ROY PART 7

 
Idaho, near Homedale, where they now reside, Their children and grandchildren are grown and they have two great grandchildren.

  After graduation from high school Emil worked various places. About 1937 he was employed by the Weiloff Oil Co. of Lewistown. He worked there until the fall of 1940 when he and his close buddy, Jess Satterfield, decided to see the world and enlisted in the US Navy. Emil received his basic training at San Diego Naval Station. This was the beginning of a love for San Diego.
  In December 1941, Emil was stationed at Pearl Harbor, aboard the USS Maryland when the Japanese made their infamous attack. His ship took a direct hit, but (luckily) did not sink and was able to make it back to the West Coast for repairs. Emil was very lucky to have very recently been transferred from the USS West Virginia, which sank to the bottom of the harbor, Emil's first thoughts when his ship was bombed were, "I sure hope my Christmas presents, which I haven't mailed yet, are still okay on board."
  Emil saw action in the very thickest of the battles and was promoted to Chief Petty Officer in either radio or teletype division at the end of the war. He was in the Korean conflict also.
  When on shore duty in San Diego he met and married Amanda Evans, who was a widow with 2 small children. One son, David Charles, was born to this marriage.
  They made their home in San Diego and while on shore duty there, Emil was able to attend college at night where he studied to be a teacher. After 20 years in the Navy he retired, finished 5 years of college and became a math teacher at Mission Bay high school in Pacific Beach, a suburb of San Diego. He taught there 12 years until retirement. His son, David, attended there and had his father for a math teacher.
  Emil's wife, Amanda, passed away after 19 years of a very happy marriage. Three years later Emil married Bernice Kistler a widow. They lived in Pacific Beach until Emil retired when they sold their home and decided to retire in Idaho.
  They lived near Anthony and Mary for 9 years, then returned to San Diego. They now reside in the Mira Mesa area, near their families where he and Bernice are living a good life of traveling, doing whatever brings them pleasure.

  Tony (Musek) was for a time, in partnership with Roy Sturdy in the saloon business in Roy. It is not known where Tony came from, or where he went, but while he lived in Roy his life certainly wasn't quiet.
  The first report on Tony is dated September 26, 1918. He and Carl Baker were involved in an auto accident out in the Valentine country. The accident occurred where the road followed a cut-bank coulee which was about 20 feet deep. The road curved away to go up a pitch to the top. The car stalled in going up the pitch; the brakes failed and the car went back down the pitch and rolled over on top of the occupants. Tony crawled out, unhurt, and lifted the car off of Carl who was quite badly injured.
  The next report about Tony is dated February 13, 1919. Thieves had entered the cellar of his home and stolen about $200 worth of liquor, the remnant of his stock that he had stored when he went out of business. It stated that the guilty parties must have been watching the place for some time as they broke in the first time Mrs. Museck was away from home after dark.
  The third and last report is dated May 21, 1920. County Attorney McConochie and his assistant, J.E. McKenna and Deputy Sheriff, Dan Corcoran came to Roy and arrested Tony on charges of bootlegging. Tony had a gallon of 'white mule' in his possession. He gave a cash bond of $500 and the arresting parties confiscated the 'white mule'!

  Mr. Neff was a native of Ohio and came to Montana in 1914, homesteaded at the above location and continued to make this his home until his death. Charlie was a quiet individual and a good neighbor. He farmed with horses Nellie and Dan, his team and Nellies colt, John, made the trip to Montana with his iron wheeled wagon which is displayed at the Bohemian Corner Cafe; it is one of a kind. He had a neat two-room frame house which he kept painted white.
  Charley Neff, a widower, died at his home 15 August 1937 at age 75. He had four brothers in Ohio; Jess, Lewis, George and Frank. His body was forwarded to a brother at Cumberland, Ohio for burial.
 

