Gasper F. Deletraz
History of the State of Montana, by Joaquim Miller, 1894 
USGENWEB Montana Archives,maintained by burns@asu.edu

Gasper F. Deletraz, who has been a resident of Montana 
since 1864, is now a respected citizen of Fort Benton. 
He has had a remarkable career. 

He was born May 11, 1824 in Annecy France, is of Spanish 
descent, received his education in his native country and 
learned the trade of cook. He arrived in San Francisco in 
January 7, 1851, and followed his trade for six months in 
Sacramento, being paid $300 a month. While in San Francisco 
he went one evening to visit a friend of his father, and on 
returning late at night he was attacked by a ferocious 
bulldog and badly bitten, and in 
consequence was laid up a number of months in a hospital. 
This institution was such a neglected, filthy place that he 
narrowly escaped death, nearly every day someone died there. 
Finally he made the doctor understand that he would die if 
he did not get more nourishment. The doctor then furnished 
him a quart of porter and in this way 
he got "strength" enough to "get out of" that place. Finding 
his father's friend again he told him his trouble, and with 
his assistance he obtained a place as cook in a private 
family at San Pablo, where the head of the family, 
a Spaniard, had two beautiful daughters, one of whom 
brought him daily the orders what to cook for the 
different meals. She was a lovely girl and Mr. 
Deletraz was young and smart and they fell in love 
with each other. When she came to see him he occasionally 
gave her a kiss. But one evening her father discovered 
the courtship and the next two days she did nnot come 
to give the usual cooking orders. In the afternoon of 
the second day, Mr. Deletraz noticed her sitting in a 
second story window, and she threw him a kiss, and he 
returned it. But then he thought that the beautiful 
girl was imprisoned on his account, he felt bad and 
resolved to leave. Accordingly, he gave notice to the 
manager to tell the proprietors to look for another 
cook. The lady asked, "What does he want to leave 
for? He is a good cook; let him stay." Mr. Deletraz 
then made the mistake of his life by saying that he 
would not stay at any wages. 

But our subject had another narrow escape. He considered 
himself a good equestrian, but one day he was given a 
stupid-looking horse to ride, which went very slow at 
first and then suddenly started up and ran off at a 
high speed. In doing so he ran so close to a tree that 
Mr. Deletraz fell off and was badly crushed. He was then 
laid up for three months. 

After this he went to Sisiyou County, California, where 
he had a good prospect; but the work proved too hard for 
him and he filled the position of cook in the La Fayette 
Hotel for six years. He finally ran the institution and 
did a large business; but one day, when he had it stocked 
full of provisions, a fire consumed it and he lost all he 
had made. 

Then he returned to Yreka and was employed in the Empire 
Restaurant until the breaking out of the Fraser River 
excitement, when he repaired to its source, but only to 
find everything a failure there. He then sold his property 
at Yreka and went to Salem Oregon and started the first 
soda water manufactory in that country, in which he was 
successful making some money. He purchased eighty acres 
of land in Linn County, Oregon and 
raised fruit and supplied the people of the Willamette 
Valley with soda water. In the winter of 1861-62, the 
great flood came and carried off his horses and 1,800 
bushels of wheat and devastated the whole place; and he 
was broken up again. In this calamity he lost thirteen 
horses; in fact, all that was left consisted of two good 
horses and a wagon, which happened to be not on the place 
at the time of the flood. With this meager outfit, and 
almost heartbroken, he went to Walla Walla where the 
first winter proved a hard one and it required all he 
could make to support himself and a team. In the spring 
he sold the horses and wagon for $700 and started alone, 
without even a blanket, and walked to Lewiston--a journey 
of 87 miles, sleeping by a fire at night. When he reached 
Snake River he was very thirsty and drank too much water, 
resulting in giving him a fever, which laid him up for a 
long time. A would-be doctor dosed him with a course of 
medicine, either to "cure or Kill" and the patient was at 
one time unconscious for three days. He was picked up by 
men whothought him almost dead, and laid on a higher piece 
of ground, as the water was rising in the river. He, at 
length, recovered, and soon afterward he had the good 
fortune to make a discovery that led to the arrest of 
the murderers of Magruder. They were followed to San 
Francisco, arrested, brought back, convicted and executed. 

