Charles W. and his son Warren J. Jennison bear a name that is prominently associated with many of the leading industries of Fairview.

Charles was born June 21, 1858, at Shelburne, Vt. Both Charles’ parents died at an early age, and Charles and his two sisters, Arlie and Emma, were left to the care and compassion of relatives. An uncle wanted to become guardian and have the handling of their estate, but another uncle was appointed guardian. Finally an aunt, seeing the situation and fearing for the welfare of the children, took them away on a steamer for the Isthmus of Panama before the appointed uncle could take over.

Traveling for three weeks, the party finally landed in San Francisco, Calif., and was taken by boat to Sacramento, Calif., then by rail and stage to Placerville, Calif., and by private four-horse stage, the Horace Greeley stage, to a ranch near Genoa in the Carson Valley of Nevada, and finally to the home of the aunt. At age 11, Charles was sent back to his uncle in Minnesota by stage coach to Reno, Nev., and then by rail over the old Union Pacific Railroad and saw where the last golden spike had been driven. While in Minnesota, the young Jennison learned telegraphy and was given a position at the age 14. By age 15, he was both agent and operator on the Chicago & Northwestern system. In 1880, his uncle passed away, and Charles took over his uncle’s lumber business, thus beginning his career as a lumberman.

Charles sold his interests in his uncle’s business and went to Glenwood, Minn. He established himself in the retail lumber business and then moved on to Appleton Minn., where he established himself as president and secretary of the Appleton Mill Company.

Charles married Josephine Lathrop, Appleton, Minn., in October 1882. She gave birth to four boys: Warren Judson, Wesley Lathrop, Alfred Willis and John Charles. Mrs. Jennison died in 1896. After the death of his wife, Charles moved to Minneapolis, Minn., for better educational facilities and family environment. He was connected with a grain and lumber company until 1905, when he moved to North Dakota and became interested in the Rugby Milling Company. Two year later, Jennison transferred his residence to Williston, N.D., and built the Williston Flour Mill with a capacity of 250 barrels daily. This grain and flour mill operated for more than two decades until it was destroyed by fire in 1930. Jennison was associated in this enterprise with H.O. Frank and W.J. Miller, his same partners in the Mill at Rugby.

In 1907, under the name of the Rugby Elevator Company, they established a line of elevators along the Great Northern Railroad. In 1908, Jennison married Claribell Watson, in Tacoma, Wash., and in the spring of 1913, extended their milling industry interests into the Fairview area and acquired the Corbett mill, which they rebuilt and renovated with a capacity of 175 barrels. The milling business was incorporated under the name of the Fairview Mill Company.

Warren J. Jennison completed his school days in the Central High School of Minneapolis, where he graduated in 1904. His first work was in a grain commission office in the Chamber of Commerce as a clerk, but in 1907, after attaining the position of cashier of a grain and lumber company, he left that firm and became associated with the Rugby Milling Company as its secretary and manager. In the summer of 1913, he came to Fairview.  Warren became associated with the company as an equal partner, and along with his dad and co-partners, Frank and Miller established the power plant and coalmine, which were incorporated under the name of Jennison Coal Mining Company and the public utilities under the name of the Jennison Light & Power Company. The Fairview Brick Company was brought from C.P. Slater in 1917.

All these various companies mentioned were corporations with the exception of the Jennison Mills Company at Bainville, which was conducted as a co-partnership. H.O. Frank was the president of all these various companies; W.J. Miller was the vice president; C.W. Jennison was treasurer and general manager; and W. Jennison was treasurer and secretary of the Fairview Mill company, the Fairview Brick company, the Jennison Coal Mining Company and the Jennison Light & Power Company.

Warren Jennison married Bernice Harmon in 1909. They had one son, Wesley, who was born in 1911.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Information compiled from theFairview Times and the Montana History Book.