  Shorty was co-owner of Shorty and Andy's Saloon in Roy. His partner was Andy Christensen.
  Shorty lived on what is known now as the Yaeger Ranch, for many years. He was a cowboy and hired man. He also ran the Armells post office and on November 19, 1931 he was united in marriage to Hazel Fergus. But Shorty's main occupation in life was that of a bartender and card player. He knew Jack Ruby well (the man who shot President Kennedy's assassin, Oswald); he had played cards with him in Chicago and at Las Vegas.
  Shorty left Roy for a time and then returned in the late 50'a or early 60's, to run the Legion Bar. He worked in Lewistown as a bartender. He was married a second time to Ileene Erikson, on July 13, 1944 in Stanford.
  He was always well dressed and looked much younger than he really was. He was in his 70's when he passed away.
  Shorty was born in Norway on March 12, 1896 the son of Alma Holter and Andrew Negard. He died on March 29, 1967 and is buried in Lewistown.

  Frank "Nick" Nickolson was an early homesteader in the Valentine area.
  He and Libby J were married 11 March 1892. They bought the European Hotel and Cafe at Roy and owned and operated it from 1926-1936.
  "Nick" was an avid fisherman and had great interest in mining. He and Jerry Laschat had mining claims in the Judith Mountains and did extensive work on them. He had been in the Klondike Gold Rush and told of many interesting experiences of that time.
  In 1990 Nickolson opened a filling station in Roy for the Weiloff Oil Company of Lewistown, a Mobile Oil dealer. Bill Lane and Leonard Dunn began operating this station when the Nickolsons moved to Edmonds, Washington to make their home about 1946.
  On 11 March 1932, a surprise party honored the Nickolsons on their 40th wedding anniversary and was hosted by the Roy neighbors.

  I, Esther Vivian Cameron, was born March 29, 1921 at Moulton (Molt), Montana. I attended the Happy Hollow School one grade. I attended the Horse Ranch School until the 8th grade, which I took at Hilger.
  We moved to the Horse Ranch in the spring of l928.I attended Fergus High through my freshman year and 6 weeks of my sophomore year.
  I was married to Bill Lettengarver on October 7, 1937. Our children were born in the following order:
  Evelyn "Jean: May 12, 1939; Steven William "Billy", July 12, 1943 and Al Duane, November 5, 1945.
  We lived on ranches until I moved into one of Steve Ghezzo's houses in Roy to start Jean to school. I was living there when Billy and Al Duane were born.
  After Bill and I were divorced, Martin Noble and I were married in 1949. Our son, Barry Dion Noble, was born on February 14, 1950 in Lewistown.
  Duane and Barry attended schools at Coffee Creek, Stanford and Denton. Duane was in the Marines and served in Viet Nam. Duane and his wife, Doreen, live in Great Falls where he works for the city as a plumber and is in the Air National Guard. They have two children, Steven and Margie (Andrews).
  Barry married Joann Ronish of Denton and lives in Great Falls. They have two daughters: Kari and Tonya.
  Martin and I lived in Cascade for several years prior to his passing following a stroke, on November 24, 1988. We had been married for 39 years. I still reside in Cascade.

  Leonard P. Tronsdale and John E. Nylander were in the merchandising business in the New and booming' town of Roy. It was reported in the April 14 1914 edition of the Roy Enterprise that: With this issue of the Enterprise we are pleased to introduce several new firms who are launching into business in Roy. The first to be called to our attention is Nylander and Tronsdale. Mr. Nylander who has been conducting a successful general merchandise business here for some time past,
has sold a half interest in the business to Leonard Tronsdale.
  They owned the Nylander and Tronsdale General Store from 1913 to 1917. They purchased the store which was Roy's first grocery store, from J.C. Hamm and Peter Raben. They sold it to P.A. Weedell.
  The two men were married to sisters Inez and Maude Morton.

 

  The Nylanders came to Central Montana in the early 1900's from South Dakota and both homesteaded in the country northeast of Lewistown. Mrs. Nylander taught school at Kendall and Brooks from 1910 to 1914.
  After they left Roy, he was manager for the Montana Lumber Company at Stanford until 1934. They moved to Santa Cruz, California in 1936 where he owned and operated a farm implement agency until his retirement in 1956.

  Leonard came to Montana in 1903, at the age of 15, from Eau Claire, Wisconsin and made his home with his uncle Odin Romundstad, on the Fergus Ranch.
  Inez came to Montana with her family from Iowa in 1912. She lived on the family homestead east of Christina, until her marriage to Leonard in 1916.
  Leonard died August 27, 1967 in Eau Claire. His wife and a daughter, Mrs. Robert Anderson, survived him.
  Her brother, Glen Morton, and sister, Mrs. Fred Race lived in Lewistown.

