Dirty Politics

 Duncan Dingwall was involved in the very heated election campaign of 1886 against the Sligh-Durand ticket for Montana State Senator. The political candidates from Granite county all visited Quigley in October, believing that this was an important voting element. They were greeted by the Quigley A.F. of L. Union president Elliott. The candidates were: Dr. J.M. Sligh running for state senator, J.K. Pardee a former state legislator now running for county treasurer, D. H. Dunshee of Combination and D.W. Hennessey of Flint running for county commissioners and Thomas Glina of Combination running for the state legislature. 

The Record announced the election results on November 14 as follows: J.K. Pardee as treasurer, Findlay J. McDonald as sheriff, Thomas Glina and Israel Clem as legislators, B. (or D.) H. Dunshee, James McDonel and D.W. Hennessey as county commissioners. 

During the election campaign the Mail published the following: That Boycotted Road “A gentleman, a former employee of the Combination company, has hauled into this office a copy of a notice served on him while in the employ of that company. It is an interesting little document and one which caused a great deal of adverse criticism at the time it was posted in various conspicuous places around Combination and handed or transmitted to employees. By reference to the boycott notice it will be observed that it applies to everybody excepting Frank Durand, D.H. Mellan [sic] and Hugh Mellan [sic]. These three gentlemen out of the entire county are the only ones permitted to traverse the road and do business in Combination. If the road had done anything to seriously impair the “general welfare of the community,” it does appear a little strange that the three gentlemen named above could traverse it without injury to the community. 

Following is the circular letter: “Combination, Montana, July 30, 1895 Notice is hereby given that on and after this date all residents of Combination as well as all employees of the Combination Mining and Milling Company will be expected to cease purchasing any meats, vegetables, produce dry goods, clothing or supplies of any kind, from any farmer, person or firm, from the lower valley adjacent to and driving over the road from Stone Station to the Combination Mine and known as the Stone Station Road. 

All persons hauling goods and supplies of any character over or in any way found traversing said road will not be permitted to sell or dispose of same in the Combination camp excepting Frank Durand, D.H. Mellan and Hugh Mellan. All persons in this camp will avoid the patronage of the Horton stage and whether employed or not are expected to live up to the letter of these instructions as we believe it is most reasonable and certainly worthy the co-operation of our employees and beneficiaries, and any and all violations or failure to comply will result most seriously in the general welfare of the community. 

This matter will receive the closest attention and we insist upon it most rigid enforcement. Combination Mining and Milling Co., F.H. Bird, Agent, by order of Chas. D. McLure, president.” 

The Mail continued: “There is not a business man in the county, nor a rancher, miner, laborer or anyone else who can afford to vote the Sligh-Durand corporation ticket if he believes in the free institutions of America. Remember that it is the same corporation tactics that are being used by Mark Hanna to defeat Bryan, that are being used in Granite county to elect Sligh. Down with the corporation ticket by voting the Dingwall ticket straight.” 

As a point of interest:Sligh owned 2,750 and Durand 4,602 shares of Combination stock. 

After Duncan won the election, Sligh by manipulation, went to Helena and occupied the Senate seat. The December 4, 1896 Mail carried the District Court happenings where: “Dr. J.M. Sligh instituted injunction proceedings against G. J. Reck as county clerk of Granite county to restrain him from issuing a certificate of election to Duncan Dingwall as senator from Granite county. The case was ably argued by Honorable W. B. Rodgers, counsel for Dingwall and W. E. Moore of Philipsburg, counsel for Sligh. The court took the case under advisement and on Monday rendered its decision, in which the injunction was denied. Judge Brantly, in rendering his decision held substantially: “That his court has no jurisdiction to pass injunctions… and Duncan Dingwall, having received a majority of all the votes cast at the last election, for that office, was regularly and duly elected as such senator and is entitled to receive a certificate of election from the Clerk of Granite county.” 

The reader is reminded that Granite county received its charter in 1893 and prior to that time was represented by Deer Lodge county, so this was their first election.

