Big Timber Pioneer, February 21, 1957
Last Rites Held For Del Whitney
Adelbert (Del) Whitney, 92, pioneer Montana and Sweet Grass county resident died at the Ranch House Rest Home early Sunday morning, Death was attributed to infirmities of age. His eyesight began failing a number of years ago and he had been nearly blind for some time, He had resided at the Home for the past couple of months.
Funeral services were conducted from St Mark's Episcopal church, of which he was a member, Tuesday morning, with Rev. R. R Price officiating. Music was by Mrs. Frank Chase at the organ. Pallbearers were C. E. Smart, Walter Osborne, Ed Adam, C. E. Davis, Ted C. Busha and Will Churchill. Burial was in Mountain View.
Mr. Whitney, who came to Montana in March 1882, returned to his native Maine to marry Lena Haney, on March 23, 1891. She died in December 1944, and Mr. Whiteney also was preceded in death by three sons who died in childhood.
Mr, Whitney served as Sweet Grass assessor for three terms 1924-28.
Mr. Whitney a number of years ago wrote an interesting account of his early life in Montana:
"I was born in Waldo county, Maine, on May 29, 1864. My father's name was Henry Whitney. He married my mother, Martha E Meriam in 1863. My father died when I was four years old and my mother married T. H. Gurney who had a daughter who was about one year younger than I. We grew up together and were very fond of each other, We went to the same little red school house where we got a common school education.
"My life was uneventful until I was 17 years old. In the spring of 1881, my step-father went to Montana to go into the sheep business, buying 2500 sheep. That fall he left the sheep in charge of a man and came back to Maine, intending to return the following fall...But February 1882 he received a telegram that the man he left in charge of the sheep had committed suicide and that the sheep would be taken care of until he could get back to Montana, He asked me if I would like to go with him and I said that I would like to very much after gaining mother's reluctant consent.
We left Maine for Montana on March 1, 1882, and on the 9th arrived in Miles City, that being as far as we could go by the railroad as the terminus of the steel was at Fort Keogh, four miles west of Miles City at that time. The steel was laid through to Livingston that summer, however, and trains were running into Livingston in the fall of 1882.
"From Miles City, we came by stage coach to Coulson a small place of about 500 people living in shacks and tents. It had about two restaurants and two saloons and was situated on the north bank of the Yellowstone now the location of the Billings fair grounds.
My step-father met a man Tom Johnson from White Sulphur Springs, who had come to Coulson for a load of supplies and arranged with him to take us and our baggage up the Musselshell river where his sheep camp was located. Thompson had a two-horse team and a dead axle wagon
"Wee went to some old cabins in the Bull mountains and camped the first night. Walking ahead of the wagon once I thought I would sit down and wait for them to catch up and as I was a pilgrim I sat down without looking where and for the first time discovered pricky-pear. Needless to say, I got up quickly....
"The next day, March 13, we arrived at our destination, a cabin occupied by the herder. It consisted of a small cabin 11x12 feet built of cottonwood logs with the bark on and equipped with a small wooden bench to sit on, a bunk in one corner for a bed, a water bucket, a few tin dishes, and a frying pan.
"The herder apparently had eaten his breakfast, then taken a .45 caliber needle gun (carbine) and shot himself through the head, the bullet going through the stove pipe and imbedding itself in a log. The dishes were covered with blood and brains and the coffee cup was half full of dried blood.
"I was delegated to clean up the mess,
"Father then told me to go to cooking. As I had never done any cooking, even to boil water I had to ask a few questions. I was determined to become a cook and graduate from the pilgrim to the tenderfoot class.
"The man who committed suicide (I think his name was Nute Hegwood) was buried on a high point north of the camp and north of what is now highway 6. His grave can be seen from the highway about three miles east of Harlowton
"I liked Montana from the first, with its towering mountain and large open spaces. A man could ride 100 miles with never a fence to stop him. Game was in every direction and fish were in all the streams--a hunter's paradise. The buffalo were nearly gone. The big kill was made during 1880-81. Millions were slaughtered for their hides and the carcasses were left on the prairie to rot. It's no wonder the Indians fought the white man's invasion.
......
Mr. Whitney's narrative goes on to 1885, but over the next half a century he led an active and varied life. He eventually built up a large spread in Lake basin. The original building burned down (near where the Burmeister ranch is now located). He also later ranched about seven miles northwest of Big Timber in the Wormr vicinity and operated a garage in Big Timber next to the Fire hall in partnership with the late H. O, Kellogg.