  Sophus H. Olsen and Caroline (Clausen) Olsen, came to Roy to homestead in 1910 or 1911. Three of their sons William, Ed and Erick II and their families also homesteaded south of Roy. Their daughter, Sena, also came to Roy.
 Sophus and Caroline emigrated from Denmark to the U.S. in 1878 with four children: Erick I, Amelia, Nelsine and Ferdinand. They settled in Grand Meadows, Minnesota, later moving to Albert Lea in 1880.
  Five more children were born: William, Ed, Stefine, Nora and Erick II. Erick I had passed away shortly before the birth of Erick II in May of 1887.
  Amelia, Stefine, Ferdinand and Nora never came to Roy with the rest of the family.
  Sophus was a carpenter. Caroline was a midwife who delivered her daughter, Sena's (Larsen), babies, and when those children grew up and had babies, she delivered them too.
  Sophus died on January 26, 1926 and Caroline on September 19, 1929. Both are buried in Albert Lea, Minnesota.
  Erick II was married twice; first to Argentine Jeanette Kilmer. He had three children; one; Calvin James Olsen was born in Lewistown in 1918
  Erick passed away August 23, 1954 and is buried in Tacoma, Washington.

  William Albert Olsen, the sixth child of Sophus and Caroline, was born January 14, 1883, in Albert Lea, Minnesota. Inga Bertina Brox, the daughter of Ingvart and Beret Brox was born in Litchville, North Dakota on December 16, 1884. They were married in Litchville, North Dakota in 1906.
  Three of their children, Grace, Pearl and Verna, were born in Litchville.  In 1911 William, Inga and their three children came to Hilger, Montana by train. Their furniture and lumber to build their homestead house was shipped from Hilger to the homestead, eight miles southeast of Roy, by wagon. Sophus was a carpenter so helped William (Bill or Willie) build their one-room homestead shack.
  On the homestead, they raised wheat, corn and oats. They had milk cows, pigs, chickens and horses for work and also for riding. Groceries and mail were picked up in Roy by wagon, usually being traded for the eggs and cream they hauled to town. Eggs were 7 or 8 cents a dozen at that time.
  William was a good natured fellow and was loved by an his grandchildren, and most everyone else's children as well. He loved to tell them stories. Inga was a tall, attractive woman, much more serious, frugal and hard-working.
  The seven children born while they lived at Roy were William, Manville (Guy), Harry, Mabel, Robert, George, and Betty. Harry died when he was 2 years old, having choked on a carrot. He is buried in the Roy Cemetery.
  The children attended the Bear Creek and Iowa Bench grade schools. Pearl graduated from high school in Lewistown, and Grace and Verna also attended high school in Lewistown, but did not graduate. William took part in the chase after the bank robbers who robbed the Roy bank on July 10, 1922, and it was one of his favorite stories to tell. Another was that he
 

 bought a new binder in 1927, and when they left the area in 1934 he had never raised a crop to use it on.
  The Olsen's moved to the Bozeman area in 1934 where he farmed and ranched until he retired to Gallatin Gateway in the 40's. They lived with Pearl Christensen in Miles City later then moved to Lewistown in 1970. Inga died there in 1974, Wilham in 1977.
  William, Guy, Mabel, Robert, George and Betty all moved to Bozeman with their parents.
  William Thomas, born April 21, 1913, worked on area ranches after leaving school mostly for Louie and Anton Rindal. He was a good friend of Milton Allyn, a man who seemed to be ahead of his times, in that he owned an airplane, motorcycle, new truck and a new car.
  Bill was well-liked and a good worker. He joined the army in 1940. He married Vernette Rudolph in 1946 in Fremont, Nebraska and had two children, Alice and Nancy. He made a career of the army and was awarded the Bronze Star in Viet Nam. He retired in 1970 as a chief warrent officer in the engineer branch, which was the top rank obtainable without going to OCS.
  Manville (Guy) was born April 12, 1915. He served in World War II. He was married to Helen Klupe in Miles City in 1946 and had two children, Ray and Marilyn. He was killed in Oregon in 1965 in an auto accident.
  Mabel was born September 18, 1919. She attended one year at Roy High School before moving to Bozeman where she finished her high school and college education. She married Christopher Phillips in Bozeman in 1943 and they have three children: Victoria, Miriam and David. Chris was in government service and they alternated between living in Washington, D.C, New York City, and Massachusetts where Chris was from originally.
  Robert was born November 19, 1923. He married Hazel Daniel in 1945 and they have six children: Gary, Dennis, Kenneth, Bill, Russell and Debbie. Bob has been engaged in farming, logging and is currently a trucker.
  George Olsen was born February 22, 1932. He was married to Beverly Cheesebrough in 1955 in Carmel California. Beverly died in 1972. They had four children: Julie, Carolyn, Stacey and Susan. George is retired from the U.S. Air Force and now lives in Suisun, California.
  Betty, the youngest of the Olsen children, was born on June 14, 1933. She married Jack Hallam in Bozeman and was later divorced. They have three children: Cindi, Cheryl and Laurene.
  Pearl married Andrew Christensen, Grace married Louie Rindal and Verna married Carl Christensen, all local men and remained in the area.

