Fairview history

During the next year, the Sidney Herald will run a series of articles, sponsored by W.L. Neu Construction, on the history Fairview and the old timers that homesteaded in our area.

To have a better understanding of our area, it is necessary to go back and start from the early days. Most Montanans would find it impossible to believe that their land, stark and frigid in winter, was once a tropical paradise. Richland County was beneath a warm, shallow, tropical sea, a habitat for shelled animals. Over time the shoreline fluctuated and sand and silt were deposited, which hardened to sandstone and shale. The Rocky Mountain uplift began and the seas retreated. Successive ice ages began and, as a result, major river drainages were diverted.

Our area was a paradise for the first human residents, the Arikaree Indians. Grass was as high as the buffalo’s rump, game was abundant on the prairie, wild fowl filled the grasslands and trees lined up along the rivers. But they were eventually driven out by the Sioux tribe. The Arikaree were probably a part of the Crow Nation because their favorite hunting and camping grounds were located along the Yellowstone River. By the time the early explorers began to arrive, the Sioux Indians were in possession of these fabulous hunting grounds.

We all know the historical fact that Lewis and Clark’s expedition camped where the rivers meet. French trappers and mountain men had explored this area long before that. The Army Post at Fort Buford influenced the settlement of this county in the early days more than any other thing. Many of the early settlers came here because they had been connected some way with the fort. The fort needed hunters, traders, trappers, woodcutters or workers for the steamboats.

In 1876, two trappers took a fancy to the lower Yellowstone Valley. These trappers were James “Jimmie” Crane and Joseph “French Joe” Seymore who settled on Fox Creek where they built a log cabin and decided to make it their home, the first settlement in the valley. In 1888, they sold their place to John O’Brien who was married in September of that year. The O’Brien place became well known as a stage stop, restaurant, store and general headquarters for many settlers in the valley.

There were some rough men and salty cusses in those days that took the law into their own hands. Everyone was armed with a hogleg. Burr Wicks and Nick Noolan had a shootout in front of Nohle’s barn. Dogie Bill claimed that everyone took cover, as they couldn’t hit the broad side of the barn let alone themselves.

For added excitement in those days, Dogie Bill and Shortie Otis and some of the other cowpunchers used to ride into Fairview once in a while and shoot up the town. The old cowpunchers were just having fun of course.

“Dogie Bill” Raffaell was one of the first old timers in Fairview. It isn’t everyone who is so well known by his nickname that mail will come addressed to that name alone, and the postmaster will know what to do with it.

In this country we take “Dogie Bill” for granted because that’s the only name he has. From Frenchtown west of Missoula until you hit the Dakota prairies you can bet your breeches “Dogie Bill” is known by person or by reputation.

“Dogie Bill” was not christened with the name of a motherless range calf. He was born Frank Raffaell, Marseille, France, Feb. 19, 1878. He came to America at age 5. His Papa worked in a coal mine and was killed. Young Frank stuck it out at home for a time, but after two years he ran away from home and landed in Frenchtown, and stayed with his native people for several years.

Dogie rode for various outfits. During one of his trips in those early years, Frank visited this area, what is now Richland County. He helped trail a bunch of horses from Missoula to eastern Montana.

Two years later, Dogie rode back into this area. He got a job with Andrew Nohle, who had around 3,000 head of horses.

In 1904 he homesteaded on what was Andrew Nohle’s horse camp on Four Mile. He married Nellie Hurley McManus in 1908. They had two sons and two daughters.

Nellie Hurley McManus was a dressmaker in Minneapolis, Minn., specializing in wedding dresses. Years later many a bride in the Fairview area wore a dress made by Nellie.

In 1902 and again in 1904 Dogie won top money in the Miles City Western Celebration which had gained real fame.

In 1905, Dogie could remember when he was on the last big roundup. “We started in May at the head of Charlie Creek where the Sensibees were ranching and worked east.”

The roundup ended at the big corrals of the 4 Bar Ranch, owned by Ira Alling in Hay Creek. The Abergfell, Alling, Lovering and Nohle horses were cut out and taken to their own ranches for branding.

Dogie used to recall the days when he would stop for a visit at John O’Brien’s store at Fox Creek or at Lou Newlon’s store in the Fairview area and the post office on the hill west of Fairview. “In it’s heyday old State Street in Fairview was as wild as they came,” said Dogie.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Information compiled from Courage Enough and the Fairview Times.