ANOTHER PIONEER GONE
Green D. Todd of Sundance, Pioneer in the West, Joins the Silent Majority
Brief Review of the Life History of One Who was Well-known in This Region
Green D. Todd of Sundance is dead. This simple paragraph will be read with more than passing interest by the early pioneers of this section who were privileged to know the character of the man and the part he played on the frontier of Colorado, Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming. The memory of him forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the present.
Green D. Todd was one of the way-showers; the forerunners of western civilization. His advent into the Black Hills was April 15, 1876, as the captain of a company of thirty men who entered the Hills by way of Cheyenne. He was one of those who saw the Hills give up their riches; who watched the rough days pass and the newer days of civilization and culture follow along the trail, soothing it into a broad road of progress. He was of the character of such men as Judge Kuykendall, Frank Thulen, Jerry Bush, Captain Gilnes, Joe and Will and Jim Cook, Jim and Will and Lee Bradley, Mike Burton, Skew Johnson, R. L. Ripley, Judge Nichols and other such daring spirits who penetrated the Hills as leaders, or "hot" men as they are called, riding ahead and directing the course, and exposing themselves to the first shots from ambush and hidden foe.
Green Duff Todd was born on his father's homestead in Platte county, Missouri, July 23, 1842, and was seventy-five years, five months and five days of age at the time of his death, which occurred at his home in Sundance, Saturday, December 29, 1917. At the age of eighteen he found employment on a steamboat operating on the Missouri river, and later in the same year he hired out to drive an ox train from Nebraska City to Boulder, Colorado, over the old Fremont trail, and continued to follow the occupation of freighting for nine years. His last trip was from Nebraska City to Helena, Montana, over an unlaid-out route through Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana, as the captain of a company of fifty men. The train consisted of thirty-five wagons, six oxen yoked to each wagon, conveying 237,000 pounds of merchandise, for which his company received 25 cents per pound of freight, or a total of $59,375.00. The time required to make the trip was five months, and five men of the fifty were killed by Indians. The history connected with this trip will make a volume which another half century from this date will be a priceless record of the hardships and dangers endured by those who opened the way and carved the historic outlines of western life on the borders of civilization. In 1869 he returned to Missouri and engaged in farming and merchandising until 1876, when the pioneer spirit again took possession of him and he made his advent into the Black Hills, heading the party above mentioned. Returning immediately to Cheyenne he continued to freight between that point and Deadwood from 1876 to 1878, and from 1878 to 1879 he freighted between Denver and Leadville. Returning to the Black Hills in 1879, he and his brothers, Will H. and Joseph Todd, settled in the St. Onge valley, where they built homes and corrals and bought machinery preparatory to farming on a large scale.
In 1881 a prairie fire swept over the valley melting their homes and machinery and leaving them destitute, save $1,000 which Green had saved and had placed in the Deadwood bank. His brothers Will and Joe were both men of families, and Green being a man without a family, he drew the $1,000 from the bank with the freedom of a true and generous brother and spent it all in buying comforts and necessary supplies for re-establishing his unfortunate brothers and their families in their peril.
In 1882 he moved north to the Bear Lodge country in company with Jerry Bush, both of whom located on the Belle Fourche river with a herd of about fifty head of cattle each. Following this adventure for four years, he sold his cattle and engaged in the horse business for a dozen years, being president of the Todd and Durfee Horse, Land and Cattle company with holdings on what is known as Blacktail, north of Bear Lodge mountains. In 1905 he sold his interests and retired from active life, settling in Sundance, where he continued to reside until his death.
In 1890 Mr. Todd was united in marriage to Mary Early of Deadwood, by whom he is survived, and whose love and tender care transcended all other pleasures of his life. No truer helpmeet ever shared the lot of any man, and his last and most ardent thoughts were for her care and comfort when he could no longer be at her side.