  Edward Olsen married Marjorie Gibson on February 26, 1910 in Albert Lea, Minnesota and the following spring brought his bride to Roy, Montana where he filed on a U.S. Government homestead, southeast of Roy. Here he farmed the virgin land and established a home.
  Due to drouth, poor crops and hail, Edward and Marjorie moved to Helena in 1922 where Edward was employed by the Northern Pacific Railroad. They sold the place to a Fogle family.
  Marjorie died in 1929 after the birth of their daughter and Edward died in 1954. Their daughter, Marjorie Steen, lives at Columbus, Montana.
  The Olsens adopted daughter, Louise King (Mrs. Frank Haas) lives in Spokane.

  Charles homesteaded ten miles southeast of Roy about 1912. He ranched and had a threshing machine and did custom threshing. It took a fourteen-man crew to run it. Charles was also a blacksmith and had a shop in Roy.
  He was discharged from the Army in 1917 because of his agricultural interests. The discharge paper, dated 14 September 1917, reads in part as follows: CERTIFICATE OP DISCHARGE BECAUSE ENGAGED IN A NECESSARY OR AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISE.

  Under the act of Congress approved May 18, 1917 the president is authorized to exclude or discharge from selective draft: "persons engaged in industries including agriculture, found to be necessary to the maintenance of the

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 Military Establishment, or the effective operation of military forces or the maintenance of the national interest during the emergency.

  Charles was appointed a Deputy State Fire Marshall on July 13, 1929. He was also the town constable at one time. 
  A 1917 Fergus county tax receipt shows that Charlie paid a total of $118.51 taxes on $3235.00 assessed value property in November of 1917. The property was about 160 acres of land and a lot in Roy. A breakdown of the $118.51 shows that: $8.09 went to the State Fund; .81 cents State Insane Bond Fund; 16 cents-Insane and Tuberculosis Bond; $59.85--County (for schools, Poor Fund, Sinking Fund, Bridge Fund, County Fair and General Fund); $l2.94-General School Fund; $2.00-Poor Fund; 2.OO--Road Fund; $19.15--School Dist. #74; $13.20-School Dist. #179; 31 cents--Roy Fire. Taxes went up in 1918. He paid $125.72 on the same property.
  Charlie could not see the humor in the annual tip over of his outhouse at Halloween time. That MADE HIM MAD! Consequently his outhouse seemed to be the only one that got tipped over 'every year'.
  Charlie married Julia Anderson, the daughter of C.F. "Spokane" Anderson. Their only child, Russell was born on July 11 1920 at the Brice Hospital in Lewistown.
  Charlie operated the blacksmith and threshing business until he passed away on October 22, 1954. He was born in South Dakota on October 7, 1886.
  Julia moved back to Washington, where she had been born on March 17, 1899 in Camden, and lived there until her death in October of 1987.

  Harry A. Oquist was born September 2, 1880 and was killed in a rock slide in the North Moccasin Mountains at Kendall in June of 1942. He was employed at the mines.
  He married Olga Romundstad of Eau Claire, Wisconsin in 1913. They lived at Roy where he and his brother, Charlie, were in business together for a time at the beginning of the town of Roy. He was also associated with J.E. Nylander before Leonard Tronsdale joined Nylander in the General Merchandise Store. In 1914 he operated a pool hall.

