ROY PART 9

 
salt, spices, coffee, tea, etc.
  Flour sacks were used for making many things, they were really pretty prints then. Of course we each got a penny to buy candy at the Wass Mercantile.
  We would play in the field while Mom and Dad stacked hay. Dad would round up cattle from the breaks and take some by train to Chicago, Illinois to sell.
  I remember horses, there were rodeos on Sunday and the breaking of horses. In the fall we would also get wood in for the stoves.
  I remember the dances in Roy. We had a sleigh and plenty of blankets. Everyone danced. 
  We went to church once a month.
  I graduated from the 8th grade in Roy. The farm was sold and we moved to Hanover.

SIROKY FAMILY HISTORY
by Ruth Siroky

 Mr. and Mrs. John Siroky Sr. and their descendants have been important in the settling and development of Fergus County. In the early nineteen hundreds the oppression of living under a dictatorship and military conscription did not appeal to Mr. and Mrs. Siroky for they wanted a better future for their sons and daughters. Stories about freedom and homesteads available in the U.S. led to their decision to migrate to this country in 1913 when John was about 35 years old. Their choice of Roy, Montana was influenced by the fact that Mrs. Siroky's sister, Emily, who had come to this country earlier was now married to Richard Komarek and the Komarek's had a site chosen for the Sirokys adjoining their homestead.
  Military requirements were very strict in Yugoslavia and Siroky escaped from the country by pretending to look for work, traveling from town to town, carrying only the tools of his woodworking and wagon building trade. Despite many narrow escapes he crossed the border and boarded a ship and after a journey filled with many hardships, he finally arrived at Roy, Montana. His money was gone because he did not understand the language and unscrupulous people along the way had taken advantage of him. He proceeded to walk from Lewistown to Roy; the Komarek home was about eight miles north of Roy. When he stopped to rest at the top of the hill on the gravel bench he knew he was nearing his new home in the new land.
  A couple of months later he was joined by Mrs. Siroky and the five children: Mary, Frank, Joe, Jim and Frances. Another child, Agnes, died in infancy in the old country. The European authorities had not troubled them and people along the way were helpful toward the young mother traveling alone with her children. The family left on a ship from Austria and it took a month to come. Joe remembers the ship; a rat infested ship. John Jr. was born shortly after their arrival here. They brought their belongings in two large trunks and also carried two knapsacks filled with clothing and bedding. Joe, who was about 5 years old when they came to this country remembers the trunks very well. "Dad had nailed strips over it to hold it closed," he said telling of the one trunk. "Guys were sitting down on it. It was lined with old newspapers written in Czech, which are still readable. It was so full and heavy that when it was finally opened here in the new country, it popped like a jack in the box!" Joe's son, Ken, has the trunk, no one knows what happened to the other trunk.
  As they boarded their ship, the young lady who was helping with their luggage got separated from them, at the pier, and was put aboard a different ship so they lost their belongings which she was carrying.
  Arrangements had been made for Mr. Siroky to borrow a team and wagon to meet the family at the stage depot at Armells between Fergus and Hilger, but meanwhile Mrs. Siroky and the children had caught a ride to Roy. There was no way to let him know where they were so they tried to flag him down when they saw him approach Roy. In his eagerness to join his family he looked only straight ahead and the clatter of the wagon wheels drowned out their shouts when they tried to stop him.
  The Siroky family lived with Komareks while Komarek and Siroky went to timber to cut the logs to build their home. Siroky's woodworking skill stood him in good stead as he hewed the logs and carefully notched and fitted the corners of the house. The original log house still stands as a testimonial to his skilled craftsmanship. At last the home was ready and the family moved into the two rooms and attic. Later a porch was added to make more room for the growing family. Soon the parents learned the language and became naturalized citizens.
  John Jr., their first American-born child, was followed by Jerry, Abbie, Peggy, Annie, Josephine and Mero. The children helped with the work as soon as they were old enough for there was much to be done, what with breaking sod, clearing sagebrush, preparing fields for crops and they slowly accumulated a herd of cattle. The years were filled with hard work and the hazard of having their crops trampled by large herds of cattle owned by distant cattle barons who allowed their herds to roam freely on the open range. The cowboys had no sympathy for Siroky when he tried to protect his crops. A cowboy roped him and tried to drag him behind his horse. The cowboy soon retreated when Mrs. Siroky brandished a pitchfork and threatened to drive it through him. Small wonder the farmers felt no remorse when they occasionally slaughtered a beef from these herds to feed their families.
 