He was a charter member and one of the first noble grands of Rock Port, Missouri Lodge No. 125, I. O. O. F., of which lodge he had been a continuous member in good standing for forty-seven years, and during all of which time he had drawn but $8 in sick benefits, and had not been in home lodge for thirty years. He was one of three past grands to conduct the first Odd Fellow funeral ever held in the Black Hills, and in this connection it will be interesting reading to give a recital of this burial, substantially as related by Mr. Todd himself. Immediately beyond Lookout mountain east of Spearfish and on what is known as Spring creek, on the 21st day of August, 1876, a man by the name of Holland and a man by the name of Brown lost their lives at the hands of the Indians. On the body of Holland were found papers which revealed the fact that he was from Sioux City, Iowa, where he was an honored member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and in good standing with his lodge. The circumstance brought out the fact that there were many members of the order in the Hills. A committee of three past grands were selected, to-wit: Judge Kuykendall, later grand sire of the order; Frank Thulen and Green D. Todd were selected to form a temporary organization for the burial of the deceased brother and to examine all applicants for recognition. It was found that nearly every state in the union was represented, yet there were not two members of the same lodge. The body was taken to Deadwood for burial. There was no hall in the camp at that time capable of accommodating the order, hence they repaired to the timber on the hill side above the gulch. Twenty-four members of the order attended the solemn conclave. This was but a temporary organization, but it was entirely effective for the purpose of the occasion that of giving burial to a deceased brother. They met there under the shelter of the pine-clad hills of "White Rocks" to honor their unfortunate brother and to bestow upon his mortal remains the solemn and sacred rights of burial. Dr. Babcock read from the ritual the solemn and impressive burial service of the order and reverently consigned the remains of the brother to his final resting place, the last service they were able to perform for one who was bound to them by the ties of friendship, love and truth, and there, under the shadow of the lofty pines, they left him, where the soft sighing winds as they murmur through the branches have sung the last sad requiem for many a departed one. His friends in Iowa were apprised of his untimely death and such valuables and mementos as were found on his person were returned to them. It was also learned during the day that Charles Brown, the ill fated companion of Holland, was a Mason, and members of that order gave him burial as fit for tribute to the bravery of one who risked and lost his life in the heroic effort to save one of his friends who was in peril. Taken from the "Queen City Mail," dated Wednesday, January 2, 1918.
-----------------
Green Todd of Sundance was one of the earliest settlers of the Black Hills country, first as a freighter, then as a farmer and rancher, died December 29, 1917 at the age of 75 years. He was born in Platte County, Missouri July 23, 1842. In 1876 he came to the Black Hills and vicinity ever since with the exception of about three years during which time he freighted out of Denver. In 1879 he and two brothers, William and Joseph settled in the St. Onge Valley and engaged in farming and stockraising. In 1882 he moved to the Bear Lodge country on Blacktail Creek and engaged in the stock business in the partnership with James Durfee remaining in that business until 1895 when he retired and moved to Sundance where he resided until his death. His remains were brought to Spearfish where funeral services were held Tuesday and laid to rest at the local cemetery.
From the Spearfish Enterprise, January 1918
In 1890, Mr. Todd was united in marriage to Mary Early of Deadwood. She survives him.
-------------------
Gree? H Todd
United States Census, 1900
Name:
Gree? H Todd
Event Type:
Census
Event Year:
1900
Event Place:
Beulah, Alva, Farrall, Forest, Hulett, Hay Creek, Little Missouri, Welcome, Crook, Wyoming, United States
Gender:
Male
Age:
59
Marital Status:
Married
Race:
White
Race (Original):
W
Relationship to Head of Household:
Head
Years Married:
8
Birth Date:
Jul 1841
Birthplace:
Missouri
Marriage Year (Estimated):
1892
Father's Birthplace:
Unknown
Mother's Birthplace:
Unknown
Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
Gree? H Todd Head M 59 Missouri
Mary C Todd Wife F 52 Missouri
-------------------
Green D. Todd of Sundance, Pioneer in the West, Joins the Silent Majority
Brief Review of the Life History of One Who was Well-known in This Region
Green D. Todd of Sundance is dead. This simple paragraph will be read with more than passing interest by the early pioneers of this section who were privileged to know the character of the man and the part he played on the frontier of Colorado, Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming. The memory of him forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the present.
