THE PETER SMITH - THOMAS DAWSON FAMILY, Our Yesterdays, Jefferson Co., MT USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Files may be printed or copied for personal use only. "List transcribed and organized by Ellen Rae Thiel, thieljl@aol.com All rights reserved." Copyright, 1998 by Ellen Rae Thiel. This file may be freely copied for non-profit purposes. All other rights reserved. THE PETER SMITH - THOMAS DAWSON FAMILY Young Mary Smith, at the age of five, was a little bit of a thing, but that didn't mean that she couldn't be just as excited about the upcoming trip as was her older brother, John. She had listened to all the stories everyone was telling about the "Gold Rush" out to the West. Of course, she wasn't sure what "gold" really was or where "out West" was, but she knew they were something exciting. Mary's daddy was planning on taking the entire family with him on this great adventure. She just knew it was going to be such fun on the wagon train with all those people around and lots of other children with whom she could play. Mary could hardly wait! In the early 1860's, Mary and her mother and father (Bridget and Peter Smith) and her brother, John, left Wisconsin and headed west. Upon arriving in Corrine, Utah, they decided to stay and rest for a time. It had been a long hard journey and they still had so much farther to go. Mary was glad for the rest as she was tired of walking and working. There had been so little time to play with other children like she had hoped. It had been exciting to see all the new places. However, after awhile everything looked the same to the little girl of five. She was really very tired of the whole thing. They didn't stay long in Utah. Mary's uncles, Phil and Matt with their families, along with Bridget and Peter, decided to head into the Montana Territory in hope of finding places to homestead. They arrived in Virginia City, but after seeing how rough and lawless times were there, the men left by horseback to scout out the area to the north. The men didn't want to leave their wives and children long in Virginia City. It wasn't safe for them to be on the street even during the day time. The men didn't need to journey very far. After a few days of travel, the men rode into a beautiful valley north of the Jefferson River. The farther through it they traveled, the more beautiful it became, until they finally reached the perfect spot. So in the year 1864, Phil, Pete and Matt Smith and their families homesteaded in the area about seven miles south of the present town of Boulder. Their homes were all built within a one-mile radius. Mary loved the Boulder Valley, especially the spot where her father built their house. The mountains were almost at their back doorstep, making it a beautiful place to live. In the meantime, Mary was growing up fast. With so much work to be done, her younger years passed swiftly. As the years passed, the family grew too. Two more brothers, Con and Pete, and two sisters, HanNah and Rosie, were added to the Smith household. When Mary left for St. Vincent's Academy in Helena, she missed her family dearly. On the other hand, it was fun to be with girls her own age, and she was getting a good education. While Mary Smith's parents were first thinking about heading out west, a young Irish lad, Thomas Dawson, was emigrating to the United States from the Province of Quebec, Canada, where he was born April, 1848. He was now just fourteen years of age and he was looking for work, preferably in the logging field. He moved from logging camp to logging camp. Tom listened with great interest to all the stories about gold and the new land to be had in the west. In 1870, a party of six men, including Tom Dawson, left for Montana. On June 1, 1870, the party arrived about three miles from Boulder at the place now known as "the Willows" (the town of Boulder was not in existence at this time). In this party which left the stage coach station were Tom Dawson, Jim Ryan, Al Norton, Mose Hayes, Hugh Kennedy, and Ed Simpson. The group headed toward the site at which now stands the Boulder Hot springs. Tom saw the hot springs and stooped down to take a drink of water. He hadn't realized the water was hot, and he burned his mouth. Tom, noted for his Irish wit, raised his head quickly and said, "Boys, I tell you, Hell is only a half a mile away!" Tom and Jim Ryan rode on to Jim's brothers ranch which was in Boulder Valley. The two young fellows worked for Ed Ryan and his wife, Ellen, for some time. Tom was at the young age which encouraged adventure, so he left the valley and headed for Helena where he tried placer mining. While he was working around the Helena area, he met a tiny pretty young lady named Mary Smith. With Tom's Irish charm and handsome good looks, he courted and won Mary's hand. On September 25, 1875, they married in Helena. Tom was still engaged in placer mining, so they moved wherever there was work - Helena, Comet and Butte. They both longed to have some land of their own and to settle and have a home. They packed all their belongings in their wagon, hitched up the team, and headed for the Yellowstone Valley. A few days later they entered the Boulder Valley. Due to the abundance of fish and game along with the