Old Missoula

OLDEST INHABITANT OF CITY PASSES AT AGE OF 99 YEARS – Oldest Mother – “Remained Cheerful”

Mrs. L. L. Grinnell Resident of Missoula for 45 Years.

Mrs. L. L. Grinnell who celebrated her ninety-ninth birthday last Sunday, and who probably was the oldest inhabitant of Western Montana, died Saturday evening at 6 o’clock following a brief illness. Her death came at the home of Mrs. Ida Preston on McCullough street in the Orchard Homes district, where she resided.

Mrs. Grinnell had been a resident of Missoula for 45 years. She came with her husband to Missoula in 1886 during the administration of President Oakes of the Northern Pacific when Mr. Grinnell was an employe of the railroad. Mr. Grinnell died here September 28, 1911.

Recognition of Mrs. Grinnell’s distinction of being the oldest mother in Missoula was observed on Mother’s day last May by intimate friends and members of her church.

When Mr. and Mrs. Grinnell came to Missoula, the latter as a member of the building and bridge department of the railroad, the division extended from Helena to Hope, Idaho, and when an accommodation train made one trip each way. Missoula was but a small settlement then. Mrs. Grinnell, often remarked that she recalled but two stores, the Missoula Mercantile company and Worden’s. There were two schools and the buildings at Fort Missoula were the only ones south of the river.

Mrs. Grinnell was a practical nurse. In her early days in Missoula she was friendly with the Indians and during the time she was working as a nurse she was brought into frequent contact with them.

Despite the burden of her years, Mrs. Grinnell’s faculties never became dulled and she was always alive to the events of the day.

Mrs. Grinnell was married to Mr. Grinnell October 25, 1853. She was the mother of four children, a daughter and three sons. The daughter, Mrs. Peter Milbrodt, died here in August, 1929. A. W. Williams of Missoula is a grandson. She is survived by one son in California and three grandchildren.

The body is at the Marsh & Powell undertaking place. Funeral arrangements have not been made.

 

The above article appeared in the Sunday Missoulian on November 1, 1931.

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The Missoulian profiled Mrs. Grinnell earlier when she was celebrating her 95^th Birthday. That article gave a picture of a lady who understood the secret to a long life:

 

MISSOULA WOMAN ENJOYS LIFE EVEN IF SHE IS 95 YEARS OLD

Up under the shadow of Mount Jumbo lives a little lady who has just celebrated her nine-fifth birthday. She is healthy. She walks with a vigorous step. She reads continually without glasses and she takes a very active interest in life. Her name is Mrs. L. L. Grinnell.

“And why do I think I have lived so long?” Mrs. Grinnell says. “I don’t know of any good reason except that I have remained cheerful. It’s foolish to go around with a sober face when I can just as well be smiling.” Mrs. Grinnell’s actions prove her statement.

She was born in Willoughby, Ohio, in 1832. “I remember when I was a little girl, about 12, that I had a geography reader. In it was a review of America. It said that the Mississippi river was the longest river in the world. On its west side was a great stretch of land reaching to the Pacific coast, called the ‘Great American desert.’ I never dreamed of crossing that river. But I have lived here 41 years.”

Here From Omaha.

It was in 1886 that President Oakes of the Northern Pacific railroad sent Mr. and Mrs. Grinnell to Missoula from Omaha. Mr. Grinnell was a carpenter with the Northern Pacific and Mrs. Grinnell was a nurse for many years. Then he was hurt and became a bridge watchman on the Indian reservation where the couple remained for four years. She had two sons who were connected with the Northern Pacific railroad. A. J. Grinnell, now dead, and D. W. Grinnell who lives in California.

Mrs. Grinnell reads almost everything, voraciously. “She even reads the poultry journals,” her daughter, Mrs. Peter Milbrodt, says. She reads newspapers thoroughly every day and is intensely interested in politics. Her eyes are clear and she has no difficulty reading without glasses.

“I suppose my picture in the paper will look terrible,” Mrs. Grinnell says. “Now that I’m getting old I seem to be a little more important. I enjoyed having my picture taken, and the man was very nice about it.”

Mrs. Grinnell has one daughter and a son living. He is 73 years old and lives in California. “I was just writing to him,” Mrs. Grinnell explained as she came down the stairs. “I’m going to tell him that I’ll send him the paper with my picture in it if it’s a good picture, but I certainly won’t if I don’t like the picture.” She also has five grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren and one great great grandchild.

Reads of the West.

“The Passing of the Old West[1],” a book written by a former Montana Methodist minister is being read by Mrs. Grinnell now. It was given to her as a birthday gift by the Rev. Charles M. Donaldson. In it are the stories of many Montana pioneer men and women whom she knew.

Mrs. Grinnell is a strong Methodist. “I don’t go to church any more, but I still send my prayers, which I think helps quite a bit,” she says.

The days are not long for her. She has many friends who come to see her. She has an upstairs room, which she “tidies” every day. Climbing stairs means nothing to her.

She still is interested in life. She believes she has much to see yet and she intends to live for many years. Her vigor and optimism are not deadened, and that will help keep her interest long after many others much younger have gone on.

 

The above article appeared in The Sunday Missoulian on October 16, 1927.

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Lenora Rooker married Lyman L. Grinnell at Cleveland, Ohio in 1853. He died in Missoula in 1911 at the age of 84.