Green D. Todd was one of the way-showers; the forerunners of western civilization. His advent into the Black Hills was April 15, 1876, as the captain of a company of thirty men who entered the Hills by way of Cheyenne. He was one of those who saw the Hills give up their riches; who watched the rough days pass and the newer days of civilization and culture follow along the trail, soothing it into a broad road of progress. He was of the character of such men as Judge Kuykendall, Frank Thulen, Jerry Bush, Captain Gilnes, Joe and Will and Jim Cook, Jim and Will and Lee Bradley, Mike Burton, Skew Johnson, R. L. Ripley, Judge Nichols and other such daring spirits who penetrated the Hills as leaders, or "hot" men as they are called, riding ahead and directing the course, and exposing themselves to the first shots from ambush and hidden foe.
Green Duff Todd was born on his father's homestead in Platte county, Missouri, July 23, 1842, and was seventy-five years, five months and five days of age at the time of his death, which occurred at his home in Sundance, Saturday, December 29, 1917. At the age of eighteen he found employment on a steamboat operating on the Missouri river, and later in the same year he hired out to drive an ox train from Nebraska City to Boulder, Colorado, over the old Fremont trail, and continued to follow the occupation of freighting for nine years. His last trip was from Nebraska City to Helena, Montana, over an unlaid-out route through Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana, as the captain of a company of fifty men. The train consisted of thirty-five wagons, six oxen yoked to each wagon, conveying 237,000 pounds of merchandise, for which his company received 25 cents per pound of freight, or a total of $59,375.00. The time required to make the trip was five months, and five men of the fifty were killed by Indians. The history connected with this trip will make a volume which another half century from this date will be a priceless record of the hardships and dangers endured by those who opened the way and carved the historic outlines of western life on the borders of civilization. In 1869 he returned to Missouri and engaged in farming and merchandising until 1876, when the pioneer spirit again took possession of him and he made his advent into the Black Hills, heading the party above mentioned. Returning immediately to Cheyenne he continued to freight between that point and Deadwood from 1876 to 1878, and from 1878 to 1879 he freighted between Denver and Leadville. Returning to the Black Hills in 1879, he and his brothers, Will H. and Joseph Todd, settled in the St. Onge valley, where they built homes and corrals and bought machinery preparatory to farming on a large scale.
In 1881 a prairie fire swept over the valley melting their homes and machinery and leaving them destitute, save $1,000 which Green had saved and had placed in the Deadwood bank. His brothers Will and Joe were both men of families, and Green being a man without a family, he drew the $1,000 from the bank with the freedom of a true and generous brother and spent it all in buying comforts and necessary supplies for re-establishing his unfortunate brothers and their families in their peril.
In 1882 he moved north to the Bear Lodge country in company with Jerry Bush, both of whom located on the Belle Fourche river with a herd of about fifty head of cattle each. Following this adventure for four years, he sold his cattle and engaged in the horse business for a dozen years, being president of the Todd and Durfee Horse, Land and Cattle company with holdings on what is known as Blacktail, north of Bear Lodge mountains. In 1905 he sold his interests and retired from active life, settling in Sundance, where he continued to reside until his death.
In 1890 Mr. Todd was united in marriage to Mary Early of Deadwood, by whom he is survived, and whose love and tender care transcended all other pleasures of his life. No truer helpmeet ever shared the lot of any man, and his last and most ardent thoughts were for her care and comfort when he could no longer be at her side.
