Philip DuFram Biography 


	This biography appears on pages 1795-1796 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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	PHILIP DuFRAM comes of staunch French lineage and is a native of 
Dubuque county, Iowa, where he was born on the 26th of May, 1856, being. 
a son of John B. and Lenora DuFram, both of whom were born in the 
province of Quebec, Canada. John DuFram took up his residence in Iowa in 
1840, being one of the early settlers of that state, where he remained, 
engaged in farming until I86I, when he came to what is now the state of 
South Dakota, and located near Elk Point, in Union county, having 
brought his family through by way of Fort Dodge, and making the entire 
trip with teams. He engaged in farming in the county mentioned and also 
became identified with the freighting business, transporting supplies to 
the various government military posts, in which connection he met with 
many narrow escapes from the hostile Indians. He continued to be engaged 
in agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred in 1894, and 
his widow now resides in the city of Yankton, having attained the 
venerable age of eighty-six years. Of their fourteen children eleven are 
yet living, the subject of this sketch having been the seventh in order 
of birth.

	Philip DuFram, whose name introduces this article, passed his boyhood 
days at Elk Point, this state, and Sioux City, Iowa, and owing to the 
exigencies of time and place his educational advantages were limited. At 
the age of twelve years he became connected with his father's freighting 
business to the different army posts and was thus engaged until 1871, 
when he took charge of the government herd of cattle at Yankton Agency, 
and retained this position until the autumn of 1876, when he went to 
Nebraska and became the foreman for the Durfee Cattle Company, in whose 
employ he remained until the spring of 1882, when he went to the head of 
the Powder river, in the Big Horn mountains of Montana, in charge of the 
stock of the Frontier Land and Cattle Company, and he was a prominent 
figure in the contest between the reliable and law-abiding stockmen with 
the "rustlers" in the cattle war in Johnson county, Wyoming. He was a 
member of the party of forty-seven stockmen who were at this period 
surrounded at the "T. A." ranch and besieged for five days, being 
finally relieved by the government troops from Fort McKenna, this being 
during the invasion of Wyoming, in 1892. Prior to this he had charge of 
the stock of the Frontier Land and Cattle Company, utilizing the range 
in the famous "Hole in the Wall" country, and here he met with many 
exciting experiences through the hostility of the same class of 
invaders. On one occasion he made a most hazardous trip to Buffalo, 
Wyoming, to reconnoiter, and though hard pressed succeeded in making his 
escape. His is a nature without an iota of cowardice, and this has been 
proved time and again in the face of dangers which could not but test 
the mettle of the most daring and venturesome. In 1875 Mr. DuFram took a 
pack outfit into the Black Hills, being accompanied by old Grey Face and 
three other Indians, and he devoted six months to exploring the country, 
while in the following year he transported supplies from Fort Pierre to 
the Hills for Major Clarkson, of the United States army, while in the 
fall of that year he went to Nebraska, as has been already noted. In 
1892 he was appointed state brand inspector for Wyoming, and in the 
following year he went to Arizona, where he remained one year, being 
foreman for the Aztec Land and Cattle Company. He then returned to 
Montana, where he was employed by the Standard Cattle Company until 
1900, when he was appointed brand inspector at Fort Pierre for the Black 
Hills Stock Association, retaining this incumbency eighteen months, at 
the expiration of which he took charge of the stock of the Minnesota and 
Dakota Cattle Company, on the White river. While attending to his duties 
in this connection he became snowblind and also suffered an attack of 
smallpox, the result being he lost the sight of his left eye, and upon 
his recovery he was made representative of the interests of the well-
known and extensive firm of stock commission merchants, Rosenbaum 
Brothers & Company, of Chicago, for the territory from the Missouri 
river to the Black Hills in South Dakota, in which capacity he is 
rendering most efficient service at the time of this writing. He is a 
man of genial personality and has a host of friends throughout the great 
northwest, while his name is a synonym of honor and integrity. He 
maintains his headquarters in Evarts, Walworth county. In politics Mr. 
DuFram is a staunch Democrat. He is not married.