DANIEL HUTCHISON BOWMAN
[This information was taken from (2) sources: A book called, "History of Montana" (online) and another named, "As We Recall" (out-of-print, personal copy)].
Daniel Hutchison Bowman was born in Andrew County, Missouri, on March 4, 1863. His educational training was obtained in the county schools. His father, Benjamin Franklin Bowman, was taken into Northwestern Missouri as a child about 1840, the family moving there from Kentucky in that year, although Casper Bowman, the grandfather of Dan H. Bowman, had gone into Andrew County as early as 1836. Casper Bowman was born in Bracken County, Kentucky, in 1802, and the histories of representatives of this family are woven into the warp and woof of the establishment of civilization in that section of the country. After removing to Missouri, Casper Bowman secured land in Andrew County. He lived to the good old age of eighty-eight (88) years. He married Mary Ann Hutchison, who was also born in Bracken County, Kentucky, in 1809. She survived her husband ten years. They became the parents of four sons and five daughters. Benjamin Franklin Bowman, one of the sons of this hardy pioneer [Casper], spent his life as a farmer in Andrew County, Missouri. He was a Union soldier during the Civil War, serving in the infantry in Southern Missouri. He married in his early life Barbara Frances Wood, she with her people coming from Virginia about 1846 and locating in Northwestern Missouri. She was a daughter of William Follis and Barbara (Brumback) Wood, the father a slave owner and planter in Virginia on the Potomac River in his early life. [Barbara] died in Andrew County [MO] after becoming the mother of the following children: Barbara, who became the wife of William Gilliam [and later, Edwin Hope] and lives in Colorado; Benjamin, who spent his life in Arkansas and died in that state leaving a family; Mrs. George W. Myers [Mary Elberta "Bertie" Bowman] of Miles City, Montana; William C., a grain farmer near Spokane, Washington; and Dan Hutchison.
From his native state of Missouri, Dan arrived at Miles City, Montana on the 18th of June, 1882, the NP Railway [Northern Pacific] having been completed at that point about that time. He was then a youth of nineteen and had come to the Northwest to join his sister, Mrs. Geo. W. Myers. [Mary Elberta "Bertie" Bowman]. The only capital he brought with him was the experience and knowledge he had gained as a farmer in Missouri.
His first employment was on the Myers Brothers sheep ranch at the mouth of Sheep Creek, a tributary of Powder River. The next year he was made the ranch foreman. He finally went into partnership with George Myers. They ranged along Sheep Creek and the Powder River to its mouth, abandoning that region only when the range became overstocked. The partnership with George Myers continued until the spring of 1887, following the disastrous winter of 1886-87. [A winter of historic proportions that killed tens of thousands of head of cattle and sheep and put many growers out of business.] Dan disposed of the few head of stock left over after the terrible losses of that winter. He withdrew from the partnership and began working on the cattle ranges.
As a cowboy he secured employment with the LO outfit [well-known old time brand] on the Mizpah, where he spent two years working with John M. Holt, the king of the cattle industry of this region at that time. From there he went to the 4-4 (Four Bar Four), which had its headquarters on the Powder River, below the mouth of the Mizpah. He spent two years there. For a year or two following, he sheared sheep and entered a homestead at the mouth of Sheep Creek and established his headquarters there. He then became the manager of the Merrill & Davidson ranch on the "Divide", about five miles east of Knowlton, where he spent two years. In the meantime, Mr. Bowman had continued his ranching enterprise on his claim, returning there periodically and building up his own interests.
His next venture was in the saw-mill business, sawing lumber about 1 ½ miles west of Knowlton. He purchased a traction engine and a small sawmill and located them in the canyon along the old trail, about a mile and a half west of Knowlton. He was in this business about three years. During the last year of his saw-mill business he came down on Sheep Creek and inaugurated the Bowman Ranch. He brought with him a small bunch of cattle (23 cows and one bull) and the proceeds from the sale of his homestead and other interests, and began his career as a cattleman. This was in 1899.