  Years passed and when his sons left home to marry, John Sr. deeded each one a parcel of land to start his own ranch and all the sons settled along the same creek, near Roy, except Mero who obtained a ranch near Fergus. When the daughters married each one received a dowry.
  Jim remained at home with his parents to run the home ranch and when they retired in 1939 he contracted to buy the property from them. Jim operated the ranch until 1973 when he retired, due to poor health, and with his family moved to Lewistown. He sold the ranch to Joe's oldest son, Kenny, so it remains in the family. (This part of the ranch is known as the Rogers' place.)
  Jim and Ruth had five children: Allen, Annette (Vanek), Debbie (Newton), Judy (Woodard) and Valerie (Lucas). All attended Roy school. Jim passed away in 1977; Ruth remains in Lewistown.
  There are now fourth and fifth generations of the Siroky family living near Roy and only one daughter of John, Sr. and Mary Siroky lives out of state. Each brother has added to his original parcel of land received from his father, building up a modern ranching operation.
  Jerry has sold his ranch and is now ranching at Charlo, Montana. Jerry spent four years in the Army. He and his wife, the former Betty Moore, a school teacher, lived east of Roy on their ranch for many years and raised a family of eight children. The oldest four: Clarence and Lawrence (twins), Leslie and Nicolette all graduated from RHS. Their other children are: Mitchell, Ramona, Carl and Claretta.
  They sold out in the 60's and left the area. Clarence is now a veterinarian in Washington; Lawrence is the head of the Water Resources Department in Helena; Leslie is an architect in Colorado; Niki teaches school; Mitchell is a mechanic in Billings; Ramona lives in Idaho; Carl attends college and Claretta is in the service.
  Frances (Bialek) married Wesley "Stubby" Bru. They had one daughter, Josie. They lived on the homestead place in the original log house for several years. They gave up the place because of Stubby's health and later they separated. Frances remarried and she lives in Lewistown.
  Annie, Abbie, Josephine and Peggy all left the area. Abbie married Fred Able. They are retired and live in Billings. Annie married Tom Huff and they had one son, Tommie. Annie lives in Lewistown. She and Tom are separated. Peggy was married to Charles Quickenden. After his death she married Steve Dotson. They live in Great Falls. Josephine (Mrs. Charles Winters) resides in California.
  Mary was married to Gus Souchek when she was very young. They had one son. Later she married Jerry (Piskac) Prescott and they moved to Bozeman where they made their home.
  Mary and John Siroky Sr. have both passed away.

THE JOHN AND JOE SIROKY FAMILIES

  On June 10, 1935, two young couples eloped to Billings against their parents wishes. They said the marriages would never last. Fifty years later, the two couples proved them wrong as they celebrated their Golden Anniversaries.
  Marie "Mary" Fadrhonc lived with her parents on a ranch near Roy. After the couple was married they lived on the old Siroky homestead for the first three years and then moved to Roy and farmed the Sargeant place. In 1941, they moved to the present ranch where they--now "retired"--make their home.
  John and Mary had two sons, Ted and Tom. Their
 

  eldest son, Ted, and his son, Marty, also live and work on the ranch.
  Ted and his wife, Delores, have three children: Marty, Michelle and Mindy. Marty and his wife, Wendi (Niemi) have one son, Kyle. Besides ranching, Marty also works in the mines and Wendi is employed by the Roy school system.
  Michelle is married to Tom John Byrne. They live in Roy and have two children: Beau and Brittany. Tom is employed in the mines and Michelle at the postoffice.
  Mindy and her son, Matthew, live at home. She works at the Corner Cafe, part time.
  Tom Siroky is married to Clara (Solf) from Winnett. He is the Roy Highway Section foreman and Clara is employed as a cook at the school. Their three children: Kevin, Keith and Kim all graduated from RHS. Only Kevin remains in Roy and he is employed in the mines.
  Joe married Helen Kostoryz, a Roy school teacher, who was originally from Billings. Joe and Helen ranched until 1987 when they moved into Roy. Helen passed away in 1988 from cancer.
  Their two sons both married in 1987. Kenny and his wife, Clara Nell, are very active in community and state affairs. Ken is a state director of the Farmers Union and is an officer and director of the Montana Beef Council, as well as serving for many years as an elder in the Roy Presbyterian Church. Clara, a registered nurse is from Oklahoma. With her special skills in working with children and teaching piano she keeps very busy in her new community. Ken and Clara live on the old Roger's place.
  Roger and his wife, Martha, are on the ranch that his parents lived and worked on for so many years.
  The elder Sirokys all loved to dance and no dance at the Bohemian Hall seemed complete without the two couples there. Joe, John and Mary all retain their happy zestful outlook on life.