He was a charter member and one of the first noble grands of Rock Port, Missouri Lodge No. 125, I. O. O. F., of which lodge he had been a continuous member in good standing for forty-seven years, and during all of which time he had drawn but $8 in sick benefits, and had not been in home lodge for thirty years. He was one of three past grands to conduct the first Odd Fellow funeral ever held in the Black Hills, and in this connection it will be interesting reading to give a recital of this burial, substantially as related by Mr. Todd himself. Immediately beyond Lookout mountain east of Spearfish and on what is known as Spring creek, on the 21st day of August, 1876, a man by the name of Holland and a man by the name of Brown lost their lives at the hands of the Indians. On the body of Holland were found papers which revealed the fact that he was from Sioux City, Iowa, where he was an honored member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and in good standing with his lodge. The circumstance brought out the fact that there were many members of the order in the Hills. A committee of three past grands were selected, to-wit: Judge Kuykendall, later grand sire of the order; Frank Thulen and Green D. Todd were selected to form a temporary organization for the burial of the deceased brother and to examine all applicants for recognition. It was found that nearly every state in the union was represented, yet there were not two members of the same lodge. The body was taken to Deadwood for burial. There was no hall in the camp at that time capable of accommodating the order, hence they repaired to the timber on the hill side above the gulch. Twenty-four members of the order attended the solemn conclave. This was but a temporary organization, but it was entirely effective for the purpose of the occasion that of giving burial to a deceased brother. They met there under the shelter of the pine-clad hills of "White Rocks" to honor their unfortunate brother and to bestow upon his mortal remains the solemn and sacred rights of burial. Dr. Babcock read from the ritual the solemn and impressive burial service of the order and reverently consigned the remains of the brother to his final resting place, the last service they were able to perform for one who was bound to them by the ties of friendship, love and truth, and there, under the shadow of the lofty pines, they left him, where the soft sighing winds as they murmur through the branches have sung the last sad requiem for many a departed one. His friends in Iowa were apprised of his untimely death and such valuables and mementos as were found on his person were returned to them. It was also learned during the day that Charles Brown, the ill fated companion of Holland, was a Mason, and members of that order gave him burial as fit for tribute to the bravery of one who risked and lost his life in the heroic effort to save one of his friends who was in peril. Taken from the "Queen City Mail," dated Wednesday, January 2, 1918.
-----------------
Green Todd of Sundance was one of the earliest settlers of the Black Hills country, first as a freighter, then as a farmer and rancher, died December 29, 1917 at the age of 75 years. He was born in Platte County, Missouri July 23, 1842. In 1876 he came to the Black Hills and vicinity ever since with the exception of about three years during which time he freighted out of Denver. In 1879 he and two brothers, William and Joseph settled in the St. Onge Valley and engaged in farming and stockraising. In 1882 he moved to the Bear Lodge country on Blacktail Creek and engaged in the stock business in the partnership with James Durfee remaining in that business until 1895 when he retired and moved to Sundance where he resided until his death. His remains were brought to Spearfish where funeral services were held Tuesday and laid to rest at the local cemetery.
From the Spearfish Enterprise, January 1918
In 1890, Mr. Todd was united in marriage to Mary Early of Deadwood. She survives him.
-------------------
Gree? H Todd
United States Census, 1900
Name:
Gree? H Todd
Event Type:
Census
Event Year:
1900
Event Place:
Beulah, Alva, Farrall, Forest, Hulett, Hay Creek, Little Missouri, Welcome, Crook, Wyoming, United States
Gender:
Male
Age:
59
Marital Status:
Married
Race:
White
Race (Original):
W
Relationship to Head of Household:
Head
Years Married:
8
Birth Date:
Jul 1841
Birthplace:
Missouri
Marriage Year (Estimated):
1892
Father's Birthplace:
Unknown
Mother's Birthplace:
Unknown
Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
Gree? H Todd Head M 59 Missouri
Mary C Todd Wife F 52 Missouri
-------------------
ANOTHER PIONEER GONE
Green D. Todd of Sundance, Pioneer in the West, Joins the Silent Majority
Brief Review of the Life History of One Who was Well-known in This Region
Green D. Todd of Sundance is dead. This simple paragraph will be read with more than passing interest by the early pioneers of this section who were privileged to know the character of the man and the part he played on the frontier of Colorado, Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming. The memory of him forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the present.
