MONTANA PIONEERS: John Galloway Brown (Part I)

 

If you follow the backtrail of our family tree all the way to the lush, timbered Flathead Valley of Big Sky Country, you’ll find the final resting place of my 2nd great-grandfather, John Galloway Brown (1833–1915).

To look at him in his later years—a silver-bearded farmer standing on the fertile soil of Creston, Montana—you’d see a man who seemed born to the northern frontier. But John’s story wasn't just about homesteading the West; it was a tale of heavy heritage, shifting winds, and a cross-country march that spanned nearly three decades.

Born to a Lineage of Fire and Sabers

John Galloway Brown was born on August 8, 1833, in Philadelphia, Jefferson County, New York. He came into the world with military fire on both sides of his lineage:

• His Father: Samuel R. Brown (1798–1877), who swung a saber as a Light Dragoon cavalryman during the War of 1812.
• His Grandfathers & Great-Grandfathers: Veterans of the Revolutionary War, including Simon Weeks (1768–1840) and Solomon Brown (1765–1839), the boy drummer who beat the march for Rhode Island militia as a 12-year-old kid.
• His Patriot Anchor: Dr. Caleb G. Sweet (1732–1831), George Washington’s Continental Army surgeon and an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati.

When the storm of the Civil War split the nation in 1862, many expected a young man with John’s patriot blood to take up a rifle for the Union. But fate had a different plan. John suffered from severe, lifelong near-sightedness—a physical limitation that exempted him from the draft and kept him on the farm while history raged elsewhere.

Union with the Rivermen: Lucy Passino

On January 23, 1861, just months before the guns fired on Fort Sumter, John married the love of his life in Philadelphia, New York: Lucy Passino (Pinsonneau) (1836–1917).

                    THE UNION OF YANKEE & VOYAUGER

                    

     John Galloway Brown                     Lucy Passino (Pinsonneau)

         (1833–1915)                                    (1836–1917)

  =========================              ==========================

  • Son of War of 1812 Dragoon           • Granddaughter of Voyageurs

  • Grandson of Rev. War Drummer         • Daughter of La Prairie Fur Trade

  • NY Cheesemaker & Farmer             • Heritage of French-Canadian Waters

Lucy was a woman of extraordinary frontier pedigree. Through her parents, Gabriel (Gilbert) Passino dit Lafleur and Marie Emélie Meunier dit Lagacé, Lucy was the granddaughter of two iconic French-Canadian voyageurs:

1. Gabriel Pinsonneau (1770–1807) of La Prairie-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec.
2. Jean-Baptiste Meunier dit Lagacé (1777–1832) of Cap-Saint-Ignace, Quebec.

These rivermen had paddled 40-foot freight canoes along the water highways of New France, carrying trade goods and furs clear across the Great Lakes. By marrying Lucy, John’s deep Anglo-American New England stock fused with the wild, water-running spirit of French Canada.

The Long Drift West: New York to Wisconsin and Back

John was a man who knew how to work the land with his hands. He was a skilled farmer and cheesemaker, but the post-war western pull was irresistible.

Following the lead of Lucy’s older brothers, John packed up his young family in 1866 and headed west into Rock County, Wisconsin. For nearly twenty years, they farmed the rich soil of Bradford and Clinton townships, raising a large family through joy and heavy grief:

• Their firstborn, Charles Newton, had tragically died in New York in 1864 as an infant.
• On November 25, 1864, right as the nation re-elected President Lincoln, their son Abraham Lincoln Brown (my great-grandfather) was born.
• In Wisconsin, they laid young Harvey Gilbert to rest in 1872 at just five years old.
• They raised Emma, George Arthur, Henry John, and Lucy Maria, building a tight-knit family accustomed to hard work and seasonal drift.

Sometime after 1880, John pulled up stakes and returned his family back east to Rodman Township, Jefferson County, New York—likely to settle family affairs and manage ancestral property after his parents' passing. But the West hadn't finished calling his name.

The Final Trail: Creston, Flathead County, Montana

In 1901, at 68 years of age—a time when most men of his era were settling into quiet retirement—John Galloway Brown mounted one final, bold expedition.

Packing up their belongings, John and Lucy headed out into the northern Rockies, settling in Creston, Flathead County, Montana. Joining them on this frontier trek were their grown sons: Abraham Lincoln, George Arthur, and Henry John.

                   THE MONTANA HOMESTEAD CHAPTER

                   

  [1833] Philadelphia, NY  ── Born to War of 1812 Veteran

    │

  [1861] Married Lucy      ── Fused Yankee & French-Canadian Lines

    │

  [1866] Wisconsin Drift   ── Homesteading & Farming Rock County

    │

  [1890] New York Return   ── Settling Ancestral Estates

    │

  [1901] Montana Frontier  ── Final Settlement in Creston's Big Sky

In the shadow of the Swan Mountains, John and Lucy cleared ground and established a successful farm and dairy operation in the fertile Flathead Valley. Side by side with their sons, they turned virgin timber and prairie sod into a thriving home.

