Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-08-20

with the passing Of Joseph HI.
Proctor, cOlOred, Of Rosebud county,
the thinning ranks of the early
pioneers of that section of Mon
tana were further depleted. Mr..
Proctor passed away at the Rose
bud Memorial hospital In Forsyth
after an illness of only two or
three days. He was admitted to the
hospital the evening previous and
his family and friends were not
aware Of the fact that he was
seriously ILL.,
Joseph Proctor, Familiarity known ia
his friends as Proc" was born in
slavery and upon his emancipation he
began life as cowboy. Little is known
of his early life except that he was
born in Texas and spent his first Is
years on a cotton plantation. Unable
himself to definitely fix his age he re-
called on numerous occasions that he
must have been about IA or Is years OF
age at the close Of the Civil war. AS
near as can be determined, at the time
of his death he was IS or 88 years OF
age. He distinctly remembered that his
master in releasing all of his slaves
gave each q sack Of corn completely
depicting his own stores.
Takes Herder's Job
With his full emancipation, Mr..
Proctor became the recipient Of his
masters generosity and Immediately
set out to find employment. his first
lob was that of a herder and later
he gained employment with one OF the
larger cattle outfits. For a time he
worked for the Ogallagh spread and
later, probably In the year 1875, he
came to Wyoming with one Of the late
Matt MUrphy's trail herds.
Shortly after the Custer battle Mr..
Proctor returned to Texas to accom-
pany another large Murphy herd to-
wyoming and when the Murphy Cattle
Co. moved to the Crow reservation in
Montana he was transferred to the new
range as one of the top COW hands.
There Proc" remained for many years
and when the Murphys closed out-he
started work for the Flying outfit
then owned by the late G. j. Hysham.
Worked on Range
When the late Red" Carolan be-
came range foreman of the famed FUF
horse outfit Proc decided to cast his
lot with that concern and he remained
in Mr.. Carolans employ from 1885 until
He was married in the fall of 1901
to Elizabeth M. McHarg at Forsyth
and to this union two daughters were
born. Martha and Sarah, who with the
mother, reside at their ranch near the
head Of the east fork of Reservation |
creek in Rosebud county, where the
family has lived since 1881.
Though of q different race, the toler-
ant, generous-minded folk OF the west
accorded the late Mr.. Proctor every I
and courtesy and ms
kindly disposition and gentlemanly
traits of character served to implant
In the minds of all who knew him that
their confidence in, and esteem for, him
were never misplaced.
Possessed of q pleasing, genial per-
sonality, and keen sense OF humor,
proc" became q friend to all who knew
him and his innate honesty and fair
ness in all his dealings with his fellow
men gained for him an enviable repu-
tation as a loyal and sincere friend and
q splendid citizen.
Modest in his personal ambitions Joe
Proctor never sought, II indeed he did
not shun, distinction outside Of his
chosen work. He lived and labored for
MS family and friends with the same
rervor in adversely as in affluencei
without complaint or unwarranted
criticism.
Blessed with the stoicism of the old
vest Proc" stood four-square for even
handed justice toward all mankind.
The complacency of his character be-
spoke the benevolence Of his heart and
With kindness and candor he smoothed
he roughened places in others lives.
IF him il may well be said that he
'trod the path which honor's voice or
iained ne should follow"
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