Frank A. Gira Biography


	This biography appears on pages 975-976 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				FRANK A. GIRA. 

	Frank A. Gira, of Custer, Custer county, has met with marked 
success as a grower of fruit and has proved that fruit raising may be 
profitably followed in this state. He was born at Milan, Ohio, October 
4, 1860, a son of John and Clara (Burwick) Gira. Both parents were born 
in what is now Alsace, Germany, the father in 1808 and the mother about 
1816. They were married in Germany but emigrated to America and settled 
in Ohio in the early days in the history of that state. The father 
became a landowner and followed agricultural pursuits until his death, 
which occurred in 1882. His widow survived for eleven years, dying in 
1893. They were the parents of ten children, of whom Frank A. Gira is 
the seventh in order of birth. 

	The last named attended school in Milan, Ohio, but at the age of 
fourteen years began his business career, finding employment in a 
hardware store at Monroeville, Ohio. While there he also learned the 
tinner's trade but when twenty-one years of age opened a hardware store 
of his own at Lorain, Ohio, where he continued for three years. At the 
end of that time he went to Cleveland and entered the employ of a firm 
as manager of a store at Chagrin Falls, Ohio, owned by that firm. He 
conducted that store until the fall of 1897, when he removed to the 
Black Hills and located at Custer. He engaged in prospecting and mining 
at Spokane, South Dakota, and became connected with the Crown Hill 
Mining Company. Later he invested in the Clara Belle, the White Cloud 
and other mines and is still financially interested in a number of 
mining enterprises. He was one of the first in the Black Hills to 
attempt fruit raising on a large scale and now has one of the finest 
and best equipped fruit ranches in the Black Hills country. He has 
succeeded in preventing his trees from blooming too early in the season 
by banking them with ice and in this way saves his blossoms from being 
frosted by a cold snap and his trees yield a good crop annually. He 
also gives much time to assisting his sons, who have an excellent stock 
ranch and breed Hereford cattle. 

	Mr. Gira was married on the 5th of October, 1886, to Miss Julia 
Keating, who was born in Sandusky, Ohio. Her father died when she was 
but a child but her mother survived for many years. She resided for 
some time with Mr. and Mrs. Gira but eventually returned to Sandusky, 
Ohio, where her death occurred. Mr. and Mrs. Gira have two sons. 
Bernard A., who was born September 15, 1887, is a rancher and resides 
in Limestone, South Dakota. Sylvester, whose birth occurred on the 19th 
of July, 1892, is associated with his brother in the conduct of the 
stock ranch. They now have about thirty head of high grade Hereford 
cattle and intend to raise that breed exclusively. Their ranch 
comprises three hundred and twenty acres, which is fully equipped for 
stock-raising, and in the spring of 1915 they planted fifty acres of 
oats. They are energetic and progressive and there is no doubt that 
they will meet with gratifying success in their undertaking. 

	Mr. Gira of this review is independent in politics and has always 
refused nomination for public office. His religious faith is that of 
the Roman Catholic church and his life is guided by the highest moral 
principles. He has been unusually successful as a fruit raiser and has 
also found his mining ventures profitable. He is at present manager of 
the Cuyahoga Mining Company, which operates near Keystone and which he 
organized among his eastern friends. All those who know him not only 
respect him for his business ability but also honor him for his 
integrity and probity.