SMITH AND LARAWAY

 E.W. Laraway and N. T. Smith sold their ranch just west of Roy in late 1907 to Frank Stephens and moved to El Cajon Valley in California. They purchased a fruit ranch there, and as reported in a September 1908 paper, were busy developing an orange orchard and vineyard along with many other varieties of fruit suited for the tropical locale. The article stated that several auto parties of friends from Montana had visited the two bachelors during the summer.

CAN AND ALICE SMITH -- CLAY, PEARL AND GARY SMITH

  In 1944 Can Smith, his wife Alice, and their sons Clay Smith and Ted Taylor, moved to Roy from Springfield, Colorado.
  Can ranched with his brother, Doc, for a few years, buying some adjoining county land for $1.00 an acre. Can planned on raising mules but after two or three years he sold his land to Dick Komarek and went back to Colorado.
  Clay remained behind. In 1945 he and Pearl Jakes were married. Clay worked for the Milwaukee Railroad for a couple of years and then at the school as custodian. Later he went to work for the Montana Highway Department at Roy and worked for them until his retirement in 1982.
  Pearl ran a drug-convenience store in Roy, in the old "Reis Shoe Shop" building, from 1946 until 1979. The couple lived in an adjoining apartment.
  Their only child, son Gary, was born in 1946. Gary attended Roy schools and after his graduation in 1964 he joined the Army, serving until 1967, after which he
 

 lived in Missoula for a year. He then moved back to Roy and leased the Union Station from Homer Willis.
  In 1971 he began the G & S Oil Company, a successful business venture, which at present has outlets in Roy, Lewistown and Grass Range, where it is known as the "Little Montana Truck Stop". His mother, Pearl, is bookkeeper and his dad, Clay, helps out with the business.
  Gary and his wife, Jolene Herder Slaby, have three sons: Gary Robert and Earl Ray Smith and Tony Slaby. Gary's daughter, Carrie Lynn, lives with her mother, Lucille Gar Newby, in Dodson.

GUST AND JOE SOUCHE
information by Jim Horyna

  The homesteads of brothers Gust and Joe Souchek are now part of the Joe Siroky place.
  Joe passed away in those early years, probably of a heart attack, and Gust took over both homesteads. Joe is buried in Roy.
  Gust was a veteran of WWI. He married Mary Siroky.
  They had one son, Joe. After their separation, sometime in the 30's, Gust moved to Bremerton, Washington where he worked for the government, remarried and raised a family. He was a locksmith by trade. He passed away in Washington.
  His son, Joe, lives in Bozeman.