Black Pine and Combination

Black Pine photo from the Tex Crowley collection. Notice the warchman Frank Sprague's car. picture prior to the 1935 fire.

After extensive research I have decided to write about Black Pine and Combination together. Many of the articles do not separate the two as Combination was located at the mill in the bottom of Willow Creek Canyon two miles from the ridge where the Black Pine settlement was built. Both were Company towns so when the “Company” left so did the residents. 

Black Pine was originally occupied from sometime in 1882 through 1897. After the original discovery, little work was done for the next few years due to the high cost of road building. In 1886 James A. Pack leased the property and formed the Black pine Mining Company according to papers at the Montana Historical Society. The Company was composed of Pack, Josiah M. Merrill, Jospeh H. Harper, Frederick W. Flint, Aeneas McAndrew, Ralph B. Wallace and William P. Shyrock. The Company built the 10-stamp mill down the hill to the west in the Willow Creek Valley, which became known as Combination.. Pictures from the Tex Crowley collection show Black Pine as a string of cabins lining the east and west side of the dirt road. Other articles describe cabins also being in the trees to the west down the slope to Willow creek. The school house was located in Middletown Canyon and was operated in the summer months when it was safe for the children to walk to the building. Winters were severe and snow deep. Water was scarce on the ridge and was hauled by a horse drawn cart to Black Pine from Willow Creek, where the residents paid $1.00 for a gallon. During the winter most people melted snow for their needs. Because Black Pine was a company town there was no liquor allowed. Some articles stated this was because the camp was for family men. Needless to say most miners were not a dry lot so a settlement called “Whiskey Flats or Hill”, sprang up just south of the mine property. Seven or eight saloons and brothels made up this settlement. There was no cemetery in the area “because the miners preferred to be “buried in the ‘burg.” When a miner died the Miner’s Union closed the mines for the day and everyone accompanied the body to Philipsburg for the funeral. 

The original Company underestimated the costs and could not pay off their debts with the October 8, 1889 Mail advertising a Sheriff sale of 36 different person’s and businesses suing Black Pine Mining Company. The lawsuit was asking for $22,000 and interest which made an aggregate total of about $25,000 that had been advanced to the defendant company. Quoting the article:…”The company’s property consisting of the mines, hoisting plants and mill at Combination, has been attached and Deputy United States Marshall Wall arrived from Helena last Saturday and took possession. The suit it seems was precipitated through a disagreement among stockholders… The matter continued in court for some time and the injunction was at last made permanent with the result that the money paid in by those who had consented to the assessment was returned and the debt remained unpaid. Several watchmen have constantly been employed in taking care of the property and it seems at least some of them had difficulty in disposing of their time checks, even at a considerable discount. Thus the matter dragged along, the debt increasing everyday, and as there seemed no way for the several factions among the stockholders to agree upon a satisfactory settlement, the St. Louis Bank evidently grew impatient and attached the works.” 

                 Combination Mill Illustration by Muriel Sibell Wolle in "Montana Pay Dirt" , 1983

For three years the property has been idle, not because of good ore, but that some stockholders had an idea that they were being wronged and became hostile managers. In December some of the Company stockholders reorganized under Combination Mining and Milling Company and bought the assets being sold at the sheriff auction. This Company headed by Harper with Anthony H. Barrett, Patrick Talent, George E. Maule, Elliott H. Wilson, Henry Williams and Charles Goodale was capitalized at $600,000. In the fall of 1890 the unsettled silver market caused the closing of the mine for the winter months. But they did re-open in the spring. 

By 1891, Charles D. McLure from the Bi-Mettalic and Granite Mountain Mining Companies had acquired the majority of stock and by 1893, the officers of Combination were almost identical to the Bi-Metallic. The mine and mill operated until 1897 but even though the output was over two million ounces of silver, the Company was never able to pay dividends and had to assess each share a total over 35 cents during the next 10 years of operation. At the turn of the century, Charles was the primary owner. 