  Russell grew up and received his education in Roy, graduating from RHS in 1938. After graduation he worked with his dad in the blacksmith shop.
  He joined the Navy in 1941 and served in WWII. In January of 1942 he and Edythe Kauth, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Kauth of Kachia, were married in Washington where she had gone to join him. They returned to Roy for a couple of years in 1947 and 1948. Russell purchased a truck and did some trucking. They then left and went back to Edmonds, Washington where they made their home.
  Russell was employed as a construction welder. He passed away on January 21, 1976 at the age of 56 years.
  Edythe worked for Lockhead for 33 1/2 years, then retired and went to school and became an accountant. She continues to live at Edmonds where she is a CPA. The couple had no children.

  Daniel M. "Pat" O'Reilly and Arlene Fox O'Reilly and daughter Patricia moved to Roy in February of 1944.
  We rented and lived on the Isadore LaFountain place south of Roy, for two years. In 1946 we moved into Roy and ran cattle north of Roy. We bought a place 8 miles southeast of Roy in 1948 and moved there in 1949. We bought the Dotson place for pasture
  Pat started trucking in 1951. We moved back to Roy in 1962 as we had two children in school and the roads were not kept open in the winter. There were no school buses. We had eight children by then: Patricia, James, John, Barbara, Michael, Mary, Kathy and Tim.
  Pat hauled logs from Rocky Point and we put up a log house in Roy. Tom Link had built a log house on the river and when he moved he gave us the logs.
  We had three more children after we moved into Roy: Tom, Douglas and Theresa.
  In 1959 we bid in the mail route that went to Mathisons, and then across the Missouri River Bridge. We had the mail route that ran south of town too. Pat worked at the Roy elevator for a couple of years. We were members of the Catholic Church. Pat served a term on the school board. He was a volunteer fireman.
  I was a catechism teacher, 4-H and cub scout leader for several years.
  We lost our son, Doug, in January of 1969. Pat died in April of l972.
 

  I was a part-time flexible clerk in the poet office beginning in May of 1971. I was the school clerk from 1972 until the late 70's when I left Roy and moved to Hilger to take over as postmaster there.
  I graduated from Roy High School in 1938; nine of our children graduated from Roy. Jim graduated from St. Leo's.
  John is the only one of the O'Reilly children that remained in Roy. He is married to Billie McNulty. He works as a cowboy and ranch hand and he has the same mail routes that his dad had.
  Arlene lives in Hysham where she is postmaster.

  Jim O'Toole worked as a clerk in Peder Hanson's store. He was jolly and was adored by everyone. He married Pheobe West (sister of Reed West). When the O'Tooles left Roy they went to Seattle, Washington.

  Anton and Katherine were both natives of Czechoslovakia. They and their family of five children came to Roy and homesteaded about 1910. The children were Anton Jr., Marie (Dolezalik), Charles, Anna (Pacovsky), and Jerry (now Prescott). All were born in Czechoslovakia.
  Their homestead is now a part of the Horyna ranch.
  The Piskacs got mail and groceries from the store in Roy. They sometimes used a horse to bring the groceries home, sometimes they walked. Later mail was delivered by mail carrier to a box on the main road. Grandpa Piskac, who also worked in Lewistown, would bring groceries out on the train and then walk to the farm. Many of the groceries were from the garden.
  water was first obtained from a creek near Roy and brought to the homestead by horse and barrel. Later from a cistern.
  The two-room house was located near the old Hartman place and was built by Joe Pacovsky, who later married Anna Piskac. Anna and Joe had four children: Joe; Gerald, Vernon and Patricia.
  There wasn't much as far as furniture was concerned' a stove (using sagebrush for fuel), large kitchen table, chairs and a cabinet for all the supplies.  The bedroom had a dresser and a clothes cabinet, a small stove and two double beds.
  The nearest neighbors were the Horynas.
   I recall, when I was about five or six years old, the invasion of the Morman crickets that ate up one of the first decent crops.
  We used to come for the summer every year, from
 

