Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, under the editorial supervision of Tom Stout (1921) (14755575316)

Identifier: montanaitsstoryb03stou (find matches)
Title: Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, under the editorial supervision of Tom Stout ...
Year: 1921 (1920s)
Authors: Stout, Tom, 1879- ed
Subjects: Montana -- History Montana -- Biography
Publisher: Chicago, American Historical Society
Contributing Library: Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN



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and Eliza Smart. Hisfather went to Maine as a young man and spent hislife in Kennebec County as a farmer and citizen ofintegrity and much influence. Oscar G. Smart hada liberal education, attending the public schools ofhis native county and finishing in Kents Hill Semi-nary at Vassalborough. When lie started West inthe spring of 1872 he traveled by railway as far asthe Missouri River, at Omaha embarked on a steamerthat carried him to Fort Benton, and thence overlandto Helena. He had some experiences prospectingand mining at Alder Gulch, and for about threeyears was a freighter. For a brief time he madehis headquarters at Haymaker Creek and then pre-empted and homesteaded on the Musselshell Riverabout four miles below the present town of Two-dot. Here his interests were concentrated, and be-ginning with the modest equipment of a pioneer hekept his herds of cattle and flocks of sheep graz-ing over the domain, and at one time owned severalthousand acres of land and sent many carloads of
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HISTORY OF MONTANA 1161 cattle, sheep and horses to market. He continuedto be a resident of that locality until his death onMay 27, 1899. While his business achievementsbrought him prosperity, it was his character that isgratefully remembered. He always showed an un-doubting reliance on Divine Providence, and prac-ticed benevolence in his relations with his fellowmen, and his highest aspiration was to discharge withfidelity and cheerfulness every duty and contributewhat he could to the happiness of others. To manyold timers as well as members of the younger gen-eration his death came as a great loss. He was aMason and in politics a republican. In 1884 he went back to Maine and on February2 married Miss Alite Lillian Vining, daughter ofDaniel and Elizabeth (Choate) Vining, of KennebecCounty, where the Vinings have been a substantialfamily for many generations. Her mother was ofthe famous American lineage of Choate, one ofwhom was the brilliant lawyer and diplomat at onetime an ambassad