Hello,

I am researching a ranch operation and family from Miles City called the Ingersoll Ranch. The ranch would have been operational in the late 19th century, and possibly into the early 20th century. I would be most pleased to get any and all information which may exist on this family. It is my undertanding that one of the Ingersoll men my have belonged to the 7th Cavalry based in Fort Abraham Lincoln in Dakota Territory prior to settling in Miles City. I do not have any first names to provide, but it appears one of the men in the family had an initial "L". Again, any help would be appreciated, and if there is any charge for research on this, I would be happy to agree on a fee for a detailed report on this ranch/family. Thanks so much, Mike Raunig
(respond to: [email protected] )

Using the search feature of the site, I noticed a couple references to "Ingersoll". They were/are:

"Guy married Isabel Jones and they ranched for a while on the Dick Ingersoll place, and after that he was custodian at the Montana-Dakota building and the Bank of Miles City."

And another:

"The CK bought a bunch of broke horses from Ingersoll down on the Yellowstone, only they weren't broke."

Being that there are 2 references in the limited amount of information available here, I assume history must contain more.

Eventually I hope to get all the good stuff online, but until then, perhaps another vistor can offer more useful information in the meantime.

Regards, Larry
MilesCity.com Webmaster

Mike,

There is only one Ingersoll mentioned in the Hoopes' index book. I will post it all, as some of the details are slightly familiar with what you noted:

"Ingersoll, George F. (Dick)born 12/20/1858, at Lee, Berkshire Co., Mass. '65 with parents to Boone, Iowa; father in cattle business; graduates Cornell College, Mt. Vernon Iowa. '77: gold fever; to the Black Hills with his father, then returns to Iowa. 1878: with father to Fort Worth, Tx., cattle business; ride the range until '85; is appointed foreman, "Lee-Scott" Cattle Company. Trails their cattle overland to southeast M.T.; settles there."

That's it. No direct mention of Miles City, per se. But definately a ranching family. Hope this helps. Kenny

I went to Custer High (class of 1948),with two Ingersoll brothers, Bruce and Gary. Bruce graduated in 1944? Gary in 1946? I talked to Bruce about five years ago, he lived in Anchorage Alaska and was listed in the 'phone book. He may be related to the Ingersolls you are searching information on and be able to help you. I hope this is of some help.
Marvin Miller

My great-great grandmother, Mary Collins, moved from Minnesota to Terry Montana in 1880 with her 14 year old daughter Rose (b. 1866). Rose took a job as a schoolteacher and eventually married George F. Ingersoll. The 1900 U.S. Census lists Rose and George, a "stock raiser," and two children, a son Lynn and a daughter Dixie. Rose later became the superintendent of schools for Miles City.

A few years ago I received a letter from a Terry resident who knew Lynn Ingersoll well and knows quite a bit about the family. I hope to visit Terry this summer and would like to talk to her. She says she has written some books about local history. You might try writing her:

Ms. Mary Haughtan
P.O. Box 957
Terry, MT 59349

It was Guy Whitbeck that married Isabel Jones. Guy ran for sheriff in Custer County. Isabel Jones was the sister of my grandfather, Herbert Jones. They all lived in Miles City or in the area for many years.

Colleen,

First I want to thank all of you who have responded to my initial inquiry! It is much appreciated, and it is the tid-bits of information on this message board which enabled me to put a pretty extensive history of the Ingersoll family together. In fact, I have corresponded with

Colleen...the George F. Ingersoll (originally from Iowa) you refer to was better known as "Dick". Dick was associated with the Lee-Scott Cattle Company of Ft. Worth Texas. Around 1885, Dick and a partner drove a herd of longhorns from Texas to Montana and settled in the Miles City area and formed The Bow Gun Ranch, and the "Bow and Arrow Ranch".

More to come...

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this site and find your e-mail. I made the trip to Montana in June and did not get any additional information about the Ingersoll ranch. I got some addresses for Ingersoll descendents but have gotten no responses to my letters.

I am very interested in what you have found out about the family. Any mention of John or Ruth Ingersoll, two children who died? The photographer Evelyn Cameron's diaries mention the death of baby Ruth in 1895. I wonder if there is a family cemetery where the two were buried.

Thanks so much, Colleen Carter

I am Pamela Ingersoll and I believe the 'Ingersoll Ranch' you're looking for belonged to my great-grand-parents, George F. "Dick" and Rose Collins Ingersoll. They owned the BowGun and Swinging H Ranch properties, north of Terry Montana.
George F. "Dick" and Rose Collins Ingersoll had a son Lynn R. Ingersoll, (the 1st), my grand-father, who married Bernice Kempton Ingersoll, my grand-mother. Together they had five (5) sons, Dick, Lynn R. Ingersoll, (the2nd, my father), Thomas , Bruce and Gerry . All born in Miles City. My father, Lynn R. Ingersoll, II and Bruce K. Ingersoll are now deceased. I think the name Lynn is the "L" first-name you were looking for.
Apparently, both my maternal and paternal great-parents and great-great-grand-parents, are well known in eastern Montana history.
I am not aware of any Ingersolls from my family, still living in Montana. We are all scattered throughout the U.S.
I hope I was of help to you!
Pamela Ingersoll
Sonoma County, California

Pamela--

Was it your grandfather, Lynn Ingersoll, that was around Jordan, Montana in the 1970s?