 Lewistown and later from Bozeman, both to help with harvest and to meet with all the relatives, who mostly came from Nebraska; a tradition we have kept up all these years but now in Bozeman.
  For entertainment we used to have dances at the Bohemian Hall, and it was quite a treat to go to the Roy drug store for an ice cream cone or to a picnic at Black Butte, or to drive to the Missouri River in Uncle Jerry's old Chevrolet that had no brakes, so he would tie suspenders together to make the trip down the hill.
  In those early days any rain was welcome; until finally the relatives got together and made a makeshift dam to catch the melting snow and occasional rainfalls. In 1929 or 1930 Grandma Piskac and Uncle Jerry moved to Bozeman; Grandpa was back in Nebraska.
  Anton passed away in 1937, Katherine in December of 1956. Both are buried in Bozeman. Jerry lives in Bozeman. All of the other Piskac children have passed away.

  Jim and Anna Pleskac came to the Roy country in 1936 from Circle, Montana.
  Anna Dvorak and Jim were both born in Czechoslovakia and came to the country as young people. Jim sailed for the United States on March 3, 1903 with his best friend, John Maruska Sr. By late March they were in Nebraska where Jim and Anna met and married. They farmed near Thurston for many years, before moving to a ranch at Circle.
  They weren't satisfied with the country in Circle and made a trip to Roy to visit the Maruskas. It was a very happy reunion when they pulled into John's yard in their Model T, as they hadn't seen each other since John had come to Montana to homestead many years before.
  John helped Jim find land here; there was plenty for sale at that time. They bought the Roland Place, now owned by Gene and Sherry Horyna.
They raised cattle and farmed for many years, The Pleskacs had no children.
  Jim passed away November 6, 1961 in Lewistown. He was a WWI veteran.
  Anna lived in Roy for several years after her husband's passing, then made her home in Valle Vista Manor where she passed away on December 10, 1983 at the age of 90 years.

  James R. Pratt was born at Monticello, Wisconsin on January 19 1860. He married Elizabeth Doyle of Dayton, Wisconsin June 5, 1885. They were living in York, Nebraska when on September 28, 1897 Marguerite, their daughter, was born. Marguerite received her education there and became a school teacher. They adopted Walter a few years after Marguerites birth.
  Walter was adopted when an orphanage sent a bunch of boys by train to a farming community in hopes that farmers would take them to work on the farms. There must have been an advertisement of the coming train because Mr and Mrs. Pratt were standing on the platform of the railroad station with a group of people when these boys came off the train. Walter was just a little fellow and he came running up to Mrs. Pratt, hugged her and called her "Mamma". They adopted him and raised him as their own. This child gained a happy home, but what of the other boys?
  The Pratt family came to Montana in 1915 and homesteaded northeast of Roy, Montana. Marguerite taught in this locality and married Lester Simkins. They lived on the homestead for nine years and then bought the Smith and Laraway Ranch one mile west of Roy. Pratts and Walter lived in the log house and the Simkins had the frame house which is close to the highway. They carried on a dairy operation there. There were two creamery stations in Roy at this time and daily train service
  Mr. Pratt was stricken with cancer and spent several months at St. Joseph's Hospital where he passed away in early August of 1929.
  Walter married Stella Nevijal in the early thirties. They gave up the ranch and Mrs. Pratt moved with the Simkins to Lewistown where Lee worked for the railroad. A short time later they moved to Harlowton where Simkins passed away in 1966.
  Marguerite and family then moved to Helena where she passed away in December of 1968 at the age of 71. She was survived by three sons in Helena: Leslie, Robert and Clinton; four daughters; Mrs. Carol Lieberg, Mrs. Pat Quinn both of Helena; Mrs. Joseph Reardon of Great Falls and Mrs. Donaly Hay of Nampa, Idaho, and her brother, Walter of Anaconda.

  Joy was born November 14, 1894 in Elmwood, Nebraska, the son of James and Zelotta Puckett. He received his education there and came to Montana as a young man. He homesteaded east of Roy. His first wife was Mildred Nelson, who later married Ray Distad. His second wife was Anna Bales Wisokay.
  He developed a cattle ranching operation just southwest of Roy. In 1962 he retired, leased the land, but
 

 continued to live on the ranch until his death at age 71 in late December, 1965.
  Listed among his survivors were a son, JR, and a daughter and two step-daughters: Ann, Margie and Dolly and two grandchildren, Tommy Gilbert Puckett and Marilyn Puckett who made their home with Joy and went to school in Roy in the late 40's and early 50's.

