Sky Pilot Becomes State Scout Hero of Fort Benton
Rev. William Wesley Van Orsdel known as Brother Van, a pioneer Methodist missionary who arrived in Fort Benton in 1872, served as a sky pilot and later as a U.S. Army scout under Gen. O. O. Howard during Nez Perce hostilities. He recounted riding with John Poindexter from Bannack to plead for help, delivering messages to Washington while evading Indian scouts and aiding settlers before the Bannack relief arrival.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mattie T. Cramer
William Wesley van Orsdel
Fort Benton
Pennsylvania
Fletcher
Rocky Mountains
Brother van
Montana
O. O. Howard
United States Army
Bannack
Sheridan
Nez Perces
Idaho
Gen
Howard
Joseph
Looking Glass
Blackbird
Lolo Pass
Bitter Root Valley
Gibbon
Bitter Root
Lot Corribac
Horse Prairie
Melvin Trask
Winters’ Ranch
Montague
Winters
Smith
Farnsworth
Nez Perce
Mye
John Poindexter
Washington
Corinne
Poindexter
Captain Ball
W. A. Clark
Butte
Canada
William W. van Orsdel
van Orstiel
From Missionary to Militiaman and Senator
A reminiscence tracing Charles M. Russell and Brother Van in early Bitter Root days. Clark's rise from missionary to millionaire and U S senator is noted along with church work at Bannack, battlefield actions, and a heartfelt letter from Russell praising Van.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Clark
United States
Montana
Bannack
St. Louis
Big Hole
Fort Missoula
Corvallis
Skalkaho
William Hall
Bitter Root
Brother van
Charles M. Russell
Babcock
Pigeye Basin
Upper Judith
Jake Hoover
South Fork
Old Bob
Pembeer Eamera
Ah Bab
Kid Russell
Man's Inhumanity to Man Existed in Pioneer Days
A 1865 letter from St Louis Gulch recounts theft of mining tools by ground owners, starvation threats to two miners, and community debate over name changes. It notes drinking whisky worsens disorder, harsh weather, and starvation as the stage drags on.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
St. Louis Gulch
Charles Smith
Helmville
Jean Moore
Marysville
Montana
Henry Plummer
Louisville
Diamond City
Hank
Dionne Quintuplets Relatives Found in Montana Region
A Malta great-uncle and several second cousins of the Dionne quintuplets are identified in Montana. Aldrick and Uldrick Dionne, parents of 16, married in 1903 in North Dakota, lived in Canada and Regina before homesteading near Malta. Eleven Dionne children were born in Regina and later moves aimed at better schooling for the younger siblings.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Dionne
Malta
Uldrick Dionne
Ovila Dionne
Aldrick Dionne
Tre
Stork
North Dakota
Great Falls Man Celebrates 50th Year in Business
Alfred Malmberg of Great Falls marks his 50th year in real estate and insurance. Born May 27 1865 in Kosta Sweden he worked in a glass factory and the army before moving to Minnesota and then Montana. He built a boarding house, operated across the Missouri river and moved his office to the Dunn block in 1903. A mysterious benefactor named the Nice Ghost of Blackburn has donated varying sums to Blackburn Royal Institute in England.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Alfred Malmberg
Great Falls
Kosta
Sweden
Minneapolis
Great Northern Railroad
Fort Assinniboine
Malmberg
Sand Coulee
Helena
North Great Falls
Missouri River
Ninth Street
Dunn
Central Avenue
Blackburn Royal Institute
Blackburn
England
Suzy Q the Bozeman Pet Deer Banished to Gallatin Wilds
Bozeman police banished Suzy Q a two year old three legged deer from city life to the West Gallatin canyon near Bozeman and Yellowstone. The deer faced charges for destruction of flower beds as she sought tulips iris and other shoots on private lawns. Officer Harry Kinsmoe captured her after a struggle and injuries.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Suzy Q
Bozeman
Suzy
West Gallatin Canyon
Yellowstone Park
Harry Kinsmoe
Kinsmoe
Gallatin Canyon
R. R. Sigler
Also Mentioned on This Page
Old Bob’s
Bob’s
Faith
Big Divide
C. M. Russell
Ervous
Lydia E. Pinkham
Pinkham
el Sne
New York City
Dionne Quintuplets
Gallatin Wilds
Dr. Sigler
Eppesten
Kentucky
Z Sol Pin
Warr
Muy Rog
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!