Advertisement

SGT Milton William Cline

Advertisement

SGT Milton William Cline Veteran

Birth
Whitehall, Washington County, New York, USA
Death
7 Oct 1911 (aged 86)
Montrose County, Colorado, USA
Burial
Cimarron, Montrose County, Colorado, USA GPS-Latitude: 38.4439306, Longitude: -107.5581444
Memorial ID
View Source
NOTE: Cline Family records state his date of birth as 11 May 1827.

Served in the 3rd Indiana Cavalry, Company "C" during the Civil War. He was a Union Army scout.

The information of Milton Cline's burial site was researched by Dona Freeman May 1985 from the Montrose papers, and information from different individuals.

Milton Cline's tombstone photographs are used by permission of photographer, BARB SCHULTHEIS.

Plaindealer (Ouray, Ouray County, CO)
Date: Friday, October 13, 1911
Section: Front page
Page Number: 1

A FAMOUS OLD PIONEER DEAD

Captain Milton W. Cline one of the pioneers of Montrose and Ouray counties, died Saturday morning at 10 o'clock at his home on the farm of William McMinn on the Cimarron River where he has made his home for many years.

The interment took place in the Cimarron Cemetery Monday at 10 a.m. Funeral services were in charge of Rev. Arnolbus Miller of the Montrose Episcopal church. Capt. Cline was eighty-six years of age at the time of his death. He was born in Whitehall N.Y., and came west at the close of the war, in which he served with distinction. He pioneered the west and northwest and finally came to this country in the 70's. He was in Uncompahgre Valley when the government troops were stationed looking after the peace of the Indians. When the Meeker massacre occured and white women were taken as hostage by the Utes, word came to Chief Unray and his wife, Chipeta, who left in a spring wagon for Meeker to demand the return of the women. Captain Cline was called upon to drive the team carrying the chief and they made a hurried trip to Meeker, the team being driven by Captain Cline, and the women were rescued.

Later a man by name of Jackson was placed in charge of Captain Cline by the troops to be taken to Los Pinos agency when they got over on the Cimarron a band of Indians suddenly swooped down upon them and massacred Jackson. -Montrose Empire.

Contributor: George Bacon (46523227)
Who was Captain Cline? By Marilyn Cox, Montrose Daily Press, 15 Jan 2019

When reading histories of early Cimarron, Ouray and our local Ute Indians, Captain Cline is often mentioned. Buried in the little Cimarron Cemetery, his obituary states he was "a very interesting conversationalist and character" who had many friends.

Milton W. Cline was born to German immigrants, William and Martha Cline, in Whitehall, New York, on May 16, 1827. He married his wife, Elizabeth, in 1852 and served honorably in the Civil War from 1861 to 1864. They became parents to three children.

Following the war, the Clines ventured west, ending up in the Silverton area. In 1875 Captain Cline joined other prospectors who were on their way over Red Mountain, having heard of new discoveries being made in the vicinity of what is now Ouray.

Cline and a companion, Judge Long, were out on a hunting and fishing expedition when they discovered gold. They laid claim to a mine, naming it the "Trout and Fisherman" lode, which started a true gold rush in the area.

Together Cline and Long envisioned a town, so they took the lead in staking out a town site. They considered the names of "Uncompahgre City" and "Uncompahgre," but settled on the name "Ouray" after the well-respected leader of the Ute Indians.

That October, Cline, Judge Long and the Cutler brothers took a team and freight wagon to Saguache (pronounced Sa-watch) and Del Norte in order to get supplies, returning Dec. 7. The men celebrated Christmas that year at the cabin shared by Long and the Cutlers. They raised their glasses in celebration, but since no liquor was available, they drank vinegar. This is how that section of Ouray obtained the name "Vinegar Hill," a preferred sledding spot in the winter.

Cline returned to Saguache, spent the remainder of the winter, then returned to Ouray in March with 30 newcomers. He became the town's first mayor and postmaster, distributing mail from his cabin. Mail arrived in town on the back of burros until the snow became too deep, then it came by dog sleds.

In 1876, the town of Ouray was incorporated with a population of 400 inhabitants, with Cline, Long and I. M. Munn as the first trustees. In a following election, Cline was appointed as the deputy sheriff and noted as the "chosen Marshall."

The Ute Indians became frequent visitors to the new town, coming from their agency, which was located at the present site of Colona. When they came for an occasional horse race or trading, they were often entertained in the home of Captain and Elizabeth Cline. It was said that Chief Ouray occupied a bed in the Cline home, with his accompanying braves rolling out their blankets on the floor.