       Combination Mining Office Illustration by Muriel Sibell Wolle in "Montana Pay Dirt" ,1983

Following are news articles during the early years:

 

Miss Sadie Downs taught the Black Pine School during the spring of 1893 and according to the Philipsburg Mail was awarded a first grade certificate from the county the week of August 10, 1893. She was then elected by the school trustees to fill a position at the Philipsburg schools for the term beginning in September. Sadie was the sister of Suzi (Downs, Berthoud) Hull, wife of W.T. on Rock Creek. 

The January 2, 1896 Philipsburg Mail unpaid county taxes for the year 1895 that were in arrears: Joseph Racine for a house in Combination owed $2.64; Roe and Drake for a cabin in Combination owed $1.58; Joseph Reil for a cabin in Combination owed $1.57;Weinstein Estate for a lodging house in Combination owed $1.08 

On September 18, 1896 the Philipsburg Mail stated that Louis B., the infant son of Mrs. B.L. Schultz died the week prior and the body was taken to Butte for internment. He was one year and twelve days old. Mrs. Schultz had only been a widow for a few weeks when the toddler died. Mr. Schultz had died a few weeks prior in Combination. So far research has not found his obituary. 

In that same issue of the Mail was a story about J.S. Thorp being robbed of $200 by highwaymen on the road from Combination. Thorp was a grocery man and was returning to Philipsburg when two masked men blocked his way about 9 pm and ordered him to stop. He put his team into a run. This caused the robbers to begin shooting. One shot injured his lead horse and then a second shot hit another one of the team causing the wagon to stop. The robbers blindfolded Mr. Thorp and threatened him with a knife to his throat before he gave up his money. The article stated Thorp was probably also going to lose his two horses from their wounds. Further research of the newspaper does not reveal the highway men identified or on trial. 

There were four main shafts developed at Black Pine: The Barrett, Harper, Harrison and Lewis. From these shafts it is estimated that 2,135,000 ounces of silver and 1,411 ounces of gold were mined between 1881 and 1897. The ore was hauled through Middletown canyon to the mill at Combination by eight to sixteen horse or mule teams There it was crushed and the concentrates were taken out by William Gillespie’s eighteen head string of pack mules. Gillespie hauled in the freight from Philipsburg and hauled out the concentrate on his return trip. Some estimate the population during the boom time to be near 1,200 with three shifts of miners working every day of the week. 

The Western Mining History states there ultimately were eight vertical shafts, 3 tunnels, drifts, inclines and crosscuts by 1906; by 1974 all surface openings were closed except the Lewis shaft and Combination Adit. 

The May 5, 1887 Mail stated: “W.H. Presley who is running the boarding house at the Black Pine mines went to town during the week. He states there are 30 carpenters at work at the mill and that the strike was made in the west instead of the east drift, as incorrectly reported [in an earlier issue].” 

The July 17, 1890 Mail stated that John H. Price of Black Pine and John Ainsley of Philipsburg left on the train for a trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where they were to remain for a week or two. 

Combination Notes, July 20, 1893 Philipsburg Mail stated: “Mr. Christie is again in possession of the hotel; Combination is without a physician; Dr. Orr has gone to his home in Ohio. The mill shut down entirely last Saturday evening. Mr. Sherman, the genial superintendent, took a party of ladies through early in the afternoon, explaining things as he went along in a way to make them wonder. The whistles have ceased to blow at the mine. The work for the supply of electric lights has been completed since the shutdown. 

W.J. Carpenter published a notice in the Citizen Call on October 30, 1895 that stated: “Owing to the large amount of business that I am doing at Combination, it will be impossible for me to open my photography gallery in Philipsburg until November 5th. Also, in the same issue of the Call was the rumor that Wm. H. Robinson foreman at the Sunrise would be replacing J.T. Carroll as foreman at Combination. 

