Daniel J. Toomey Biography


	This biography appears on pages 910-913 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				DANIEL J. TOOMEY. 

	Daniel J. Toomey of Spearfish has an intimate knowledge of the 
pioneer history of south Dakota and relates many interesting 
reminiscences of the '70s and his experiences with the Indians and the 
horse and cattle rustlers. It has been the substantial character of 
such men as Daniel J. Toomey that has brought about the reign of law 
and order which exists today and has contributed toward making this a 
prosperous section of the state, rich in all of the advantages found in 
the older east. He was born in New York city, May 17, 1852, and is a 
son of Jeremiah and Ellen (Sullivan) Toomey, who were natives of County 
Kerry, Ireland, in which country they were reared and married. They 
crossed the Atlantic in the early '40s, settling in New York city, and 
there the father followed the trade of shoemaking, which he had learned 
in his native land. He afterward removed to the suburbs of the city and 
engaged in gardening, spending the remainder of his life there, his 
last days being passed at Fort Hamilton. 

	Daniel J. Toomey attended a Catholic school at Fort Hamilton and 
when fifteen years of age was apprenticed to learn the carpenter's 
trade, his term of indenture covering three years. He followed his 
trade for about two years, going to Chicago in May, 1872, and working 
in that city for six months after the fire. He then removed to Greeley, 
Colorado, where he engaged in mining and railroad work, surveying, cow 
punching, hunting and trapping until 1876, thus becoming familiar with 
the various phases of western frontier life. In that year he made his 
way to the Black Hills, leaving Sidney, Nebraska, on the 7th of March 
and arriving at Custer ten days later. He thence proceeded to Deadwood, 
reaching his destination on the 5th of April, 1876, after which he 
engaged in prospecting and hunting. While on the way to Custer the 
party with which he was traveling became lost and traveled into Spotted 
Tail camp before they knew it. The Indians tried to turn the party 
back, but finally allowed them to proceed. Recalling his experiences 
with the Indians, Mr. Toomey said: "Yes, I have been in several tight 
places, but the closest shave of all was when we strayed into the 
Indian camp or village in the Pine Ridge in western Nebraska, some ten 
or fifteen miles south of the Pine Ridge Indian reservation. We had not 
discovered the camp until too late to turn back, so we kept on our 
course through a mile or more of tepees. We had not gone very far, 
however, before we were surrounded by a rabble of squaws, papooses and 
old bucks. The young bucks, I presume, were all out hunting, five or 
six inches of snow having fallen the previous day. While these Indians 
were not on the warpath at this time, they were evidently preparing for 
it in the spring. They seemed very excited and angry and ordered us 
back by motions and signs, but we kept right on, believing it to be our 
only chance to get through. When we were about half way through the 
village a middle-aged buck who could speak some English rode up. He put 
up the biggest talk I ever heard from an Indian. The gist of it, as 
near as we could make out, was that if we did not turn back at once we 
would be cleaned out that night, or would not reach the Black Hills-
that it was their country and the white man had no right to go there, 
and much more; but we kept right on moving. In desperation, the orator 
snatched a gun from a young Boston shoemaker who was a member of the 
party. The gun was a combination double-barreled shotgun and rifle, the 
finest of its kind I had ever seen, and the owner was very proud of it, 
but he was so frightened that he allowed it to go without any protest. 
The Indian started to ride away with the gun when another member of the 
party noticed the act and called to him to come back, but the culprit 
merely turned his grinning face to us and continued to ride away. The 
command was repeated in a tone of voice that brought the Indian to a 
sudden halt, and when he turned again he was looking into the muzzle of 
a Winchester cocked and ready. He hesitated a few seconds, the longest 
seconds I have ever experienced. It was a tense moment for Indians and 
whites alike. All the babble and confusion stopped instantly and I do 
not think any of us winked or breathed during that awful pause. Finally 
the miscreant wheeled his pony, rode back and handed over the stolen 
weapon. Then the babble broke loose again, but this time it was the 
brave, Indian who was the object of their derision. He was laughed at 
until he sneaked away like a whipped cur and we were permitted to 
proceed without further protest. We all knew what would have happened 
it the gun had not been returned and we realized later that if the 
Indian had gotten away with it that we would have been looted and set 
afoot before another sunrise. As it was we had no more trouble with 
Indians and I believe we were the last party to get through to the 
Hills during that spring and summer without being attacked." 

	Mr. Toomey continued prospecting around Deadwood and located a 
ranch in the Spearfish valley May 1, 1876. He moved upon his place on 
the 1st of August of that year and engaged in making hay with a scythe 
and sluice fork. He still owns the ranch, upon which he continued to 
make his home until 1903, and while there he engaged in stock-raising. 
In 1901 he established his present business, conducting a wholesale and 
retail trade in hay, grain, coal, feed, flour, fruits and vegetables at 
Spearfish, supplying the trade at practically all of the towns ill the 
Black Hills and western South Dakota, his business having assumed 
extensive proportions. He also operates the Spearfish mill with F. V. 
Andrews as a partner, this being a flouring mill with a capacity of 
fifty barrels per day. He devotes his entire time to the mill and 
produce business and is leading a very active, useful life, being 
numbered among the representative business men in his section of the 
state. He possesses in large measure the spirit of initiative, forms 
his plans readily and never falters in the accomplishment of his 
purpose. 

	In October, 1882, Mr. Toomey was united in marriage to Miss Vesta 
Noyes, a native of Michigan and a daughter of Niles Noyes, who 
throughout his entire life has been a railroad man. He was born in New 
England and his wife was a native of New York. To Mr. and Mrs. Toomey 
have been born six children: Ella, the wife of Oscar Anderson, who is a 
mining engineer but is now engaged in farming in the northeastern part 
of Montana; Edward, who married Miss Naomi Driscoll and died, leaving a 
wife and one child, who reside in Spearfish; Maud, who is a teacher in 
the high school at Rapid City, South Dakota; Allan, who married Miss 
Janet Campbell and resides in St. Louis, Missouri, being connected with 
the commercial department of the Oriental Railroad; Ralph, who is a 
bookkeeper and assists his father in business; and Howard, who is 
employed by the Bruno Grosche Company of New York city. 

	Mr. Toomey holds membership with the Benevolent Protective Order 
of Elks and with the Workmen. In politics he is an independent 
democrat, voting at local elections for the man rather than for the 
party. He served as county commissioner for six years, as councilman 
for two terms and acted as mayor for one year. While in office he did 
everything in his power to advance the general welfare, exercising his 
official prerogatives in support of many measures for the public good. 
His has been an active life and every phase of pioneer existence is 
familiar to him. The tales of fiction contain no more interesting 
accounts than he can give concerning his experiences in the days when 
the arm of the law did not hold in check the cattle thieves of the 
western prairies