The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1917-02-02
ClBSON'S
HOPES REALIZED
PREDICTED YEARS AGO THAT
STATE COULD SUPPORT BIG
INSURANCE COMPANY.

CaI1Hlu& anu VOCeSaW
Development Of Montana Has Won
Another Triumph With Growth of
Rocky Mountain Fire Company.
1t has not been the lot of many
men who have fathered great ideas
to live to see their hopes realized or
on the eve of realization, but such
has been the good fortune of Paris
Gibson, "the man who looked ahead"
Years ago Senator Gibson declared
to incredulous representatives Of
the ~stockraising and mining interests
then dominant that Montana was
destined to become the greatest agri-
cultural state in the union. There
are few who al doubt today that
this is coming to pass. Senator Glib
son was also one of the pioneer ad-
vocates of dry farming in the days
when it was laughed to scorn along
with equal suffrage and other ''hob-
bies."
In his earlier days the senator
lived in the Twin Cities and he con-
structed the first flour mill in Min
neapolis. When Paris Gibson came
to Montana he al the first to con-
ceive the manufacturing possibilities
in the falls of the Missouri and in the
other leaping water courses of the
state. Before many years, he was
wont to aver, Montana would not
only be among the great wheat pro-
ducing states of the union, but its
cities would acquire reputation as
milling centers, producing flour
equal in quality to the nations best.
The figures issued recently by the
chief grain inspector at Helena show
this dream, too, is rapidly approach
ing realization.
Shade of Alexander Annoyed.
The rise of the city of Great Falls,
founded by Senator Gibson, to Sec
ond place among the cities of Mon
tana, is another of the dreams come
true. Herein the senator may be
supposed to have aroused the envy
of the shade of Alexander the Great,
who founded the city of Alexandria.
the grain emporium of Egypt, for no
Great Falls man or m can be
found who will admit that Alexan-
dria, which reposes alongside the
sleepy Nile, has anything on Great
Falls, the speedy mate OF the swift
Missouri.
And in this city founded by the
senator are the head offices of yet
another of the senator's dreams, now
a healthy and fast growing reality.
This is a great insurance company
n of the largest in the northwest
established with Montana capital but
already, within six years of it's in
corporation and four years since it
began to write policies, doing bust
ness in five states. This is the Rocky
Mountain Fire Insurance company, of
which Paris Gibson was the first
president, and of which he has be-
come the chief officer. The volume
of this company's business has in
creased nearly 100000 within the
past year. Senator Gibson's conf
dence in the opportunity in Montana
for a home insurance company was
inspired largely by what he had OBJ
served of the fortunes of the St. Paul
Fire and Marine Insurance company,
which was reOrganized in the early
sixties while he was yet a resident
of Minnesota. At that time Mime
sofa had a population of less than
10000, but today the st. Paul Fire
and Marine is one of the big COM
pdIlcS VI Tue Wcot.
Hail Insurance Feature.
While the Rocky Mountain is
known as a fire insurance company,
a large share of it's business
is in hail insurance. In fact, during
the past year the hail insurance paid
out far exceeded the indemnity for
fire losses.
Stockholders of the company are
to be found in every part of the state
and they include a number of the
states foremost citizens. Among
them are Senator T. J. Walsh; w. l.,
Holloway, associate Justice of the SUI
preme court, a director in 1915 and
1916; C. E. Sprinkle, of Chinook,
one of the w%ealthiest sheepgrowers
in the northern part of the state; b.
f. Lepper Of Flatwillow, Fergus
county; Dr.. j. NJ. Scanland, superin-
tendent of the state hospital for the
insane at Warm Springs; John w.
Blair, president of John w. Blair &
Co., bankers of Helmville, Powell
county; Martin Barrett, pioneer
ranchmen of Dillon; Dan Tewey,
formerly of Butte, now of Race
Track, Powell county, pioneer hotel
man; w. r. Worthington of Glen
dive, interested in a chain of stores
throughout the state; George M.
Cox, president of the Commercial
National bank at Bozeman; w. N.
Smith, manager of the Montana
Flour Mills company; J.. C. Gregory,