Amerine: The man and the mountain

Mt. Amerine June 2019 photo by Tom Gresch

The most prominent landmark on the western side of Granite County is Mount Amerine of the Sapphire Range. Current maps name the mountain Mt. Emerine. The same peak was called Mt. Baldy when Nez Perce Jones made his escape from the Indian renegades in 1878. 

Mount Amerine and the currently named Emerine Gulch on the north side of the West Fork, were named after a miner-rancher that settled in the area. This fact is documented by frequent mention made over the years in The Mail of E. (Erastus) Amerine such as “He traveled to Philipsburg to do business from his mine and expected to have his mill operating by spring (December 2, 1898 Mail). 

Erastus was kicked by his horse and had recovered enough to return to his mine according to the July 13, 1900 news. He had been in town and returned to his ranch on the West Fork of Rock Creek stated the November 1, 1901 and the January 10, 1902 Mail. Erastus’ name was among many on a petition to appoint Nicholas Connolly as Justice of the Peace in the Citizen Call October 4, 1893. All these articles verified he was established in the area in the 1890’s and left the area in 1910. 

Erastus sold his ranch to George C. Downing of Anaconda the week of May 13, 1910 for $6,100.00 in cash. The parties met in Philipsburg on Tuesday where the deal closed. The price included all the property, stock, wagons, tack and farm implements. The article stated Amerine had lived for seventeen years on the ranch and mining claim meaning he settled there in 1893. 

Local recollections establish the hay and pasture were used by American Gem Mining Syndicate. Also, the Hans Luthje family lived there while referring to it as the “Werning Place.” John Werning worked for The American Gem Mining Company and they probably leased the ranch from Downing prior to him selling it to Walt and Anne Sanders in 1938. As early as 1901 Erastus sold fourteen head of beef at an average of $40.00 per head. The cattle brand was capital A over a bar. But there is no record of the brand registered with the Montana Stock Growers Association.

On January 10, 1902 the Mail stated a son of E. Amerine, after not seeing his father in twenty years, arrived from Illinois and planned to stay for a month. Through the next years are news comments regarding deterioration of his ability to hear and finally that he was going to Illinois to see if the doctors there could help him. According to his obituary, after Amerine sold the ranch to George C. Downing, he spent time in California and returned to Philipsburg in the fall of 1910. 

Before Christmas of 1910 Erastus left to visit his son Bainter. On, June 30, 1911 The Mail received a letter from Bainter which stated Erastus had experienced improvement in his health and traveled to Hamilton, Illinois in search of investments where Bainter joined him on July 19. The news article continued with the following details: As they arrived at the depot the next morning, Amerine found a concrete platform being erected at the depot and had to go onto the train tracks to get around the construction. An eastbound T. P. and W. Freight train was approaching. Due to the inability to hear, Amerine did not realize a train was near. The engineer, being on the opposite side of the cab, did not see him in time to avoid the accident. Bystanders tried to get his attention, to no avail. The train struck him and the outcome was a severe head injury, amputations of the right leg just below the hip and his arm, at the elbow. He died in the depot waiting room, at the age of sixty-eight. 

Born on January 1, 1843 in Somerset, Ohio Amerine traveled to Montana in 1878. His wife Mrs. (Bainter) Amerine died in 1881. I am unable to find her death notice in the New Northwest, which was the local paper of that period. The obituary stated son Bainter was in Philipsburg to arrange for the funeral and services were to be held after the body was released by the Illinois coroner. Research has failed to reveal a funeral notice or record of Amerine in the Philipsburg cemetery. 

The Mount Amerine (Emerine) Look-out was built during the summer of 1920 and “was thirty feet high with a small room on top which would furnish living quarters for the vigilant guard who had command of hundreds of miles of forest which are endangered by forest fires.” I made many trips horseback up the trail to the look-out as a youngster.

                                                    Amerine Lookout at an unknown date.

Winas .T. and Susie Hull

L to R: Fred Burks, Winas T. Hull, Billy Calhoun, Ed Calhoun, Sam Oxley, Bill Pullar

North of the Ike Sander’s ranch was the ranch owned by W.T. Hull. Hull was another person moved from Georgetown Lake area by Paul Fusz. The earliest references found stated “Twenty acres of placer ground located on the West Fork of Rock Creek, May 11(1893) by J. Calhoun and W.T. Hull.” Then in December 1893 “W.T. Hull and partners have a gold prospect on Rock Creek they plan to tunnel this winter.” Weekly trips to town are recorded and “Messrs. Calhoun and Hull recently made a shipment of a carload of ore from their mine in the upper Rock Creek district, and another shipment is now being hauled to the railroad” in the December 19, 1895 Mail. 