  J.R. was born November 17, 1923 in Lewistown, Montana. After his high school graduation he worked for his parents on the ranch; later worked on construction and in 1957 joined the Montana Highway Patrol. He married Delores Hartman of Lewistown in June of 1957. In 1970 he and his wife took over the ranch. He continued as patrolman and commuted between Roy and Billings to work on the ranch.
  J.R. suffered a "heart stoppage" in December of 1984 and lapsed into a coma which lasted until his death in January of 1987.
  Delores and their daughter, Sabra, moved to Roy and lived on the ranch while Sabra attended school in Roy, graduating in 1983. Delores served on the school hoard, was secretary of the Indian Butte Grazing Association and the Roy Fire Board and did income tax returns; a business she continues from her Billings home. After J.R. became ill and after Sabra's graduation, they moved to Billings with Delores commuting to Roy to continue their ranching business. J.R. was also survived by a son, Howard.

  Joseph Reeble had the distinction of having three funerals before he was finally laid to rest in the Roy Cemetery.
  Joe died in Texas in November of 1937 at the age of 63. That is where the first service was held. His body was then shipped to Minatare, Kansas where he had lived for several years for the official funeral services. Finally, accompanied by his widow and other family members, the remains were shipped to Roy, as requested by Joe; for burial and the third and final service was held at the grave site.
  The casket was sealed in glass, The service was conducted by H. Pierce. Margaret Townsend and George Trimble sang. Joe was buried next to his first wife, Virginia Davis Reeble.
  Reeble was a well-known hotel man in Roy's boom days. He was the proprietor of the stately Roy Hotel which he orginally built in 1914. This "commodious and spacious hotel was always full".
  Reeble and Miss Virginia Davis of Roy were married on March 13, 1916. While on their honeymoon, Virginia fell during a fishing excursion. They didn't think she had hurt herself very badly, she did not complain, so the young couple went on to Helena on their trip. Within a couple of days complications occurred and she died following an operation to stop internal hemorrhaging. It was just eleven days after their marriage that Joe buried his bride in the Roy Cemetery.
  Joe later married the widow of William Rose. Mrs. Rose was living in Roy, with her son Earl and was employed by Reeble at the hotel.
  Joe had moved back to Kansas because of poor health, but he always loved it in Montana, which is one reason why he requested to be buried in Roy. At his death, he was survived by Mrs. Reeble, their daughter, Irene Reeble Houser and his step-son, Earl Rose.

  John Reis was born May 2, 1880 in Germany. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Reis decided to come to the U.S.A. in 1890 to make their home. John was the eldest of 4 children. As George had a brother in Fairfield, Illinois, that is where they settled. The only work John's father could get was a railroad section corker. None of them could speak English, but they soon mastered it. When John was able to work, he too,
 

