Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-03-04
Pioneers Of WESTERN NORTH
DAKOTA FAST disappearing
a. J. W, FOLEY.

.H#.#H 10 EW.EL 'IhNNF1 yNF- HFE'HGSA"
BY J. w. Foley.
Medora, ~. d., March bid you
ever think that in the settlement Of
a new country how few of the pio-
neers remain? In looking, over the
list Of names OF the pioneers OF. Bill
ings county today; how few. we find
that were here Is and 80 years ag0.
The owners Of the large ranches Of
the early days have long since. de.
parted. Mr.. Roosevelt sold out his
ranching business in 1896. don't
know where he Is today; It's doubt
full ii there are u bakers dozen pei.
sons in the United States who know
that he ever ranched in the Little
Missouri valley. It's true the rail.
way company has q large sign on the
west end of the bridge, which cross.
es the river, telling that he did once
ranch in this valley" Only for this,
no one would know. Mr.. Roosevelt
was modest, very modest. He: was las
meek as Moses. Roosevelt came to
the valley In the fall Of 1883. De
!Morcs came in April, 1888. He was
then u young man Of Is and on his
way to, Montana to engage In the
ranClling business. There was no
town OF Medora then; the town was
on the west side and called Pyramid
Park" or Little Missouri" When
de Mores arrived he met Commander
Corning of the navy, of whom more
will be written. Poor deMores met
his death in an African oasis called
I'll Onadin, and at the hands Of a
tribe of Touaregs. This was in 1896
In a letter to the writer from his
father-in-law these words are used:
"Thus ends a life full of charm and
magnetism" 1t was full, and to over
flowing. q.
What an interesting number 'of
people have been in Medora and ELL
ings county. In the year 1883 came,
from France, p. Wtbaux and Guss
Greasy. These settled just over the
state line at q place then called
Keith" Greesy's wife was an Eng
fish woman, whose first name was
Minnie" and her husband had the
name of the town changed to Mingus
Vile; using the first. names of his
wife and his own. Greasy went back
to France in 1886. Wibaux remain
ed and again had the name Of. the
town changed to the, one 1t now. has
Wibaux. MI. Wibaux lately died and
in his will directed that his body. DC
buried at Wibaux. / am not aware II
his. wishes have been carried out.
The Eaton brothers at one time
managed, and partly owned, three
ranches. The first of these to come
was Howard, who came as early as
1879. These brothers came from
Pittsburgh, Pa. They sold out here
about nine years ago, and are now
located on Wolf creek, Montana.
A. c. Huidek0oper of Meadville.
Pa, was one OF those who early Ell
gagged in; the ranching,, business own,
ing at one time as, many as; 5000
head Of horses. After. the land was
surveyed he made extensive pur.
chases Of land, which he afterwards
sold to a man named ,Pabst Of Nil.
waukee. Did anyone In North Ds
kota ever hear of the name Of Pabst?
! have mentioned, the name of Cor.
ringe. This man came to the Little
Missouri either in the fall of 1882 or
the spring Of 1883. With him came
Sir John Pinder of Ireland and from
some correspondence recently in my
hands, l am led to believe that tie
Duke Of Sutherland had interests
here, though l don t believe lie was
ever on the ground.
These men organized q company
and purchased the military canton
ment buildings when they were aban
doned by the troops. They had great
expectations; intended operating
stores and doing Q general trading
business; besides handling stock On
u large scale. + think. all the com
pany lacked was money. and that
they tried to secure from dcMorps
and failed. They did sell some stock.
for a few years since i received II
letter from a New York attorney ask.
ing the value of some of, the stock.
which had been found among the ef
fects Of u client,dcccased. fe
The buildings were abandoned;
the company disappeared and the
buildings were sold In 1887. to salts
fy q debt for labor. u,.s. 49,
Gorringe was at the time | an
writing of, one of the best known
men in the United States. He had
been successful in bringing an ODE
lisk. from Alexandria 10 New York,
it 10Y is, in Central Park. If
Of my readers visits New
York. let me ask them to visit this
obcltsk, and, while loukiug ut it. to
think for a moment what a wonderful
1t could tell If it had the pow.
pr OF speech. II 1. am not mistaken
It was first set UP in HeliopOlis, call
ed "Pira' by the Egyptians, meaning
CITY of tho Sun" the same as Hell.
opolis does in Greek. This was. 4
small but sacred city; an old city,
very old city: old before Abraham
was born. While Hellopolis is al
most . forgotten, beliefs which orig
mated there have to this day a csr.
tain influence on the religious
Of the Christian world.
Sir joan Pinder started a stock
ranch. 50 miles up the river, at a
place now. called Yulc, aud brought
from Ireland, as manager. (;regor
Lang. Laug was a Scotchmah and