Old Missoula

Montana’s First Steam Thresher – Missoula’s John S. Caldwell

Steam Thresher – On Saturday evening last Mr. John S. Caldwell of Missoula county, arrived here, 14 days out from Corinne, with a thresher and patent separator, made at the famous Russell Manufactory, Massillon, O., and a portable ten-horse power steam engine for the motive power. Mr. Caldwell brought the machine and engine through from Corinne with his own horse teams in fourteen days. This is, we believe, the quickest trip ever made. The weight of the outfit is 7000 pounds; capacity 1500 to 1800 bushels per day. The cost and freight delivered at Missoula will be $3000. This is the first steam thresher brought to Montana. The promising crops in Bitter Root bid fair to give it employment and justify investment.

The above article appeared in the Deer Lodge newspaper The New North-West on June 24, 1870.

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John S. Caldwell – Missoula’s 1st threshing machine

John Caldwell was one of the early Missoula Pioneers who 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.

John Caldwell’s daughter, Miss Narcisse Caldwell, lived in Missoula from 1868 until she died there in 1900.  Her obituary below appeared The Anaconda Standard on January 22, 1900:

FUNERAL OF MISS CALDWELL

A Large Number of Friends Attend the Sad Ceremonies.

Missoula, Jan. 21 – The funeral of Miss Narcisse Caldwell occurred this afternoon from the Presbyterian church, Rev. Walter Hays officiating. There was a large attendance of friends whose presence testified to the high regard in which Miss Caldwell was held by all who knew her. She had been a resident of Missoula county for many years, having come here as a young woman with her parents in 1868. During her long residence in the valley she had endeared herself to all. Not only did she number among her friends the acquaintances of early days, but there were many of her younger generation who knew and loved the gentle old lady. Her death has caused genuine sorrow in more than one household in the city.

Miss Caldwell was born in Pennsylvania Sept. 24, 1844, and came to Missoula county in 1868 with her father, John S. Caldwell, who settled in Grass valley. There he acquired a splendid ranch, much of his property being now included in the Deschamps farm. The Caldwell place was for years a favorite visiting point for the young people of the then sparsely settled valley, and Miss Narcisse was the charming hostess on these occasions. There are many incidents related of her kind and cheerful disposition and there was no one who knew her who did not admire her.

After the death of her father Miss Caldwell resided in the city and lived quietly at her home on Madison street. Here she continued the practice of those acts of kindness and love that had always endeared her to her friends and there is many an unrecorded deed of charity that she is blessed for by the recipients. Her memory will long be cherished by those who knew her as one of the pleasantest recollections of this life.

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