The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1941-04-03
Life OF
Pioneer
Was Co|orfu|
Came to West During
Mining Boom; Was
County's First Sheriff.
MURDER CASE, BANK
ROBBERY DURING TERN

With the passing OF M. A. Shan
ahan last week, Libby loses one ~
its outstanding pioneers whose HI
was closely linked with the coIoU-
full years of the city's early history
Mr.. Shanahan came into THU
country from the Flathead valley
in 1895 to prospect the backbone q
the Cabinets. It was at this tinG
that he and Ed Micheaud, John CO.
well, Bill Murray and Sam Ratekfn
as partners located the St. Paul
prospect. He was soon employed ut
the Snowshoe mine, where he
worked for some time.
Although his occupation might be-
called prosaic, adventure and en-
citement ever skirted his pathway
While at the Snowshoe, he saw
the fine virgin stand of timber
burned out of the gulch by a fire.
that got away from the cook when
he attempted to burn some spoiled
beef back of the cook house.
Later Mr.. Shanahan worked on
the steamship Gwendolyn, running
between Jennings and Fort SteelG.,
~ " GILL Wdo VII OOd1u WIlEA A1&
ship hit rock just below the ca1-
yon above Jennings and was wreck
ed, never to sail again.
He worked two years in the Butte
mines during the war of the copper
barons' and also at Basin, Mont
and in the Occur d'Alenes, Idaho.
When Lincoln county was organ
lied he was working on prospect
in the mountains and only heard
OF his appointment as sheriff when
he arrived in town. He was in
stalled in office July l, 1909 and
soon had Libby's first bank rob-
berry to solve. One Of the banditx
was captured and sent to the pez1i~
tertiary.
The famous Vera Prosser murder
case also came during his term OF
office. This was the case in which
the woman was charged with muir
dering her man companion while
enroute on Great Northern pas
senger train, the alleged murder
having taken place while the train
was within the Libby railroad yards.
The woman was acquitted.
Mr.. Shanahan's preferred occupa-
ton was that of steam engineer and.
he worked at that for many years.
for the Dawson Lumber Company.
then for the Shevlin Company, and
later in that and other capacities
for the j. Neils Lumber Company
at Libby. He was also engineer, at
times, for the Diamond Match Com
pany at Diamond City and Cusick,
Wash.
Michael Alexander Shanahan was
born in Minister, Carlton County.
Ontario, Canada, August 20, 1866.
AS young man he was an apprent-
ice timber Trainer. While a member
OF the police force at Montreal news
OF the mining boom started him
west in 1889 and entering the United
States by way of Lethbridge he
worked as night Waterman and on
the roundhouse construction crew
for the railroad company at Havre.
Coming on west, he struck the Flat
head valley during the period
known among the old timers as 'the
hard years. and made a living al
various occupations until '95 when
he moved on to Libby, which was
home to him from then on and
whose encircling mountains he al
ways loved SO we'll
Ever genial with an interesting
outlook on life, Mike" made friends
long remembered. His narratives oil
people and events were made vivic
by his telling.
On October 6, 1908, he was mar
ried to Cylde r. Rogers.
Surviving him are his widow anc
!: four children: Ward P. Shanahar
OF Miles City, Wayne I. Shanahar
of Libby, Mrs. Ruth Van Faasen o,
Fort Peck, Mont, and Private
Charles Michael Shanahan Of For
William Davis, Panama Canal Zone
and two grandchildren.
Funeral services held Thursday
March 81, from St. Joseph's Catho-
lis church were largely attended
Interment was in the Libby GENE
terry.