Old Missoula

 

John S. Caldwell

 

John Caldwell was one of the early Missoula Pioneers that did not receive much attention in historical documentation of early Missoula. What a shame as he was an interesting and productive person who was a member of John Mullan’s road building expedition. After much searching, I found the following article that shed some light on him.

 

Article from The Daily Republican newspaper from Monongahela City, Pa – May 4, 1885:

 

Died In Montana

 

Mr. John S. Caldwell, brother of Mrs. Col. Gregg of this city, died at his home in Missoula, Montana, on the 19^th of April aged 70 years and 11 months. The Missoula Times says: –

 

“John S. Caldwell was a native of Pennsylvania. He emigrated to California in an early day, and in 1861 found his way to this part of Montana. In the following year he purchased a ferry on the Missoula river, which he operated for four years. He then bought a farm in Grass valley, where [he] lived up to four years ago, when he moved to Missoula. About six years ago he had the misfortune to break one of his legs, which was afterwards imperfectly set, and the confinement which this occasioned told heavily against him, as he had always been out of doors and a hard working man. About one year ago he was stricken with apoplexy, and this disease led to other complications that hastened his end. Death finally was the result of exhaustion and feebleness.

 

“Mr. Caldwell was quite [sic] and peaceful disposition, industrious and frugal, and thoroughly honest in all his dealings. The funeral services were held on Monday.”

 

 

 

John Caldwell was a noted Missoula pioneer who first came to Montana with the John Mullan expedition and is cited by Frank Woody in his description of events of the time for his article about Missoula County in the book, History of Montana by Michael Leeson.

 

“The expedition of Lieutenant Mullan and the building of the Jocko agency brought a large number of men to this county, and a number of them remained and are now prominent citizens of our county, among whom are W. B. S. Higgins, John S. Caldwell, C. C. and D. C. O’Keefe, E. D. Dukes, John Chatfield, Charles Shaft, and some others whose names the writer has forgotten.”

 

Caldwell’s name also appears in the celebrated list of Missoula County residents during the winter of 1862-1863; a list held by the Montana Historical Society.

 

Woody also gives two descriptions of John Caldwell’s property as it related to other events of the time. Although he couldn’t furnish a precise description since the area had not been surveyed, the location of Caldwell’s ranch is well described.

 

“The treaty between the United States and the Confederated Flathead nation, consisting of the Flatheads, Pen d’Oreille, and Kootenai tribes, was concluded in a council held in July, 1855, in a large pine grove on the river, about eight miles below the present town of Missoula, and opposite to the farm of John S. Caldwell.”

 

And Woody again:

 

“In the spring of 1857 only a few men remained in the area. “Adams and Hereford went to the ‘Road’ to trade, McArthur and Brooks moved their stock to Hell’s Gate Ronde – or as it was commonly called Hell’s Gate – and located on land now owned by J. S. Caldwell.”

 

Caldwell was elected a Missoula County commissioner, serving from Feb. 1869 to Nov. 1872, according to Frank Woody in his valuable history ‘sketch’.

 

Caldwell’s small obituary states that he operated a ferry on the Missoula river for a period of 4 years. The location of the ferry was likely close to the junction of the Missoula and Bitter Root Rivers, but I cannot confirm it.

John Caldwell was mentioned by Bitter Root pioneer Robert Nichol in one of his articles that appeared in the Bitter Root newspaper, The Western News.

 

 

Robert Nicol wrote an account of these early days for The Western News of Hamilton, Mt., which appeared over a five-week period, starting March 7, 1894:

 

(See also, Bitterroot Trails – Volume One, by the Bitter Root Valley Historical Society, 1982.)

 

 

“In the fall of 1866 the first threshing machine made its appearance in the valley. It was owned by John S. Caldwell, who afterward located in Grass Valley, eight miles below Missoula. He brought the machine across the plains from Omaha, Nebraska, being he told me four months on the road. I afterward purchased a half interest in the machine with Jack Slack. I raised about 250 bushels of grain and my threshing bill amounted to $66.

 

“Mr. Caldwell told me his threshing accounts amounted to between $6,000 and $7,000 that fall, his charges being 25 cents per bushel for oats and 30 cents for wheat. Our money at this time was gold dust, everybody having gold scales, and he got his money as he went along, so it is easily seen that threshing was a paying business at that time.”

 

 

John Caldwell was also mentioned by the Missoulian in 1877 and is cited in the article about John Catlin that appears on the website oldmissoula.

 

J. S. Caldwell leaves for Fort Benton about June 1st, to bring in a steam thresher he is expecting about that time. He understands this business pretty thoroughly, having worn out one of these machines in the service in this country. He ordered through the well-known firm of T. C. Power & Co., of Helena, who do the bulk of the agricultural business in this county. [Caldwell & his thresher were mentioned above – he was a member of John Mullan’s road building expedition and former Missoula County commissioner. In his ‘Sketch’ written for the Montana Historical Society, Judge F. H. Woody stated that the location for the Hellgate Treaty at Council Grove west of Missoula was opposite Caldwell’s farm.