About 1904, Mr. Bowman purchased about 350 head of cattle from the Hon. J. R. McKay Ranch, and among this herd were a number of bulls of a registered Canadian stock of shorthorns. In 1913, Mr. Bowman formed the Spearhead Stock Company, consisting of himself, his wife and his son, and this firm was the owner of the Bowman Ranch and stock interests. The Spearhead brand was adopted as the principal brand for the stock. The boundaries of the estate had grown from the claim of a half-section entered by Mrs. Bowman and where was located the headquarters, to an area of more than 20,000 acres. For a period of twenty years or more Mr. Bowman served as an inspector for the Montana Sheep Growers Association.
He began his political activities as a democratic voter, having perhaps inherited his opinions from his forefathers and the community in which he was reared. But eventually he became dissatisfied with the party, and when Colonel Roosevelt launched the progressive movement, Mr. Bowman favored the party and gave it his cordial support. With the closing of this movement and its reunion with the Republican Party he became a republican, feeling that the cleansing that had long been needed had been accomplished and is of the opinion that the salvation of the country as a liberty-loving and democratic form of government lies therein. In his home community Mr. Bowman was early identified with the movement for the establishment of public schools, and was instrumental in the organization of the first school and furnished the building in which it was held. He also petitioned the setting off of the Knowlton school district and was a member of its school board for a number of years.
Mr. Bowman was married at Seneca Castle, New York, November 22, 1885, to Miss Lillie M. O'Dell, relative of B. B. O'Dell, a former governor of New York and a republican leader of that state. She was born September 1, 1865, a daughter of John and Mary (Brown) Odell. Her paternal grandfather settled in the City of New York, where he was a mechanic, and acquired considerable real estate. He subsequently moved to the northwestern part of the state, and there his son John spent his life. John and Mary Odell were the parents of four children, William, Lillie, Malcolm and Mary. The youngest child, Mary, married Adelbert Hull.
Mr. and Mrs. Bowman had one son, Elbert Francis, who was born in Custer County, Montana, June 23, 1889, was reared on the ranch and was president of the Spearhead Co. during the 1920's until its sale. This outfit sold out in the early 1930's. During WWI, Elbert volunteered for service and was assigned to the S. A. T. C. (Students Army Training Corps), Boulder, Colorado, until the signing of the Armistice. On June 12, 1918, in South Park, Minnesota, Elbert F. Bowman was married to Miss Gaylord Clark. She was born in South Park, Minnesota, and was principal of the South Park High School of Minnesota when married.
During many years, Dan H. Bowman has been a member of the Odd Fellows fraternity, maintaining his membership in Beaver Lodge No. 65, at Ekalaka, Montana.
Dan Bowman died in 1956 and is buried beside his wife [Lilly Odell Bowman] at Miles City, Montana [Custer County Cemetery].
[Note: Dan was taken in as an infant and adopted, perhaps not formally, but in spirit, by his uncle William H. Wood after the death of his mother Barbara "Frances" Wood in 1863. He can be found on censuses and other enumerations as part of the William Henry Wood family ]
[Dan Bowman's sister, Mary Elberta Bowman Myers (Mrs. George W. Myers), lived her life near Dan in Miles City. I have written a bio for Bertie's daughter, Mildred Myers Schlosser that can be found at Memorial #95728458. There is a good deal more Miles City history there.]
[Mary Elberta "Bertie" Bowman Myers, Dan's sister, is also buried at Custer County Cemetery (#93735413) I am currently working on other bios. The Myers/Bowman families have a long and historically rich history in Virginia, Missouri and Montana.]
[This information was taken from (2) sources: A book called, "History of Montana" (online) and another named, "As We Recall" (out-of-print, personal copy)].
Daniel Hutchison Bowman was born in Andrew County, Missouri, on March 4, 1863. His educational training was obtained in the county schools. His father, Benjamin Franklin Bowman, was taken into Northwestern Missouri as a child about 1840, the family moving there from Kentucky in that year, although Casper Bowman, the grandfather of Dan H. Bowman, had gone into Andrew County as early as 1836. Casper Bowman was born in Bracken County, Kentucky, in 1802, and the histories of representatives of this family are woven into the warp and woof of the establishment of civilization in that section of the country. After removing to Missouri, Casper Bowman secured land in Andrew County. He lived to the good old age of eighty-eight (88) years. He married Mary Ann Hutchison, who was also born in Bracken County, Kentucky, in 1809. She survived her husband ten years. They became the parents of four sons and five daughters. Benjamin Franklin Bowman, one of the sons of this hardy pioneer [Casper], spent his life as a farmer in Andrew County, Missouri. He was a Union soldier during the Civil War, serving in the infantry in Southern Missouri. He married in his early life Barbara Frances Wood, she with her people coming from Virginia about 1846 and locating in Northwestern Missouri. She was a daughter of William Follis and Barbara (Brumback) Wood, the father a slave owner and planter in Virginia on the Potomac River in his early life. [Barbara] died in Andrew County [MO] after becoming the mother of the following children: Barbara, who became the wife of William Gilliam [and later, Edwin Hope] and lives in Colorado; Benjamin, who spent his life in Arkansas and died in that state leaving a family; Mrs. George W. Myers [Mary Elberta "Bertie" Bowman] of Miles City, Montana; William C., a grain farmer near Spokane, Washington; and Dan Hutchison.