Sunset in the Flathead Valley

John Galloway Brown lived to see his children and grandchildren lay down deep roots in the Big Sky country he came to love. On March 28, 1915, John passed away at his home in Creston at the age of 81. Two days later, his family laid him to rest in Fairview Cemetery.

Lucy survived her husband by nearly two years, holding the family together until she joined him on February 3, 1917. She lies right beside John under the vast Montana sky.

Together, this New York farmer and his voyageur bride bridged three centuries of American expansion—leaving behind a heritage built on patriot fire, canoe-paddler grit, and western steel.

Key Family Timeline Notes (For Reference)

• John Galloway Brown: b. 8 Aug 1833, Philadelphia, NY – d. 28 Mar 1915, Creston, MT.
• Lucy Passino (Pinsonneau): b. 17 Jun 1836, Jefferson Co., NY – d. 3 Feb 1917, Creston, MT.
• Burial: Fairview Cemetery, Creston, Flathead County, Montana.
• Children's Trail:
1. Charles Newton (1862–1864) – Died in infancy, NY.
2. Abraham Lincoln (1864–1948) – Pioneer in Creston, MT.
3. Harvey Gilbert (1866–1872) – Died in childhood, WI.
4. Emma E. (1868–1897) – Married and passed away in Missouri.
5. George Arthur (1870–1951) – Settled in Montana.
6. Henry John (1875–1950) – Settled in Kila, Flathead Co., MT.
7. Lucy Maria (1879–1963) – Returned/remained in Jefferson Co., NY.

Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy

The Technology and Methods of Early Pioneer Logging

In the early 1900s our family had a highly synchronized, hybrid operation. It perfectly balanced raw animal traction with the first wave of gas-powered woods mechanization.

The Baileys logged, cut, split and delivered firewood to augment their ranching income. Jackson Bailey, my great-grandfather, arrived in Kendrick, Idaho before 1903, and we have several photos of him processing wood.

Likewise his son, Frank Bailey—my grandfather, followed suit on his stump ranch in Kalispell, Montana after 1912.

The following photos will illustrate how they did their work.

1. In the Timber Stand: Felling and Bucking

The process began in the dense white pine and fir stands around Kendrick or Kalispell. Using a two-man crosscut handsaw (the "misery whip") and double-bit axes, our family felled massive trees. They then bucked the trunks into manageable 12-foot lengths. At 24 to 30 inches in diameter, each green log was incredibly heavy, weighing anywhere from 1,500 to over 2,000 pounds.

 2. Skidding with the Belgian Team

Moving these massive 12-foot logs out of the steep, rugged Idaho and Montana woods required immense muscle. Our family used a pair of Belgian draft horses—massive, deep-chested giants known for their calm demeanor and pure pulling power.

• The Sled and Track: The logs were rolled onto a heavy wooden logging sled or bobsled. To overcome the friction of the heavy timber, the horses pulled the sled along a dedicated skid trail or a cleared "track."
• Seasonal Trails: In the winter, these tracks were iced to allow the sled to glide effortlessly. In the dry months, the track might consist of greased log chutes or cleared dirt paths down to the staging area.

3. At the Staging Area: The Wade Drag Saw

Once the Belgians delivered the 12-foot logs to the staging area, muscle power gave way to gasoline. Instead of bucking the logs into firewood by hand, our family set up a portable gas-powered drag saw (likely a Wade or Ottawa rig).

• The Setup: The operators wheeled the single-cylinder engine over the log, dropping a long, heavy crosscut blade into position.
• The Operation: The small two-cycle engine chugged and popped, driving the blade back and forth automatically. It cut through the 30-inch trunks with ease, dropping uniform 24-inch long log rounds onto the deck.

4. The Mechanical Splitter: Kinetic Might

The most physically exhausting part of firewood production—splitting 30-inch wide, 2-foot long green rounds—was handled by their gas-powered mechanical log splitter.

• The Mechanics: This machine relied on a heavy, cast-iron hit-and-miss gasoline engine. The engine spun massive, heavy flywheels to store kinetic energy.
• The Splitting Stroke: Through a system of heavy gears and a driving cam, the machine mechanically forced a heavy steel ram forward. Two men would hoist the 24-inch round onto the splitter's iron table. The ram engaged, driving a massive steel wedge directly through the heart of the log, cleanly fracturing it into uniform, easily handleable firewood pieces.

5. Loading and Local Delivery

The final step was distribution. The split firewood was stacked into a heavy-duty, horse-drawn hauling wagon. With the wood neatly corded, the team drove down from the hills into Kendrick or Kalispell, or neighboring communities, delivering sustainably sourced, mechanically processed winter fuel directly to local homes and businesses.

Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy

Jackson Baileys Horse-Powered Hay Baling Crew

 

Great-granddad’s horse-powered hay baling crew using a machine known as a mule-power press or a sweep baler.

My theory about Grandma driving the buggy with lunch is incredibly likely—women frequently drove lighter buggy teams to the fields to bring the massive "threshing and baling dinners" to the workers.