In 1897 low silver prices closed the mine; It re-opened from 1937-1974 then although individuals worked claims it did not open again until 1985 with final closure by Inspiration Consolidated Copper Company in 1988. The mine has 57 patented claims. in Sections 7,8,9,16,17, and 18. T.8 N, R.14W.

The Riddick Field and Namesake

 

                    Merril K. Riddick in the Boomerang Newspaper (Laramie, Wyoming)  at age 79

Private airplane enthusiasts have been around since before Orville and Wilbur Wright flew their contraption at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in December 1903. Local memories recall Jess Evans constructing a rudimentary grass strip on the Black Pine Ridge in the mid fifties. I wish he and Dean Nietz were still around so I could pick their brains. I did not decide to become a private pilot until later in life so missed a lot of their escapades. When I did start flying and earned my Instrument rating I would always contact Dean and he would find me an empty hanger to house my Piper Cherokee 180D for my visits to Granite County. 

The first history that is found was the Forest Service allowed a 30 year lease on 44 acres of land to be used as an airport in 1967. The first minutes found in the Court House are in 1968 authorizing the construction of a runway. This was the beginning of airport UO5 with runways 16 and 34 being developed and mapped on the Great Falls Aeronautical Sectional Maps for Philipsburg. 

When the 75th Centennial was being planned for Granite County, it was suggest by people and submitted in the County Commissioner’s Minutes by Mike Kahoe to name the field for Merrill K. Riddick. Steve Immenschuh relates that Merrill had great joy as a passenger in a bi-plane ride during the dedication ceremonies. The reason for selecting Riddick were many and varied and following is his life history. 

Merrill was born March 7, 1895 in Madison, Wisconsin and moved to eastern Montana at the age of eleven. Merrill’s father, Carl served two terms as a U.S. congressman for the Eastern District of Montana from 1919 through 1922. When Merrill was sixteen, he became interested in aviation while traveling throughout the Northwest and was a member of the first graduating class from the Army Air Force Aeronautics School in San Diego, California. He served in World War I as a flight instructor and flew reconnaissance flights. After the War was over he became one of the first airmail pilots and barnstormed with Charles Lindbergh in the Harry Perkins Air Circus. (Steve Immenschuh shared that Charles visited Merrill once during the early 1960's when he was living in Philipsburg.)

During this time Merrill met and married his wife, Helen May Williams, from West Virginia. To this marriage was born three children: Mary Ruth, Keith and Barbara. By 1928, Merrill was flight instructor for the first preparatory aviation school in Rochester, New York At that job he instructed the future president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. 

Merrill re-joined the Air Force during the Second World War, serving as a technical instructor. Before and after the War he became involved in prospecting and was involved in many mining claims. After the War he returned to Montana, but continued traveling the states. His wife died in 1949 and it was then that Merrill became involved in politics. 

 As a resident of Granite county, his political campaigns were focused on the management of natural resources and in reforming campaign finance. Merrill authored and published in the Journal of Applied Human Ecology and focused on his plans to develop the resources. He campaigned for Governor of Montana as a Democrat in 1960 and 1968. Next he ran for U.S. Congress in 1972. 

His campaign ad shows where he crossed out Democrat and wrote in Republican and stated: 

I OPPOSE making a wild river out of Rock Creek and the Missouri River; 

I FAVOR a navigation canal up the Missouri to Winifred and Fort Benton to save farmers 30cents a bushel on shipping their wheat; 

I FAVOR $500,0000.000 worth of dam construction on the upper Missouri River to pump water for Eastern Montana and to generate millions of kilowatts of power for new industry in Montana. 

A vote for Riddick is a vote for progress. Paid for by Merrill K. Riddick, Philipsburg, Mont. (printed by Daily News Lewistown, Montana.) 