Green D. Todd was one of the way-showers; the forerunners of western civilization. His advent into the Black Hills was April 15, 1876, as the captain of a company of thirty men who entered the Hills by way of Cheyenne. He was one of those who saw the Hills give up their riches; who watched the rough days pass and the newer days of civilization and culture follow along the trail, soothing it into a broad road of progress. He was of the character of such men as Judge Kuykendall, Frank Thulen, Jerry Bush, Captain Gilnes, Joe and Will and Jim Cook, Jim and Will and Lee Bradley, Mike Burton, Skew Johnson, R. L. Ripley, Judge Nichols and other such daring spirits who penetrated the Hills as leaders, or "hot" men as they are called, riding ahead and directing the course, and exposing themselves to the first shots from ambush and hidden foe.
Green Duff Todd was born on his father's homestead in Platte county, Missouri, July 23, 1842, and was seventy-five years, five months and five days of age at the time of his death, which occurred at his home in Sundance, Saturday, December 29, 1917. At the age of eighteen he found employment on a steamboat operating on the Missouri river, and later in the same year he hired out to drive an ox train from Nebraska City to Boulder, Colorado, over the old Fremont trail, and continued to follow the occupation of freighting for nine years. His last trip was from Nebraska City to Helena, Montana, over an unlaid-out route through Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana, as the captain of a company of fifty men. The train consisted of thirty-five wagons, six oxen yoked to each wagon, conveying 237,000 pounds of merchandise, for which his company received 25 cents per pound of freight, or a total of $59,375.00. The time required to make the trip was five months, and five men of the fifty were killed by Indians. The history connected with this trip will make a volume which another half century from this date will be a priceless record of the hardships and dangers endured by those who opened the way and carved the historic outlines of western life on the borders of civilization. In 1869 he returned to Missouri and engaged in farming and merchandising until 1876, when the pioneer spirit again took possession of him and he made his advent into the Black Hills, heading the party above mentioned. Returning immediately to Cheyenne he continued to freight between that point and Deadwood from 1876 to 1878, and from 1878 to 1879 he freighted between Denver and Leadville. Returning to the Black Hills in 1879, he and his brothers, Will H. and Joseph Todd, settled in the St. Onge valley, where they built homes and corrals and bought machinery preparatory to farming on a large scale.
In 1881 a prairie fire swept over the valley melting their homes and machinery and leaving them destitute, save $1,000 which Green had saved and had placed in the Deadwood bank. His brothers Will and Joe were both men of families, and Green being a man without a family, he drew the $1,000 from the bank with the freedom of a true and generous brother and spent it all in buying comforts and necessary supplies for re-establishing his unfortunate brothers and their families in their peril.
In 1882 he moved north to the Bear Lodge country in company with Jerry Bush, both of whom located on the Belle Fourche river with a herd of about fifty head of cattle each. Following this adventure for four years, he sold his cattle and engaged in the horse business for a dozen years, being president of the Todd and Durfee Horse, Land and Cattle company with holdings on what is known as Blacktail, north of Bear Lodge mountains. In 1905 he sold his interests and retired from active life, settling in Sundance, where he continued to reside until his death.
In 1890 Mr. Todd was united in marriage to Mary Early of Deadwood, by whom he is survived, and whose love and tender care transcended all other pleasures of his life. No truer helpmeet ever shared the lot of any man, and his last and most ardent thoughts were for her care and comfort when he could no longer be at her side.