Last Rites Held For Del Whitney
Adelbert (Del) Whitney, 92, pioneer Montana and Sweet Grass county resident died at the Ranch House Rest Home early Sunday morning, Death was attributed to infirmities of age. His eyesight began failing a number of years ago and he had been nearly blind for some time, He had resided at the Home for the past couple of months.
Funeral services were conducted from St Mark's Episcopal church, of which he was a member, Tuesday morning, with Rev. R. R Price officiating. Music was by Mrs. Frank Chase at the organ. Pallbearers were C. E. Smart, Walter Osborne, Ed Adam, C. E. Davis, Ted C. Busha and Will Churchill. Burial was in Mountain View.
Mr. Whitney, who came to Montana in March 1882, returned to his native Maine to marry Lena Haney, on March 23, 1891. She died in December 1944, and Mr. Whiteney also was preceded in death by three sons who died in childhood.
Mr, Whitney served as Sweet Grass assessor for three terms 1924-28.
Mr. Whitney a number of years ago wrote an interesting account of his early life in Montana:
"I was born in Waldo county, Maine, on May 29, 1864. My father's name was Henry Whitney. He married my mother, Martha E Meriam in 1863. My father died when I was four years old and my mother married T. H. Gurney who had a daughter who was about one year younger than I. We grew up together and were very fond of each other, We went to the same little red school house where we got a common school education.
"My life was uneventful until I was 17 years old. In the spring of 1881, my step-father went to Montana to go into the sheep business, buying 2500 sheep. That fall he left the sheep in charge of a man and came back to Maine, intending to return the following fall...But February 1882 he received a telegram that the man he left in charge of the sheep had committed suicide and that the sheep would be taken care of until he could get back to Montana, He asked me if I would like to go with him and I said that I would like to very much after gaining mother's reluctant consent.
We left Maine for Montana on March 1, 1882, and on the 9th arrived in Miles City, that being as far as we could go by the railroad as the terminus of the steel was at Fort Keogh, four miles west of Miles City at that time. The steel was laid through to Livingston that summer, however, and trains were running into Livingston in the fall of 1882.
"From Miles City, we came by stage coach to Coulson a small place of about 500 people living in shacks and tents. It had about two restaurants and two saloons and was situated on the north bank of the Yellowstone now the location of the Billings fair grounds.
My step-father met a man Tom Johnson from White Sulphur Springs, who had come to Coulson for a load of supplies and arranged with him to take us and our baggage up the Musselshell river where his sheep camp was located. Thompson had a two-horse team and a dead axle wagon
"Wee went to some old cabins in the Bull mountains and camped the first night. Walking ahead of the wagon once I thought I would sit down and wait for them to catch up and as I was a pilgrim I sat down without looking where and for the first time discovered pricky-pear. Needless to say, I got up quickly....
"The next day, March 13, we arrived at our destination, a cabin occupied by the herder. It consisted of a small cabin 11x12 feet built of cottonwood logs with the bark on and equipped with a small wooden bench to sit on, a bunk in one corner for a bed, a water bucket, a few tin dishes, and a frying pan.
"The herder apparently had eaten his breakfast, then taken a .45 caliber needle gun (carbine) and shot himself through the head, the bullet going through the stove pipe and imbedding itself in a log. The dishes were covered with blood and brains and the coffee cup was half full of dried blood.
"I was delegated to clean up the mess,
"Father then told me to go to cooking. As I had never done any cooking, even to boil water I had to ask a few questions. I was determined to become a cook and graduate from the pilgrim to the tenderfoot class.
"The man who committed suicide (I think his name was Nute Hegwood) was buried on a high point north of the camp and north of what is now highway 6. His grave can be seen from the highway about three miles east of Harlowton
"I liked Montana from the first, with its towering mountain and large open spaces. A man could ride 100 miles with never a fence to stop him. Game was in every direction and fish were in all the streams--a hunter's paradise. The buffalo were nearly gone. The big kill was made during 1880-81. Millions were slaughtered for their hides and the carcasses were left on the prairie to rot. It's no wonder the Indians fought the white man's invasion.
......
Mr. Whitney's narrative goes on to 1885, but over the next half a century he led an active and varied life. He eventually built up a large spread in Lake basin. The original building burned down (near where the Burmeister ranch is now located). He also later ranched about seven miles northwest of Big Timber in the Wormr vicinity and operated a garage in Big Timber next to the Fire hall in partnership with the late H. O, Kellogg.
