Notitie |
Pioneer Observes Birthday
Birthday greeting-- Milton Bobb, Taylor pioneer, smiles at some of the birthday mementos marking his 92nd birthday May 11. A patient in the Richardton Memorial hospital, he had a large number of visitors during the afternoon in addition to receiving a large number of cards. The white birthday cake was decorated with blue candles.
Stories of the war, told by returning veterans were fascinating to little Milton Bobb. The stories were of the Civil War. His interest was heightened by the fact he was born while his father, Isaac Bobb, was seeing duty in the armed forces.
A keepsake he treasured for years was a 50 cent piece. WhenLt. Bobb, being mustered out at Baton Rouge, L.A., Jan. 20, 1866, learned he had a son at home he sent the child the coin.
Upon the 21st birthday of his oldest grandson Milton U. Bobb, Mr Bobb gave the keepsake to him.
Milton M. Bobb was born May 11, 1864, near Freeport, ILL., to Isaac I. and Sarah Bobb. He grew to manhood in Illinois and as a child attended a little country school " where the old hickory stick was used often. " As a young man, he help his father in the difficult task of clearing a tract of land, cutting timber and grubbing tree stumps. He also worked on neighboring farms during the busy season from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. for $18 to $20 per month. There was no modern machinery to lighten the work in those days.
Mr. Bobb brother-in-law had been to Dakota Territory and bought a tract of land Southeast of Herbron. When he immigrated to Dakota, Milton and two friends fixed up a corner in the boxercar as living quarters and took boxes of food with them.
They arrived in Bismark. D.T., March 17, 1887. Because of high water in the Missouri river, a trestle had washed out so they unloaded the livestock and waited until the trestle was repaired. They then proceeded to Hebron, arriving there March, 19, 1887. after helping the brother-in -law get settled on his ranch, Bobb and his friends returned to Mandan to find work.
Mr. Bobb secured work on a boat plying the Missouri from Bismark to Williston. Cargoes included hay, oats, wheelbarrows, groceries and supplies for Jim Hill, who was then building the trans-continental railroad. williston was a city of tents at that time, " wild and rough with gambling and shooting that scared the tenderfoot from Illinois." It took 12 days to make a round trip. On one return trip to Mandan, the mate on the boat bought a lot for wood from the Indians. After the wood was loaded , he tried to pay with a check, but the Indians refused to accept it demanding silver. " The natives drew thier big knives and threatened the boat crew," Mr. Bobb recalls. He does not remember how it was settled, but was happy to get back to Mandan.
Upon arriving back in Mandan, he secured a job on the Bella Brothers ranch, South of Mandan, and worked there three months for $22 per month. After that, he went to work for T.S. Underhill, South of Antelope, and remained there two years.
The Underhill's had three hired man and three hired girls. The three men married the three girls. Mr Bobb reports.
Sept. 1, 1899, he married Miss Anna Haugen, daughter of L.L.Haugen of Taylor. The Rev. Norby of Sims was to have performed the ceremony, but failed to arrive. Among the guests were Mr. and Mrs. J.M. Tracy. Mr. Tracy was a justice of th epeace and conducted the wedding rites in the absence of the clergyman. The newlyweds returned to the Underhills ranch and worked until spring.
In the spring of 1890, they rented the Dan Jones farm, two and a half miles northwest of Taylor. The following spring, they moved to a farm southwest of Taylor, where he later homesreaded, He hired Peter Christianson and Mr. Rosendahl with thier oxen to move a shack from two miles away to homestead. Later, Mr. Bobb built an addition to this shack with sod.
After he seeded his crop, he work for others. Among them was J.M. Tracy, who operated a large farm of several hundred acres.
As time went on, Mr Bobb bought more land, improved the place, bought modern machinery and built a modern home. In the fall of 1929, he rented the farm to his son Spencer and later sold it to him.
Moving to California in the fall of 1929, he spent the winter with his sister Mrs. Snyder, and others relatives. By the following spring he had concluded California was no place for him and so he returned to " good old North Dakota." He proceeded to build a home for himself and Mrs. Bobb in Taylor. They lived there 21 years. Mrs Bobb died in 1951.
Approximately 15 months ago, he became ill and last September, he was taken to the Richardton Memorial hospital where he is now being cared for.
The Bobb's had four childern. Mrs Elling ( Mabel ) Helmer, Spencer and Garfield of Taylor and Roy of Coeur d'Alene, Id. There are 11 grandchildern and nine great grandchildern.
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20 , Stephenson Co, IL
