Great Falls daily tribune., 1920-05-09
DEATH COMES T0N|AN
Mo HELPED BUILD
STATE Of MONTANA
A. B. Hamilton, a Frontiersnan
Of 1863, Ends Busy Life at
Reservation Home.
pecial to the Daily Tribune.

Special to the Daily Tribune.
Browning, May S.-A. +. Hamilton,
one of the Oldest Of the Montana pio-
neers, died suddenly Tuesday morning
at the home of his daughter. Mrs. w.
NJ. Clark, on Cut Bank creek. aged 81
years, and was buried Thursday in the
Br0wning cemetery under the auspices
Of the Odd Fellows and Masonic lodges,
the funeral services at the Methodist
church being conducted by the Rev. a.
w. Hammer and the Odd Fellows, while
the Masons conducted the ceremonies
at the cemetery. The deceased is sur
vived by two daughters Mrs. W. NJ. Clark
Of Browning and Mrs. NJ. f. Brown OF
Tacoma. Wash
Mr. HamiltOn's name is so closely con-
nected with the history of Montana that
IL is almost impossible to write of one
without writing of the other. Born in
New Haven, Conn. he moved west SOON
after reaching his majority. finally ar
riving at Westport. Mo-. where ne re-
sided for short time. Leaving there.
he went to Colorado. but did not linger
there very long and soon came to Mon
tana, arrivin:; i'll the state in 1863.
In 1854 he was appointed constable
at Virginia City. when this state was
still a part of the territory of Idaho.
He served five or six terms in the ter
ritorial assembly and state legislature.
was the first sheriff of Chouteau county
when that county consisted of practi-
cally all of Northern Montana from the
Rocky mountains to a point within 2
few miles Of what is now the town OF
Malta: was county assessor, county COM
missioner and held numerous other pub
lie offices of trust and honor.
He it was, in conjunction with Joe
Kim and Johnny Healy, who first went
into Canada and broke mp the Hudson
Bay company's fuV and Grading mo-
nopoly, building Fort Whoop-up while SO
engaged, later retiring from that posi-
ton, as the red coats did not seem to
appreciate Yankee ingenuity or trading
ability. >,
TX later years he was interested with
the /. G. Baker company. one OF the old
time Montana trading concerns. but sew
cred his connection with them. and going
to Choteau. he and I. N. Hazlett laid
out that town and started trading
post there.
It seems that in going over his his
tory, that he has been all over Montana,
always busy and always doing his ut1
most to make the state civilized COM
munity, but at all times being on the
border of civilization. After disposIng OF
his trading interests at Chotcau. he as
GlSCe0 IN Jne IOFiudLlUu W IeloA No"A'
and was chosen as one Of the first OF
the new county's officials.
Later he moved to Browning. where
he again established a trading post and
began the building up Of a stock ranch,
but the wanderlust was in him and he
soon was on his way to Alaska, where
he and Johnny Healy began to repeat
their story in Montana. Trading posts
among the Indians and the gold miners
Of Alaska were established in that far
northern country. He was now an old
man and thinking, to- end his life in peace
and comfort with the members of his
family, disposed Of his interests in
Alaska after few yeafs' residence
there and moved back into civilization,
spending his days with his two daugh-
ters in Tacoma, Wash, and Browning,
His death at this time is loss to the
entire state. He came here before the
state was formed took a very active in
terest in the formation and the govern
ing Of the new state, saw it grow not
only in population but also in wealth
md honor. His life has spanned the day
of the prospector and the present time.