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The
name John Raphael
has been given to four generations of Montana Quigley
men, which could make the telling of this tale a
bit confusing. Kitty Ann Quigley Taaler, the daughter
of Frontier Town builder John Quigley, explains that
there was no John R. Quigley III or IV; the "Sr."
and "Jr." were simply assumed as the generations
passed away.
For
our purposes, the name John R. Quigley Sr. (1834-1913)
will refer to the gentleman pictured below. He's the
Quigley that came to Montana in 1864, settling in Blackfoot
City. We'll refer to his son, the Avon-area rancher,
as John R. Quigley, Jr. (1877-1947). He's the father
of John R. Quigley (1915-1979) who built Frontier Town,
whom we'll refer to as John Quigley. We'll call
John Quigley's son "Jack", as did his family.
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CATHERINE SEELEY QUIGLEY WITH
(FROM LEFT) TOM, HELEN, JACK, HARRIET
CLICK TO ENLARGE
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JOHN
R. QUIGLEY, SR.
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John
R. Quigley Sr.,
John's grandfather, was born of Irish immigrant parents
in Logan County, Virginia in 1834. In 1845, the young
family moved to Wisconsin. There, John attained two
years of college education, taught school, and was deputy
sheriff for three years.
In
April of 1864, he packed three wagons and left Wisconsin,
heading west to the Montana Territory. He arrived at
Virginia City three months later. He opened and operated
a store in Virginia City for a year before heading north
to Blackfoot
City (later called Ophir), which was located just
north of Avon Montana, in the foothills of the Rocky
Mountains.
His
store in Blackfoot City prospered for several years
before he sold out and returned briefly to Wisconsin,
"in search of a wife". The trip was unsuccessful
in that regard. He had better luck the next year, and
married Catherine M. Seeley on May 1, 1870.
The
couple returned to Blackfoot City, where John opened
a store and post office, and began purchasing land,
eventually owning some 1600 acres. Quigley was active
in the Democratic Party in both Deer Lodge and Powell
counties
Seven
children were born to the couple: Anna, Raymond,
Mary, John R. Jr., Tom, Helen, and Harriet (Knudson)
who started the Lincoln
Memorial Gardens in Springfield, Illinois. All the
children were born in Blackfoot City, except Raymond,
who was born in Wisconsin. John R. Quigley, Sr. died
in October of 1913 at the age of 79. Catherine died
in May of 1926, aged 82.They are all buried in Hillcrest
Cemetery in Deer Lodge, Montana -- except Harriet, who
is buried in Springfield.
John
R. Quigley, Sr. with some of his fellow Montana
pioneers, 1911. Quigley is standing in the back
row, fifth from the left.
CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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Click
for a new window with tales of the Quigleys' life
in old Blackfoot City, as told by their granddaughter,
Kathryn McKenzie Price. |
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Click
for a recent satellite view of the site of Blackfoot
City (Ophir), Montana. |
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JOHN
R. QUIGLEY, JR.
1877 - 1947
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KATHRYN
MANLEY QUIGLEY
1890 - 1920
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1920
MONTANA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING
THE DEATH OF KATHRYN QUIGLEY - CLICK
TO ENLARGE
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John
R. Quigley, Jr.
was born in Blackfoot City in 1877. He was a sucessful
Avon area rancher, and in 1905 represented Powell County
in the Montana House of Representatives. In 1907, aged
30, he married 18-year-old Kathryn Manley of Powell
County. Together they had three children: Kathryn ("Teddy"),
John R., and Clifford.
In
February of 1920, Kathryn Manley Quigley
contracted Spanish influenza in Powell County shortly
before a planned visit to Helena with her husband. Less
than two weeks later, she died in Helena of pneumonia,
a complication of the disease. Her untimely death was
widely mourned. Her casket was completely covered with
flowers, and an extra automobile was required to carry
all the floral tributes to her gravesite in Deer Lodge's
Hill Crest Cemetery.
John
R. Quigley Jr. would remarry twice in his lifetime,
but it is said he never got over Kathryn's death. At
the time of his death in Butte in 1947, his wife Mary
Quigley was living in Los Angeles.
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John
Quigley, the builder of Frontier Town,
was born on the family ranch near Avon on Sept. 8, 1915.
He died at Frontier Town on Nov. 23, 1979. The following
is a very brief look at his early life. |
Young
John Quigley on the family ranch, 1916-17.
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New
hats
for the Quigley men, 1920. Back row from left: John R.
Quigley, Jr., two unidntified men. Front row: Clifford
Quigley and John Quigley - who was learning how to cock
his hat just so.
John attended Three Mile Country School, and graduated
from Powell County High School in Deer Lodge in 1933.
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CLICK
FOR A 1935 PHOTO OF
THE KIRWAN FAMILY
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In
1933,
John married Marguerite Kirwan of Deer Lodge.
The couple had three children: Jack (1934 - ),
Peter (1940 - 2004) and Kitty Ann (1944 -
). Together, they operated Lost Cabin Ranch, a dude
ranch and ski resort north of Avon, Montana. They divorced
in 1947.
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John,
Marguerite, & Jack Quigley, about 1939.
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Peter
and Jack Quigley, about 1943.
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Kitty
Ann Quigley, about 1947
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John
Quigley riding with the flag in a Deer Lodge, Montana
parade - 1936
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