W.T. served on a jury in December 1896 and January 1897. Then in May of 1897 “a quiet marriage ceremony was performed at the residence of Mrs. Susie Berthoud when the lady became the wife of W.T. Hull.” Although W.T. came to town weekly and often with step-son Bill it was not until January 10, 1901: “Mr. and Mrs. W.T. Hull of Rock Creek visited the city Monday. It was Mrs. Hull’s first visit to town for several years.” 

In the November 8, 1901 Mail. “W.T. Hull…made application for a patent for 18.01 acres on the Susie placer mining and dump ground claim bearing gold and sapphires and it is situated in the southeast quarter of Section 6, Township 6, north of Range 15 West, Granite County.” Then Frank E. Wileman of Granite filed notice in the United State Land Office in Missoula contesting the claim. Wileman alleged that the land was non-mineral and therefore not subject to the mineral claim of Mr. Hull. A hearing was scheduled for January 14, 1902, but I cannot find the resolution.

In the August 31, 1917 Mail “W.T. Hull has bought the Ike Sanders ranch on Rock Creek adjoining his old home place. Mr. Hull is now one of the largest land owners in the entire Rock Creek valley.” Also, Susie’s son Alex filed notice to make a three year proof under the new homestead law for an area in Section 27 and 28, Township 7, North, Range 15, West on September 10, 1914, No. 05470, with witnesses: Edward Sanders, George Van Norman, George W. McCale and Alex M. McDonald, stated the publication in the March 8, 1918 Mail. I am not certain what became of this homestead. I found a Notice for Publication on March 5, 1920 in the Mail for Winas T. Hull stating: “…on the 15th day of April, 1919 [filed] to purchase the lots 3,4,5,6, Section 6, Township 6 N, Range 15W and the timber thereon….” (Located west of Rock Creek and probably included some of Montgomery Gulch.) 

Research also found W.T. Hull was paid $20.00 a month by Granite County for an old age pension in June, 1925. According to his obituary, Winas T. (Tom) Hull, born in 1851 in Carbondale, Pennsylvania came to Butte, Montana around the age of twenty and worked at the Elm Orlu mine. A few years later he moved to “Brown’s Gulch at the Georgetown Lake area where he operated a dairy for a few years. Then he came to Granite county where he and his partner Mr. Fuller operated a large cattle ranch and dairy which was extensively known as the Hull and Fuller ranch. After the death of Mr. Fuller, Mr. Hull was engaged in the sheep business and also operated several mining claims on Rock Creek.” 

He was in good health until July 28, 1928 when he complained of indigestion. He continued his ranch chores as usual until July 30th when he got up at his usual time but chose to stay in the house and died about 11am. Winas was the oldest member of the Knights of Pythias in Montana, joining the organization in Pennsylvania. He was interred in the Philipsburg cemetery. Survivors were: wife Suzie, son Henry who was living in Butte and step sons: Alex Berthoud of Washington and William Berthoud of Missoula. 

Suzie born in 1862 in St. Louis arrived in Philipsburg about 1880. Prior to marrying Hull, Susie (Downs) was the wife of A. G. Berthoud, Harvard educated and Justice of the Peace of Philipsburg Township. He died on September 24, 1893, leaving Susie with sons: William, fourteen and Alexander, twelve. After Winas died Suzie went from Rock Creek to Butte and lived with son Henry where she died in a hospital December 30, 1933. 

Winas and Suzie‘s son Henry is buried next to his parents, but has no headstone. The Mail December 20, 1935 stated H.H. Hull age thirty-three died on December 19, shortly after being married. I have not found an obituary.