 worked on the railroad. He didn't like that kind of work. John heard about the free land he could get in Montana. The slogan then was "Go West, young man, Go West".
  In 1913 John came to Billings, Montana. He was taken to the Roy country and after looking it over decided to file on 320 acres north of Roy.
  John worked on farms during the summers and lived on his homestead winters and proved up on his homestead in 1917. The spring of 1916 John got work on the Fred Jenni farm and by Christmas time John and Hulda Jenni were engaged. On July 4th, 1917 they were married in Lewistown and drove a Model T Ford out to Roy.
  John had bought the Roy Shoe Repair shop that had living quarters in the back which consisted of kitchen and bedroom.
  In the fall of 1920 John and Hulda took her niece; Helen, in to live with them. She was 2 1/2 years old. Helen's mother died when Helen was a week old. From then on Helen's last name was Reis.
  In the fall of 1929 Helen's oldest sister, Margaret, came to attend high school She graduated in 1933.
  During the years, Hulda did shoe repair work too and did every repair job but building up heels on cowboy boots.
  With the business in the shop slacking off John got work at the Montana Lumber and Hardware Co.
  The Montana Lumber and Hardware Co. closed out the store the fall of 1937. So many families moved away; couldn't make a living anymore. That fall Helen entered the Bozeman college.
  The spring of 1938 John and Hulda started looking for a new location. When they looked at Cushman's store and post office, John said, "This is just what I want. "
  Hulda said, "I want running water and electricity!" however John won and that is where they settled.
  The fall of' 38 Helen went to EMC and in the spring she received a certificate to teach. Helen taught in Shawmut, Montana. In 1940 Helen married John Warden.
  About this time John's health began to fail, but he felt pretty good until 1945 when he got gangrene in one foot and it was amputated. About a week later John had a heart attack, on May 27, 1945 and passed away.
  At that time Helen and baby daughter were staying with John and Hulda while John Warden was in the service during World War II, from August 1943 to 1946.
  Hulda stayed at Cushman till the spring of 1950 then sold the Cushman store and postoffice to Charlotte Osse.
  In November of 1950 Hulda married Sam Clark of Ryegate, where they lived. Sam died October 16, 1976. Hulda moved to Billings in 1987 to West Park Village retirement home.
  Hulda states, "Looking back I remember the wonderful times our group had for many years. As Ada Corth said, no matter where we go we will never have the fun we enjoyed at Roy, Montana. They were the happiest years of our life." [Hulda is the daughter of Fred and Anna Jenni, She was born in a log house on the Jenni homestead, 8 miles west of Lewistown, on September 22, 1898.]

  Home Life: Hulda and John Reis lovingly raised me at Roy from the time I was 2 1/2 years old, in 1920, until I graduated from Roy High School and attended college in 1937 at Montana State University at Bozeman, Montana.
  My growing up years at Roy were happy years for me. Our home was in back of Roy Shoe and Harness Shop, owned by Dad Reis and located on Main Street. I remember watching him half-sole and heel shoes, repair farmer's harness and, regularly, a leather strap on the artificial leg of a principal in high school That awed me as a child.
  When I was very little the folks had a wood and coal stove but later had an oil heating stove.
  Our water supply came from our own pump housed in a small building out from the kitchen. There was a board walk from the kitchen. We had a metal stand in the corner of the kitchen with a rim at the top to hold the wash basin from which we washed.
  Instead of a refrigerator, we had a zinc-lined wooden

• Anthony and Anna Muschbacher taken at their home in Roy, about 1950.
   

• The Sophus Olsen family. From left to right, back row: Ferdinand, Nelsine, (Sena), Amelia holding Edward. Middle row: Sophus, William. Caroline, Front: Erick and Nora.
   

• Marjorie and Ed Olsen with their team in early homestead days.
   

• Charles Oquist
   

• Jim O'Toole
   

• Jimmy O'Toole Jr. picture taken December 9, 1921. The house  to the far left was the W.E. Jones house. The house in the center was once Charlie Oquist's; later owned by Jim Rife. Gary Smith now has the property and he rents the house out
   

• The Piskac family. Seated in the foreground; Grandma Katherine and Grandpa Anton. Back row left to right: Marie, Charles, Jerry, Anton Jr. and Anna.
   

• The Roy Hotel was originally built in 1914. It was the largest hotel in the Judith Basin. In February of 1916, during "zero" weather it burnt down, destroying a small building adjoining it. A stiff wind was blowing and it was only through the "heroic" efforts of Roy citizens that other buildings in the area were saved. It was rebuilt in 1917. In 1926 they tore the building down and shipped most of the lumber to Kansas where it was used to improve a ranch he had there and also to build several cottages. The rest of the lumber was sold locally. The section on the left side was still standing in 1988. It was used as the Roy Women's Club house for many years, up until in the 60's. Ed Storkson then purchased it and used it as a shop for a few years.
   

• Hulda "Toots", John and Helen standing in front of Reis shoe repair in 1924. Reis bought the store in 1917 and "learned" the business. In the background is the Montana Lumber & Hardware building which Reis became manager of in the early 30's.  The store handled International-McCormick Deering tractors, grain binders, hay mowers, wagons, lumber, harness and all farm and ranch supplies. They had a public scale and also sold coal and handled wholesale gasoline.

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