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) (14775427741)

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



Text Appearing Before Image:
am Booker Smith, Jr., who is now living inquiet retirement at his comfortable home about threemiles north of Big Sandy, was born near Nashville,Tennessee, on December 17, 1839. His parents,William Booker and Almyra Smith, were bothnatives of Virginia, and both are deceased, the fatherdying at the age of si.xty-four years and the motherwhen forty-five years of age. Of their eight chil-dren the subject of this sketch is the seventh inorder of birth. The father was a school teacher formany years, in connection with which he alsofarmed, but latterly he gave his entire attention toagricultural pursuits. He was a democrat in hispolitical affiliation, but was a strong supporter ofthe Union. He was a leader in his community andheld various public offices. The subject of this sketch was deprived by deathof a mothers care when he was but a mere child,and he went to live in the family of W. S. Richards,by whom he was reared. In 1859 he rejoined hisfather, who had gone to Wisconsin, and they made
Text Appearing After Image:
HISTORY OF MONTANA 1203 the overland trip to Denver, Colorado, with ox team.In Denver Mr. Smith engaged in the dairy and meatbusiness in partnership with his brother John. Latein 1859 he returned to St. Louis, Missouri, thenceback to his old home for a visit. In the spring ofi860 he went to Galena, Illinois, and thence toMineral Point, Wisconsin, remaining there untilApril, 1862. He then started for Oregon with an oxteam outfit, arriving at Portland, Oregon, on the15th of the following October. His first employmentthere was in saw-mills, in which he worked untilthe spring of 1863, and then went to Idaho andengaged in placer mining until 1866, when he trans-ferred his operations to Bear Gulch, Montana. Thefollowing year he engaged in freighting fromStevensville to the mines, but later again went toplacer mining, at which he worked until the fall of1869. In the latter year he located at Eagle Creek onthe Missouri River, where he engaged in the woodbusiness, supplying fuel for the boats