John P. Belding Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1293-1294 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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	JOHN P. BELDING, deputy United States marshal, with headquarters 
in the city of Deadwood, was born in Madison county, New York, on the 
12th of July, 1837, being a son of Esdon and Chloe (Goodrich) Belding, 
the former of whom was born in Connecticut and the latter in New York. 
James Belding, grandfather of the subject, was an active participant in 
the war of 1812, and was a son of one of the gallant soldiers who 
rendered yeoman service in the Continental line during the war of the 
Revolution. As a young man Edson Belding removed from Connecticut to the 
state of New York, where he engaged in farming, while both he and his 
wife passed the closing years of their lives in Binghamton, that state. 
Our subject was reared in his native county, where he received a good 
common-school education, and he continued his residence in the old 
Empire state until 1857, when, as a young man of twenty years, he 
decided to anticipate the advice of Horace Greeley and "go west and grow 
up with the country." He made his way to Missouri, and was there engaged 
in railroad construction until the outbreak of the war of the Rebellion, 
having made his headquarters for the greater portion of the time in the 
city of St. Louis. In June, 1861, he tendered his services in the 
defense of the Union, enlisting in the Ninth Missouri Volunteer Cavalry, 
with which he continued in service until 1864, when he received his 
honorable discharge, with the rank of captain. His regiment was 
principally on detached duty and engaged in scouting service, in which 
line it made a most excellent record. 

	Shortly after his discharge Captain Belding set forth for Montana, 
where the gold excitement was then at its height, resulting from the 
discoveries made in Alder gulch, where now nestles the still somewhat 
isolated village of Virginia City, one of the oldest towns in the state 
and yet one that remains without railroad facilities. Mr. gelding had 
the distinction of making the major portion of the perilous trip in a 
company whose guide was that honored and famed frontiersman, "Jim" 
Bridger, the pathfinder. While enroute the party had a number of 
skirmishes with the Indians. Near a stream called Gray Bull, east of 
Livingston, Montana, they were surrounded by the Indians, but Colonel 
Bridger, who had lived among the Crow Indians, went out and had a pow-
wow with the investing and menacing band, whom he promised not to bring 
through another party of men, and on this condition the party in 
question was permitted to proceed unmolested, while it is to be said to 
the credit of Bridger that he did not violate his word, this trait in 
his nature having commanded him the confidence of the Indians in earlier 
days. Mr. Belding arrived in Alder gulch in July, 1864, and joined the 
throng of placer miners in the stirring camp. He remained there for a 
period of a few months, meeting with fair success, and when, in the 
following winter, gold was struck in Last Chance gulch, now the Main 
street of the attractive capital city of Montana, Mr. Belding, in 
company with Jefferson Lowrey and a dentist named Howe, laid out the 
first plat of the present city. He there remained until 1868, when he 
joined the stampede to Miner's Delight, on South Pass, in Wyoming, but 
the placer prospects failed to yield returns, and the venture proved a 
failure. Mr. Belding then found his finances at a low ebb and set forth 
to strike the line of the Union Pacific Railroad at Green river, and he 
there secured employment in connection with the construction work, the 
track reaching Green river in the fall of 1868, after which he assisted 
in the work of projection until the line made a junction with Central 
Pacific at Promontory Point, head of Salt Lake, an event of great 
historic interest. Mr. Belding then made his way up the Snake river to 
Shoshone Falls, Idaho, in which locality he engaged in mining in the 
placer diggings for three years, being moderately successful. He next 
engaged in prospecting in the vicinity of Salt Lake, and in the spring 
of 1876 struck out for the Black Hills, coming to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and 
thence with team to Custer, in which camp he arrived on the 18th of 
February of that year. There he met with negative success and he 
accordingly moved over into Deadwood gulch, where he met two old Montana 
friends, Webb and McClellan, with whom he located some water ditches on 
Whitewood and Whitetail creeks, and after they had completed one ditch 
they sold out at a good profit to the Homestake Mining Company. Mr. 
Belding then made a trip to the east and upon his return, in 1879, again 
located in Deadwood. In the following year he was elected sheriff of 
Lawrence county, serving two years. In the winter of 1882-3 the 
territorial legislature appointed a committee of nine to locate a 
territorial capital, and the subject was chosen as the representative of 
the Black Hills district. The committee finally chose Bismarck as the 
most eligible location. After the discharge of this official duty Mr. 
Belding again turned his attention to mining, while he also served as 
justice of the peace. In 1897 he was appointed to his present office as 
deputy United States marshal, of which he has since been incumbent 
having made an excellent record in a most difficult district, as two 
Indian reservations are within the jurisdiction and involve much work on 
the part of the deputy marshal, who is compelled to make frequent visits 
to the same in addition to his other labors. In October, 1902, Walking 
Shield, a Brule Indian, was hanged at Sioux Falls. He had given much 
trouble and had been arrested on several occasions by Mr. Belding for 
minor offenses, before he was finally taken on the charge of murder, 
which resulted in his conviction and execution. Mr. Belding is an 
uncompromising Republican in his political proclivities, and has been an 
active worker in the party cause, having attended numerous party 
conventious both during the territorial epoch and since the admission of 
South Dakota to the Union. He is a member of the National Mining Men's 
Association and the Business Men's Club of Deadwood, while fraternally 
he is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the 
Ancient Order of United Workmen. 

	On the 31st of December, 1880, Mr. Belding was united in marriage 
to Miss Della Torey, who was born and reared in Illinois, being a 
resident of Nebraska at the time of her marriage. Of this union have 
been born three children, Jessie, Augusta and Gladys.