Frank Abt Biography

	This biography appears on pages 974-976 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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FRANK ABT was born in the kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, on 
the 28th of August, 1838 and is a son of Francis and Mary 
(Schneider) Abt, both of whom were likewise native of Bavaria, 
where the father followed the vocation of stone-mason until his 
death, the subject being a child at the time. In the family were 
two children, of whom he is the elder, his sister Katharine 
being deceased. Mr. Abt attended the excellent national schools 
of his fatherland until he had attained the age of fourteen 
years, and then entered upon an apprenticeship at the 
shoemaker's trade, becoming a skilled workman, while he also 
served the required term in the Bavarian militia. Each county 
furnishes its quota to the German army, and the selection is 
made by drawing lots from the various local military 
organizations. Mr. Abt drew the second highest number and thus 
was not called into active service. He was offered twelve 
hundred dollars for his chance, but refused the same, as he 
desired to come to America. Had he thus disposed of his 
exemption privilege he would have been required to serve six 
years in the army. In 1861 he bade adieu to home and fatherland 
and set forth to seek his fortunes in America, landing in New 
York and thence coming westward to Davenport, Iowa, where he was 
engaged in the work of his trade for the ensuing four weeks, at 
the expiration of which, on the 23d of June, 1861, in response 
to President Lincoln's first call, he gave significant evidence 
of his loyalty to the country of his recent adoption, by 
enlisting in Company E, Second Iowa Volunteer Cavalry, commanded 
by Colonel Elliott. With his command he proceeded to St. Louis 
and there they remained in Benton Barracks about four weeks, 
when they started for the front, having an engagement with the 
enemy near Paducah, at the mouth of the Ohio river. Thence they 
came up the river to Pittsburg Landing, where they remained some 
time, participating in the engagement at that place, after which 
they went on to Corinth, Mississippi, where, under General 
Rosecrans, they assisted in defending the city against the 
attacks by the forces under General Price. Their next engagement 
was at New Madrid, and at Tipton the command succeeded in 
surrounding the enemy during the night and captured thirteen 
hundred prisoners. Thence they proceeded to Nashville, 
Tennessee, where our subject was incapacitated by illness, 
resulting primarily from a wound received at Corinth, and he was 
sent to the marine hospital at Evansville, Indiana, where he 
received his honorable discharge in August, 1862. He then 
returned to Davenport, Iowa, where he remained until February of 
the following year, when he started for the newly discovered 
gold fields of Colorado, where he remained a brief interval and 
then started for Idaho, in company with a party of about one 
hundred men. They had a skirmish with the Indians while en route 
but lost none of their number, though a party three days ahead 
of them lost three men. He engaged in prospecting for gold in 
Idaho for several months and then came eastward into Montana,  
stopping in Bannock, the original capital of the territory, and 
thence proceeding to the chief mining camp, Virginia City, in 
Alder Gulch. The country was at the time infested with border 
outlaws and other desperate characters who were a constant 
menace to life and property, and it became necessary for the 
better class of citizens to take drastic measures for 
protection, resulting in the organization of the vigilantes, of 
which Mr. Abt became a member. It is unnecessary to enter into 
details in regard to the action justly taken by these bands of 
law-abiding citizens, who had recourse to severe means of 
dealing with the offenders, for all is a part of the written 
history of the locality and period, but it may be said that 
through their efforts many desperate characters were brought to 
expiate for their many crimes, Mr. Abt having personally 
witnessed the hanging of thirty-three men of this type. Each of 
the accused was granted counsel and a fair trial, and the 
vigilantes represented the very best element in the community, 
as may be understood when we state that in Virginia City their 
attorney was Colonel Wilbur F. Sanders, who later became United 
States senator and who still resides in Helena, Montana, a 
venerable pioneer and distinguished citizen.  

Mr. Abt bought a placer claim in Alder Gulch, and worked 
the same at intervals during the ensuing year, and then removed 
to Silver Bow, where he remained about a year, being fairly 
successful in his mining venture there. He then returned to 
Virginia City and purchased a claim on German Flat, working the 
same until May 12, 1866, when the diggings were washed out by a 
severe flood, resulting from a cloudburst. On the 16th of the 
same month he started for Helena, where he engaged in the boot 
and shoe business, doing a prosperous business and there 
remaining until 1876 when he started for the Black Hills, coming 
down the Missouri river from Fort Benton to Bismarck, and thence 
proceeding overland with a party of more than one hundred men, 
who made up a large wagon train. The first night out they camped 
at Little Heart, and at three o'clock in the morning were 
attacked by Indians, who stampeded their horses, securing 
thirteen head. A party of fifty men started in pursuit and 
captured all the horses with the exception of two, returning at 
four o'clock in the afternoon of the succeeding day. That night 
they camped at Oak Hill, having a guard about the camp, as did 
they each succeeding night, but they had no further difficulty 
with the Indians and finally reaching their destination. In July 
Mr. Abt located at Gold Run, where he became associated with 
John Roberts, Thomas Bell and Frederick Istelhurst in the 
purchase of a placer claim, below the present town of Lead, for 
a consideration of three thousand dollars. They worked the claim 
successfully during that season, and thereafter the subject 
continued to give his attention to placer mining, in various 
localities, for the ensuing three years. He then located some 
quartz claims, of which he finally disposed, after which he 
engaged in the hotel business in Lead, conducting what was known 
as the Abt hotel, which was a popular resort in the early days. 
In 1882 he retired from the hotel business and resumed quartz 
mining, to which he devoted his attention until 1886, when he 
was appointed postmaster at Lead, serving four years, since 
which time he has lived practically retired, though he is still 
interested in a number of valuable quartz-mining properties.  

Mr. Abt early became prominent in local affairs of a 
public nature, and has been called upon to serve in various 
positions of trust. He is a stanch Democrat in politics, and in 
1890 he was elected a member of the village council, serving 
four years, while in 1900 he was chosen mayor of Lead, of which 
office he was incumbent two years, giving a progressive and 
business-like administration of the municipal government. Under 
his administration the city sewerage system was installed and 
the work of paving the streets initiated. Mr. Abt is a member of 
a number of fraternal organizations, having been the first grand 
vice-chancellor of the Knights of Pythias in the state; being at 
the present time senior sagamore of his camp of the Improved 
Order of Red Men, and also commander of E. M. Stanton Post, Po. 
81, Grand Army of the Republic, while he is also affiliated with 
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Ancient 
Order of United Workmen.  

On the 4th of March, 1867, Mr. Abt was united in marriage 
to Miss Mary Distel, who was born in Germany and who came to 
Montana  
with her brother. She proved a true and devoted wife and 
helpmeet during the long period of thirty years, having been 
summoned into eternal rest on the 10th of March, 1899, only a 
few days before the thirtieth anniversary of their marriage. Of 
the children of this union we enter the following brief record: 
John is engaged in mining in Butte, Montana; Frank resides in 
Chicago; William is a civil engineer, with headquarters in 
Seattle; Annie, who became the wife of R. H. Purcell, died 
November 18, 1900, and Mary remains with her father in the 
pleasant home in Lead.