beauty of the green meadows, they chose to go no farther. In 1879, Tom took out a homestead on the land. At last they could call their place "home"! There was much work to be done and the building of a house was the first project. Tom was slowly building up a small herd of cattle, so corrals and a barn had to be built. They milked cows and raised chickens and sold the milk, cream, and eggs in Butte. Mary would pack the eggs in a pan of cold water to keep them fresh and, hopefully, unbroken until they reached market. In 1878, their first child was born, a boy named John. William, the second son, was born in 1880. Later came Thomas and Peter. Tom and Mary were very proud of these four healthy strong boys who were a great help on the ranch. Haying time was an exciting and busy time. The hay was all cut by hands swinging scythes. Then the hay was pitched on to wooden wheeled wagons drawn by horses or oxen and then stacked next to the feeding area. It was a long time consuming process to "put up" a small field of hay. While the men were working in the fields, the women were busy baking and cooking so that the men would have three hearty meals a day. Everyone was kept busy from dawn until dusk. Two of the winters brought heartbreak and discouragement when the haystacks burned down. Faced with the problem of no feed through the hard winters, Tom had to come up with some solution. There was an abundance of cactus on the ranch. The workers dug and stacked them into big piles. The spines were then burned off the cactus making it edible for the cattle. Later the men just lit kerosene rags which were tied on the end of a stick. The individual patches of cactus were burned off the spines.The cattle would see the smoke and come running. It wasn't real feed but the cattle were kept alive. Mary's father, Pete, died in the 1870's, the exact date being unknown. Bridget, Mary's mother, was left to raise the family alone. She died in 1895 at the age of 56. Both Pete and Bridget were born in Ireland as were their parents before them. John, the oldest boy, remained at the ranch and died July 14, 1943, at the age of 82. Hannah Smith married H. H. Croy in 1900 and moved to Missoula where she resided until her husband died, after which she moved back to Boulder to live with her sister, Rosie. Hannah died exactly two months after her brother, John. Con Smith resided in Boulder Valley all his life, working as a farmer and blacksmith. He remained a bachelor and died in 1923 at the age of 43. Young Peter Smith married and lived on the home ranch. He died in 1921 at the age of 45 years. Rosie Smith moved to Missoula where she married and remained for several years. When her older brother, Con, became ill she moved to the Boulder Valley ranch to care for him. She also cared for her brother, John, when he became ill and died. Rosie was a tiny person but she had a will of iron. She lived in her parent's home and operated the ranch until her death in 1952. Thomas Dawson, one of Jefferson County's most prominent pioneer stockmen, passed away on August 2, 1924, at the age of 80. Death was due to the informities of advancing years. Tom was of the big-hearted type of men who blazed the way for future generations in Montana. Mary Smith Dawson died in 1935. She will always be remembered for her kindness and love for her family, neighbors, and fellow countryman. She had a heart as big as the great outdoors and enough compassion and perseverance to handle any and all situations. Mary and Tom's sons grew up quickly. John left home to pursue a career in merchandising. He lived in Glasgow for some time and held the honored position of mayor of that city for two terms. In 1902, John was united in marriage to Mamie J. Ross, a native of Nova Scotia. She was the daughter of George Ross, a pioneer farmer of the Milk River valley. They had one son, Edwin Kenneth Dawson. Later they moved to Great Falls where John worked for Rocky Mountain Fire Insurance Company. He became the president of this very progressive company. Tom went to Glasgow and worked for the Great Northern Railroad. He spent many years as a brakeman and as a conductor. Tom later was transferred to Williston, North Dakota. His wife, Mary, was from Glasgow, and they had three daughters, Jeanette, Maryann, and Rosalia. Pete Dawson stayed on the ranch for several years. He was a well known cattle buyer and always rode a good saddle horse. He married Myrtle Dillet, who was also a resident of Boulder Valley, on October 6, 1914. A few years after they married, Pete and Myrtle moved into their new house on the ranch. They later moved to Whitehall. Pete worked for Hanson Packing Company of Butte for several years. Later he sold real estate and bought cattle on his own. Pete died June 13, 1959, and Myrtle still remains in Whitehall. They had two children, Ruth and James. Ruth married William Collins of Butte. They live in Mount Clements, Michigan, and have three children, Kolyann, Kent and Gary. Jim is married, lives in Great Falls, and has three children, Tommy, Christine, and Tracy. William "Big Bill" Dawson, like his brothers, attended Cold Springs School. He worked with his father and brother on the ranch. In 1900, he and Frank Carey followed the gold rush