Peter Fortin Biography


	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1899. Page 335

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. 

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.

	This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside
	a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

	http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm


PETER FORTIN, the efficient postmaster of Turton, South Dakota, and one 
of the leading hardware merchants of that town, is among the pioneer 
settlers of Spink county, whose life has been marked by progression. 
Our subject was born in Kankakee county, Illinois, in 1862. 

The grandparents of Mr. Fortin were born and raised in Canada, and also 
our subject's parents, although of French descent. The father was a 
blacksmith until 1849, when he went to Illinois, and engaged in 
farming, and now owns three hundred and twenty acres of land near the 
town of Manteno, Kankakee county, and is one of the well-to-do farmers 
of that section of the state. Our subject was reared on this farm, and 
attended the country schools, and at the age of seventeen years began a 
course in the St. Viateur College at Bourbonnais, Kankakee county, and 
at the end of three years completed an excellent course in French and 
English. After completing his schooling he returned to the home, where 
he remained for one year on account of sickness. A change of climate 
was advised, and in the fall of 1882 he went to Dakota and located on 
the south half of section nine, in Sumner township. In December he 
returned to Illinois, and then went to Dakota with three horses, a car 
load of feed, grain and machinery and one hundred and fifty dollars 
worth of groceries, and started a store, which he sold to his brother 
the following spring. He farmed land on the west side of the township 
and broke his own land in 1883, and his shanty, which he erected the 
same year, was the first in the neighborhood, but was burned by prairie 
fire the same year. The fire extended from the Kotoes east of Turton to 
fifteen miles west, and north and south the distance is not known. He 
erected a good dwelling and barn in 1884, and farmed until 1888, when 
he removed to Turton and established his hardware business. The town 
was new and our subject helped grade the railroad which was built 
through it. He added machinery and implements to his business in 1892, 
and in June, 1897, was appointed postmaster of Turton. He formerly 
acted as agent for the Atlas Elevator Company, and has bought grain for 
them for three years. 

Mr. Fortin was married in November, 1884, to Miss Cordelia Brosseau, a 
native of the same place as our subject, and they were playmates, and 
reared together. Mrs. Fortin died in 1893 the mother of three children: 
Edwin, Leopold, died aged five years, and Blanch. Our subject was 
married a second time, in 1895, Leah Fortin becoming his wife. Mrs. 
Fortin is of French descent and was raised in Illinois. Her parents 
were early settlers in Dakota. Mr. and Mrs. Fortin are the parents of 
two children, McKinley, deceased, and Gliva. The family are 
communicants of the Catholic church, and Mr. Fortin is a member of the 
Ancient Order of United Workmen. He has much musical talent and is 
leader of the church choir, and also of the Turton Band. He has been 
township clerk for the past nine years, and takes an active interest in 
the welfare of his community. In political faith he is a Republican.