He was a charter member and one of the first noble grands of Rock Port, Missouri Lodge No. 125, I. O. O. F., of which lodge he had been a continuous member in good standing for forty-seven years, and during all of which time he had drawn but $8 in sick benefits, and had not been in home lodge for thirty years. He was one of three past grands to conduct the first Odd Fellow funeral ever held in the Black Hills, and in this connection it will be interesting reading to give a recital of this burial, substantially as related by Mr. Todd himself. Immediately beyond Lookout mountain east of Spearfish and on what is known as Spring creek, on the 21st day of August, 1876, a man by the name of Holland and a man by the name of Brown lost their lives at the hands of the Indians. On the body of Holland were found papers which revealed the fact that he was from Sioux City, Iowa, where he was an honored member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and in good standing with his lodge. The circumstance brought out the fact that there were many members of the order in the Hills. A committee of three past grands were selected, to-wit: Judge Kuykendall, later grand sire of the order; Frank Thulen and Green D. Todd were selected to form a temporary organization for the burial of the deceased brother and to examine all applicants for recognition. It was found that nearly every state in the union was represented, yet there were not two members of the same lodge. The body was taken to Deadwood for burial. There was no hall in the camp at that time capable of accommodating the order, hence they repaired to the timber on the hill side above the gulch. Twenty-four members of the order attended the solemn conclave. This was but a temporary organization, but it was entirely effective for the purpose of the occasion that of giving burial to a deceased brother. They met there under the shelter of the pine-clad hills of "White Rocks" to honor their unfortunate brother and to bestow upon his mortal remains the solemn and sacred rights of burial. Dr. Babcock read from the ritual the solemn and impressive burial service of the order and reverently consigned the remains of the brother to his final resting place, the last service they were able to perform for one who was bound to them by the ties of friendship, love and truth, and there, under the shadow of the lofty pines, they left him, where the soft sighing winds as they murmur through the branches have sung the last sad requiem for many a departed one. His friends in Iowa were apprised of his untimely death and such valuables and mementos as were found on his person were returned to them. It was also learned during the day that Charles Brown, the ill fated companion of Holland, was a Mason, and members of that order gave him burial as fit for tribute to the bravery of one who risked and lost his life in the heroic effort to save one of his friends who was in peril. Taken from the "Queen City Mail," dated Wednesday, January 2, 1918.
-----------------
Green Todd of Sundance was one of the earliest settlers of the Black Hills country, first as a freighter, then as a farmer and rancher, died December 29, 1917 at the age of 75 years. He was born in Platte County, Missouri July 23, 1842. In 1876 he came to the Black Hills and vicinity ever since with the exception of about three years during which time he freighted out of Denver. In 1879 he and two brothers, William and Joseph settled in the St. Onge Valley and engaged in farming and stockraising. In 1882 he moved to the Bear Lodge country on Blacktail Creek and engaged in the stock business in the partnership with James Durfee remaining in that business until 1895 when he retired and moved to Sundance where he resided until his death. His remains were brought to Spearfish where funeral services were held Tuesday and laid to rest at the local cemetery.
From the Spearfish Enterprise, January 1918
In 1890, Mr. Todd was united in marriage to Mary Early of Deadwood. She survives him.
-------------------
Gree? H Todd
United States Census, 1900
Name:
Gree? H Todd
Event Type:
Census
Event Year:
1900
Event Place:
Beulah, Alva, Farrall, Forest, Hulett, Hay Creek, Little Missouri, Welcome, Crook, Wyoming, United States
Gender:
Male
Age:
59
Marital Status:
Married
Race:
White
Race (Original):
W
Relationship to Head of Household:
Head
Years Married:
8
Birth Date:
Jul 1841
Birthplace:
Missouri
Marriage Year (Estimated):
1892
Father's Birthplace:
Unknown
Mother's Birthplace:
Unknown
Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
Gree? H Todd Head M 59 Missouri
Mary C Todd Wife F 52 Missouri
-------------------
Green D. Todd of Sundance, Pioneer in the West, Joins the Silent Majority
Brief Review of the Life History of One Who was Well-known in This Region
Green D. Todd of Sundance is dead. This simple paragraph will be read with more than passing interest by the early pioneers of this section who were privileged to know the character of the man and the part he played on the frontier of Colorado, Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming. The memory of him forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the present.