To be or not to be the Skalkaho Road

In the Mail, October 20, 1916 Dr. R.W. Beck of Hamilton wrote a letter to Mr. Martin, the secretary of The Good Roads Association, stating “…They are coming to Anaconda to meet, regarding the benefits of a 28 mile highway.” He had also sent a letter to the Granite County Commissioners hoping to meet at both Philipsburg and Anaconda on October 22 and 23, 1916. This road was to be constructed over the Sapphire Mountains in a divide crossing of about 6000 feet with a southern exposure for a total of twenty-eight miles. There would be no extreme grades or difficult construction according to Dr. Beck. The proposed road would make the Bitter Root valley an alternative part of the trip from coast to coast instead of a side trip. In addition, taken in connection with the much praised route from the Bitter Root to the Big Hole valley and back over the Mill Creek Hill road to Anaconda it would form a loop that would make a scenic trip for a day or two not to be surpassed anywhere. 

The Road Booster’s on October 23 met with County Commissioners and businessmen of Philipsburg. There were two proposals: one route going over the Skalkaho; the other by way of Rock Creek and Stony Creek (over the “Old Burnt Fork Trail”). They favored the Stony Creek route because it would bring travel through Philipsburg and would not require as much road building. The promoters felt the Forest Service would pay half of the expense and liberal contributions would keep Granite County expenses low. 

In December, The Good Roads Association met a second time with the Granite County Commissioners. The commissioners endorsed the project but insisted that finances of the county would not permit any contribution. The visitors believed they needed to send an endorsement from all counties involved before the end of the year to the Forest Service. So county commissioners A.S. Huffman, F.A. Beley and S.M.C. Hughes dictated a letter to the group stating they believed in the benefit of the proposed road but that Granite County would not be able to give any financial support to the project. 

By January 26, 1917 the Road Boosters changed their focus to “slicing off part of Granite County.” A letter received by the Mail from Representative John R. Page stated he was approached by Dr. Beck of Ravalli County regarding this option and he assured Granite County that he and Senator Mershon would not support any measure of that kind coming up in the legislature. Shortly after receiving the letter County Assessor W. E. Albright and Commissioner S.M.C. Hughes attended a meeting in Helena and came back to Philipsburg with the news that both north and south portions of Granite County were being eyed by covetous neighbors. Missoula was looking at a portion of railroad right of way and the new bridge that had been paid for by Missoula and Granite County near Bonita. 

 January 26, 1917 (Anaconda Standard) stated: “A committee will interview citizens of the north end [this should say south end] of Granite County relative to the situation and if no appropriations can be secured from the road fund of that county the proposition will be offered to segregate the portion through which the highway would pass, and add it to Deer Lodge county, which could then make an appropriation toward the construction.” The portion to be segregated was the Flint Creek Power House, all of the Trout Creek district, everything south of Eagle Canyon, all of West Fork, including the Sapphire Mines and all of East Fork, Middle Fork and Ross Fork of Rock Creek. The Legislators assured the county there was nothing to be concerned about. 

By August 31, 1917, the Forest Service had set aside money to survey the area for the highway. The only other obstacle was to find money to pay for the expense of the twelve miles through Granite county. The Missoulian , September 7, 1917 quoted Dr. Beck: “We have at last found a way to overcome this objection and the way seems clear to build this much needed highway. The road has been mapped by the U.S. Forest Service for a long time as a much needed improvement and the government has been willing to do their part in aiding this work. Missoula, Hamilton, Butte and Anaconda have determined to raise the funds necessary to complete the gap and the government forestry department is about to make the necessary survey.” Dr. Beck stated there is every indication that Butte, Missoula and Anaconda will support the project and raise the $15,000 to insure the completion of the proposal. 

Then came World War I. So everything was put on hold. As World War I was winding down The Mail on February 14, 1919 published the following argument regarding the Hamilton-Anaconda Road: “This contemplated thoroughfare between the cities named will pass through the south-west corner of Granite county where there are only a few hundred acres of hay and no grain land, with a few limited area of pasturage and a few ranchers altogether engaged in stock raising. From its exit in timbered elevations of the West Fork to where it enters the Georgetown Basin the distance does not exceed 12 miles. Throughout its entire course between the points noted it passes through rough open country, and along narrow defiles largely, it may be considered first: A scenic route of great interest to the touring automobilist; An interchange of profitable business relations between the few living along its line and the mercantile interests of Anaconda and Hamilton; As of no possible benefit to all the remainder of the county… It will be understood that by presenting the matter in the light it should appear to the taxpayers of Granite no sentiment of animosits [sic] enters it. It is a question of expense followed by no possible benefit save to those interested in the project.” 

