Col. Owen Frederick McNulty Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1222-1225 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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				COLONEL OWEN FREDERICK McNULTY. 

	With educational and business interests of Sioux Falls Colonel 
Owen Frederick McNulty was closely associated for many years. He was a 
popular hotel proprietor, his geniality and sterling worth gaining him 
the warm friendship of many with whom business relations brought him in 
contact. His birth occurred at Delavan, Wisconsin, on the 20th of 
February, 1864, and his youthful days were spent in the usual manner of 
farm lads. His father, Patrick McNulty, was a farmer, who died March 
14, 1913, just five years after the death of his son, Owen F., his 
funeral being held on the same day of the month. 

	In his youthful days Owen F. McNulty attended the public schools 
and afterward became a pupil in the College of the Sacred Heart at 
Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, from which he was graduated in June, 1887. 
Believing that better business opportunities might be secured in the 
west, he located in Sioux Falls on the 13th of October of the same year 
and taught school in Benton during the succeeding fall and winter. He 
then returned to Sioux Falls and when W. W. Cooke was appointed county 
auditor Mr. McNulty entered his office as chief clerk, there remaining 
for six months. In December, 1888, he returned to Wisconsin but in the 
following spring again came to South Dakota and accepted the position 
of teacher at Rowena. During the fall of that year he became proprietor 
of the hotel at South Sioux Falls but left there soon afterward and 
taught school at the Oaks district in Wayne. While thus engaged in 
teaching a great blizzard occurred on the 12th of February, the snow 
being so blinding that all traces of the road were lost, rendering it 
necessary for teacher and pupils to remain in the school. He chopped up 
and burned his desk to keep himself and the children from freezing and 
when morning came neighbors arrived with a pot of hot coffee. During 
the spring of 1890 he went into the restaurant business in Sioux Falls 
and continued therein and also in the hotel business throughout the 
remainder of his life. He was popular both as a restaurant proprietor 
and as owner of the hotel. He carefully looked after the interests of 
his guests, paying every attention to their comfort and welfare, and 
thus he secured a growing and well merited patronage. 

	In 1890 Colonel McNulty was united in marriage to Miss Alta 
LaSalle, of Iowa, and to them were born seven children, of whom six are 
living: Mabel, who was for two years society editor on the Sioux Falls 
Daily News; Pearl; Owen; Myrtle; Clifford; and Hazel. The death of the 
husband and father occurred March 14, 1908, at the comparatively early 
age of forty-four N. ears. He was a public-spirited man and served as 
one of the city council from the second ward and was a member at the 
time of his death. He was a man of strong constitution and a great 
worker and led a very active, busy life. He took a progressive stand 
upon public questions and was interested in all that pertained to the 
progress and welfare of Sioux Falls, of the county and of the state. 
Under Governor Lee during the Spanish-American war he was appointed 
colonel and thereafter was known by the title of Colonel McNulty. 
Fraternally he was connected with the Elks, the United Workmen and the 
Maccabees and his religious faith was that of the Catholic church. 
Death often removes from our midst those whom we can ill afford to 
spare and thus it seemed when Colonel McNulty was called away. He had 
made for himself an enviable position in business circles and at the 
same time had greatly endeared himself to his colleagues and 
contemporaries, many of whom he numbered among his warm friends.