James C. Blair Biography


	This biography appears on page 1795 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.


	JAMES C. BLAIR was born November 23, 1837, in Pocahontas county, West 
Virginia, and grew to manhood in that state, receiving a common-school 
education and assisting his father on the farm until twenty-two years of 
age. In 1859 he went to Iowa, thence, after a short time, to Missouri, 
and in 1861 crossed the plains to Colorado, where he prospected for a 
while, later engaging in freighting there and in Utah territory. In the 
spring of 1864 he accompanied, in the capacity of a teamster, a freight 
train from Salt Lake to Virginia City, Montana, arriving at the latter 
place in the month of May, and for some time thereafter he prospected 
and mined in Alder gulch and the Belt district, meeting with fair 
success in his search for gold. Later he traveled over barren parts of 
Montana, mining and prospecting, but in 1869 returned to his native 
state, where he remained until the following spring, visiting his 
parents and renewing the acquaintances of his childhood and youth. The 
next year he again started west, with Missouri as his objective point, 
and from there he subsequently went to Texas, where he purchased cattle, 
which he drove to New Mexico to winter. The following spring he took his 
cattle to Colorado, where they were disposed of at good prices, after 
which he again turned his attention to prospecting in that and adjoining 
states and territories until the opening of the Black Hills country, 
when he proceeded thither, being among the first arrivals in the spring 
of 1877. In May of the same year Mr. Blair came to Whitewood creek and 
settled on public land, six miles from the town of Whitewood, which in 
due time he converted into a fine ranch, and since that date he had made 
his home on the same, devoting his attention the meanwhile to the live-
stock business, being now among the enterprising and successful horse 
raisers of Lawrence county. By industry and thrift he has acquired not 
only the valuable ranch on which he lives, but a sufficient amount of 
material wealth to make him practically independent, his place being 
well stocked with horses and other domestic animals, from the sale of 
which he realizes liberal returns.