Old Man Rodda: Short on cash and long on offspring

Left to Right: Josie Walberg Parfitt, Young Ed Rodda, Mrs Walberg, Ed Rodda, Mary Hoyt Rodda, Arlene Rodda, May Bentz, Vernus Bentz, Al Rupp and James Rodda (circa 1930)

John Rodda Senior (1842-1916) became foreman of the Granite Mine in 1881. His son John Jr., born in Redruth, England on May 10, 1870, joined his father in 1886 and also worked at Granite. Mrs. Rodda and other family members came to Montana territory in about 1887. In 1889, they lived on the “Granite Companies Ranch” located about ½ mile west of Philipsburg. During this time, John Jr. homesteaded a ranch on lower Rock Creek. 

John Senior, born in Cornwall, England, became a coal miner and married in about 1868. He immigrate to Canada in 1870 and spent several years in the gold camps in Canada and the United States. The story is John would return to England every few years only to father another child and see the one born after his last visit. Mrs. (Cecilia Emma Phillips) Rodda finally packed up the children and came to Montana. One of the stories long told is that Mrs. Rodda ran out of money on her trip and telling her misfortune to another traveler, learned he was a friend of John. The traveler loaned her enough money to continue on to Philipsburg. 

John Senior died at the ranch after an illness of several months. The obituary stated “He found pleasure on his ranch and there lived in perfect contentment and came to town on only rare occasions.” Survivors were: wife Cecilia; sons: John, James, Sidney and Edward all living in Granite County; and three daughters: Mrs. Wm. (Annie) Wills (1873-1967) of Bonita, Mrs. Wm. (Heddie) Davey (Kinsman) (unknown B and D) and Mrs. H. (Cereta) Richards (Hickey, Applegate) (1878-1967) both living in California, and many grandchildren.  

Cecilia Emma (Phillips) Rodda,(1845-1934), married John Rodda Senior, in England in 1868 and bore seven of their eight children there. One daughter died at the age of two in England. Sidney Rodda 1880-1929 died of pneumonia in Missoula. Sidney was to marry Miss Bernie Rice, in the near future. Celia died at the ranch on lower Rock Creek. Survivors were three sons and three daughters. Internment was beside her husband John. 

Annie Rodda (1873-1967) married William K. Wills, June 9.1884 at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. John Rodda. They had: William, Ernest Roy and Lauretta (Tingley). Rodda taxes for the year 1912 were “Rodda, John and son $203.46” on their 16 section homesteads. 

John Senior had also homesteaded on Rock Creek, when Granite was closed. Edward was born on the lower Rodda homestead in 1889 and married Martha Hoyt, on September 23, 1912. They lived on the “Old Man Rodda’s” ranch where they raised three children: Edward, Arlene and Miles. Schooling the children in the rural area was difficult causing Edward to buy the home of Mrs. Nasslin, on the south side of Philipsburg “so they could make their home in the city during the winter” (October 27, 1916 Mail). Edward and Martha died in 1974 and 1978 in San Diego and are buried there. 

Young Ed (1913- 1973) married Miss Francis Smith in Butte, Montana on May 24, 1940. He joined the Army Air Force in 1942 and was discharged July 12, 1944. Edward married Ruth Irvine (1918-1979) in 1948.. After their marriage the couple moved to the John Rodda ranch. They had a son David and daughter Susan (Larner) and grandson Jody Larner. 

 Arlene married Elmer Lueck on November 30, 1938. The couple lived in Philipsburg and he worked at the Jenkins Garage. Research fails to disclose their history. 

Miles (1930-2015) married Janet Dingman (2014) October 4, 1952. They lived for twelve years on the lower ranch before electricity was brought to the ranch and had six children: Juanita Kay (1953-1955), Terri (Kreps), Carol, Peggy (Orr), Brenda Costillo, and twins Ken and Russ. After selling the ranch they moved to Arizona then Ronan, Montana where they lived their last years in a care facility. Their headstones are in the Philipsburg Cemetery. 

In the August 2, 1918 Mail: “Married in Butte on July 22, John Rodda (1870-1944) of Philipsburg, to Miss Annie Lyons of Albany, New York. The newly wedded couple arrived here last week after a very pleasant honeymoon spent at the coast. Research fails to disclose the fate of Annie. 

James P. Rodda (1874-1938) married Miss Edith Dowe of Butte, in Butte, September 1, 1920. The newlyweds were to live on the Rock Creek ranch according to the wedding announcement. In 1928 James P. Rodda ran independently as a write in against G.L. Atwater for Alderman of the second ward. He lost by a majority of two votes.. 