The Commercial Club on February 28, 1919 stated that bringing the road through Philipsburg would add ten miles more than if the road was built past the Sapphire diggings with the group not agreeing and expressing the need to build it up Stony Creek and then down the north fork of the Skalkaho. Agreement was also expressed that the road would be completed that summer. This was not to happen. 

In April 1920, miners in Frog Pond basin (Fred Lutz and Price Townsend) were vocal about having the highway pass through Frog Pond basin because many promising mines were being developed and big producers should mean the road needed to travel that way. Also building through Frog Pond and Moose Lake would bring the road south of Mungas Hill and south of Georgetown Lake negating the Flint Creek Grade. 

On April 3, 1921 a telegram was received by Dr. Beck from the Forest Service stating: “Skalkaho has been designated as a post road. Ninety thousand dollars in post road money has been allotted. This completes all required details.” This support brought the funding up to $300,000.00. Of this funding $100,000.00 in bonds had been raised in Ravalli County with the bonds being sold to Mrs. Marcus Daly and the money becoming immediately available for use. The forest service gave $110,000.00 toward construction costs. Work was certain to start in 1921. 

The survey started in May of 1921 and due to the difficult terrain on the west side of the mountains it was not completed until September. Federal Project 161 would be 16.20 miles long in Ravalli County, beginning thirteen miles east of Hamilton and connecting with a Forest Project of the Bureau of Public Roads in Granite County. Actual construction began in late September 1921. The road traveled at water grade along the Skalkaho Creek for six miles and then rose five feet every 100 feet to reach the summit. Starting at 4,310 feet it rose 2,948 feet in the 16.20 miles to reach the 7,258 foot summit. On the eastern side of the Sapphire range the road followed West Fork of Rock Creek past the Sapphire Mines. 

In May,1922, Frank D. Monty (District Engineer) began construction with a work force of 600 men. He hoped to complete the Granite county side of the highway by September 15, which did not happen. A news article May 8, 1924 stated the roadway will be completed to Al Brennan’s by Saturday with Ben Walton Construction Crew doing the work on the Ravalli side. 

Ten or twelve “jalopies” made the seventy-two miles trip in late May of 1924 from Hamilton to Butte. The official baptism was heralded on June 20, 1924 with about 300 cars traveling from Anaconda and Butte on the East and Missoula and the Bitterroot valley on the west. The Sunday before The Intermountain Transportation Company started a regular bus schedule leaving Anaconda at 9 o'clock and arriving in Hamilton at 1 p.m. and starting the return trip to Deer Lodge County by 2 p.m. 

In 1927 interested parties were looking for $17,000 to move the road south of Georgetown Lake thus eliminating the Flint Creek Grade. Obviously that project never happened. 

The 1865, Flathead Dictionary, deduced Skalkaho means “place of beaver.” W.W. deLacy, in 1865 had the stream named Ska-ka-ke in the first Montana Territorial Legislature and Barbara Hammond stated in June 1951 that Skalkaho means “Game Trail.” Whatever the word means, it is God’s Country and hopefully will never be over populated. 

Early day trip over the west side of the Skalkaho grade

  

                                                              Skalkaho 

                       ( The Mountain Highway between Philipsburg and the Bitter Root Valley) 

                                         --------------------------------------------------------- 

On the Skalkaho where cool winds blow from a rugged mountain side, 

Where the “rocks and rills and templed hills” of America abide, 

Where the great outdoors with its charm outpours on the cars of all who pass, 

And the summit holds in its skyline folds deep snows ‘mid flowers and grass; 

Where blue lakes rest at the mountain’s crest to picture Heaven’s expanse, 

And the clouds that float, each a lazy boat, 

God’s sketching to enhance; 

Where the trails soar high and the startled eye looks below to depths that chill, 

 And a variant scene o’er a great ravine makes the heart with wonder fill; 

Where pathways swerve into clinging curve on the edge of a green clad wall, 

Where there springs to view just ahead of you a laughing waterfall--- 

There you’ll find the way to a sunny day, for you’re nearer the Great Big Blue, 

And your soul will sing as the woodlands ring in a place that’s full and true; 

There spirits rise to the sunny skies and man means more to man, 

For it’s a trail that leads to better deeds---

and a friendly caravan will bring great cheer to it’s neighbors dear, each hour in a western glow,

And there’ll move along like the lilt of a song, a world on the Skalkaho. 

May the “rocks and rills and templed hills” of America abide 

For e’er and aye like a peaceful day on that sunny mountain side! 

