James Henry McLaughlin Biogrpahy


	This biography appears on pages 1624-1625 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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	JAMES HENRY McLAUGHLIN, who is now conducting a trading store at 
the Oak Creek sub-issue station of the Standing Rock Indian reservation, 
was born in Faribault, Minnesota, on the 15th of January, 1868, being a 
son of Major James McLaughlin, who was born in the province of Ontario, 
Canada, of staunch Scottish ancestry. He was educated in the Dominion of 
Canada, where he was reared to maturity, and as a young man he removed 
to Minnesota, having been engaged in blacksmithing at Faribault for 
several years, and having removed thence to the territory of Dakota in 
1871, in company with his family. He located at Fort Totten, Devil's 
Lake Indian agency, in what is now North Dakota, where he remained ten 
years, having been there engaged as agency blacksmith and head farmer on 
the reservation. Upon the death of Major Forbes he was appointed 
government agent, about 1881, and was transferred to the Standing Rock 
agency, North Dakota, where he still remains incumbent of this 
responsible office. 

	The subject of this sketch passed his youthful years at the 
Devil's Lake agency, and there received fair educational advantages. 
About 1886 he secured a clerkship in the trading store of the firm of 
Perkins 8z Roberts, at the agency, and in the following year went to St. 
John's College. at Collegeville, Minnesota, where he continued his 
educational work during the ensuing year. He thereafter worked for 
different traders at the Standing Rock agency and finally passed another 
term in college, thus effectually rounding out his education. For three 
years thereafter he was in the employ of M. H. Angevine, on the Standing 
Rock reservation, and then engaged in ranching on the Cannon Ball river, 
giving his attention principally to the raising of cattle, while he gave 
his place the title of Circle M ranch. He there continued operations 
until 1891, when he entered the employ, of Parkin Brothers, leading 
Indian traders, with whom he remained, under most pleasant and favorable 
relations, for the following seven years. In 1885 he made a tour with 
the famous Sitting Bull combination, under Colonel Allen, acting as 
interpreter. In 1893, while still in the employ of Parkin Brothers, he 
visited the World's Columbian Exposition, in Chicago, and the following 
season was passed at the famous eastern resort, Coney Island, where he 
had on exhibition Rain-in-the-Face and other Indians, who were there 
exploited by his employers, the Parkin Brothers. In 1897, when the elder 
of the brothers died, Mr. McLaughlin purchased their trading business at 
the Standing Rock agency, conducting the same two years and then selling 
out to Mr. Parkin, in whose employ he had formerly been retained. About 
three months later he went to the national capital and there secured 
from the department on Indian affairs a license to trade at the Oak 
Creek sub-issue station, where he has since been located, and where he 
controls a large and profitable business. In addition to his trading 
post he also has a large number of cattle on the range, as well as 
horses, and conducts a successful enterprise in this line. 

	In 1882 Mr. McLaughlin went out on a buffalo chase, in company 
with about five hundred Indians and five other white men, and they were 
out about one week, within which time they killed about five thousand of 
the great animals, which are now practically extinct, this having been 
next to the last big chase in the history of slaughtering the bison on 
the great plains of the west. In politics Mr. McLaughlin is a staunch 
advocate of the principles of the party in power. 

	On the 28th of January, 1891, Mr. McLaughlin was united in 
marriage to Miss Annie Goudreau, of Grand River Indian agency, South 
Dakota, she being a daughter of Robert Goudreau, who has been identified 
with the government Indian service for a number of years. Mr. and Mrs. 
McLaughlin have four children, namely: Sidney, Louisa, Henry and Imelda.