montana on November 12, 1925. Mr. Bennett was a sheepman in the Deer Lodge Valley. Julie says that she behaved perfectly when she was attending country school for two years before going to St. Mary's Academy at Deer Lodge until she finished the eighth grade. After that she went to the Powell County High School and then to the University of Montana.

When she was 22 years old Julie took the Milwaukee train to Baker where she had a position teaching second grade. Her dad told her that she wouldn't like this part ~f the state because it was "nothing but d--- old bad lands. She likes it!

In Julie's own words, "opposites attract - quiet introvert "Fran" and noisy, extrovert Julie were attracted on the "Dam" road.

She is a member and President of the Altar Society was president of the Baker Women's Club when Baker celebrated its Golden Anniversary.

Fran and Julie live on South First Street West in a house built by Doc Young. Francis works at the grocery store and Julie teaches Spanish in the seventh grade.

THE STORY OF THE LARSON FAMILY

by Priscilla Larson Milligan

On January 2, 1885 my dad, Robert M. Larson, was born in Dallas, Wisconsin. At the age of 18 he left his parents farm to work in a logging camp at Pine Island, Minnesota. In 1906 he went to York, North Dakota as a farm hand until 1909 when he homesteaded near Baker, Montana.

Robert and Arda Larson home. It was completed in 1919.

and completed in July of 1919. The first three children, Phyllis, myself, and Robert were born in the homestead shack Relvin and Rodney were born in the big house. During the building of the house, when just the skeleton of two by fours was up, my mother and dad were working on the second floor and had hauled me up so they could keep an eye on me. I was about 2 1/2 years old at the time. Somehow I managed to waddle over to the empty stairwell and tumbled clear down to the basement. Mom always said she didn't know how Dad got down to me so fast, she didn't think he used the ladder at all. I had so many clothes on that I wasn't hurt too much-had to learn to walk again and one hip was always a little bit out of place.

Mom and Dad both worked in the fields and my sister, Phyllis, was official baby sitter. She was dependable even at the age of 5. She gave me a shampoo using sand one time and another time fed me a bottle of Vaseline.

Henry, Meluin and Carl Larson at Meluin's homestead, 1910.

During the first winter of our schooling, Mom stayed in town with us during the winter months and we had rooms at the Crosby residence. One morning there was a gas leak in their furnace and we three children, Phyllis, Robert and myself were nearly asphyxiated. We were all unconscious and the three doctors in town, Dr. Young, Dr. Brewer and Dr. Blakemore worked on us for about 3 hours and brought us out of it.

He was united in marriage to Arda Young at Springfield, Colorado on July 9,1912. They lived in the claim shack which my dad built and which is still standing on a hill near the present home. In June of 1917 they had saved enough money for the large house and ordered it by mail from the Aladin company. It cost $1500 and with the help of one carpenter and my dad's brother, Willie, the two-story house was built

Meluin Larson, Arda Larson and Arda's daughter, Phyllis. One of the modes of transportation in 1915 at Baker.

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