(author Barbara Ann Scharr, Helena Montana, published in the Philipsburg Mail December 19, 1924)

The Allendale Colony and the East Fork Dam

According to “The Flint Creek Valley, Montana”, (Ivy Hooper Blood Hill, July 1962):“Some time in the early 1900’s Nathan Allen, a fur trader, purchased four thousand acres of land in the heart of the lower valley. His home place was the Colonel Morse Ranch, including the Coberly Station. He gave it the name of the Allendale ranch. It was bounded on the east by the McPhail Ranch (William Enman’s), on the south by the Thayer ranch (Wayne Hill’s) and Henderson’s, it extended west to include McCracken’s, Job Miller’s, Magnussen’s, and Hans Kofed’s then north to include Rye Hill (Wayne Hill’s pasture), Bradshaw’s, Walter Olson’s, Bill Orhmann’s Seth Bradshaw and Floyd Harris’s, then east to include Art Bowles’ and George Lacey’s, to the point of beginning. It did not include William Manley’s or Lewis Hill’s ranches or the airport.” 

In 1912 Allen sold this entire tract of land to the National Savings and Trust Company of Utah. Then it was sold to Utah Savings and Trust Company. Next it became the property of the Allendale Land Company and was divided and sold to the Utah people in 1915 and 1916. In the last transaction the name of Francis J. Allen was the successor to Nathan R. Allen. 

Ivy states, John Hill read an advertisement saying three cows could be pastured per acre of land and he went to see the area, certain that no land was that fertile. He was convinced and purchased in August 1915 the 90 acres that became the George Lacey place, the 60 acres to the west, across the railroad, the Art Bowles place, the 40 acres east of it and fifty acres north of the airport. A month later John Hill shipped cattle from Idaho but the family stayed in Logan, Utah until May 1, 1916. 

Prior to Hill’s move three Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saint families had already located on the Allendale property. They were the Frank Ashby family, the Thomas Measom family of Spanish Fork, Utah and the Robert Hawley family from Monroe, Utah. During the winter of 1915-1916 John Hill acting as the real estate agent for the Allendale Land Company, sold most of the remaining land to families from Cache Valley, Utah, totaling about twenty-five more families joining in the community life named the Utah Colony. 

Following are these families: 

John E. and Ivy Blood Hill and children: Armin, George and Wayne 

Sam and Elizabeth Gunnell 

William and Isabelle Leishman and children: Eva and Claud 

Herb and Christina Leishman 

William Leishman and his family came later (father of Herb) 

Hyrum and Scerene Hall 

Louis and Luetta Hall 

Fred Parker and later his bride Edna Maughn 

James and Maggie Parker and their family 

Reuben and Hazel Karren and Ted, Earl and Vida 

Karren and Reeder James and Rhoda Thorpe and children: Ada, James, George & Beth 

Job and Elizabeth Miller and children: Ilene and Heber 

John and Nettie Stuart and children: Alvin, Ruby, Phyllis, Jack, Rosalie, and Nettie 

Charles and Elizabeth Bradshaw and children: Louise, Margaret, and Charles Seth Bradshaw 

Elmer and Marguerite Kerr 

Irving and Elva Glenn and Margaret Leishman 

Joseph and Agnes Mitton and children: Fern, Vera, Lavon, Harold and Reed 

Floyd and Pearl Bailey 

Luther and Martha Hill and children: Afton, Vera, Martin and William 

James and Olga Ainsworth and children: Vonda, Utahna, and Glenn 

Newell and Kermit Leishman 

Rulon Cooper 

Ronald Hansen 

Smith Parker 

A ditch completed on the west side of the valley in 1915 was called Allendale Irrigation Company. In 1917 they enlarged it to carry all available water to the lower valley but the irrigation amount was not sufficient to supply all the ranches. Ivy Hill stated a group, starting in 1935, including John E. Hill worked with the State Water Conservation Board to establish the plans for East Fork Dam and the distribution canals. 

