James Fergus (October 8, 1813 – June 5, 1902) was a miner, rancher, businessman and politician in Minnesota and Montana. He immigrated as a young man from

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

and became a naturalized United States citizen. He helped develop the frontier in both territories, founding cities and counties.

Early life

Fergus was born in 1813 in

Lanarkshire, Scotland Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotlan ...

. As a young man, he immigrated to the United States via Canada in 1835. He was one of the founders of

Little Falls, Minnesota Little Falls is a city in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States, near the geographic center of the state. Established in 1848, Little Falls is one of the oldest European-American cities in Minnesota. It is the county seat of Morrison County. ...

and later founded

Fergus Falls Fergus Falls is a city in and the county seat of Otter Tail County, Minnesota, Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,119 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The falls from which the city gets par ...

in the same state. Fergus was naturalized and obtained his citizenship in October 1842.James Fergus
/ref> In 1845 Fergus married Pamelia Dillins in

Moline, Illinois Moline ( ) is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. With a population of 42,985 in 2020, it is the largest city in Rock Island County. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline, Illinois, East M ...

. They had four children: Andrew, Mary Agnes, Luella, and Lillie.

Politics

After becoming a US citizen, Fergus became deeply interested in politics. In 1856, he was elected Judge of Probate for

Morrison County Morrison County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,010. Its county seat is Little Falls. Camp Ripley Military Reservation occupies a significant area in north-central Morrison County. His ...

, Minnesota Territory (Little Falls was in this county). Two years later, he was elected to a two-year term as Morrison County Treasurer. Fergus moved with his family west to Montana Territory. He became involved in territorial and state politics.Guide to the James Fergus Papers at the University of Montana
/ref>
Rootsweb In 1869, Fergus was appointed to a vacant seat as county commissioner of

Lewis and Clark County Lewis and Clark County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 70,973. Its county seat is Helena, Montana, Helena, the state capital. The nume ...

. In 1873 and in 1875 Fergus served as a precinct chairman in Montana for the Republican Party. In 1879 he was elected to represent Fergus County in the Territorial House of Representatives. Fergus was instrumental to the Republican party in Montana, as chairman and through his writings in local newspapers. In 1884 he participated in the constitutional convention in preparation for seeking admission of the territory as a state. At the same time, he promoted the organization of Fergus County and is considered its founder.

Business

In 1895, James Fergus and his son Andrew Fergus expanded their ranching business operation. They created a family corporation named Fergus Livestock and Land Company. It developed as one of biggest ranching operations in central Montana. Their ranch was located on Armells Creek in northeastern Fergus County. James died in 1902 and Andrew before his time. Due to the loss of these business leaders and the economic strains of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, heirs were forced to sell this exceptional ranch.

Death

Fergus died June 5, 1902. Andrew Fergus died in 1928, shortly before the stock market crash and onset of the Great Depression.

Legacy

Fergus was posthumously inducted into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame (District 6).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fergus, James 1813 births 1902 deaths Scottish emigrants to the United States County commissioners in Montana Montana Republicans Members of the Montana Territorial Legislature People from Fergus Falls, Minnesota American pioneers Montana pioneers Naturalized citizens of the United States 19th-century American politicians