Next he ran as a candidate of his self-created political party named Magneto-hydrodynamics-Puritan epic-prohibition party for President in 1976, 1980 and 1984. The Puritan Ethic and Epic stood for Moral values and Magnetohydrodynamics is a process for clean electricity generation. Prohibition meant barring illegal campaign contributions. He refused to accept any campaign contributions, but did accept a silver dollar from Steve Immenschuh as a token.. 

Interestingly, Merrill traveled only by bus during his nationwide campaigns. He stated in 1981 “I live on the bus. I can get passes for less than $12 a day. It’s cheaper than living in a hotel.” The cost of a hotel he knew well as he resided for a number of years at the Pintlar Hotel in Philipsburg during the years Steve Immenschuh's parents operated the establishment in the 1960's.

After his last campaign he relocated to his sister Ruth’s home in Annapolis, Maryland. Merrill died of cancer two days after his 93rd birthday on March 9, 1988 in Annapolis and is buried there. 

Now you know for whom and why the airfield outside of Philipsburg is named Riddick Field! The Forest Service has renewed the thirty year lease for the 44 acres again, so aviation enthusiasts can continue to enjoy flying into this beautiful valley.

The First Gas Lighting in Drummond

 

 Mrs. Mary Morse was very active in the Granite County Hotel business and by 1885 had established a first class hotel in Drummond. The Philipsburg Mail carried the following article on December 2, 1898. “Mrs. T.H. Morse, proprietress of the Windsor Hotel in Drummond, has made a noteable improvement in that institution in the matter of lighting it up. Of course, situated as the hotel is—in a small town—electric lighting is out of the question, so that enterprising lady determined to put in a gas plant of her own, having made up her mind some time ago to dispense with the use of coal oil. Mrs. Morse claimed to the Mail representative that for years she had been in fear that someone would knock over one of the lamps and burn her well known hostelry out, but until recently she saw no way out of the difficulty. However, her opportunity came at last, and the result is that she now has in operation a first class acetylene gas plant, connected with pipes to every room in the house. In a back room on the ground floor she has her gas generator and other necessary apparatus for the manufacture and distribution of the gas, and people who are guests of the hotel can turn on the gas at any hour, apply a match, and have as fine a light as anyone could wish to see. Of course, the first expenditure has been rather heavy, the cost of installing the plant being something like $250, but now that it is in, the regular cost will be reasonable, and the satisfaction of having a good steady , brilliant and safe light is indeed great. That lady says there is no danger whatever in making the gas as long as no light is used in the room where the generator is placed. 

Her young son (Herb) found out to his sorrow that a light in the room is something out of place. He recently raised the metal cover and held a light over the receptacle to see how the gas was getting along. Shortly afterward he was picked up on the other side of the room, where he was thrown by the force of the exploding gas. No injury was sustained, however, but the moral has been studiously observed and no attempts to renew the gas supply at any time other than in day light—a lesson which has been learned, happily, without any serious injury. 

Mrs. Morse is certainly entitled to credit for her enterprise and pluck and the Mail hopes she will find her investment a profitable one.” 

 Mary was a shrewd business lady as she also had taken over the Sparcey (Hotel) restaurant in the ‘Burg in January 1889 and ran it as the Metropolitan for that entire year while operating the Windsor. She advertised weekly in the Helena Independent for the Metropolitan Hotel the entire year of 1889, obviously believing persons traveling over the Divide would be interested in her accommodations while transacting mining deals during the silver boom.

Happenings of The T.H. Morse Family

 Years ago I found a news article where Herb Morse shot Miss Vera Leyden about 1 am on September 14, 1896. The Mail stated: “It seems that young Morse, who is between 16 and 17 years of age, became infatuated with the young lady, who is employed at his mother’s hotel, and attempted to take her life by shooting. It appears from what can be learned that Morse became jealous and entered Miss Leyden’s room with a revolver in his hand and when she attempted to run he shot her in the back, the ball striking between the shoulders. Dr W.W. Spottswood of Missoula, was summoned, but after probing for the bullet, he could not locate it. Miss Leyden is well and favorably known in Philipsburg, where she has resided for two or three years. She has a married sister there, Mrs. Gus Westlund, whose husband is employed at Combination . Young Morse had been attending college in Helena, and his mother Mrs. Thomas Morse was at the Wesleyan University arranging for Herb to continue his studies when the shooting occurred. He was arrested immediately and arraigned in New Chicago by Judge Ferguson the next day. He waived examination and was held on $1,500 bail. Miss Leyden was taken to Philipsburg where she was staying at the residence of August Eck and not believed to be in any danger from the shooting.” 