Big Timber Pioneer, February 21, 1957
Last Rites Held For Del Whitney
Adelbert (Del) Whitney, 92, pioneer Montana and Sweet Grass county resident died at the Ranch House Rest Home early Sunday morning, Death was attributed to infirmities of age. His eyesight began failing a number of years ago and he had been nearly blind for some time, He had resided at the Home for the past couple of months.
Funeral services were conducted from St Mark's Episcopal church, of which he was a member, Tuesday morning, with Rev. R. R Price officiating. Music was by Mrs. Frank Chase at the organ. Pallbearers were C. E. Smart, Walter Osborne, Ed Adam, C. E. Davis, Ted C. Busha and Will Churchill. Burial was in Mountain View.
Mr. Whitney, who came to Montana in March 1882, returned to his native Maine to marry Lena Haney, on March 23, 1891. She died in December 1944, and Mr. Whiteney also was preceded in death by three sons who died in childhood.
Mr, Whitney served as Sweet Grass assessor for three terms 1924-28.
Mr. Whitney a number of years ago wrote an interesting account of his early life in Montana:
"I was born in Waldo county, Maine, on May 29, 1864. My father's name was Henry Whitney. He married my mother, Martha E Meriam in 1863. My father died when I was four years old and my mother married T. H. Gurney who had a daughter who was about one year younger than I. We grew up together and were very fond of each other, We went to the same little red school house where we got a common school education.
"My life was uneventful until I was 17 years old. In the spring of 1881, my step-father went to Montana to go into the sheep business, buying 2500 sheep. That fall he left the sheep in charge of a man and came back to Maine, intending to return the following fall...But February 1882 he received a telegram that the man he left in charge of the sheep had committed suicide and that the sheep would be taken care of until he could get back to Montana, He asked me if I would like to go with him and I said that I would like to very much after gaining mother's reluctant consent.
We left Maine for Montana on March 1, 1882, and on the 9th arrived in Miles City, that being as far as we could go by the railroad as the terminus of the steel was at Fort Keogh, four miles west of Miles City at that time. The steel was laid through to Livingston that summer, however, and trains were running into Livingston in the fall of 1882.
"From Miles City, we came by stage coach to Coulson a small place of about 500 people living in shacks and tents. It had about two restaurants and two saloons and was situated on the north bank of the Yellowstone now the location of the Billings fair grounds.
My step-father met a man Tom Johnson from White Sulphur Springs, who had come to Coulson for a load of supplies and arranged with him to take us and our baggage up the Musselshell river where his sheep camp was located. Thompson had a two-horse team and a dead axle wagon
"Wee went to some old cabins in the Bull mountains and camped the first night. Walking ahead of the wagon once I thought I would sit down and wait for them to catch up and as I was a pilgrim I sat down without looking where and for the first time discovered pricky-pear. Needless to say, I got up quickly....
"The next day, March 13, we arrived at our destination, a cabin occupied by the herder. It consisted of a small cabin 11x12 feet built of cottonwood logs with the bark on and equipped with a small wooden bench to sit on, a bunk in one corner for a bed, a water bucket, a few tin dishes, and a frying pan.
"The herder apparently had eaten his breakfast, then taken a .45 caliber needle gun (carbine) and shot himself through the head, the bullet going through the stove pipe and imbedding itself in a log. The dishes were covered with blood and brains and the coffee cup was half full of dried blood.
"I was delegated to clean up the mess,
"Father then told me to go to cooking. As I had never done any cooking, even to boil water I had to ask a few questions. I was determined to become a cook and graduate from the pilgrim to the tenderfoot class.
"The man who committed suicide (I think his name was Nute Hegwood) was buried on a high point north of the camp and north of what is now highway 6. His grave can be seen from the highway about three miles east of Harlowton
"I liked Montana from the first, with its towering mountain and large open spaces. A man could ride 100 miles with never a fence to stop him. Game was in every direction and fish were in all the streams--a hunter's paradise. The buffalo were nearly gone. The big kill was made during 1880-81. Millions were slaughtered for their hides and the carcasses were left on the prairie to rot. It's no wonder the Indians fought the white man's invasion.
......
Mr. Whitney's narrative goes on to 1885, but over the next half a century he led an active and varied life. He eventually built up a large spread in Lake basin. The original building burned down (near where the Burmeister ranch is now located). He also later ranched about seven miles northwest of Big Timber in the Wormr vicinity and operated a garage in Big Timber next to the Fire hall in partnership with the late H. O, Kellogg.
