The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1901-1901, 1901-03-12
K. !. c..
FLOUR.
NEW SENATOR'S CAREER.
Sketch Of the Life Of the Father Of
Great Falls.

Sketch Of the Life Of the Father Of
Great Falls.
Paris Gibson, one of the senators
from Montana for the next four
years, is a native of the state of
Maine, born at Brownfield, Oxford
county, July 1, 1880. On his fathers
side he is of Scottish ancestry, while
his mother was of English descent
Timothy Gibson, his grandfather,
came to the colonies and was SOL
der in the English army in the Co.
lonial-French war. Joseph Howard,
father of Senator Gibson's mother,
was a soldier in the Revolutionary
war. Abel Gibso, father of the SEN
ator, was a native of New Hamp-
shire and was a farmer and lumber
man, and the senator's mother was a
Miss Howard.
Senator Gibson was educated at
Bowdoin college, Maine, and was
graduated in the class of 1851. A few
years afterward, while he was under
80 years of age, he was elected to the
Maine legislature and served one
term. His father having died he
managed the home farm for few
years, and in 1858 he turned to the
west and, with the spirit of the pio-
neer that has ever animated him, he
located in the then small village of
Minneapolis.
In connection with William w.
Eastman, he established the industry
that has made that city great, erect
ing there the first Touring mill,
known as the Cataract mill. After
ward he built and operated the
North Star wooden mills, which were
of novel type and which soon be
came noted for the excellence of their
product, these mills at the Centen
NAL exhibition in 1876 winning the
first premium for producing the best
wooden blankets in the world. Sen
ator Gibson was one of the leading
citizens of Minneapolis for 81 years,
contributing in no small measure to
the development of the city. While
in the wooden manufacturing business
he had studied it in all it's phases.
and being impressed with the adj
vantages that Montana offered for
the sheep business, Mr.. Gibson, in
1879, came to Montana and located at
Fort Benton. That year he engaged
in the sheep business, owning one
of the first. bands of sheep brought
into northern Montana, and ever since
he has been engaged in that industry
to some extent. and the sheepmen of
the state have never had better
friend.
= In 1882 Mr.. Gibson visited the falls
of the Missouri and Immediately be-
came impressed with the advantages
offered for the location of a city
where Great Falls now stands. He
set for himself the task of building
here the greatest city between Min.
napolis and the Pacific coast. A
few months later he visited st. Paul
and laid his plans before James J.
Hill, president of the St. Paul, Min
neapolis & Manitoba Railway com
pany, and asked Mr.. Hill to join him
in the enterprise. The latter did SO
Two years were spent in acquiring
title to the townsite, water power and
other properties. and by 1884 Mr..
Gibson had founded Great Falls ant
was confident that the village would
become city of which he might evel
be proud. Mr.. Gibson and Mr.. Hill
were partners until 1885. when thei
interests were assigned to the Grea
Falls Water Power and Townsit,
company, of which Mr.. Gibson hal
always been vice president.
Great Falls began to grow ana IL
growth has ever continued MI
Gibson early becss,e KNOWN as 9TH
father of Great Falls" and he ha
been loving parent. devoting hi
time. his energy, his money and hi
talents to the promotion of the city
interests in every way.
In 1887. when the city was incol
porated, he was unanimously chose
the first mayor two years late
when the people of the territory chos
delegates to convention at whic
was framed the constitution for tn
state that was about to be admitte,
he was chosen to represent Cascad
county. although he was a dem
crat. while the county was republ
can. In 1890 he was elected to re
resent the county in the state senat
where he served the full term of TO,
years. In that Office he lead the figl
for consolidation at one place of a
the state educational institutions TIL
were about to be established. H
measure was defeated, in consequent