The outcome of an indictment or trial was not discovered at that time, so recently I began searching the archived newspapers again. The above incident was repeated in the New Northwest, September 25, 1896, with additional information that Miss Leyden was 25 and working at the Windsor Hotel as a dining room helper. The girl did not return young Herb’s feelings and was sitting up with a man named Harris when Herb attempted to shoot her. She escaped through a window and was climbing through another window when “the maddened youngster sent a bullet into her back. She may recover. W.B. Rodgers of this city has been engaged for the defense and appeared for the boy, at the preliminary hearing, which was bound over.” 

In the Ravalli Republican September 23, the story was repeated with the addition “The girl was more muscular than the lad and in the struggle which ensued, worsted him. She finally jumped out the window and Morse followed and shot her in the back, just below the shoulder blade.” They misidentified his first name as John. There is absolutely no further mention of the incident which leaves me to surmise that the prominence of the family assisted in the situation “being taken care of.” 

My search found many references to Herb’s family. His father Thomas H. Morse was born in 1839 or 1842 in New Brunswick to a father from Massachusetts and mother from Canada. T. H. was a New Northwest subscriber as early as Sept. 1873. He was picked as a juror in Deer Lodge County April 1876; earned $3.00 for a trial in 1887 and $2.10 in 1888. The New Northwest June 30, 1876 states T.H. was the village smithy at Pioneer and in May 1880 states he also ran a hotel. July 30, 1878 carried a collections notice from Pioneer stating “All persons in debt to me must settle in 30 days or debt will be turned over to attorney for collection. Signed Thomas H. Morse.” Then, on July 28, 1882, the New Northwest correspondent in a trip from Deer Lodge passing Gold Creek to Helmville described T.H. Morse’s place as “a neat well located little house, with pleasant surroundings, waving fields of grain and meadowland and plenty of good range for stock." 

Thomas married Mary (Cox) Childs, ( mother of Charles and Alice) in 1879. Born in 1837 in Missouri she was at Grizzly/ Silver Creek near Helena in the 1870 census. They lived in New Chicago by 1885, with property valued at $5,155.00 and taxes of $110.40. In 1885 they began operating the Windsor Hotel in Drummond. Throughout 1889 Mary advertised in the Helena Independent for the Metropolitan Hotel (former Sparey Hotel) in Philipsburg which she owned. In 1897 they were paid for prisoner meals and in 1901 meals and damages for Smallpox patients. In 1913 they built a four room dwelling near their Hall in Drummond where they were now showing movies. 

Herb (T.H. Morse Jr.) was born April 15, 1880.; married Martha Galivan in 1905; and was appointed Postmaster of Drummond on July 28, 1919. 

T.H. died November 11, 1924; Mary died March 7, 1925; Herb died October 15, 1929 while working at the Missoula Hotel. The autopsy stated he died of natural causes. They are all buried in the Valley cemetery.

The Open Cross Ranch

 

About three miles south of Hall on the east side of Highway 1 is a sign “Open Cross Ranch” with a driveway crossing Flint Creek leading to the ranch buildings and houses that the fourth and fifth generation of the Anderson homestead live in. Stated in an earlier article, Linda Franz married Charles J. Anderson on July 5, 1906 in Missoula, Montana and they settled on the Open Cross Ranch in 1908. 