Last Rites Held For Del Whitney
Adelbert (Del) Whitney, 92, pioneer Montana and Sweet Grass county resident died at the Ranch House Rest Home early Sunday morning, Death was attributed to infirmities of age. His eyesight began failing a number of years ago and he had been nearly blind for some time, He had resided at the Home for the past couple of months.
Funeral services were conducted from St Mark's Episcopal church, of which he was a member, Tuesday morning, with Rev. R. R Price officiating. Music was by Mrs. Frank Chase at the organ. Pallbearers were C. E. Smart, Walter Osborne, Ed Adam, C. E. Davis, Ted C. Busha and Will Churchill. Burial was in Mountain View.
Mr. Whitney, who came to Montana in March 1882, returned to his native Maine to marry Lena Haney, on March 23, 1891. She died in December 1944, and Mr. Whiteney also was preceded in death by three sons who died in childhood.
Mr, Whitney served as Sweet Grass assessor for three terms 1924-28.
Mr. Whitney a number of years ago wrote an interesting account of his early life in Montana:
"I was born in Waldo county, Maine, on May 29, 1864. My father's name was Henry Whitney. He married my mother, Martha E Meriam in 1863. My father died when I was four years old and my mother married T. H. Gurney who had a daughter who was about one year younger than I. We grew up together and were very fond of each other, We went to the same little red school house where we got a common school education.
"My life was uneventful until I was 17 years old. In the spring of 1881, my step-father went to Montana to go into the sheep business, buying 2500 sheep. That fall he left the sheep in charge of a man and came back to Maine, intending to return the following fall...But February 1882 he received a telegram that the man he left in charge of the sheep had committed suicide and that the sheep would be taken care of until he could get back to Montana, He asked me if I would like to go with him and I said that I would like to very much after gaining mother's reluctant consent.
We left Maine for Montana on March 1, 1882, and on the 9th arrived in Miles City, that being as far as we could go by the railroad as the terminus of the steel was at Fort Keogh, four miles west of Miles City at that time. The steel was laid through to Livingston that summer, however, and trains were running into Livingston in the fall of 1882.
"From Miles City, we came by stage coach to Coulson a small place of about 500 people living in shacks and tents. It had about two restaurants and two saloons and was situated on the north bank of the Yellowstone now the location of the Billings fair grounds.
My step-father met a man Tom Johnson from White Sulphur Springs, who had come to Coulson for a load of supplies and arranged with him to take us and our baggage up the Musselshell river where his sheep camp was located. Thompson had a two-horse team and a dead axle wagon
"Wee went to some old cabins in the Bull mountains and camped the first night. Walking ahead of the wagon once I thought I would sit down and wait for them to catch up and as I was a pilgrim I sat down without looking where and for the first time discovered pricky-pear. Needless to say, I got up quickly....
"The next day, March 13, we arrived at our destination, a cabin occupied by the herder. It consisted of a small cabin 11x12 feet built of cottonwood logs with the bark on and equipped with a small wooden bench to sit on, a bunk in one corner for a bed, a water bucket, a few tin dishes, and a frying pan.
"The herder apparently had eaten his breakfast, then taken a .45 caliber needle gun (carbine) and shot himself through the head, the bullet going through the stove pipe and imbedding itself in a log. The dishes were covered with blood and brains and the coffee cup was half full of dried blood.
"I was delegated to clean up the mess,
"Father then told me to go to cooking. As I had never done any cooking, even to boil water I had to ask a few questions. I was determined to become a cook and graduate from the pilgrim to the tenderfoot class.
"The man who committed suicide (I think his name was Nute Hegwood) was buried on a high point north of the camp and north of what is now highway 6. His grave can be seen from the highway about three miles east of Harlowton
"I liked Montana from the first, with its towering mountain and large open spaces. A man could ride 100 miles with never a fence to stop him. Game was in every direction and fish were in all the streams--a hunter's paradise. The buffalo were nearly gone. The big kill was made during 1880-81. Millions were slaughtered for their hides and the carcasses were left on the prairie to rot. It's no wonder the Indians fought the white man's invasion.
......
Mr. Whitney's narrative goes on to 1885, but over the next half a century he led an active and varied life. He eventually built up a large spread in Lake basin. The original building burned down (near where the Burmeister ranch is now located). He also later ranched about seven miles northwest of Big Timber in the Wormr vicinity and operated a garage in Big Timber next to the Fire hall in partnership with the late H. O, Kellogg.
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