Pioneer Resident Taken by Death
ANACONDA, June 30.— Chris Jergensen, widely-known rancher and resident of the Deer Lodge valley 72 years, was summoned by death at St. Ann hospital late Thursday night. He was a member of the Montana Society of Pioneers.
He was born in Goshen. Utah, April 29, 1865, and the following year passed through Montana with his parents en route to Creston City, Utah. (This should read Crescent City, Iowa) In returning east the family came north to Montana, traveled through the Bozeman pass to the Missouri river.
Several years later the family joined an emigrant train at Omaha and re-crossed the plains. They arrived In the Deer Lodge valley June 20, 1872. His parents, the late Mr. and Mrs. Lars Jergensen, came to the United States in 1856 from Denmark.
The family was among the first to settle in the Deer Lodge valley. Mr. Jergensen attended a log cabin school on the present site of the Verlanic ranch. He was the only white boy in the class, the rest being Indians. Later he attended school at Willow Glen.
In the early days he attended sheep for the Thomas Brothers and herded his flock on the present site of the city of Anaconda. He operated a dairy business during the early days of the city and later engaged in farming, ranching and cattle raising. During his 72 years of residence in the Deer Lodge valley he lived in the same house.
Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Edna Jergensen; a son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. (Mary Ester Jergensen) W. T. Parks, and grandson Thomas Howard Parks, Long Beach, Calif.; a sister, Mrs. Lena Johnson; several nephews and nieces, Mr. and Mrs. (Erma Johnson) Carl Swanson, Anaconda; Mr. and Mrs. (Nora Johnson) Ed Lee, Seattle; Mr. and Mrs. H. N. Johnson, Butte; Mr. and Mrs.
L. B. Crosswhite, Columbia Fans; Miss Ida Crosswhite, Anaconda; Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Johnson, East Valley.