General Notes

Authoried "The Chequemegon" in 1949
SOURCES: "Family of Johann Heinrich Eschbach" Rev. John D. Ashbaugh webmaster@@zionweb.org, at AWTP (who has generously shared the following narrative at AWTP.  Much apreciation!)
_______________________________
"William R. Allen was the Lt. Governor of Montana from 1909 to 1913 and later retired to Wise River, Montana where he wrote a book titled "The Chequemegon" in 1949.

In 1896, his address was 419 W. 3rd Street, Anaconda, Montana. At this address his infant son, Leslie, died on June 6, 1896.

In 1911 Mr. William R. Allen had begun buying claims in the area and in 1913 formed the Bost on Montana Mining Company which hired engineer S.W. Hall to come to the mine and examine the Elkhorn properties. Hall spent forty days investigating the claims. Impressed, he urged th e company to begin operations which had every indication of a big return.

William R. Allen was born in French Gulch near Anaconda, Montana, in July of 1871. He receiv ed his early education in Deer Lodge County school, then attended the Helena Business College , where he graduated with honors in 1891. As a young man he was employed by Marcus Daly in the early development of the Anaconda smelter and was in charge of Mr. Daly's lumber business . In 1893, Mr. Allen married Eliza Berkin, and four children were born of this union. Following his first wife's death in 1917, he married Ethel Louise DeMar, with whom he raised three c hildren.

In 1902, Allen was elected to the legislature, representing the Republican party from his county. He served in this capacity until 1908 when he was elected lieutenant governor, serving in this office under Governor Edwin L. Norris until 1913. When he retired from politics, he decided to devote his time to raising money for the development of Montana enterprises.

As early as 1914, the community of Coolidge, named after W.R. Allen's friend, Calvin Coolidge, had begun to thrive and at this time work was just beginning on the mine tunnel.

The town had both telephone service and electricity provided by a power line carrying 65,000 volts running from Divide over the hill to Coolidge. The cost on completion was $150,000. With more families moving to Coolidge, a school district was organized in October of 1918. A Post Office was established in January of 1922. In 1927 the school district was abandoned and in 1932, the Post Office was discontinued.

The following is from the Anaconda newspaper, from about 1920:

William R. Allen - Capitalist

William R. Allen of Anaconda was born in French Gulch, Deer Lodge County, July 25, 1871 and is therefore a real native son and pioneer. His father was William N. Allen, his mother Cordelia Waddell Allen. The former was of Scotch stock, born in Missouri; the latter of a fine old Kentucky family.

Young Allen passed his boyhood during the strenuous days when Montana was still the frontier and receieved his schooling in this state. After finishing the earlier grades, he entered Helena Business College in 1888, graduating in 1891. He has devoted his life to the commercial upbuilding of the Treasure State and few men have been more successful. Perhaps his greatest achievement is in the Butte, Wisdom and Pacific Railway Company, which is to tap the wonder ful Big Hole basin. This road, the dream of that section of Montana for decades, is the work of Mr. Allen more than of any other one man.

Mr. Allen is president of this company and also of the Boston and Montana Development Company , and of the Montana Fire Insurance Company. He is a director of the State Savings bank, in Butte. Recently, he headed a syndicate which aquired extensive tracts of land in northern Mexico. He has other corporate holdings and is regarded as one of the most influential capitalists in the Northwest.

Mr. Allen served in the Eighth and Tenth assemblies and sat as Lieutenant-Governor from Jan. 1, 1909, to Jan. 1, 1913.

He belongs to the Masons, the Elks and the Odd Fellows, and is a member of the Montana club, the Lambs club, the Silver Bow club and the Anaconda club.

Mrs. Allen was Miss Eliza Berkin. They have three children - Mildred, aged 16; Esther, age d 14, and Ruth, aged 12."