Green D. Todd was one of the way-showers; the forerunners of western civilization. His advent into the Black Hills was April 15, 1876, as the captain of a company of thirty men who entered the Hills by way of Cheyenne. He was one of those who saw the Hills give up their riches; who watched the rough days pass and the newer days of civilization and culture follow along the trail, soothing it into a broad road of progress. He was of the character of such men as Judge Kuykendall, Frank Thulen, Jerry Bush, Captain Gilnes, Joe and Will and Jim Cook, Jim and Will and Lee Bradley, Mike Burton, Skew Johnson, R. L. Ripley, Judge Nichols and other such daring spirits who penetrated the Hills as leaders, or "hot" men as they are called, riding ahead and directing the course, and exposing themselves to the first shots from ambush and hidden foe.
Green Duff Todd was born on his father's homestead in Platte county, Missouri, July 23, 1842, and was seventy-five years, five months and five days of age at the time of his death, which occurred at his home in Sundance, Saturday, December 29, 1917. At the age of eighteen he found employment on a steamboat operating on the Missouri river, and later in the same year he hired out to drive an ox train from Nebraska City to Boulder, Colorado, over the old Fremont trail, and continued to follow the occupation of freighting for nine years. His last trip was from Nebraska City to Helena, Montana, over an unlaid-out route through Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana, as the captain of a company of fifty men. The train consisted of thirty-five wagons, six oxen yoked to each wagon, conveying 237,000 pounds of merchandise, for which his company received 25 cents per pound of freight, or a total of $59,375.00. The time required to make the trip was five months, and five men of the fifty were killed by Indians. The history connected with this trip will make a volume which another half century from this date will be a priceless record of the hardships and dangers endured by those who opened the way and carved the historic outlines of western life on the borders of civilization. In 1869 he returned to Missouri and engaged in farming and merchandising until 1876, when the pioneer spirit again took possession of him and he made his advent into the Black Hills, heading the party above mentioned. Returning immediately to Cheyenne he continued to freight between that point and Deadwood from 1876 to 1878, and from 1878 to 1879 he freighted between Denver and Leadville. Returning to the Black Hills in 1879, he and his brothers, Will H. and Joseph Todd, settled in the St. Onge valley, where they built homes and corrals and bought machinery preparatory to farming on a large scale.
In 1881 a prairie fire swept over the valley melting their homes and machinery and leaving them destitute, save $1,000 which Green had saved and had placed in the Deadwood bank. His brothers Will and Joe were both men of families, and Green being a man without a family, he drew the $1,000 from the bank with the freedom of a true and generous brother and spent it all in buying comforts and necessary supplies for re-establishing his unfortunate brothers and their families in their peril.
In 1882 he moved north to the Bear Lodge country in company with Jerry Bush, both of whom located on the Belle Fourche river with a herd of about fifty head of cattle each. Following this adventure for four years, he sold his cattle and engaged in the horse business for a dozen years, being president of the Todd and Durfee Horse, Land and Cattle company with holdings on what is known as Blacktail, north of Bear Lodge mountains. In 1905 he sold his interests and retired from active life, settling in Sundance, where he continued to reside until his death.
In 1890 Mr. Todd was united in marriage to Mary Early of Deadwood, by whom he is survived, and whose love and tender care transcended all other pleasures of his life. No truer helpmeet ever shared the lot of any man, and his last and most ardent thoughts were for her care and comfort when he could no longer be at her side.
