The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-12-02
ACTIVITIES OF
R. B. HARRISON
RECENT MARRIAGE RECALLS HIS
CAREER IN STATE
80 YEARS AGO.
Founded the Helena Daily Journal
and Brought Lemuel Eli Quigg u
to Edit it.; Used First Mergantah-
r Brought to State! Big Cattle
Failure.

ers Brought to State! Big Catfl
Failure.
The recent marriage of Miss Eliza
beth Harrison, a oma member o
i. the New York bar, and a member o
that Harrison family which has fur
nished the United States with TIVE
presidents, to James Blaine Walke'
of Helena, a nephew of the lat
: James G.. Blaine, recalls the activ1t
2 les of Russell B. Harrison in thu
state.
Thirty years ago Russell B. Harri
son was one of the outstanding fig
ures of Montana. He was the sol
of Benjamin Harrison, twenty thiro
president of the United States, anc
the great grandson of William Har'
rison, that general of Indian wars
who served as president in ante bel
lum days.
Young Russell Harrison came tc
Montana from Indiana about 35
years g and devoted his energies
to the development of the states re-
sources for a decade or more. He
was the publisher of the Helena
| 1d1ly JOuI ndis tuC lllOk hCW oPdPOA 80
the state and the fourth in the United
States to make use of the Morgan
tha1er ~typesetting machine. Mr..
Harrison, came here with a long
purse and much energy and proceed
ed to make a newspaper. He
brought with him from New York, as
editor of the Journal, Lemuel Eli
Quigg, who afterwards became pro-
minent in national politics. He pub
lished a great newspaper but was too
early, and in the course of a few
years is said to have dropped several
thousand dollars in the venture.
Mr.. Harrison had great faith In
the possibilities of the state, and be-
cause of the name and standing of
his family in Indianapolis, experience
ed but little difficulty in interesting
capital in his various schemes.
Old time cattlemen will recall the
failure of the North Montana Cattle
company, one of Russell B. Harison's
Montana undertakings. The end of
this company was marked by the re-
cording of the largest judgment ever
entered in a Montana court in con-
nection with the live stock industry,
and which was the result of a suit
instituted by the Farmers Trust
company against the Harrison COM
pany, to foreclose a mortgage for
the sum of $75O,0O0. The mort
gage was on a large number of cattle
and horses and several thousand
acres of land, including what is now
the Sun River park belonging to the
city of Great Falls and located a
couple of miles up the Sun river
from the west limits of hat city.
Judgment was finally entered for
s877,750 and a fee of $4,000 was
allowed by the court to Chumasero
G. M~cCutcheon, of Helena, attorneys
for the plaintiff. The cattle were
ordered rounded up the following
summer, the property meanwhile to
remain in the possession of a receiv-
er.
In 1899 there was practically no
rainfall in Montana, the drouth be-
ing very disastrous. In the noun
tains to the west forest fires broke
out very early in the year and, for
weeks in the summer, it was almost
to see acros the street IN
Great Falls.
The roundup was begun while the
atmosphere was in this condition and
the cowboys found it almost impos'
sible to work. They covered the
range as thoroughly as possible, and
the cattle which they secured were
sold at the low price of $3.50 per
head. At the anne time the brands
Of the company were sold, and with
them went the ownership of all cat
tie on the range which bore any OF
those brands. The brands were pur-
chased by a man who was afterward
.ne OF the leading ~stockgrowers OF
the state. In the fall, after the
smoke cleared away and another /;
roundup had been made, it was
found that there were more cattle
the range bearing the companys
brands than had been rounded up.
The mortgage also covered about
2 1000 head of horses, including 700 t
brood mares and some of the finest I
in that section. At that I
line horses we're valuable, but when t
he day for the public sale of the i
lorses came, about 26 head OF the c
old buzzard-heads In the T
punch we're trotted out as samples
Ind the whole bunch went at the re-
narkably low price of about S8.7O +
,er head. s
At the same time the lands cover S
ID by the mortgage were sold, IN t
that tract on the Sun river t
low one of the city parks of Great a
falls. This was the home ranch OF g
he company where were kept the 6
mares and stations.
After the property had all been S
old it was found there was a great Il
efficiency and about the only men A
Tho profited by the transaction were ]
he buyer of the horses, the buyer v
f the brands and the attorneys Tor I
he plaintiff. U
Montana University Men Win r.
Annanu tho cuncaaofuI candidaIeS