STENDAL FAMILY 
T 18N R 23E

  A.M. (Marcus) Stendal, son of Peter A. and Secilie Markusen Stendal, was born 6 March 1890 at Brownsdale, Minnesota and educated in Brainerd. He and his brother, Rudolph A. Stendal, came to Montana in 1911 and homesteaded southeast of Roy. Stendals raised good blooded horses on their ranch. Marcus was immediately involved in freighting and transportation, as he helped haul lumber from Hilger rail depot to Roy to be used to build the Red Barn in 1913. This was the beginning of the transportation business that he continued until 1955.
  He recalled that the Red Barn, owned by Jack Stephens, served as a stopping place for weary homesteaders enroute to their claims. A restaurant, in the office, served meals three times a day and sleeping accommodations were made. The women occupied the front of the haystack and the men in the rear, as there was nowhere else to stay.
  In 1916, the Milwaukee railroad hauled forty cars of gravel to Roy to cover the streets and Stendal donated the use of his dray teams to haul and spread the gravel.
  Anna Petersen, born near Brainerd, Minnesota, 7 March 1890, became the wife of A.M. Stendal on 5 March 1917.
  The flu epidemic of 1918-1919 claimed the life of his brother, Rudolph Andreas, born 10 April 1885. He was 33 years old. In 1919, a bleak year, Stendal told that he skinned dead horses and cattle to make a living by selling the hides.
  In 1920, Stendal traded his milk cows for a dray line; bought the Red Barn for headquarters and started the transportation business he carried on in conjunction with the railroad. In 1923 he shipped a carload of horses to Brainerd and bought a second-hand Model T. He and his wife drove it to Roy, taking one week to make the trip, following wagon trails that were dim, with grass growing between the tracks.
  Joe "Frenchie" Ferdette was his first drayman in Roy--meeting the train and taking the mail to the Post Office and then hauling freight to the businesses about town. Freight cars had to be unloaded, as well. Leonard Ellis was his next driver and drove for many years. Later Cornelius Lund, drove for Stendal Transportation.
  Stendal bought a truck with hard rubber tires when he began the Stage Line to Lewistown. He carried mail, freight and supplies, of all kinds, to the Roy community, as well as passengers. It was a great convenience to make the trip to Lewistown and return on the same day. By train, it would take three days; one going, one day in town and then return on the third day.
  Many years of experience went into this operation. The roads were gumbo trails at first. He told that he would have to unload the freight at the bottom of Deer Creek Hill; take part of it up; unload and go back for the rest of the load; fill the radiator with cold water and take an extra supply; reload the freight and climb the hill again and put on the first half. Finally the road was graveled, but it was still a slow journey.
  Stendal's daughter, Angeline, was born at Roy and they lived in the Stendal-Thielman house on the corner of Second Avenue and Fergus Street, on the west side of Roy. Mrs. Anna Stendal became the bookkeeper for the business. The Seyller store building once served as the office in the early twenties.
  The Stendal Stage Line increased services to other areas and the family moved to Lewistown. Here the Stendal Transportation firm grew to a fleet of 15 trucks, branching in five directions from Lewistown. The Stendal addition of Lewistown was named for them.
  They retired in 1955 and sold the firm. In 1968, Stendals moved to Pocatello, Idaho to be near their
 

daughter. Marcus Stendal died there, 29 July 1969.
  Mrs. Stendal's daughter also passed away in 1969 and she then made her home with her son-in-law, David Eike and two grandchildren, until her death on 20 May 1970. Marcus and Anna are both buried at Brainerd, Minnesota.
 David Eike is the son of Mrs. Elsie Eike of Forest Grove, Montana, where he was raised.

FRANK AND LIZZIE STEPAN

  Frank Stepan came to central Montana and homesteaded in the Winifred area. When World War I came along, he sold out to Wherley's, and went into the service. After his discharge, he came to the Roy area where he homesteaded seventeen miles from Roy, near Zuley. Frank's sister, Barbara (Mrs. Albert) Jakes and her family had already homesteaded in the Roy country.
  In 1932 he married Elizabeth Cimrhakl. The couple lived on the homestead for a few years and in 1938 they moved in to Roy. For the first winter they lived in the Montana Lumber Co. building, moving into their house in 1939.
  Frank then took over the managership of the Roy Farmers Union and ran it until he retired in the 1950's.
  Fuel, in those days, was delivered to the farmers in barrels. The barrels would be filled up at the Farmers Union then while Lizzie tended the station he would haul the fuel out to the farmers. These 50 gallon barrels were very awkward to handle being bigger around the middle than around the ends.
  The Stepans always had a big garden. Lizzie remembers one year, "with help, of course," she canned 40 quarts of peas. And they had milk cows, ducks, pigs, chickens (who hid their nests out all over town), and one year she raised turkeys which wandered about town. One time she found them all at Buechner's store. They also liked to get on the neighbor's roofs. One year of turkey raising in town was enough!
  Frank passed away in June of 1967. Lizzie still lives in the home that they moved into in 1939 and when spring and summer rolls around, she can be seen tending her yard and working in the garden.