From his native state of Missouri, Dan arrived at Miles City, Montana on the 18th of June, 1882, the NP Railway [Northern Pacific] having been completed at that point about that time. He was then a youth of nineteen and had come to the Northwest to join his sister, Mrs. Geo. W. Myers. [Mary Elberta "Bertie" Bowman]. The only capital he brought with him was the experience and knowledge he had gained as a farmer in Missouri.
His first employment was on the Myers Brothers sheep ranch at the mouth of Sheep Creek, a tributary of Powder River. The next year he was made the ranch foreman. He finally went into partnership with George Myers. They ranged along Sheep Creek and the Powder River to its mouth, abandoning that region only when the range became overstocked. The partnership with George Myers continued until the spring of 1887, following the disastrous winter of 1886-87. [A winter of historic proportions that killed tens of thousands of head of cattle and sheep and put many growers out of business.] Dan disposed of the few head of stock left over after the terrible losses of that winter. He withdrew from the partnership and began working on the cattle ranges.
As a cowboy he secured employment with the LO outfit [well-known old time brand] on the Mizpah, where he spent two years working with John M. Holt, the king of the cattle industry of this region at that time. From there he went to the 4-4 (Four Bar Four), which had its headquarters on the Powder River, below the mouth of the Mizpah. He spent two years there. For a year or two following, he sheared sheep and entered a homestead at the mouth of Sheep Creek and established his headquarters there. He then became the manager of the Merrill & Davidson ranch on the "Divide", about five miles east of Knowlton, where he spent two years. In the meantime, Mr. Bowman had continued his ranching enterprise on his claim, returning there periodically and building up his own interests.
His next venture was in the saw-mill business, sawing lumber about 1 ½ miles west of Knowlton. He purchased a traction engine and a small sawmill and located them in the canyon along the old trail, about a mile and a half west of Knowlton. He was in this business about three years. During the last year of his saw-mill business he came down on Sheep Creek and inaugurated the Bowman Ranch. He brought with him a small bunch of cattle (23 cows and one bull) and the proceeds from the sale of his homestead and other interests, and began his career as a cattleman. This was in 1899.
About 1904, Mr. Bowman purchased about 350 head of cattle from the Hon. J. R. McKay Ranch, and among this herd were a number of bulls of a registered Canadian stock of shorthorns. In 1913, Mr. Bowman formed the Spearhead Stock Company, consisting of himself, his wife and his son, and this firm was the owner of the Bowman Ranch and stock interests. The Spearhead brand was adopted as the principal brand for the stock. The boundaries of the estate had grown from the claim of a half-section entered by Mrs. Bowman and where was located the headquarters, to an area of more than 20,000 acres. For a period of twenty years or more Mr. Bowman served as an inspector for the Montana Sheep Growers Association.
He began his political activities as a democratic voter, having perhaps inherited his opinions from his forefathers and the community in which he was reared. But eventually he became dissatisfied with the party, and when Colonel Roosevelt launched the progressive movement, Mr. Bowman favored the party and gave it his cordial support. With the closing of this movement and its reunion with the Republican Party he became a republican, feeling that the cleansing that had long been needed had been accomplished and is of the opinion that the salvation of the country as a liberty-loving and democratic form of government lies therein. In his home community Mr. Bowman was early identified with the movement for the establishment of public schools, and was instrumental in the organization of the first school and furnished the building in which it was held. He also petitioned the setting off of the Knowlton school district and was a member of its school board for a number of years.
