Joseph McKay
History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894
USGENWEB Montana Archives
May be copied for non-profit purposes.

Joseph R. McKay, Representative to the Legislature from 
Custer County, was elected on the Republican ticket in the 
autumn of 1892.He was born near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 
in the town of Morewood, in 1850, a son of Alexander and 
Elizabeth(Robinson) McKay, his father an extensive 
lumberman. In the family were five children, four 
sons and one daughter,James one of the sons, is a 
prominent physician in New York; another son holds a 
Government position in the Indian Department.Joseph, 
of this sketch, grew to manhood in business with his 
father, attending an educational institution at Ottawa 
and graduated at a business college in that city. When 
of age he engaged in the lumber trade and in mercantile
business at River Desert, in the province of Quebec, 
having previously started in business in his native 
town. Later he engaged with the largest and best known 
lumber firm in the dominion--the Hamilton Brothers, 
whose mills were at Hawkesbury and yards at Quebec 
and was with them ten years. Then he made a tour 
through Canada northwestwardand through the west and 
northwest Territories of the United States seeking a 
favorable locality for settlement and decided finally 
that the Yellowstone Valley offered the greatest 
inducements.Selecting a fine tract of land on Tongue 
River, twenty miles from Miles City, he engaged in 
raising live-stock, in 1885, the stock consisting of 
cattle and horses and among the latter a number of 
fine Shetland ponies from England, besides saddle and 
trotting horses.Having had experience in many 
features of trade, he decided that the protective 
system offered the best opportunity for labor to 
receive nearest a just reward. Accordingly he 
allied himself with the Republican party.In 1893 
he married Mary Southmayd, daughter of O.A. 
Southmayd, of Helena Montana, who is extensively 
engaged in mining interests.

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