He was a charter member and one of the first noble grands of Rock Port, Missouri Lodge No. 125, I. O. O. F., of which lodge he had been a continuous member in good standing for forty-seven years, and during all of which time he had drawn but $8 in sick benefits, and had not been in home lodge for thirty years. He was one of three past grands to conduct the first Odd Fellow funeral ever held in the Black Hills, and in this connection it will be interesting reading to give a recital of this burial, substantially as related by Mr. Todd himself. Immediately beyond Lookout mountain east of Spearfish and on what is known as Spring creek, on the 21st day of August, 1876, a man by the name of Holland and a man by the name of Brown lost their lives at the hands of the Indians. On the body of Holland were found papers which revealed the fact that he was from Sioux City, Iowa, where he was an honored member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and in good standing with his lodge. The circumstance brought out the fact that there were many members of the order in the Hills. A committee of three past grands were selected, to-wit: Judge Kuykendall, later grand sire of the order; Frank Thulen and Green D. Todd were selected to form a temporary organization for the burial of the deceased brother and to examine all applicants for recognition. It was found that nearly every state in the union was represented, yet there were not two members of the same lodge. The body was taken to Deadwood for burial. There was no hall in the camp at that time capable of accommodating the order, hence they repaired to the timber on the hill side above the gulch. Twenty-four members of the order attended the solemn conclave. This was but a temporary organization, but it was entirely effective for the purpose of the occasion that of giving burial to a deceased brother. They met there under the shelter of the pine-clad hills of "White Rocks" to honor their unfortunate brother and to bestow upon his mortal remains the solemn and sacred rights of burial. Dr. Babcock read from the ritual the solemn and impressive burial service of the order and reverently consigned the remains of the brother to his final resting place, the last service they were able to perform for one who was bound to them by the ties of friendship, love and truth, and there, under the shadow of the lofty pines, they left him, where the soft sighing winds as they murmur through the branches have sung the last sad requiem for many a departed one. His friends in Iowa were apprised of his untimely death and such valuables and mementos as were found on his person were returned to them. It was also learned during the day that Charles Brown, the ill fated companion of Holland, was a Mason, and members of that order gave him burial as fit for tribute to the bravery of one who risked and lost his life in the heroic effort to save one of his friends who was in peril. Taken from the "Queen City Mail," dated Wednesday, January 2, 1918.
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Green Todd of Sundance was one of the earliest settlers of the Black Hills country, first as a freighter, then as a farmer and rancher, died December 29, 1917 at the age of 75 years. He was born in Platte County, Missouri July 23, 1842. In 1876 he came to the Black Hills and vicinity ever since with the exception of about three years during which time he freighted out of Denver. In 1879 he and two brothers, William and Joseph settled in the St. Onge Valley and engaged in farming and stockraising. In 1882 he moved to the Bear Lodge country on Blacktail Creek and engaged in the stock business in the partnership with James Durfee remaining in that business until 1895 when he retired and moved to Sundance where he resided until his death. His remains were brought to Spearfish where funeral services were held Tuesday and laid to rest at the local cemetery.
From the Spearfish Enterprise, January 1918
In 1890, Mr. Todd was united in marriage to Mary Early of Deadwood. She survives him.
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Gree? H Todd
United States Census, 1900
Name:
Gree? H Todd
Event Type:
Census
Event Year:
1900
Event Place:
Beulah, Alva, Farrall, Forest, Hulett, Hay Creek, Little Missouri, Welcome, Crook, Wyoming, United States
Gender:
Male
Age:
59
Marital Status:
Married
Race:
White
Race (Original):
W
Relationship to Head of Household:
Head
Years Married:
8
Birth Date:
Jul 1841
Birthplace:
Missouri
Marriage Year (Estimated):
1892
Father's Birthplace:
Unknown
Mother's Birthplace:
Unknown
Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
Gree? H Todd Head M 59 Missouri
Mary C Todd Wife F 52 Missouri
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