Ada-Bannock-Lincoln County ID Archives Biographies.....Church, Daniel W. 1858 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/id/idfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 12, 2010, 11:38 pm Source: See Below Author: S. J. Clarke (Publisher, 1920) DANIEL W. CHURCH, who has recently become connected with the state administration of Boise and who is well known in financial circles in Idaho as the president of the Bannock National Bank of Pocatello, was born upon a ranch near Mankato, Minnesota, October 18, 1858. His experiences have largely been those of the frontier, with later active connection with the upbuilding and development of the west. He remembers distinctly the famous Indian massacre which occurred near Mankato during his youth, when he saw thirty-eight of the Indians who were implicated hanged at that place. One of the settlers warned his father of the outbreak, so that Mr. Church with a yoke of oxen and a wagon moved his family from the ranch where they lived to an old-fashioned windmill, where they safely secreted themselves for the night, and the next day they moved on to Mankato, where they took up their permanent residence and lived in safety. General Sibley was in command of the military forces at the time, and after the thirty-eight Indians were executed, the remainder of the savages were removed to a reservation and this practically ended the Indian trouble in Minnesota. After leaving school in Mankato at the age of about sixteen years, Mr. Church entered a dry goods store as clerk and there remained until 1879, when he removed westward to Evanston, Wyoming, where he entered the employ of the Union Pacific Railroad as locomotive fireman, and in 1882 was promoted engineer. He became a resident of Portland, Oregon, and was with the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company as an engineer. He served in that connection until 1883, in which year he went by stage coach from Pendleton, Oregon, to Mountain Home, Idaho, and thence to Shoshone, Idaho. In the fall of the same year he entered the employ of the Oregon Short Line Railroad as an engineer under Master Mechanic Lewis and on the 19th of January, 1884, he pulled the first train from Caldwell to Weiser, which at that time was the terminus of the Oregon Short Line, the construction having been continued only to that point. On the following morning after reaching Weiser and when starting upon the return trip with a mixed train, his train was ditched, caused by the breaking of a switch rod, and the rear part of the train was wrecked. No one was injured, but the accident occasioned Mr. Church the loss of his position. On the 1st of September, 1884, Mr. Church went to Fargo. North Dakota, and accepted a position in the railroad shops but finally went to work again as an engineer on the Northern Pacific. About the 1st of November of the same year he again lost his job and returned to Shoshone to the home of his parents, where he spent the winter. In the spring of 1886 he went to work in the shops of the Oregon Short Line Railroad at Shoshone and in a short time became a fireman on a locomotive, while in the fall of the same year he was returned to the position of engineer. Thus he continued until December 1, 1889. In the spring of that year he turned his attention to the clothing business in connection with George North of Pocatello but continued on the railroad, however, for a time, while his partner conducted the clothing store. On the 1st of December, however, he entered the store as an active partner in the business. The day has ever been a memorable one to him, for on that day occurred one of the most terrific blizzards that has ever figured in the history of Idaho. On the 1st of January, 1895, Mr. Church sold his interest in the store to Mr. North but retained the ownership of the building. He then engaged in the butchering business with Daniel Swinehart, with whom he continued for a year, when he sold out to Sell & Reuss. Mr. Church has always been more or less deeply and actively interested in politics and in April, 1896, became a candidate for the office of mayor of Pocatello on the republican ticket but was defeated. On the 1st of May he purchased the real estate business of Edward Stein and afterward became associated with Earl C. White of Pocatello and in 1907 sold his interest in the business to his partner. In July of that year he became the cashier of the Bannock National Bank, with which he was thus connected until January 21, 1918, when he became its president. He owns a farm in the Fort Hall irrigation project and is likewise a half owner in the magnificent building on the east side of Pocatello, known as the Church & White block. Associated with Mr. North and Mr. Swinehart, he built the first brick building in Pocatello in 1891 and he and Mr. North moved their clothing stock into this building in 1892. On the 17th of April, 1894, Mr. Church was married to Miss Chloe Ramsey, of Portland, Michigan, and they have become parents of four children: Mabel Minerva; Daniel Whipple, Jr., twenty-one years of age, who is now in France with the Medical Department; Arthur Ramsey, who is sixteen years of age and is attending school in Pocatello; and Bertha Luanda, a student in the Pocatello high school. In public affairs and in the social and fraternal life of Pocatello and other sections of the state Mr. Church is widely known. He is a Mason, which order he joined in 1888 in Shoshone, belonging to the blue lodge, chapter and commandery, and he is also connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. It was Mr. Church who organized the Elks lodge in Pocatello in 1901. He is a member of the Rotary Club, also of the Commercial Club and the Shriners Club. In politics he has ever been an earnest republican and in 1909 he was elected as mayor of Pocatello, serving for a two years' term. He also became a member of the first board of trustees. For five years he was a member of the city council, also served on the school board and in 1898 was elected to represent his district in the state senate. In 1912 he acted as county chairman of the republican central committee and he was chairman of the second, third and fourth Liberty Loan committees in Pocatello. Mr. Church was made the toastmaster of the Commercial Club at the dedication of the Oregon Short Line depot here and made the occasion a memorable one with all the old-timers by his ever ready humor, recalling many incidents of the past which only he among the old-timers was able to relate. He is considered one of the best story tellers and after-dinner speakers in Idaho and his presence at any public entertainment always assures a good time. His popularity is proverbial among all classes. He is a gentleman of the old school and has had a wide and varied experience in western life such as would be impossible to anyone born in the present generation. He possesses a remarkable memory for dates and incidents and was personally acquainted with many of the historical characters of early western life. He is considered one of Pocatello's most enterprising and progressive business men, where he is known to his many friends as "Dan." He has recently entered upon active connection with the interests of Boise as a member of the present administration of state affairs and those who know Daniel W. Church feel that Idaho is most fortunate in gaining his services in this connection. Additional Comments: Extracted from: IDAHO DELUXE SUPPLEMENT CHICAGO THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1920 Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/id/ada/photos/bios/church89nbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/id/ada/bios/church89nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/idfiles/ File size: 8.0 Kb