The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-10-24
Passes Away
After 46Y ears
In The West
Mrs. Adell Rogers Crossed
Plains in 1889LComes
to Libby in 1898.
LIVED THROUGH
STIRRING TIMES

The final chapter was closed in tn
life of another real pioneer of the ives
in the death of Mrs. Adell B. Roger!
who passed away Tuesday afternoon a
the home of her daughter, Mrs. W.
collars, in Libby. Funeral service
were held from the First Presbyterian
church this afternoon with the Rev
R. w. Orr officiating and burial wa
in the Libby cemetery.
Mrs Rogers lived through those stir.
ring times that saw much of the settle
ment of the west, having come acros
the plains in 1889 In the spring 0
that year Mrs. Rogers health was il
critical condition in her Wisconsin
home and according to doctors advic,
her only hope lay in an outdoor life
and an entire change of climate. Fol
this reason the family started for Ore
gon travelling in covered wagons witt
Mrs. Rogers lying on a pallet on spring.
IN the bed of wagon, with a little
Norwegian girl II years old to help hel
care for the four children, the youngest
of which was only six months old.
In the caravan also were two of Mr.
Rogers brothers and a neighhor Mr.
Bryant and his family. A herd of stock
was driven. They never Travelled or
the Sabbath day but halted on Satur-
day to do extra work in preparation
for the day Of rest.
Nine long weeks of travel through
new country brought them from Clear
Lake, Wis, to the Milk river country
in Montana where they located home
steads near Harlem and endured
through two hard years. The second
winter being SO severe that the home
steaders decided to push on west. It
is related that In the spring the prairie
was dotted with hundreds of famished
and frozen Indian cattle AT this time
the party was joined by nephew OF
Brigham Young, with his family, who
wished to travel with them.
In Mrs. Rogers diary she tells of the
journey which was over the Great
Northern right-of through Chi
nook to Havre, and on May LIST of
driving through a binding snow
storm to Fort Assinaboine, from there
to Big Sandy, and through the Sweet
grass hills to catch their first glimpse
of the Rockies, and then of their ar
rival at the Canvas City" of Cut Bank
and their dread Of crossing the white
capped mountains of which she writes,
They tell us Of terrible roads, with
stumps, mud up to the hubs, high
water, and no feed for SO miles"
There is mention Of game, muledeer,
moose and fish, and accounts of travel
ling in high wind and rain, sleet and
snow, and of being obliged sometimes
to camp at night without wood or
water; Of carrying wood with them for
four days use; of losing the trail and
having to retrace, of two miles Of
corduroy roads, Of passing through
deep swift water and of roads SO rocky
and dangerous that only four miles
day could be made. Mrs. Rogers
health had gradually improved and
now she drove one of the teams part of
the time.
Finally crossing the summit they
reached McCarthysville, and when Is
miles west made camp in deep can
yon, beside fine spring, amid heavy
timber.
The men took a tie contract and all
stayed for some time.
They learned the sad news that Mrs.
Rogers elder brother, who, with other
young men, had gone ahead with the
herd of stock into the Flathead country,
had died Of pneumonia.
One Of the boys of the Bryant fam-
" becoming injured, that family
started back east
The Rogers family continued west to
a lake a few miles out from Kalispell
that is now called Rogers lake where
for four years they had stock ranch.
Removing to Kalispell, they stayed
there about two years, spent the next
two years at Kootenai Falls and finally
settled in Libby in 1898, where they
have since made their home. Mr..
Rogers passed away in 1910. Mrs.
Rogers fine Christian character is. we'll
known. She was ever interested in
the good Of the community and worked
for its betterment. For
many years she was prominent in the
work of the Presbyterian church. She
was one of the Librarians of the first
library IN Libby She was past
noble grand of the Rebekah lodge.
AdeH Bertha Robinson was horn in
Plainview, Mimi, Jan. "a, 1861. In
1879 she was united in marriage to
Charles B. Rogers at Clear Lake. Wis
She passed away, after long illness,
at the home Of her daughter, Mrs. w
G. collars Of this city on Oct. %, 1895
She is survived by two sons, Perry
Rogers and Ivan Rogers and by three
Mrs Walter collars. Mrs.
M. A. Shanahan and Mrs. AL. Hammel,
all of Libby, also by 10 grandchildren
and seven great-grand children.
Mrs. Gladys Bergen was in Libby