An article in the October 4, 1935 Philipsburg Mail stated: “Messages received by representatives of the various organizations throughout the county [state] the Flint Creek Irrigation Project has been approved by President Roosevelt and an appropriation of $500,000 ($275.000 a loan; $225,000 a grant) has been made to carry on the work.” The projects total allotment was for construction of a dam and reservoir on the East Fork of Rock Creek with canals and laterals for flood control and irrigation. It would employ three hundred men and store 25,000 acre feet of water for supplemental supply. Those from Granite county associated with “furthering the cause of the Flint Creek Irrigation project are the Philipsburg Rotary club, The Granite County Stockgrowers Association, James McGowan, Senator John R. Page, Representative Everett Doe and George M. Mungas.” And thus was the success of the Allendale Colony.

Team and Wagon Deadly in the Night (The Sander's Family Ranches)

Ike Sanders, born in Wasa, Finland in 1867, moved to America after marrying Johanna. His brother John immigrated with them. Ike, John and another brother Herman worked on the original Sanders ranch on Georgetown Flats. These families were moved by Paul Fusz et al, when the Flint Creek dam was completed. In the family documents are quit claim deeds for the property in 1899 and then homestead claims for the same property in 1904. Apparently, they filed homestead claims on the property Fusz deeded to them to assure they had a clear title. 

Ike’s brother John, born in 1854 came to America and located in Grand Rapids, Michigan before he brought his family to America in 1893. Wife Johanna, children: Ella, Mathilda and Edward (12) made the trip on the cheapest passage: a cargo ship taking months to arrive in New York. After a short time in Michigan, John, moved first to mine at Superior, Montana and then Southern Cross Mine. John then staked a homestead on Georgetown Flats. Both John and Ike’s wives were named Johanna. The Rock Creek ranches were established with Ike’s ranch on the west side of the road and John’s on the east side. 

Their lives’ were happy until August 3, 1912 when John went to town for supplies and started home in his wagon with his brother Charles who lived in Tower and had agreed to come out and help put up hay. The wagon loaded heavy with sugar, flour, seed wheat and canned goods weighed about 1400 pounds. Traveling up Marshall Creek the night was very dark making it hard to see the road. They stopped and tied the team to a fence for a while, but grew impatient and decided to travel on. Starting down the west side of the grade the wagon wheel got off the rut and hit a large rock, throwing both men from their seats. The brothers got into a discussion about who should be driving the team. It was agreed that John owned the team so he should be in charge of them, but Charles refused to travel any farther in the dark, so he found a comfortable place to lay down and go to sleep. John proceeded on: “…the tracks made by the wagon showed that he got back into the road just where it crosses the spring. There is a little bridge made of poles over which he drove diagonally and got the near horse up on the bank of the grade on the left side. The left wheel followed and a few feet farther on the wagon was turned completely over into the middle of the road and Mr. Sanders was caught under it. The back of the seat caught him across the lower part of the abdomen and pinned him to the ground”. John was found by F.A. Taylor coming in from The Crescent Mine, Sunday morning [August 4]. Life was then extinct. He saw the horses still hitched to the overturned wagon, one of them lying on his back with the wagon tongue between it’s legs so it could not get up. Cutting the horse loose and away from the wagon, he attempted to get the dead man out from under it but could not, so hurried on to summon help. The first person he met was John Peterson’s eldest son [Mathilda Sanders was his mother] who hurried home and got his father and they hastened to the scene with Mr. Taylor going on to town to report the accident. Judge F.D. Sayrs (coroner), County Attorney D.M. Durfee, J.J. Carmichael and several others went to the scene. 

In the meantime, Prof. F.L. Houston (teacher at Spring Creek School) found the overturned wagon with the man underneath and as fast as his horse could run, rode back down to the Rupp/Greenheck ranch for help. They all arrived shortly after Peterson and his son. The wagon was righted and the dead man laid out. Charles was found asleep where he had left the wagon to camp and did not know his brother John had been killed only a short distance below where he had left him in the night. 

Survivors were: wife Johanna, son Edward, daughters: Mrs. John (Mathilda) Peterson of Marshall Creek and Mrs. Joseph (Ella) Conquist, of Michigan; brothers: Ike of Rock Creek, Herman, Charles and Alfred of Tower and one sister in Finland. 

Johanna Kvevlander Sanders born August 11, 1854 lived on the ranch until about 1918. She then sold her share of the ranch to Edward for fare to “the old country” and lived with a sister in Wassa, Finland where she died September 4, 1941 at the age of eighty-seven. 