Elizabeth Cline became well-known for her acts of kindness. Many of the men seeking their fortunes in Ouray were single, as well as being a long ways from home. Her benevolence endeared her to many, earning her the honored title of "Mother Cline." When the Captain filed on a lode near his cabin south of Ouray, he named it Mother Cline Lode. A recurring snow slide in the area was named the Mother Cline Slide.

Cline, along with F. W. Pitkin (who later became a Colorado governor) founded the famed Micky Breen mine on Engineer Pass.

With the unfortunate circumstance of the Ute uprising at the White River Agency in Meeker, Colorado, in 1879, Captain Cline was called upon for help by the U.S. government. Agent Meeker was killed; his wife and daughter were taken hostage by the enraged Utes. Chief Ouray asked his wife Chipeta to be a member of the rescue party which was to be guided by Captain Cline.

Cline was said to have led Chipeta to meet the captives upon their release and to escort them to Chipeta's home near where the Ute Indian Museum sits today. In Josephine Meeker's account of their experiences, she stated that Chipeta shed tears over them and that her home was very comfortable with rugs on the floor, curtains on the windows, lamps on the tables and fires burning in the stoves.

A few years later, the Clines left Ouray and went to the Cimarron area where they established a stopping place for freighters, passengers of the Barlow and Sanderson Stage and all who passed through that area. Their home became known as Clines' Corner and was located in the area where the Pleasant Valley store and campground are today.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth Cline died while living there and was buried under a spruce tree. There are a couple conflicting stories. One was that the creek flooded and washed her body away, and the other was that her body was moved to a different site.

According to a clip in the newspaper in 1899, "Captain Cline was commissioned to be the chief contractor, builder and decorator" of a school house in Cimarron. He was also the road overseer for the Cimarron end of Montrose County, as well as a cattle rancher. His ranch was eventually 450 acres with 5,400 head of cattle

The Captain died on Oct. 7, 1911, at the age of 84. The Ouray Plaindealer announced "A famous old pioneer is dead."

A grandson, the now late Ernie Benson, was a longtime businessman in Montrose who had fascinating stories to tell about his pioneering grandparents.

Two of the sources for this story were Dona Freeman's book, "Into the Valley They Came…the Blue and the Gray" and Wilson Rockwell's book "Uncompahgre Country."
NOTE: Cline Family records state his date of birth as 11 May 1827.

Served in the 3rd Indiana Cavalry, Company "C" during the Civil War. He was a Union Army scout.

The information of Milton Cline's burial site was researched by Dona Freeman May 1985 from the Montrose papers, and information from different individuals.

Milton Cline's tombstone photographs are used by permission of photographer, BARB SCHULTHEIS.

Plaindealer (Ouray, Ouray County, CO)
Date: Friday, October 13, 1911
Section: Front page
Page Number: 1

A FAMOUS OLD PIONEER DEAD

Captain Milton W. Cline one of the pioneers of Montrose and Ouray counties, died Saturday morning at 10 o'clock at his home on the farm of William McMinn on the Cimarron River where he has made his home for many years.

The interment took place in the Cimarron Cemetery Monday at 10 a.m. Funeral services were in charge of Rev. Arnolbus Miller of the Montrose Episcopal church. Capt. Cline was eighty-six years of age at the time of his death. He was born in Whitehall N.Y., and came west at the close of the war, in which he served with distinction. He pioneered the west and northwest and finally came to this country in the 70's. He was in Uncompahgre Valley when the government troops were stationed looking after the peace of the Indians. When the Meeker massacre occured and white women were taken as hostage by the Utes, word came to Chief Unray and his wife, Chipeta, who left in a spring wagon for Meeker to demand the return of the women. Captain Cline was called upon to drive the team carrying the chief and they made a hurried trip to Meeker, the team being driven by Captain Cline, and the women were rescued.

Later a man by name of Jackson was placed in charge of Captain Cline by the troops to be taken to Los Pinos agency when they got over on the Cimarron a band of Indians suddenly swooped down upon them and massacred Jackson. -Montrose Empire.

Contributor: George Bacon (46523227)
Who was Captain Cline? By Marilyn Cox, Montrose Daily Press, 15 Jan 2019

When reading histories of early Cimarron, Ouray and our local Ute Indians, Captain Cline is often mentioned. Buried in the little Cimarron Cemetery, his obituary states he was "a very interesting conversationalist and character" who had many friends.

