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rtfetodge resulted in the building in Prickly Pear valley near Helena, 7a horn! forS^t^HaS JJ°Stan*- 1113 th°ughtwas to use part of the wealth that he^ range? *Auchard o-eek and the Dearborn so it would be helpful to some of the worthy men »rH women of Montana.1tr1faf[an.heIgeaoflerhendfirn-utilytyidil:J-areitcgf.nePirer!“Your friends and family are r Thomas was a good neighbor, with a keen sense of humor, and he did his part with the rest in opening up the new country. His children and grandchildren are, most of them, in the Sun river country today.David Auchard was raising horses and cattle on the Dearborn near the mouth of Auchard creek about three miles above the stage road as early as 1874. Coming from New York in 1872, he had spent a year or more on Silver creek near Helena, where his sister, Mrs. Gehring, lived, and then had located the Dearborn ranch, which he developed into a snug home. In October, 1879, he married and he and his wife settled down to a number of years of contented ranch life.Uncle Dave, as many called him, was a man of vision, seeing profits in advance and ready to take them when the time came. Scrupulously honest, attentive to business and with a physique fitted to long hours, he was in comfortable financial situation by the time of which I write. xAs a neighbor he was kind and thoughtful, sometimes anticipating the needs of others and getting on the Job almost before they, themselves, knew a need was coming.He rode into our yard one March morning after a roundabout Journey ride of 15 miles through mud, melting snow and flooded gulches. As he dismounted from his horse, he remarked to me: -\“I thought I might be needed so Ihave come with my tools.”A near neighbor of ours died the day before. Father was away and there was no one to go ahead with burial preparations. Auchard heard of Hul-ten's death, sensed the situation and came at once with his hammer, saw and plane. I helped him clear a space in a cabin, showed him what lumber we had and he was soon at work. Father came a little later and the two of them went ahead with the coffin and other funeral preparations. After the burial the next afternoon and Auchard was certain there was nothing more he could do, he mounted his horse for a long, moonlight ride over the hfllt tohis home.His bequest to the Montana grandJohn Cottle lived two miles ud the valley at the mouth of the little sS-eam that comes down to Flat creek fmmthe Btra Tail divide. h“ £TWireham place. The buildings were!?** oW MuUan road that hadbeenabandoned with the opening“T1* ™ divide cutoff from Eagle Rock to Flat creek crossing.* ‘yPical state of Maine Yankee, tall, wiry, and a little stooped.I see him yet as he stopped in our yardone morning and held up two fingers to my brother and ____________“Long coulee. Come up this eve ning.IocVInterpreted, it meant thkilled two antelopes in Long for my brother to come aithat evening.He afterwards located on Sun rive, and married a daughter of RichardAuchard, an early day Sun river farmer and stockman.Ralph Wells was a pioneer sheepmansouth of the Dearborn. He came up thMissouri on a steamer In 1876, bringmg with him 25 bucks and stayed tha.winter at the Jack Ackley ranch, wherethe Prickly Pear flows Into the wLsouri. He finally located near Craigand was In the sheep business thereuntil about 116. He now lives at Great Falls.La Breache, who lived on the west side of the Dearborn, was, as the nameimplies, Canadian-French. His wife was part Indian. There were several children. The family moved Into the Browning country about 1889, where the children and grandchildren are living today.Another character of the tlma was Fred Frost, who liVed alone at the head of Warner creek, at the western foot of Sullivan hill. He had a neat little cottage snuggled in a grove of quaking aspens by a big spring. His housekeeping was reported to be as neat as that of any woman and he was always well and tastefully dressed. He rode one of the best cow horses In the country,a buckskin single-footer of about 950pounds, and he sat on the horse with erectness and an air of disttncticto.Among people he had an ease of manner and a polish not usual to the earnest hard working men of the range country.Fred found life in his little cottage lonely, however, and a year or so after our arrival at Flat creek he invited Mary Thomas, daughter of E. J. Thomas of the Dearborn crossing, to share it with him. They lived on the little ranch for many years, raising cattle and
Newspaper Details
Superior Mineral Independent
Superior, Montana, US
Thu, Aug 24, 1933
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Joellen C.
USA 01 Jul 2023
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Superior Mineral Independent