Here is exactly what is happening in these three photos and how that unique lever machine worked:

1. The Machine: The Sweep Power Press

The machine with the swinging lever arm is a horse-powered hay press.

• How it worked: Instead of an engine, this machine used the physical walking power of the horses. One team of draft horses was hitched to a long wooden sweep arm (the lever arm you see).
• The Circle: The horses walked in a continuous, tight circle around the machine. As they walked, the arm rotated, turning gears that operated a heavy mechanical plunger inside the baler's chamber.
• The Compression: Men on foot would use pitchforks to pitch loose hay from that massive pile into the hopper. Every time the horses completed a rotation, the plunger slammed forward, compressing the loose hay into a tight block.

2. The Idle Team: "Switching the Power"

Seeing one pair of draft horses standing idle explains how the crew kept the operation moving all day.

• Walking in a tight, repetitive circle while pulling a heavy mechanical load was incredibly exhausting for horses. It could make them dizzy and worn out quickly.
• To prevent injury and exhaustion, baling crews kept a second team standing by in the shade or resting. Every hour or two, they would unhitch the working team and swap in the fresh, idle team.

3. Tying the Bales: A Two-Man Job

Just out of view or deep in the mechanics of your photo, two men were likely working right at the mouth of that machine:

• As the machine compressed the hay, blocks of wood called "blocks" were dropped in to separate the bales.
• Wooden or metal wires were threaded through grooves in the blocks. Two workers (often younger boys or family members) had to quickly thread the wire by hand and tie it off to lock the bale together before the machine pushed it out.

4. Hay vs. Wheat: The Big Difference

The realization that this is hay baling and not wheat threshing is a great catch.

• Threshing wheat required a massive, loud machine to separate grain seeds from straw.
• Baling hay was about preserving food for the very horses you see in the photo. Loose hay took up too much room in a barn and rotted easily. Compressing it into tight bales allowed the farmers of Texas Ridge to stack it cleanly and store it to feed their draft teams through the long Idaho winter.

Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy

Granddad’s 1920 Texas Ridge, Idaho binder and shocking crew

 

Old photos capture the precise moment before farmers switched to all-in-one combines, using a highly organized system to harvest wheat in Latah County.

Here is exactly what those two machines are, what the men are doing with those poles, and how the whole process worked:

1. The Machines: Horse-Drawn Grain Binders

The two machines pulled by the pairs of draft horses are grain binders (likely built by McCormick-Deering or John Deere).

• What they do: As the horses pull the binder forward, a wide sickle bar cuts the standing wheat stalks. The stalks fall onto moving canvas belts that carry them inside the machine.
• The mechanical knotter: Inside the machine, an incredibly complex mechanical arm automatically bundles the stalks, wraps a piece of twine around them, ties a perfect knot, cuts the twine, and spits the bound bundle out onto the ground.

2. The Drivers and the "Lightweight Poles"

The driver sitting high up on the cast-iron seat is managing the mechanics of the binder. The "lightweight pole" you see is actually a whip pole or a tilting lever.

• The Whip Pole: It was very common for drivers to hold a long, lightweight bamboo or willow whip pole. Because they were sitting high up and far back behind the machine's mechanism, they needed a very long pole to gently tap or guide the front of the horse team.
• The Tilting Lever: If the pole is made of iron and attached directly to the machine, it is a tilting lever. The driver would pump this long lever up or down to change the angle of the cutting blade, allowing it to cut low to the ground or raise up to avoid rocks and uneven Idaho terrain.

3. The Men Walking: "The Whip" or Ground Crew

The men walking on foot between the horses and the machines are serving as ground guides or assistant teamsters.

• Operating a binder required intense concentration. The driver had to watch the mechanical knotter, the canvas belts, and the cutting height all at once.
• On the uneven, rolling hills of Latah County, the walking man’s job was to watch the horses' footing, clear clogged wheat away from the front of the machine, and ensure the horses maintained a straight line so no wheat was left uncut.

4. The Third Man: "Shocking" the Wheat

The man walking behind the machines collecting the scattered bundles is called a shocker.

• Even though the binder machine tied the individual bundles together with twine, the wheat was still slightly green and damp inside. If left flat on the ground, the morning dew would rot the grain.
• This man is picking up 5 to 8 bundles at a time and standing them upright against each other, grain-heads pointing up, to form a teepee-like structure called a "shock" (or stook). This allowed the Idaho wind to blow through the wheat and dry it out completely over the next two weeks.

5. The Large Wagons: "Bundle Haulers"

The massive wagons collecting the dried shocks are bundle wagons (or rack wagons).

• Crew members used long-handled pitchforks to spear the dry bundles from the ground and toss them up to a man standing on the wagon.
• The man on the wagon was a skilled loader who stacked the bundles in a precise, interlocking pattern so the massive, top-heavy load wouldn't slide off on the steep Idaho hills.
• These wagons are hauling the wheat to a massive, centralized, stationary steam-powered threshing machine located nearby in the field to finally separate the grain from the straw.

Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy