Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-08-21
Pioneers Elect Joe Larson,
Deer Lodge Man, President

The Society of Montana Pioneers.
at its 58th convention, in Helena
elected Joe Larson of Deer Lodge as
president to succeed Mary Evans of
Anaconda, and the Society of Sons and
Daughters of Montana Pioneers named
Phil Greenan Of Great Falls to sue
coed Lester H. Lobe of Helena as
president
Mrs Augusta Trask of Deer Lodge,
former president of the senior society,
was named vice president for the
coming year. James E. Norris Of Hell
ena was reelected secretary and Jen-
ME Ennis Chowning Of Ennis was re-
elected treasurer.
Because of war conditions, the pio-
neers decided not to set a definite
date for their next convention but
tentatively named Great Falls as the
next convention site.
The junior society reelected John
L. Evans of Judith Gap, vice president,
Mrs. Cecilia Dick of MiSsoula, secre-
tary, and Victor N. Kessler of Helena,
treasurer.
Mrs. Mary Walton of Deer Lodge,
John Miller of Helmville and Will
Orion Of Butte were named members
Of the executive committee of the So
Clety OF Montana Pioneers.
The Sons and Daughters elected w.
c. Bardon of Helena as a member of
the board Of trustees for three-year
term: Mrs. F. j. Bissonette Of Deer
Lodge for two-year term, and May
Bruneau of Cascade for a one-year
term.
Larson, the new president of the
senior society, was born in Deer Lodge
March 81, 1866. His mother drove
three yoke Of cattle over the plains
to Deer Lodge in 1868. He said he
owned the last bull team in Montana.
To be eligible to the Pioneers So
ciety, person must have arrived in
the Montana territory before midnight
of Dec. 81, 1868.
A delightful, eXtemporaneous talk
was given by Judge Lew L. Galloway
of Helena, Montana resident since
few years after 1868. and a former
justice of the Montana supreme court.
Judge Galloway was honored by the
pioneers at their convention in Mis-
soula last year, when they made him
an honorary member of their society.
In his talk he related tragic and
comic episodes of the early days, and
recounted historical facts that con-
Montana territory in the 1860s and
187Os.
Later, the visitors adjourned to the
Pioneer cabin at Pioneer park for in
formal reminiscing. There they saw
an exquisite display of pictures of old
Helena mansions, and a highly inter-
esting and thoroughly authentic COL
lection of house furnishings, books,
doo-dads and what-nots, few guns,
old lamps, some old firefighting equip
ment and splendid collection OF old
dishes. Mrs. J. E. Erickson provided
an exhibit of photographs OF mansions
of former governors, which attracted
great deal of attention.
One of the Oldest pioneers, in point
of residence in the state, who visited
the cabin was Mrs. Cyrus Nelson, who
has lived on the Nelson ranch near
Helena for so years. She is the daugh-
ter of Mr.. and Mrs. Robert Smith,
who came to Virginia City by OK team,
arriving May g. 1864. Mrs. Nelson was
then only months old, but she re-
called being told Of the trip, through
which the family kept a herd of COWS
for milk. The Indians were bad then,
too, she said, and every night the
wagon train formed a circle, stacking
barricade of flour and other OBJ
stacles for protection, and keeping the
COWS and other livestock in the center.
The Pioneer cabin was built in 1868,
and was occupied for some time by
the Gilpatrick family. For years it