Milton W. Cline was born to German immigrants, William and Martha Cline, in Whitehall, New York, on May 16, 1827. He married his wife, Elizabeth, in 1852 and served honorably in the Civil War from 1861 to 1864. They became parents to three children.

Following the war, the Clines ventured west, ending up in the Silverton area. In 1875 Captain Cline joined other prospectors who were on their way over Red Mountain, having heard of new discoveries being made in the vicinity of what is now Ouray.

Cline and a companion, Judge Long, were out on a hunting and fishing expedition when they discovered gold. They laid claim to a mine, naming it the "Trout and Fisherman" lode, which started a true gold rush in the area.

Together Cline and Long envisioned a town, so they took the lead in staking out a town site. They considered the names of "Uncompahgre City" and "Uncompahgre," but settled on the name "Ouray" after the well-respected leader of the Ute Indians.

That October, Cline, Judge Long and the Cutler brothers took a team and freight wagon to Saguache (pronounced Sa-watch) and Del Norte in order to get supplies, returning Dec. 7. The men celebrated Christmas that year at the cabin shared by Long and the Cutlers. They raised their glasses in celebration, but since no liquor was available, they drank vinegar. This is how that section of Ouray obtained the name "Vinegar Hill," a preferred sledding spot in the winter.

Cline returned to Saguache, spent the remainder of the winter, then returned to Ouray in March with 30 newcomers. He became the town's first mayor and postmaster, distributing mail from his cabin. Mail arrived in town on the back of burros until the snow became too deep, then it came by dog sleds.

In 1876, the town of Ouray was incorporated with a population of 400 inhabitants, with Cline, Long and I. M. Munn as the first trustees. In a following election, Cline was appointed as the deputy sheriff and noted as the "chosen Marshall."

The Ute Indians became frequent visitors to the new town, coming from their agency, which was located at the present site of Colona. When they came for an occasional horse race or trading, they were often entertained in the home of Captain and Elizabeth Cline. It was said that Chief Ouray occupied a bed in the Cline home, with his accompanying braves rolling out their blankets on the floor.

Elizabeth Cline became well-known for her acts of kindness. Many of the men seeking their fortunes in Ouray were single, as well as being a long ways from home. Her benevolence endeared her to many, earning her the honored title of "Mother Cline." When the Captain filed on a lode near his cabin south of Ouray, he named it Mother Cline Lode. A recurring snow slide in the area was named the Mother Cline Slide.

Cline, along with F. W. Pitkin (who later became a Colorado governor) founded the famed Micky Breen mine on Engineer Pass.

With the unfortunate circumstance of the Ute uprising at the White River Agency in Meeker, Colorado, in 1879, Captain Cline was called upon for help by the U.S. government. Agent Meeker was killed; his wife and daughter were taken hostage by the enraged Utes. Chief Ouray asked his wife Chipeta to be a member of the rescue party which was to be guided by Captain Cline.

Cline was said to have led Chipeta to meet the captives upon their release and to escort them to Chipeta's home near where the Ute Indian Museum sits today. In Josephine Meeker's account of their experiences, she stated that Chipeta shed tears over them and that her home was very comfortable with rugs on the floor, curtains on the windows, lamps on the tables and fires burning in the stoves.

A few years later, the Clines left Ouray and went to the Cimarron area where they established a stopping place for freighters, passengers of the Barlow and Sanderson Stage and all who passed through that area. Their home became known as Clines' Corner and was located in the area where the Pleasant Valley store and campground are today.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth Cline died while living there and was buried under a spruce tree. There are a couple conflicting stories. One was that the creek flooded and washed her body away, and the other was that her body was moved to a different site.

According to a clip in the newspaper in 1899, "Captain Cline was commissioned to be the chief contractor, builder and decorator" of a school house in Cimarron. He was also the road overseer for the Cimarron end of Montrose County, as well as a cattle rancher. His ranch was eventually 450 acres with 5,400 head of cattle

The Captain died on Oct. 7, 1911, at the age of 84. The Ouray Plaindealer announced "A famous old pioneer is dead."

A grandson, the now late Ernie Benson, was a longtime businessman in Montrose who had fascinating stories to tell about his pioneering grandparents.

Two of the sources for this story were Dona Freeman's book, "Into the Valley They Came…the Blue and the Gray" and Wilson Rockwell's book "Uncompahgre Country."

Inscription

Milton W.Cline Comsy. Sgt. Co. C 3 Ind Cav



Sponsored by Ancestry

Advertisement