Mr. Bowman was married at Seneca Castle, New York, November 22, 1885, to Miss Lillie M. O'Dell, relative of B. B. O'Dell, a former governor of New York and a republican leader of that state. She was born September 1, 1865, a daughter of John and Mary (Brown) Odell. Her paternal grandfather settled in the City of New York, where he was a mechanic, and acquired considerable real estate. He subsequently moved to the northwestern part of the state, and there his son John spent his life. John and Mary Odell were the parents of four children, William, Lillie, Malcolm and Mary. The youngest child, Mary, married Adelbert Hull.
Mr. and Mrs. Bowman had one son, Elbert Francis, who was born in Custer County, Montana, June 23, 1889, was reared on the ranch and was president of the Spearhead Co. during the 1920's until its sale. This outfit sold out in the early 1930's. During WWI, Elbert volunteered for service and was assigned to the S. A. T. C. (Students Army Training Corps), Boulder, Colorado, until the signing of the Armistice. On June 12, 1918, in South Park, Minnesota, Elbert F. Bowman was married to Miss Gaylord Clark. She was born in South Park, Minnesota, and was principal of the South Park High School of Minnesota when married.
During many years, Dan H. Bowman has been a member of the Odd Fellows fraternity, maintaining his membership in Beaver Lodge No. 65, at Ekalaka, Montana.
Dan Bowman died in 1956 and is buried beside his wife [Lilly Odell Bowman] at Miles City, Montana [Custer County Cemetery].
[Note: Dan was taken in as an infant and adopted, perhaps not formally, but in spirit, by his uncle William H. Wood after the death of his mother Barbara "Frances" Wood in 1863. He can be found on censuses and other enumerations as part of the William Henry Wood family ]
[Dan Bowman's sister, Mary Elberta Bowman Myers (Mrs. George W. Myers), lived her life near Dan in Miles City. I have written a bio for Bertie's daughter, Mildred Myers Schlosser that can be found at Memorial #95728458. There is a good deal more Miles City history there.]
[Mary Elberta "Bertie" Bowman Myers, Dan's sister, is also buried at Custer County Cemetery (#93735413) I am currently working on other bios. The Myers/Bowman families have a long and historically rich history in Virginia, Missouri and Montana.]
DANIEL HUTCHISON BOWMAN
[This information was taken from (2) sources: A book called, "History of Montana" (online) and another named, "As We Recall" (out-of-print, personal copy)].
Daniel Hutchison Bowman was born in Andrew County, Missouri, on March 4, 1863. His educational training was obtained in the county schools. His father, Benjamin Franklin Bowman, was taken into Northwestern Missouri as a child about 1840, the family moving there from Kentucky in that year, although Casper Bowman, the grandfather of Dan H. Bowman, had gone into Andrew County as early as 1836. Casper Bowman was born in Bracken County, Kentucky, in 1802, and the histories of representatives of this family are woven into the warp and woof of the establishment of civilization in that section of the country. After removing to Missouri, Casper Bowman secured land in Andrew County. He lived to the good old age of eighty-eight (88) years. He married Mary Ann Hutchison, who was also born in Bracken County, Kentucky, in 1809. She survived her husband ten years. They became the parents of four sons and five daughters. Benjamin Franklin Bowman, one of the sons of this hardy pioneer [Casper], spent his life as a farmer in Andrew County, Missouri. He was a Union soldier during the Civil War, serving in the infantry in Southern Missouri. He married in his early life Barbara Frances Wood, she with her people coming from Virginia about 1846 and locating in Northwestern Missouri. She was a daughter of William Follis and Barbara (Brumback) Wood, the father a slave owner and planter in Virginia on the Potomac River in his early life. [Barbara] died in Andrew County [MO] after becoming the mother of the following children: Barbara, who became the wife of William Gilliam [and later, Edwin Hope] and lives in Colorado; Benjamin, who spent his life in Arkansas and died in that state leaving a family; Mrs. George W. Myers [Mary Elberta "Bertie" Bowman] of Miles City, Montana; William C., a grain farmer near Spokane, Washington; and Dan Hutchison.
From his native state of Missouri, Dan arrived at Miles City, Montana on the 18th of June, 1882, the NP Railway [Northern Pacific] having been completed at that point about that time. He was then a youth of nineteen and had come to the Northwest to join his sister, Mrs. Geo. W. Myers. [Mary Elberta "Bertie" Bowman]. The only capital he brought with him was the experience and knowledge he had gained as a farmer in Missouri.
