Mahlon Welsh Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1635 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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	MAHLON WELSH, of near Vesta, Pennington county, was born in 
Franklin county, Ohio, on December 28, 1847, and there he reached the 
age of seventeen and received a district school education. His father 
died when he was ten years old and in 1864 the family moved to Paulding 
county in his native state. Mr. Welsh took charge of the homestead and 
conducted its operations, continuing to be so employed until 1876. He 
then passed a year in Story county, Iowa, and in 1877 came to Pierre and 
soon afterward to Deadwood. He did not linger long here, however, but 
went to Bismarck, where he went to work teaming for the Beem Brothers. 
He remained with them three years working on railroad construction and 
freighting into Deadwood, also going with them to Montana and wrought in 
their interest there. On his return to this state he was employed, with 
a team he bought, on the Union Pacific Railroad until 1884; when he came 
with the Beem brothers to Rapid City, and from there moved out to 
Belcher creek near Box Elder. Here he took up land and put it in the way 
of improvement, but kept on freighting between Pierre and Deadwood and 
Rapid City three years longer. In 1887 he bought cattle and settled on 
his ranch, to the improvement of which he has since sedulously devoted 
himself. He has four hundred acres of fine land, with good buildings and 
other necessary appliances, and raises on it large crops of hay with 
some grain and other products. The ranch adjoins that of Isaac Beem and 
is thirty-five miles from Rapid City. Mr. Welsh is a staunch believer in 
the principles of the Democratic party, and ever yields to its policies 
and candidates a loyal and serviceable support.