to Alaska. Both returned with not much more than the shirts on their backs! One day while visiting the Middlemas family on their ranch in Boulder Valley, Bill met a lovely visitor from Helena named Maybelle Flavin. Maybelle's parents, brother and sisters lived on a ranch near Helena. Bill and Maybelle were married in Helena in 1907. Bill and Maybelle first lived on what is called the Sheehy place. They later moved to Boulder where Bill ran the livery stable. Bill was a horse buyer for Hansen Packing Company of Butte, Montana, and a prominent cattle buyer in western Montana. In 1908, their first son, Clifford, was born. Cliff graduated from Jefferson County High School in Boulder, attended St. Charles College (now known as Carroll College) in Helena, and Butte Business College studying accounting. He was appointed Postmaster in Boulder, later resigning and moving to Great Falls where he sold insurance. He married Olga Woodcock of Fort Benton in 1932. They have one daughter, Larry, who is married to Bill Calvert. The Calverts have two sons, Mark and Paul, and they live in Eureka, Montana, where both Bill and Larry teach in Eureka High School. Clifford passed away in 1961 and Olga remains in Great Falls. Bill and Maybelle's second child, a boy, William Leslie Dawson, was born January 21, 1911. When the proud parents brought the baby home from the hospital his older brother said "He's pretty nifty." So "Nifty" is what he was and is still called. Nifty was a very handsome little boy with curly sandy-colored hair. His parents, Bill and Maybelle Dawson, were divorced when he was in grade school. Nifty lived with his mother after that in Boulder. He attended the local schools in Boulder, graduating from Jefferson County High School in 1929. After graduating Nifty worked with his father buying and selling horses for Hansen Packing Company of Butte, Montana. Then he was appointed Jefferson County Deputy Assessor for about two years. He worked as acting Postmaster n Boulder until his appointment as Postmaster in 1936. That same year, Margaret Kunkel, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Kunkel of Anaconda, came to Boulder to teach at the high school. The story goes that young Nifty Dawson and Paul T. Smith flipped a coin to see who would ask the lovely young teacher out and, of course, Nifty won! On October 23, 1937, at St. Catherine's Church in Boulder, Margaret Cordelia Kunkel became the bride of William Leslie Dawson. Grandma Mary Dawson bought the ranch in 1932 and gave it to Nifty. Besides his job as Postmaster, Nifty managed the ranch too. He and Margaret lived in town as the house on the ranch had burned down on September 1, 1945. On December 3, 1938, Margaret and Nifty's first child, a daughter, Ruth Leslie Dawson, was born. She was such a pretty little girl with eyes that always sparkled with mischief. Leslie attended the local schools, as her father had, graduated from Jefferson County High School, and attended Eastern Montana College at Billings. She married Richard LaVigne and they live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Dick and Leslie have two boys, Michael and Paul. The second child born to the Dawsons was a boy, Thomas William, on September 28,1941. He had bright curly red hair and green eyes. As Tom was growing up he helped his father on the ranch. Tom graduated from Jefferson County High School in 1959, attended Montana State University, Northern Montana College, and received a certificate of farrier at Oregon State University. He and Jack Dawson, of the Valley, worked as farriers for a few years. During this time, Tom was involved in ranching. At present time, he is a Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff. Tom and his wife, Maureen, live on the ranch. They have three daughters, Rebecca, Angela, and Megan. Drew Eugene Dawson, Margaret and Nifty's third child, was born September 20, 1947. The day the proud parents brought the baby home from the hospital was young Tommy's sixth birthday party. His mother told him that his new bay brother was his birthday present. For a boy of six that was quite a present! But two weeks later Tommy asked, "Can you send birthday presents back, mommy?!" Drew graduated from Jefferson County High school with the honor of valedictorian. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of North Dakota, at Grand Forks, North Dakota and did graduate work at the University of Colorado. Drew now works as Bureau Chief of Emergency Medical Service, State Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, in Helena. He resides with his parents in Boulder. Nifty retired as Postmaster of the Boulder Post Office in 1970 after 33 years of service. He was also Manager of the Boulder rodeo for several years, and President of the Montana Association of Postmasters during 1967-68. Margaret retired in 1973 after 27 years of teaching. They live in Boulder although Nifty still owns and manages the ranch in Boulder Valley. Our hats go off and our hearts go out to our ancestors for the wonderful memories and mementos they have left us. Our desire is to live up to their image as hard-working, God-loving, good and happy people. SUBMITTED BY MR. AND MRS. W. L. "NIFTY" DAWSON AND MR. AND MRS. THOMAS DAWSON