Algernon L. Holcomb Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1646-1647 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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	ALGERNON L. HOLCOMB, of Rapid City, whose untimely and tragic 
death on October 11, 1891, at the early age of forty-two, shocked the 
entire community and was universally lamented, was a native of Carthage, 
Jefferson county, New York, where he was born on May 27, 1849, and was 
the son of William and Maria (Fanning) Holcomb. They were prosperous 
farmers in his native place, but believing the west offered better 
opportunities for effort and capacity than the east, in 1855 the family 
moved to Dubuque county, Iowa, and here Mr. Holcomb was reared and 
educated. After completing his scholastic course he attended Bailey's 
Commercial College, at Dubuque, and soon after leaving there was 
married. In the spring of 1876 he and his wife started to the Black 
Hills, arriving at Yankton in March and proceeding from there by boat to 
Pierre. Here Mr. Holcomb was taken ill and they were obliged to return 
to Iowa. In the fall of 1877 they again started for the hills, and this 
time were successful in making the trip, arriving at Rapid City in 
December. They brought cattle with them and the first chairs seen in 
Rapid City which was then a small village with no buildings but a few 
rude log shanties. Their first home in this western wilderness was a 
little log house in which they were obliged to hoist umbrellas to keep 
dry when it rained. As soon as it was practicable they built a better 
house, also of logs, and making it their home placed their cattle on the 
Cheyenne river. For a time Mr. Holcomb was in partnership with two 
brothers, but later they divided their property and each conducted his 
own business. He moved his cattle to the White river, where he kept them 
until his death. It was on White river that he first bought land, and 
his widow still owns large tracts there and continues the cattle 
industry, employing a manager to look after her stock. On their arrival 
in this section of the country they opened a grocery store at Rapid 
City, and with his own teams Mr. Holcomb freighted his goods from 
Pierre. Some time afterward he took charge of the hotel which his father 
opened when he came to this country, but at the time of his death his 
energies were wholly given up to raising cattle and horses. In October, 
1891, he was thrown from his horse while riding, and on the 11th day of 
that month he died from the effects of the accident. He was an active 
and zealous Republican in politics, and in fraternal relations belonged 
to the Odd Fellows at Rapid City. 

	On March 5, 1876, Mr. Holcomb was married to Miss Sarah E. Brown, 
a native of Dubuque, Iowa, where the marriage occurred. She is the 
daughter of Hiram and Eliza (Luck) Brown, the former a native of 
Maryland and the latter of Kentucky. Both settled in Dubuque in 
childhood, their parents being pioneers in that locality, and they were 
reared and married there, the father being a prominent contractor and 
builder in that city. Mrs. Holcomb also was reared and educated there, 
and had her home in the city until her marriage. Soon after this took 
place she came with her husband to South Dakota, and this has been her 
home ever since. She has been prominent in the social life of the city, 
and being a lady of great business capacity, was of great assistance to 
her husband during his life, and since his death she has conducted the 
business with unusual shrewdness and success, handling both the cattle 
and the horses with skill and every consideration for securing the best 
results. Two sons blessed their union, Robert L. and Algernon A. Robert 
is married and engaged in the cattle industry, while Algernon is 
finishing his education in New York.