FRED STEVENS FAMILY 
information by Arthur Stevens

  The Fred Stevens family lived in Roy from 1914 to 1931. Fred Bentley Stevens was born June 11, 1881 at Spencer, Iowa. He died October of 1951 in North Hollywood, California. Belle J. Hinkey was born in 1883 in Illinois and died in 1939 in North Hollywood. Their only child, Arthur C. Stevens was born May 1, 1915 in Roy. Arthur writes of his life in Roy:
  "Our mail came in by rail. We picked ours up at the post office. Mr. Marsh was postmaster for many years. We bought from the Roy Mercantile Company owned by Peder Hanson and from Mrs. Kalal's little grocery store. We bought our milk from Lane's Creamery and some vegetables and chickens etc. from farmers who brought produce to town. Dad's cars were cared for by Fred Lewis and Joe Murphy's Garage.
  My mother ran a small bakery and lunch counter, in the old land office next to the bank after it closed, for about a year.
  Dad started the "First National Bank of Roy" in 1914. When the bank failed and closed in 1929 or 30 we moved to Billings where Mother and Dad had a "Carmelkorn" store which failed because of the Great Depression. My folks moved to California in 1931 and I stayed on in Billings to graduate in 1933. In California Dad and I worked on a ranch until 1939. When I started with Walt Disney Productions we moved to Burbank and now live in Studio City.
  LeRoy Umstead was my best friend and we were very fond of his whole family. We were, I felt, friends with nearly everyone in town for those 16 years that I lived there. Dad also wrote farm insurance.
  I was born in the little white house on the hill at the south end of Main Street. I attended school, first grade through junior year in Roy except for the 6th grade in Glendale, California; Sophomore year in Van Nuys, California and senior year in Billings. Mrs. Jensen taught my 1st and 8th year.
  My memories of my life in Roy, even the hardships, are worth the world to me. I was able to draw on some of my experiences and the "look" of country life in studio productions at Walt Disneys where I was employed for 43 1/2 years (1940-1983). The most exciting event was the day our bank
 

 was robbed by a couple of men who were wanted out-of-state for other crimes. Dad had replaced his colt revolver with a candle and screwdriver, in the vault, a week before the robbery, so when the robbers locked Dad in the vault and fled town Dad was able to take the door off before being rescued by some of the town folks.
  My older son and I attended the 50th anniversary of Roy in 1962 and had a wonderful time. I got up early one morning (we slept in the attic of the Pete Rabin house) and took a tour of the old town while the residents were still asleep. All the vacant lots where stores or houses had been had little markers designating what former structure had been there. It was very touching, to walk with all those memories of my growing up days." Art Stevens and his wife, Ruth, raised two sons: Craig, a 'builder and designer of fine houses' in L. A. and Kent, a professor at the U. of Oregon in Eugene. When Arthur was asked about a plane ride he took with Charles Lindberg in Roy, he replied, "A couple of barnstormers did give us $5.00 rides in their World War I Jenny and I did go up for my first plane ride. And I was the envy of some of the other kids. About the fifth trip the pilot nosed over when landing and broke the propeller. I carved my name and date in a piece of the wood." He said it wasn't Lindberg.

ROY AND SOPHIA STURDY

  Roy Sturdy was a truly unique person. Blind, he was an avid card player and spent many happy hours at the pool hall. The deck he played with was marked; only he knew how. Roy was a very congenial person and people marveled at his ability to recognize anyone whose voice he had heard, never forgetting it. He made his way about with only the aid of a cane.
  Roy Sturdy was born December 1, 1883 in Vermillion, Kansas; the son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Sturdy. He received his education in Kansas and graduated from a school for the blind in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1910.
  In 1913, Sturdy was in Roy. He and Tony Musek were looking for a place to set up a saloon. However there were problems to be solved.
  Excerpts from an article in the June 28, 1913 Roy Public Opinion tell how the matter finally got straightened out.
  Saloons Get Settlement....The tangle in licenses and lots finally got straightened out... Two saloon lots were sold to Kennedy and Hansen, believing they could secure a license. The licenses were granted to Roy Sturdy and J.H. Stephans.....Sturdy later acquired both licenses.... Thus one firm had 2 licenses and one firm had 2 lots.... It was settled by Kennedy and Hansen buying one license and renting one lot to Sturdy.... The Sturdy Saloon, doing business outside of the town site, moved in and opened in a new location.
  On July 21, 1914 in Colorado Springs Roy and Sophia Heinz were married. Sophia, from LaSalle, Illinois, was born in 1890. They settled in Hilger where he and his mother operated the first hotel there.
  In 1916 they homesteaded in the Black Butte -- Cone Butte area (Jim Rife now has the place) where they ranched until the late twenties when Mrs. Sturdy took over the restaurant in the Reeble Hotel building in Roy. She was a fine cook and served superb food.
  The Sturdys moved to Winifred for a year and a half and then in 1937 moved into Lewistown to make their home.
   Sophia passed away in March of 1973 and only two months later, at age 73, Roy passed away.