The Rodda family ranches were sold in 1960 to Matilda Wyman. This property was then passed into the hands of Bob Neal. Ed and Ruth remained on Rock Creek until 1965 when they moved into Philipsburg.

Nickel Harvey

Nickel Harvey and "Puppy"

Harvey Bauer, and five siblings (Aloyes, Kathleen, Robert, Alberta and Kenneth) were raised by their tiny, spunky mother Mary, after the death of father, Al, on July 27, 1918. The obituary stated Mary had a premonition and the family story was that Al had a young wild horse in the team of four and the horse had been acting up. Whatever was the cause of her concern, she did get Al to agree he would only haul one load of stulls for the Beaver Creek Mining Company in the morning. Then he would come home early to celebrate Harvey’s 11th birthday, which was that fateful day. About noon one of the team of horses returned to the house and Mary immediately notified neighbors, who took off looking for Al. They found him just above the old Altona Boarding House at the head of Browns Gulch. 

Apparently the ring came off of the neck yoke, near the wheel horse which caused the tongue to drop on a very steep part of the road. The coroners inquest believed Al was sitting on a piece of belt stretched between the bolsters and: When the front wheel struck a tree he lost balance and was thrown violently against the wheel and then the second tree was hit by the hind wheel, the shock throwing the body clear to the road. His watch was found on that side of the road, where the body struck the ground and it is probable that he was rendered unconscious for a while, as a heavy bruise was found under the right arm across the ribs. After coming to, he managed to cross the road where feeling faint he leaned against a tree for support, gradually slipping into the position in which he was found, life being extinct for some time. The watch stopped at 10:10 and this is thought to be the time of the accident. This watch is in the possession of Harvey’s daughter Karen Bauer Gresch. 

Al’s body was shipped to his home town of Medford, Wisconsin on July 29. Mary traveled with the body to Medford, accompanied by the six children ranging in age from eleven years to three months of age. Al was thirty-eight years of age and had lived in the Philipsburg area about six years. His obituary was difficult to find as the name is misspelled as “Bowers”. The obituary stated when Al and her first arrived in Granite County (1912), they homesteaded on Willow Creek and then moved into Philipsburg where Mr. Bauer operated a livery stable. 

In Kathleen Bauer Barlow’s recollections are these statements: “We must have spent one winter out there [the homestead] too as I remember coyotes howling and mountain lions screaming. By this time Dad had bought a saloon and restaurant in town. We lived in a sort of apartment near town and the saloon…After dad bought the saloon and restaurant, Mom would do some of the cooking and send it over to serve. Harvey and I would take his little red wagon with pots of soup and deliver it.” Karen Bauer Gresch, remembers her Dad, Harvey telling stories about Mary making big pots of soup and the children putting the hot soup in a wagon to pull it down to the business, where Al sold it to his customers for lunch. 

Harvey, the eldest, was enterprising from a young age which is how he became known as “Nickel Harvey.” There is a picture taken of him and his dog at about the age of five. A postcard made of the picture is dated 1912. The story goes that Harvey would take his dog downtown and find someone unsuspecting and ask them if they wanted to buy his dog for a nickel. If they agreed and paid a nickel he would take the money and walk away. When he got around the corner, Harvey would whistle for the dog and the two would run off with the nickel clutched in his hand. One day he approached a rancher with a wagon and team and asked if he wanted to buy the dog for a nickel. The rancher said yes; gave Harvey the nickel; put a rope around the dog's neck, tied the dog to the wagon and took off out of town. A very upset boy went in search of the sheriff D.A. McLeod and told him the sad story. Sheriff “Mac“ went after the rancher and obviously bought the dog back and returned him to Harvey. It is unknown if that was the end of his dog sales. 

Harvey (1907-1992) married Vernus Bentz in the early 1930’s and she died in January 1936. After World War II, Sgt. Bauer married Winnifred (Fet) Sandin (1918-2001) July 27, 1945.

The Sandin Family

The Sandin Women: L to R top row: Mary, Hilda, Annie. Bottom Row: Minnie and Elfie

The Sandin ranch home was located on the south side of Riva Ridge which is on the south side of Eagle Canyon. The original product was a homestead claimed by four brothers, Axel, Olaf (Ole), Bill and Louis J.( Jack). There is a probability that some of the sisters were also involved in the homestead. But at that time women were not often legally recognized. 