The Anderson family history in the United States begins with Peter Anderson, who was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1852. The 1900 Federal Census states he immigrated to Montana in 1882 and was naturalized in 1894. But there is a Peter Anderson (consistent with his age and home country) listed in the 1880 Census living in Yamhill in Deer Lodge County which was a settlement near Gold Creek. 

Research also reveals Peter Anderson advertising in the Philipsburg Mail beginning January 30, 1896 through April 1896 on the O K placer mining claim in the Harvey Creek Mining District. The public notice stated Peter had made the $100 improvements and that unless his co-partners P.A. Anderson and C.W. Anderson contribute their portion of the improvement dollars within ninety days the claim ownership reverted to him as sole owner. 

Family history states that Peter began freighting ore from Granite to Philipsburg after his son, Charles J. Anderson immigrated from Sweden in 1895 at the age of 17. Peter’s brother, Charles O. Anderson, born in 1866, immigrated in 1889 and was naturalized in 1904. Charles O. had a homestead at Nimrod and also at Silver King Ridge (Sec.29, T.9N, R.14W) on Lower Willow Creek where he had a cabin. This acreage was incorporated into the ranch after his death with the payment of twenty some odd dollars in inheritance taxes. Charles, a bachelor, died when he accidently fell from a bridge into the Flint Creek, November 12, 1941 at the age of 52. 

Peter Anderson, prior to immigrating, married Ida (Carlson) Johnson. She was born January 1, 1856 in Stockholm, Sweden and immigrated in 1902. To this marriage was born Charles John, in 1878 and Erick G., on December 22, 1879. The family resided at a homestead near Nimrod. Research by the family revealed that the August Ohrmann family raised prize winning Angus cattle and Peter bought a bull from him at a bull sale November 15, 1918. 

Erick died when he was kicked in the head by a horse April 21, 1924. Sometime after Peter died, on May 14, 1930, Ida came to live on the Open Cross Ranch with Charles O., Charles J. and Linda. As Ida aged she suffered dementia and apparently wandered off from the ranch one day. After an extensive search she was found five miles east of the ranch on Douglas Creek and her Death Certificate states she was pronounced dead from exposure and old age at 12:30 pm on August 12, 1942 at the age of 86. 

Family history knows that at some date Charles J. owned the Silver Tavern Bar in Philipsburg which is documented with ads in the Granitonian Senior yearbooks in the 1956 through 1960 publications shown below 

Charles was also instrumental in getting telephone service from Drummond towards the ‘Burg in the early years. Charles died at the age of 93 from Pneumonia at Granite County Memorial Hospital on November 12, 1971 and is buried in the Valley Cemetery, next to Linda who died on May 9, 1965 at the age of 80. 

To the marriage of Charles J. and Linda was born: Alfred C. (April 5, 1907- 1935); William E. in 1908; and John Howard and Margaret: September 21, 1910. The family is together though the 1930 Federal Census and then by 1940 only John Howard, age 29, remains on the ranch with his parents and housekeeper Evalina D. Staples age 25. 

Bill Olson shared that his mother related one Memorial Day at the Valley Cemetery that "Linda planted the first spruce tree at Alfred's grave and dutifully packed water to it until it reached self sufficiency."

John, always known as Howard, met his wife, Evelina Staples when she was visiting someone at Moose Lake and came to work for Linda as a housekeeper to get enough money to return home to Minnesota. She returned to Minnesota and Howard having fell in love with her, followed and they were married April 27, 1941 at Grand Marais, Minnesota. Howard then brought her back to Open Cross Ranch as his wife. He died on October 16, 1980 and when Evelina died on December 11, 2002 she was buried next to him at the Valley Cemetery. 

Their daughter Gayla married Leland Skaw, native of Hamilton, whose family moved to Ovando in 1967, where he lived when Gayla met him. Gayla and Leland operated the ranch until their daughter Jolene and husband, Levi Parsons, took over the operation and built themselves a house a little ways up the ridge. Currently Skaw’s, Parson’s and their children: Colt, Kimber, Dakota and Cooper live on the ranch.