To Pamela Ingersoll,

Thank you for writing information about your family in response to my inquiry. Also, thanks to all who have taken the time to write, as each piece of information assisted tremendously in putting the puzzle together. I have been in personal contact with several members of the Ingersoll family as a result of your kind responses.

I have compiled some interesting and historic information and relics and would like to discuss it with you if you if you are so inclined. Feel free to contact me:

Mike Raunig ~ Highlands Ranch, CO
[email protected]

I recently received this biography of Dick Ingersoll, hand-written by his son Lynn Ingersoll:

(Dick) Ingersoll originally from Lynn, Mass, and Boone Iowa, after graduating from Mount Vernon, Iowa college decided to "Go West young man go West" as the famous editor of the New York Times Newspaper said. After a trip all over the Western U.S. he headed for the Black Hills Gold rush 1875, but wound up at Old Tascosa on the North Canadian river, not far North of where Amarillo, Tex -- quite a city now stands.

After punching cows and keeping books -- so on and so forth and in 1884 spring he got to be trail boss or foreman of two herds of 3000 steers each headed for the big grass country of Eastern Mont., between the Yellowstone and Big Missouri Rivers. These herds of young steers were from the Lee-Scott (L.S.) out fit on the North Canadian River range and were being sent up North to develope into 5 & 6 yr old steers weighing on an average of 1200 lbs in Chicago Ill. which was a direct market from Mont. on the Northern Pacific R.R. -- first across Mont., year of 1882.

These two L.S. herds landed on the Big Dry at mouth of what is still called L.S. creek. 20 miles below what is now the town of Jordan in later day Garfield Co.

[This message has been edited by Colleen E. Carter (edited 11/9/2005).]

This is 10-13 yrs to late to reply to your information about the Ingersoll Ranch but just recently came across the following information in some family history archives.
It read as follows: Samuel McCown age 16 was part of 6 your fellows who went to Montana and worked as cowboys.Sam worked for a rancher whose brand was Bow Gun. He worked for Mr Engersold (I know names were miss spelt back in those days so I am thinking this was the same man as you are referring to)for a number of years, hence his nickname of Bow Gun Sam. In 1912 he filed a homestead at (Cherry Creek) Terry, MT and was. A drought of 1921 made him give his land back to the government and he moved to the Lewiston/Winona, Minnesota area.

If anyone has any information regarding this time period I would be interested in hearing from you.
Carol Nahrgang-Asleson
Cannon Falls, Mn.

Dear Carol, I'm a great-granddaughter of George "Dick" Ingersoll of the Bow Gun Ranch and have also recently been trying to learn about my family history. I'm happy to exchange what information I have.

The Bowgun Ranch was indeed located on Cherry Creek NW of Terry. It is immortalized by the Bowgun spring, Bowgun Butte, and Bowgun Road-landmarks that are still referred to frequently. The Ingersolls were well known out here, and if one contacted Kim Keltner or Lon Reukauf, they could probably lead you to the old ranch headquarters. There is an article about Lynn and George Ingersoll by Dick Ingersoll in "Wheels Across Montana's Prairies", a book compiled to document the history of Prairie County-available at the Prairie County museum. An interesting sidenote-Lynn Ingersoll was married to a Kempton girl, one of Prairie County's pioneer families.

There were 2 Bow and Arrow (bow Gun) ranch's managed by Dick Ingersoll The one, I believe to be the first was located on north Sunday creek North West of Miles City. There are many Huffman photos of a cowboy breaking horses at the Sunday creek ranch as well as that of a horse that leaped off a big cut bank on Sunday Creek. See BEFORE BARB WIRE. Nothing left now but a basement hole and such on the 6 Quarter Circle. Did Ingersoll have a ranch or did he manage them for the Texas outfit?

As I do not currently have access to my library It may be THE FRONTIER YEARS book I'm referencing.

Lynn Ingersoll that was around Jordan in the 70's ran a crew, for the Chappel brothers (SP?), in the late30's ? that gathered horses to clear the range and to sell. He is mentioned in a book that was written by Heavy Davis' wife. I'm sorry I can't recall the name of the book or her name.

Thank you both so much for your info - I'm not sure that Dick Ingersoll owned his own ranch, although he had his own branded cattle and horses. He was involved with the Lee-Scott Cattle Co., Rea Cattle Co. (Bow Gun brand), Rea, Davis, and Clarke Horse Co., and Atlantic Livestock (Swinging H brand). Lynn and Bernice Kempton Ingersoll are my grandparents.

I found a short bio written by Dorothy McCown Goninan for Cornelius 'Neece' McCown in "Custer County Area History - As We Recall" [compiled by Helen Carey Jones (c. 1990]. Any relation to Samuel McCown?

[Edited by Tracy Ingersoll (4/11/2016 8:01:45 AM)]

[Edited by Tracy Ingersoll (4/11/2016 8:05:53 AM)]

There is also a bio in the HISTORICAL EDITION OF THE YELLOWSTONE JOURNAL 1900 published by THE MILES CITY STAR in 1976. Includes a photo and indicates he has a personal herd of cattle and horse as well as an irrigated farm. Married Miss Rose Collins in 1890. While known as Dick his name was G F Ingersoll.

After re-reading my first post, must be getting old. The Bow and Arrow ranch was on South Sunday creek rather than north.