Next Mr. Deletraz went to Salt Lake City, where he could 
have made a good start again could he have violated his 
conscious by becoming a Morman. He next walked to Cheyenne-
a distance of 800 miles--and was so worn out on arriving 
there that he was not able to endure the hard labor of the 
position he obtained more than a week--loading gravel. 
Then he started on foot for the fort in the Black Hills, 
lost his way, slept in hay stacks and finally reached Lake 
Ranch House, where many people were stopping. He asked for 
his breakfast, saying at the same time that he could not 
pay for it. Tey inquired of him what he could do, saying 
that their cook had been drunk for three days, and told him 
to cook his own breakfast. He did so, and bacon never tasted 
so good to him in his life as on that occasion. Learning that 
he could cook, they employed him in that capacity, for 
thirty-two to forty persons, and they had a cellar well 
stocked with everything they needed. There it was his 
custom to rise at 4:00 am and he had all his meals ready 
to the exact minute. 

It was a common exclamation among the guests, "What good 
meals you have here!". While there he once prepared a meal 
for General Gibbon and A. Porter, a banker at Denver, who 
both noticed Mr. Deletraz' work as a cook; and the latter 
went so far as to say to him, "if you will come to Denver 
we will build you a hotel and let you run it." Such was the 
way he pleased people who enjoyed the good meals at Lake 
Ranch House. At the end of six months he was paid $1,200 
and he proceeded to the fort where he became cook for the 
officers' club. Everywhere he went he did such excellent 
work that he was specially praised. Subsequently he went 
to the North Platte and started a restaurant, and did a 
good business there. 

When trade began to slacken he purchased mule and horse 
teams and wagons, loaded these with supplies, and started 
for Los Angeles, California. It was a long journey but he 
arrived there, set up his tent and served the people four 
weeks. After this he purchased a ranch of 160 acres on Kern 
River, took up 160 acres more, bouth 300 cows and began 
dairying. The cattle did well the first year but during 
the second the drouth came and everything was burned up. 
Grass and all the livestock perished, and Mr. Deletraz was 
attacked again with a severe fever till he thought he 
should die too. After taking quinine 36 days he became 
strong enough to get away from that place. 

Proceeding to San Francisco, he was told there that if 
he wanted to get well he must go to the Rocky Mountains. 
According he started for Helena Montana, but was fearfully 
sick on the journey. After recovering his health there he 
was employed for a year in the Pacific Hotel at $250 a 
month. Next he came to Fort Benton, where he spent his 
first night sleeping on a blanket. In the morning he 
looked at the beautiful Missouri as it rolled by in its 
majesty and prayed that if God would give him health he 
would make that vicinity his home. He worked eight 
months in the Overland Hotel, and then became cook 
for Hon. T.C. Power. 

From the window of the kitchen here he saw the beautiful 
tract of land directly in the rear of the town and he 
learned by investigation that it was Government land. 
He entered it, built a cabin upon it and soon afterward 
Fort Benton began to boom. Some parties endeavored to 
"jump" his land but he stuck to it, obtained his title 
from President Hayes and he made of it an addition to 
the town. He has sold $14,000 worth of lots, and has 
505 lots left. It is a most beautiful tract of land. 
Mr. Deletraz has also 160 acres of land in Teton, has 
a band of sheep, has erected a number of buildings in 
the city and has become one of the wealthy and 
influential men of the place. He is still enterprising, 
being willing to give a large bonus to any solid company 
that will build a line of railroad directly into the city. 

In 1881 he made a trip to his old home in Europe; and 
while there he desired to marry his cousin, Anetta 
Deletraz, a girl he had known since childhood; but 
his church, the Catholic, would not allow it unless 
he paid $1,600 for a "dispensation" to permit it. 
Being an American citizen, Mr. Deletraz asked the 
advice of the American consul there, who advised 
him to take his cousin to New York and be married 
there. This advice he followed, and he returned to 
Ft. Benton where he now enjoys the comforts of a beautiful
home, the premises being adorned with flowering 
plants of his own setting. 

In his early life Mr. Deletraz was a scientific billiard
player, but of course, his long sojourn in the wild West 
has prevented him from the enjoyment of the game. 

In 1855, in Oregon, he participated in the Indian War, 
in which 29 white men were killed. He suffered many severe 
exposures and had many narrow escapes; but no the thought 
of all his trials of the past only heightens his present joy. 

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