Lewis and Anna Sandin were born in Sweden and after having John (Louis), Axel and Oscar immigrated to America in 1880. The U.S. Federal Census for 1900 shows them living in Nebraska with John (Louis) 22 and seven other children: Tom (15), Hilda (13), Olaf (9), Mary (8), Minnie (5), Effie (Elfie) (3) all born in Nebraska. I do not know why William age 13, Oscar age 17 and Axel age 20 are not on this census record. Another son, Emil was born in 1902 and died in 1909. 

The homestead claim was recorded July 3, 1901 under Louis J. Sandin‘s name according to the Granite County Clerk and Recorder files. Over the years, other land was added to the homestead such as acreage from George Albers and section seventeen from August Greenheck. This brought the ranch property over Riva ridge and along the south side of Middle Fork. 

The 1910 Federal Census shows Lewis (Louis) age 32, Hilda age 22 and Olaf age 19 in Granite County in the Porter’s Corner Precinct that included Ross’ Fork. Axel age 30 and William age 23 were hired hands for Don DeForest. The assessed taxes in January, 1913 were $121.84 for L.J. and $122.12 for A.H. Sandin. 1920 news articles state Axel was still on the ranch in 1920. 

At least three of the Sandin sisters came west: Hilda (Johnson), Anna (Lindgren) and Mary. Anne Sandin married H. Milton Lindgren in Missoula on November 21, 1917. Mary Sandin was visiting at her sister home when she became ill and died of consumption. She was twenty-seven years, seven months and nineteen days of age according to her obituary in The Mail March 15, 1918. Her mother and two brothers had preceded her. Bill was running the Sandin Ranch stated the obituary. 

Louis (Jack) Sandin became a Citizen of the United States in 1911, while living in Granite County and died on his way to Stromberg, Nebraska on May 4, 1918. He was returning to Nebraska after becoming ill with pneumonia and the doctor advised him to change his climate and altitude. 

During the years the brother's interest were bought out until the sole owner was Ole and wife Beck (Hess) whom he had married on March 31, 1914. Ole was working at Southern Cross on March 15, 1918 though when his sister Mary died. Ole, Beck and daughters Winnie (26 months) and Mary (7 months) were in Mineral County (Superior) for the 1920 census living next to Beck’s parents, T.R. and Rebecca Hess. 

Axel Sandin married Emma Sutherland in Anaconda, Montana on December 17, 1914. After 1920, illness forced him to retire from the ranch and move to town. Axel died May 21, 1940 at his south Philipsburg home after a long illness. Survivors were his wife Emma, and son Lewis (1916-2000)); sisters: Hilda Johnson of California, Effie (Elfie) Carlson of Nebraska, Anne Lindgren of Washington and Minnie Sandin of Seattle; brothers: Ole of Rock Creek, William of Philipsburg and Oscar of Nebraska. 

Lewis and Mildred had three children: Raymond, Carole and Alta. Raymond and Elaine (Owsley) raised a family in Philipsburg and continue to live there. 

Ole Sandin born in 1890 died at the age of fifty-six in Seattle, in 1946. They had moved to Seattle for his health as Ole had suffered with a severe heart condition for several years. His wife, Beck (1895-1972) returned to Granite County after Ole died. She tried to run the ranch with her second husband Robert Kaiser whom she married in 1948. Realizing Bob was not a rancher Beck turned the ranch duties over to Bus and Grace Hess and moved into Philipsburg. The daughters Winifred and Mary by this time had moved away from the ranch. 

Mary Sandin (Kulaweic) died in Seattle on April 26, 1986. Winifred Sandin (1918-2001) known as Fet to her friends married my uncle Walter Bentz. They divorced and after World War II, she married my uncle-in-law Harvey Bauer (1907-1992) who was the widower of my aunt Vernus Bentz. 

When the Sandin Ranch was sold the acreage in Eagle Canyon was kept by Fet and inherited by daughter and son-in-law Karen and Tom Gresch. They reside in Washington, with a second home on the south side of Middle Fork in Eagle Canyon enjoyed by them and children, Thomas and Amy (Mason) and their seven grandchildren.

George Lyon Ranch on Ross' Fork and his family

George and Ida Lyon owned the ranch above John Naef on Ross’ Fork Road going to Medicine Lake. This family is not to be confused with the George Lyons family that lived in the Lower Flint Creek Valley. George was born in Idaho Territory October 2, 1886. His parents were from West Virginia and Wisconsin according to the 1930 U.S. Federal Census. At the age of eleven he traveled with his family by covered wagon to Montana. They settled first in Jefferson county and then moved to Butte in the early 1900’s. George married Ida Bachie in 1907 at the age of twenty.. She was nineteen years of age and born in Tacoma, Washington. Ida’s parents were from Switzerland and Washington according to the 1930 U.S. Federal Census. 