His first employment was on the Myers Brothers sheep ranch at the mouth of Sheep Creek, a tributary of Powder River. The next year he was made the ranch foreman. He finally went into partnership with George Myers. They ranged along Sheep Creek and the Powder River to its mouth, abandoning that region only when the range became overstocked. The partnership with George Myers continued until the spring of 1887, following the disastrous winter of 1886-87. [A winter of historic proportions that killed tens of thousands of head of cattle and sheep and put many growers out of business.] Dan disposed of the few head of stock left over after the terrible losses of that winter. He withdrew from the partnership and began working on the cattle ranges.
As a cowboy he secured employment with the LO outfit [well-known old time brand] on the Mizpah, where he spent two years working with John M. Holt, the king of the cattle industry of this region at that time. From there he went to the 4-4 (Four Bar Four), which had its headquarters on the Powder River, below the mouth of the Mizpah. He spent two years there. For a year or two following, he sheared sheep and entered a homestead at the mouth of Sheep Creek and established his headquarters there. He then became the manager of the Merrill & Davidson ranch on the "Divide", about five miles east of Knowlton, where he spent two years. In the meantime, Mr. Bowman had continued his ranching enterprise on his claim, returning there periodically and building up his own interests.
His next venture was in the saw-mill business, sawing lumber about 1 ½ miles west of Knowlton. He purchased a traction engine and a small sawmill and located them in the canyon along the old trail, about a mile and a half west of Knowlton. He was in this business about three years. During the last year of his saw-mill business he came down on Sheep Creek and inaugurated the Bowman Ranch. He brought with him a small bunch of cattle (23 cows and one bull) and the proceeds from the sale of his homestead and other interests, and began his career as a cattleman. This was in 1899.
About 1904, Mr. Bowman purchased about 350 head of cattle from the Hon. J. R. McKay Ranch, and among this herd were a number of bulls of a registered Canadian stock of shorthorns. In 1913, Mr. Bowman formed the Spearhead Stock Company, consisting of himself, his wife and his son, and this firm was the owner of the Bowman Ranch and stock interests. The Spearhead brand was adopted as the principal brand for the stock. The boundaries of the estate had grown from the claim of a half-section entered by Mrs. Bowman and where was located the headquarters, to an area of more than 20,000 acres. For a period of twenty years or more Mr. Bowman served as an inspector for the Montana Sheep Growers Association.
He began his political activities as a democratic voter, having perhaps inherited his opinions from his forefathers and the community in which he was reared. But eventually he became dissatisfied with the party, and when Colonel Roosevelt launched the progressive movement, Mr. Bowman favored the party and gave it his cordial support. With the closing of this movement and its reunion with the Republican Party he became a republican, feeling that the cleansing that had long been needed had been accomplished and is of the opinion that the salvation of the country as a liberty-loving and democratic form of government lies therein. In his home community Mr. Bowman was early identified with the movement for the establishment of public schools, and was instrumental in the organization of the first school and furnished the building in which it was held. He also petitioned the setting off of the Knowlton school district and was a member of its school board for a number of years.
Mr. Bowman was married at Seneca Castle, New York, November 22, 1885, to Miss Lillie M. O'Dell, relative of B. B. O'Dell, a former governor of New York and a republican leader of that state. She was born September 1, 1865, a daughter of John and Mary (Brown) Odell. Her paternal grandfather settled in the City of New York, where he was a mechanic, and acquired considerable real estate. He subsequently moved to the northwestern part of the state, and there his son John spent his life. John and Mary Odell were the parents of four children, William, Lillie, Malcolm and Mary. The youngest child, Mary, married Adelbert Hull.
Mr. and Mrs. Bowman had one son, Elbert Francis, who was born in Custer County, Montana, June 23, 1889, was reared on the ranch and was president of the Spearhead Co. during the 1920's until its sale. This outfit sold out in the early 1930's. During WWI, Elbert volunteered for service and was assigned to the S. A. T. C. (Students Army Training Corps), Boulder, Colorado, until the signing of the Armistice. On June 12, 1918, in South Park, Minnesota, Elbert F. Bowman was married to Miss Gaylord Clark. She was born in South Park, Minnesota, and was principal of the South Park High School of Minnesota when married.