IVAN AND GERTIE SYRON 
information by Margaret Syron Lindsey and June Syron West

  The Syrons lived in Roy during the thirties. They had six children. Charles was born in September of 1915, Margaret in October of 1918 and June was born in June of 1924. Edwin was born in January of 1917 and he died when only 11 years old. The other two children died in infancy, a little over a year apart, before the family came to Roy. The Syron children attended school in Roy.
  Margaret married Evan T. Jones of Roy in 1935. They had one daughter, Dolores. She later married Maurice Lindsay.
  June Syron West writes in March of 1988: 
 

 All of my recollections of Roy are after 1925. I think we moved to Roy about 1926 or 1927.
  I have a vague recollection that my parents, Ivan and Gertie Syron homesteaded for a very short time on a place north of Roy. The road went around the hill where the cemetery is located.
  My grandparents, Frank and Nancy Carter, lived south of Roy, fairly close to the Brasier place. My aunt and uncle, Clarence and Sadie Baker, also lived south of Roy.
  My uncles, Lloyd and Tilford Carter, lived south of Roy. Both are still living, Uncle Lloyd in Kalispell and Tilford in Kansas City, Kansas. My uncle, Hubert Carter and his wife, Vida, lived a very short distance south of Roy. Their son Homer graduated from Roy High School and married a former teacher from Roy. Her name is Violet.
  I was very young when we moved to Roy and lived there. My father was a railroad worker and we moved quite often, always seeming to return to Roy. I was a freshman in high school when my parents moved to Judith Gap. I finished out the year and then followed them, graduating from Judith Gap high school.
  When I lived in Roy there was a pump in the middle of the town from which most people got their water. My father was first man on the railroad and we got our water from the section foreman's house. Ted Thompson was the foreman. He and Nina, his wife, are still living.
  We lived in the railroad house and a friend of mine was Carley Wass. The Wass house and the Brazier town house were the only houses in town with running water and indoor plumbing.
  During the later time when I lived there, work was started on Ft. Peck Dam and people from the Missouri Breaks and elsewhere started moving out.

CHARLES "BUZZ"AND ALICE TAYLOR

  Charles "Buzz" Taylor was the son of Gertrude (Martin) and Charles Taylor Sr. His grandfather was George Martin Sr.
  Charles was born October 22, 1923 in Bartlett, Nebraska. He died April 12, 1988 in Lewistown.
  Buzz began his education in Bartlett and after the death of his father, his mother moved back to Roy where Buzz completed his education; graduating from Roy in 1941. He stayed with Gus Stienfeldt.
 In July of 1941 he and Alice Fadrhonc were married. He worked in the shipyards in Vancouver until he entered the Navy. After his discharge they returned to Lewistown. He worked at Hanover for two years and then for the Lewistown Hardware for 29 years. From 1983 until he retired in 1986 he worked for First Bank in Lewistown.
  Buzz and Alice had three children: Charles Jr., Gloria (Hemphill) and Darlene (Kraft). Alice resides in Lewistown.

LYNN AND SYLVIA VANZANDT 
by Carley Graham

  Lynn C. VanZandt came to the Roy area after serving in the service in WWI. His enlistment was from West Salem, Wisconsin. He filed for a homestead in the Valentine area and received his patent on it in December of 1921.
  He was a bank bookkeeper and cashier for the First National Bank of Roy. He was fortunate to have just stepped out of the front door of the bank when it was robbed.
  His parents came from Wisconsin and lived here for a short time in a small house next to what is now the Roy Grocery.
  Lynn became acquainted with Sylvia "Babe" Kalal, Antonette's daughter, and they were married December 29, 1922. They bought what is now Jack Styer's property in Roy, from Ted Anderson after their marriage. They lived there until about 1923, when Uncle Van and Aunt Babe moved to Missoula while Lynn attended the University. He later became an accountant. Sylvia was employed in a millinery shop while they were in Missoula.
  They later moved to Wisconsin where they owned farms and had an insurance business. They had two daughters, Anne (Jones) and Lucretia (Koeppe).