While in Butte, George helped lay the original sidewalks. He also operated a freight and mail route with his father between Jefferson Island and Mammoth. He moved to Southern Cross and Georgetown Lake in 1917 and then in 1922 to Ross’ Fork, where he engaged in ranching until 1969. 

George then sold the ranching business to Charles Nicely. George continued to live on the ranch and died there on April 11, 1971. He was preceded in death by Ida in 1953, son Jesse in 1943 and Arthur in 1959. Survivors were: daughters, Ceal Haggard, Jean Anderson and Faye Howrey of Anaconda and Shirley Wight of Missoula; eight grandchildren and seven great grandchildren; brother James M. of Anaconda and sister Madge Des Jardin of Seattle. The funeral service was held at the Wilson Funeral Home with Rev. Kenneth Wooten of the Community Church presiding. Pallbearers were: Lum Wanderer, O.H. Christensen, Eli Christensen, Billy McLean, Robert Munis and Bob Neal. Honorary pallbearers were: Henry Hull, Charlie Anderson, Fred Splitt, Bob Christensen and Woodrow Carey. All of these men except Lum (the grocery man) were his neighbors on Rock Creek. George is buried in the Philipsburg cemetery. 

Jesse Lyons the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Lyon, bought the Fred Splitt Place in Eagle Canyon on the Middle Fork after the 1930 Federal Census. Miss Erna Hoyendahl and Jesse were married in Anaconda during the last week of December 1936. Erna was the daughter of Olaf and Doris Hoyendahl of Philipsburg. She had attended Philipsburg schools and was a member of the Rainbow Girls. Wedding attendants were: Mr. and Mrs. Leonard (Jean Lyon) Anderson of Anaconda, Miss Anne Hoyendahl, Vernon Steffan and Art Lyons of Philipsburg. 

The marriage ended sadly. Jesse was cutting stulls at the Jow Kanduch camp west of Anaconda when he was taken ill. He died from a ruptured appendix at St. Ann’s Hospital in Anaconda, on November 1, 1943. Survivors were: wife Erna and two daughters: June Lorraine and Pauline Dora; his parents; and four sisters: Mrs. Leonard (Jean) Anderson of Anaconda, Mrs. Dallas (Shirley) Hosbrook of Drummond, Mrs. Forrest (Cecelia) Haggard of Rock Creek and Miss Fay Lyons of Rock Creek. Burial was in the Philipsburg cemetery, after services at the Masonic Temple. Erna then married James Hess of Nevada in June, 1945 and the girls grew up there under the name of Hess. 

 Arthur and wife Emily (McClain) moved onto Jesse’s property. They had a girl named Lesa Marjorie who lived with her grandmother Abbie McClain at Georgetown Lake. Art and Emily’s marriage was short lived with Emily living as a single woman on the “Old Fred Splitt” place until her death in 1989. 

 Ceal Lyon married Forrest Haggard in the early 1930’s and they bought the place Ritchmeyers’ were leasing, at the base of Kaiser Hill, near the confluence of Middle Fork and East Fork, right before the beginning of Eagle Canyon. Richtmeyers’ then bought the original Amerine Homestead from Walt and Annie Sanders and Sanders’ bought the Allen Webb Ranch (The original Tom Parks Homestead) in 1948. 

Ceal and Forrest had son George in 1934 who died as an infant; Lee, born in 1936 and Joe, born in 1938. Lee met his wife Sumiko while in the military. She died in 1989 and Lee was buried next to her when he died in 1997. Joe operated the White Front Bar for several years. He and wife Phyllis had a baby that died and Phyllis died in 1983. Joe was also married to Kathy Mehr. He moved to the Lolo area in 1978 and died in May of 2019. He was survived by wife Becky of 30 years; children- Jolynn, Leanne, Joe Jr., Sarah and Danielle plus grand and great grandchildren. 

Faye (Howrey) had a son Edgar and died in 2000 at Anaconda; Shirley (Wight) died at Missoula in 1993; Jean (Anderson) died at Anaconda in 2007. Gone is the Lyon Ranch. Most recently,  I am told the property was bought by the Country Music Star Kelly Clarkson and her husband.