During many years, Dan H. Bowman has been a member of the Odd Fellows fraternity, maintaining his membership in Beaver Lodge No. 65, at Ekalaka, Montana.
Dan Bowman died in 1956 and is buried beside his wife [Lilly Odell Bowman] at Miles City, Montana [Custer County Cemetery].
[Note: Dan was taken in as an infant and adopted, perhaps not formally, but in spirit, by his uncle William H. Wood after the death of his mother Barbara "Frances" Wood in 1863. He can be found on censuses and other enumerations as part of the William Henry Wood family ]
[Dan Bowman's sister, Mary Elberta Bowman Myers (Mrs. George W. Myers), lived her life near Dan in Miles City. I have written a bio for Bertie's daughter, Mildred Myers Schlosser that can be found at Memorial #95728458. There is a good deal more Miles City history there.]
[Mary Elberta "Bertie" Bowman Myers, Dan's sister, is also buried at Custer County Cemetery (#93735413) I am currently working on other bios. The Myers/Bowman families have a long and historically rich history in Virginia, Missouri and Montana.]
[This information was taken from (2) sources: A book called, "History of Montana" (online) and another named, "As We Recall" (out-of-print, personal copy)].
Daniel Hutchison Bowman was born in Andrew County, Missouri, on March 4, 1863. His educational training was obtained in the county schools. His father, Benjamin Franklin Bowman, was taken into Northwestern Missouri as a child about 1840, the family moving there from Kentucky in that year, although Casper Bowman, the grandfather of Dan H. Bowman, had gone into Andrew County as early as 1836. Casper Bowman was born in Bracken County, Kentucky, in 1802, and the histories of representatives of this family are woven into the warp and woof of the establishment of civilization in that section of the country. After removing to Missouri, Casper Bowman secured land in Andrew County. He lived to the good old age of eighty-eight (88) years. He married Mary Ann Hutchison, who was also born in Bracken County, Kentucky, in 1809. She survived her husband ten years. They became the parents of four sons and five daughters. Benjamin Franklin Bowman, one of the sons of this hardy pioneer [Casper], spent his life as a farmer in Andrew County, Missouri. He was a Union soldier during the Civil War, serving in the infantry in Southern Missouri. He married in his early life Barbara Frances Wood, she with her people coming from Virginia about 1846 and locating in Northwestern Missouri. She was a daughter of William Follis and Barbara (Brumback) Wood, the father a slave owner and planter in Virginia on the Potomac River in his early life. [Barbara] died in Andrew County [MO] after becoming the mother of the following children: Barbara, who became the wife of William Gilliam [and later, Edwin Hope] and lives in Colorado; Benjamin, who spent his life in Arkansas and died in that state leaving a family; Mrs. George W. Myers [Mary Elberta "Bertie" Bowman] of Miles City, Montana; William C., a grain farmer near Spokane, Washington; and Dan Hutchison.
From his native state of Missouri, Dan arrived at Miles City, Montana on the 18th of June, 1882, the NP Railway [Northern Pacific] having been completed at that point about that time. He was then a youth of nineteen and had come to the Northwest to join his sister, Mrs. Geo. W. Myers. [Mary Elberta "Bertie" Bowman]. The only capital he brought with him was the experience and knowledge he had gained as a farmer in Missouri.
His first employment was on the Myers Brothers sheep ranch at the mouth of Sheep Creek, a tributary of Powder River. The next year he was made the ranch foreman. He finally went into partnership with George Myers. They ranged along Sheep Creek and the Powder River to its mouth, abandoning that region only when the range became overstocked. The partnership with George Myers continued until the spring of 1887, following the disastrous winter of 1886-87. [A winter of historic proportions that killed tens of thousands of head of cattle and sheep and put many growers out of business.] Dan disposed of the few head of stock left over after the terrible losses of that winter. He withdrew from the partnership and began working on the cattle ranges.
As a cowboy he secured employment with the LO outfit [well-known old time brand] on the Mizpah, where he spent two years working with John M. Holt, the king of the cattle industry of this region at that time. From there he went to the 4-4 (Four Bar Four), which had its headquarters on the Powder River, below the mouth of the Mizpah. He spent two years there. For a year or two following, he sheared sheep and entered a homestead at the mouth of Sheep Creek and established his headquarters there. He then became the manager of the Merrill & Davidson ranch on the "Divide", about five miles east of Knowlton, where he spent two years. In the meantime, Mr. Bowman had continued his ranching enterprise on his claim, returning there periodically and building up his own interests.