OLE AND IDA D. VODALL

  My father and grandparents moved to Roy in 1924. They bought an elevator and it became the Dotson Elevator Company. My father, Enos Dotson, had a home on the edge of Roy near the elevator. My grandparents home was one block west of the First National Bank.
  I was teaching in Wheatland County when I met Ole Vodall the man I married in 1925. Ole came from Norway in 1914. He served in the Army in WWI and was wounded in France. In 1928 we moved to the Bill Lane place, about two miles east of Roy.
 My daughter, Gunda, was born in my father's home,
 

  3 August 1927. Dr. Hazel Freed came from Grass Range to deliver her. My elder son, George, was born in my grandparent's house, 25 December 1929. My other son, Larry, was born on the Welter place out of Fergus county, 28 January 1933. Bernice Blais's mother, Mrs. Larsen, delivered both the boys.
  The elevator was sold to a Mr. Matheson (Dotson's business associate) about 1929. My father bought a ranch about ten miles from Roy. I taught school across the road from them. Bernice Larsen stayed with me and took care of George.
  I believe that was the year the drouth began and my folks and the new elevator man lost everything.
  My grandparents died in their Roy home in the 30's and are buried in Lewistown. My Aunt Ida May Dotson, sold their place to the John Umsteads. Margaret Umstead Hedman had the house moved to the Sandford place at Dovetail and she and John Hedman and son, David lived there.
  My father bought a home in Silverton, Oregon. He died in 1970 at the age of 85 and is buried there.
  We moved back to Two Dot during the years of the drouth. My husband, Ole, died in 1982 and is buried in Harlowton.
[Ida Vodall, now 83 years lives at Greycliff, Montana in a house once owned by her father.]

THE L. M. A. WASS FAMILY

[page 373-376 contains the entire story of the L.M.A. Wass family. We hope to eventually obtain permission to post the entire story, for now we have extracted the vital information.] For more information about the Wass family contact the 

Roy History-Genealogy Society

  Son of John and Jennie Wass, L.M.A. was born Lindsay Merle Alexander Wass, Lindsay a family name. Irish-born John was a farmer and merchant. L.M.A. Wass on September 24, 1913 registered a homestead near Roy, Montana. By 1917, L.M.A. had met his future wife, Alby Antonette Kalal. WWI broke out and on 5 June 1917, L.M.A. joined the Navy. 
L.M.A. returned to Montana and wed Alby on 31 March 1921 in Lewistown's Episcopal Church. 
Carley Jean was born to L.M.A. and Alby in Lewistown, Montana on 17 June, 1923.
He ran for state senator from Fergus County and was first elected in 1932, serving through 1938. 
 Carley attended Helena High Schoo1 1937-1941. She graduated from Montana State University in pharmacy in 1945. Carley met Dick Graham. They wed 22 May 1950. On August 1951, their daughter, Lindsay Ann, was born. L.M.A. and Alby continued to live in Roy until Alby became ill in 1976. They then moved to Roundup, Montana to where Carley and Dick had moved. Alby died of cancer in 1977. L.M.A. died of cancer in 1982. Both are buried in Lewistown's City Cemetery.
 After Lindsay's 1969 high school graduation, the Grahams moved to Eugene, Oregon, where Lindsay entered college. In 1970, Lindsay transferred from the University of Oregon to Oregon State University to enter pharmacy school. In 1971, she married Keith Story, a mechanical engineering student. Both graduated in 1974. They bought a store in Roundup, Montana and ran it until retiring in 1978. They moved to Lewistown in 1984 and to Roy in 1986, which they continue to call home.

PHOTO-DESCRIPTIONS

• The Siroky family in 1920. Back from L. to R.: John Siroky, his wife, Mary seated in front of him, Mary, Joe, Frances and Jim. Front Row: John Jr., Abbie, Anne (3 months), Peggy and Jerry.
   

• A four generation get together on sheep shearing day. Four generations live and work on the John Siroky ranch just east of Roy. Pictured (back to front) are: John, 74; Ted, 50; Marty, 27 and Kyle 2 1/2. John never got into sheep ranching because at the time he started his operation, cattle were more common, and he says they were easier to handle. Ted first put sheep on his place about 30 years ago, and Marty has been a sheep rancher for the past five years. (1988)
   

• Helen and Joe Siroky on the left and Mary and John Siroky on the Right.
   

• When Gary Robert Smith graduated in 1987 it marked the first time for a 3rd generation in the same family to graduate from Roy High School. Above Gary Robert with his dad, Gary Smith class of 1964, and his grandmother, Pearl Jakes Smith, class of 1942.
   

• Frank Stepan by his homestead shack 18miles north of Roy in 1930.
   

• Banker Fred Stevens and son Arthur.