John B. Catlin
History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894
USGENWEB Montana Archives
May be copied for non-profit purposes.

John B. Catlin, Receiver at the Land Office in Missoula, 
dates his arrival in Montana in 1866. 

He was born in Cleveland Ohio, June 21, 1837. He is of 
Welsh extraction, his grandfather Catlin having been 
born in that country and being one of the early settlers of 
Washington County, New York where he reared his 
family. Arad Sprage Catlin, the father of John B., was born 
in Washington County in 1810. He was married in 
Franklin County New York to Mary Babcock. Her father was a 
native of Rhode Island and her mother, a McGowran, 
was descended from one of the Highland chieftains of Scotland. 
The year following his marriage, Arad S. Catlin 
and his wife removed to Ohio, thence in 1838 to Indiana and in 
1861 to Buchanan Michigan where he had a farm and 
where he also conducted a blacksmith business. There he 
continued to reside until his death which occurred in 
1870. His widow, now in the seventy-eighth year of her age, 
resides with her son, John B. at Missoula. They 
reared six children, of whom four are living, John B. being 
their first born.
John B. received his education in Indiana. His early life was 
spent in farm work, at which he was engaged 
when the Civil War came on. In August 1862, he enlisted as a 
private in Company H, Eighty-seventh Indiana 
Volunteer Infantry and from that time until the close of the 
war he participated in all the privations, 
battles and victories of the brave and invincible Army of the 
Cumberland. For meritorious service during the 
battle of Missionary Ridge he was promoted to Commissary 
Sergeant and served in this capacity until Sherman's 
conquering army reached Atlanta. He was then promoted to 
Captain of Company I and had command of Company H on 
Sherman's grant march to the sea and at the grand review of 
the victorious army in Washington. After this he 
was mustered out, and returned to Indianapolis, Indiana where 
he received his honorable discharge in June 1865.
July 4, 1866, 

Mr. Catlin left Nebraska City with an ox train to cross the 
plains to Montana. There were 
twenty-seven men in the company, many of them veterans of the 
war and all were armed with Remington breach-loading 
rifles. December 9, 1866 they arrived at Bozeman. Mr. Catlin 
came to a place near where Butte City is now 
located and that winter he and his companions occupied 
themselves by hunting, killing deer, mountain sheep, 
elk and antelope. The following season he mined on Silver 
Bow Gulch, four miles below Butte. In 1867 he made 
a trip to Idaho, Oregon and Washington, wintered at Puget 
Sound and in the spring of the following year came 
back toMontana, making the journey back by way of Coeur 
d'Alene. Upon his return he purchased a ranch in 
Bitter Root Valley, to the improvement and cultivation of which 
he devoted his time and energy. He had about 
500 acres under fence and in the meantime he was also more or 
less interested in mining.

In the fall of 1870 Mr. Catlin returned east and in Iowa, 
December 6, 1870, married Lizzie Taylor, a native 
of LaPorte Indiana, a former schoolmate of his and the 
daughter of William Taylor of Indiana. He returned to 
Montana with his bride and for nine years they made their 
home on the ranch. He sold this farm in 1880 and 
purchased a hotel in Stevensville and continued in the hotel 
business for nine years. At the end of that 
time he received the appointment of agent at the Blackfoot 
Indian Agency, where he remained a year and a 
half. He resigned his position there in order to accept the 
appointment of Receiver of the Land Office at 
Missoula.

Mr. and Mrs. Catlin have two children, Mary Belle and Arthur 
Wilbur.

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