His next venture was in the saw-mill business, sawing lumber about 1 ½ miles west of Knowlton. He purchased a traction engine and a small sawmill and located them in the canyon along the old trail, about a mile and a half west of Knowlton. He was in this business about three years. During the last year of his saw-mill business he came down on Sheep Creek and inaugurated the Bowman Ranch. He brought with him a small bunch of cattle (23 cows and one bull) and the proceeds from the sale of his homestead and other interests, and began his career as a cattleman. This was in 1899.
About 1904, Mr. Bowman purchased about 350 head of cattle from the Hon. J. R. McKay Ranch, and among this herd were a number of bulls of a registered Canadian stock of shorthorns. In 1913, Mr. Bowman formed the Spearhead Stock Company, consisting of himself, his wife and his son, and this firm was the owner of the Bowman Ranch and stock interests. The Spearhead brand was adopted as the principal brand for the stock. The boundaries of the estate had grown from the claim of a half-section entered by Mrs. Bowman and where was located the headquarters, to an area of more than 20,000 acres. For a period of twenty years or more Mr. Bowman served as an inspector for the Montana Sheep Growers Association.
He began his political activities as a democratic voter, having perhaps inherited his opinions from his forefathers and the community in which he was reared. But eventually he became dissatisfied with the party, and when Colonel Roosevelt launched the progressive movement, Mr. Bowman favored the party and gave it his cordial support. With the closing of this movement and its reunion with the Republican Party he became a republican, feeling that the cleansing that had long been needed had been accomplished and is of the opinion that the salvation of the country as a liberty-loving and democratic form of government lies therein. In his home community Mr. Bowman was early identified with the movement for the establishment of public schools, and was instrumental in the organization of the first school and furnished the building in which it was held. He also petitioned the setting off of the Knowlton school district and was a member of its school board for a number of years.
Mr. Bowman was married at Seneca Castle, New York, November 22, 1885, to Miss Lillie M. O'Dell, relative of B. B. O'Dell, a former governor of New York and a republican leader of that state. She was born September 1, 1865, a daughter of John and Mary (Brown) Odell. Her paternal grandfather settled in the City of New York, where he was a mechanic, and acquired considerable real estate. He subsequently moved to the northwestern part of the state, and there his son John spent his life. John and Mary Odell were the parents of four children, William, Lillie, Malcolm and Mary. The youngest child, Mary, married Adelbert Hull.
Mr. and Mrs. Bowman had one son, Elbert Francis, who was born in Custer County, Montana, June 23, 1889, was reared on the ranch and was president of the Spearhead Co. during the 1920's until its sale. This outfit sold out in the early 1930's. During WWI, Elbert volunteered for service and was assigned to the S. A. T. C. (Students Army Training Corps), Boulder, Colorado, until the signing of the Armistice. On June 12, 1918, in South Park, Minnesota, Elbert F. Bowman was married to Miss Gaylord Clark. She was born in South Park, Minnesota, and was principal of the South Park High School of Minnesota when married.
During many years, Dan H. Bowman has been a member of the Odd Fellows fraternity, maintaining his membership in Beaver Lodge No. 65, at Ekalaka, Montana.
Dan Bowman died in 1956 and is buried beside his wife [Lilly Odell Bowman] at Miles City, Montana [Custer County Cemetery].
[Note: Dan was taken in as an infant and adopted, perhaps not formally, but in spirit, by his uncle William H. Wood after the death of his mother Barbara "Frances" Wood in 1863. He can be found on censuses and other enumerations as part of the William Henry Wood family ]
[Dan Bowman's sister, Mary Elberta Bowman Myers (Mrs. George W. Myers), lived her life near Dan in Miles City. I have written a bio for Bertie's daughter, Mildred Myers Schlosser that can be found at Memorial #95728458. There is a good deal more Miles City history there.]
[Mary Elberta "Bertie" Bowman Myers, Dan's sister, is also buried at Custer County Cemetery (#93735413) I am currently working on other bios. The Myers/Bowman families have a long and historically rich history in Virginia, Missouri and Montana.]
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