When John died his son Edward took over the ranch on the east side of the road. He had married Ida Elizabeth Anderson Ernst on April 26, (1906?)1907. Ida brought two children to this marriage: Jennie and Charles whom Edward adopted and they then had: Arthur, Leonard, Walter and Esther Elizabeth who died age two months June of 1918. Mrs. Edward (Ida) Sanders died at her aunt’s (Mrs. Mary Carlson) home in Anaconda. The cause of death was a blot clot that occurred after a surgical procedure on November 16, 1939. Ida was fifty-eight years of age (December 12, 1889 in Finland). She had been married for thirty-three years and lived in Granite county for thirty years. Survivors were: husband Ed, five children; six grandchildren and her aunt Mrs. Carlson in Anaconda. 

Ed, born March 14, 1881, came to Montana at the age of eleven and died from a heart attack at his ranch home on May 18, 1952. Survivors were: sons: Leonard on the ranch, Walter of East Fork, Charles and Arthur of Anaconda; daughter, Mrs. William (Jennie) Mitchell of Anaconda and twelve grandchildren: Edith, Charlene, Robert and Elizabeth (children of Charles); June and John Thomas (Tom) (children of Leonard); Helen and Naomi (children of Walter); Dora and Mary Ann (children of Arthur) and Arcile Vicicich and Edward Toole (children of Jennie). Mrs. Philip Schneider and Mrs. Hans Scheiffle of Philipsburg were nieces. 

The Mail, June 4, 1937, stated “V.C. Hollingsworth, liquidating agent for the Banking department, presented a petition asking authority to sell certain real estate known as the Van Norman lands [George Van Norman homestead]. Ed Sanders was the highest and best bidder and the court authorized the sale of the lands to Mr. Sanders for $800.00, the buyer to assume the payment of delinquent taxes.” 

Son, Leonard married Florence Peck of Underwood, North Dakota on July 16, 1945 and they had a son and daughter: June and Thomas. Leonard died June 25, 1996 at the Anaconda Community Hospital after a short illness. He was born at the family ranch on Rock Creek August 21, 1914 and ranched his entire life. At his funeral, “Home on the range” and “Remember Me” were performed by Fay and Ed Howery on the fiddle and guitar and “The old Rugged Cross” and “Somewhere My Love” were performed by Edward and Hans Bohrnsen on accordion and guitar. Florence had preceded Leonard in death on October 26, 1968 in Philipsburg. 

Tom told me (2008) the only original building on the ranch is the main house built of lumber from a hotel in Granite. The lumber was hauled by wagon twenty some miles and added on to the one room cabin. That cabin is currently the kitchen. The barn was built in 1914 by Ed Sanders and Oscar Anderson (Ida’s Uncle).The family brands are Bar over KT and an X standing S. 

On the west side of the road, the ranch owned by Ike was ran by him until he retired from ranching in 1918 and moved to Philipsburg. His son Wilbur operated the ranch with Ike returning in 1928. He died at the ranch on May 17, 1930 after being in poor health for about a year. Survivors were his wife, son Wilbur, brother Herman of Philipsburg, sister, Mrs. Mary Knip in Finland and nephew Ed Sanders and family of Rock Creek and niece Mrs. Peter Olson of Philipsburg. Ike’s wife Johanna was born on March 16, 1869 in Finland and they were married before immigrating to Montana. After Ike died their son Wilbur helped her run the ranch. Named only as Mrs. Ike in her obituary Johanna died at her ranch home on May 23, 1939, after living in Granite County for fifty years. 

Wilbur Sanders married Goldie Nebecar and lived on Ike’s ranch with their sons Monte and Gene. Wilbur, born August 22, 1909 died on May 19, 1953 at the age of forty-two in the Granite County Hospital. His headstone mistakenly has his death date as 1952. 

Goldie and her parent’s (who changed their name to Marker) inherited Ike’s ranch. They sold it to Harold and Bob Kaiser. In 1955, Kaiser’s sold to Chuck Nicely from Anaconda. In 1998 Tom and Barbara Sander’s bought back the original Ike Sanders ranch. 

Tom and Barbara had a son Carl and daughter June. Carl and wife Kayla have Beklan age seven and Delaney one and a half which makes six generations now living on these ranches. 

June married Don Farwell. Now a widow June and children: Jennifer and Jess live in Washington. Jess married Julie and have daughters: Katie and Lily. 

Barbara lost a valiant battle with cancer May 31, 2019 leaving Tom and his son Carl and wife Kayla running the ranches.