Joseph Herbert Sherburne was born December 12, 1850, in

Phillips, Maine Phillips is a New England town, town in Franklin County, Maine, Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 898 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is home to the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad, a heritage rail ...

, to Joseph and Betsy Sherburne. Sherburne left school when he was 15 years old and moved to Minnesota to work with his uncle on the state's first railroad. Sometime between 1866 and 1876 Sherburne relocated to

Arkansas City, Kansas Arkansas City () is a city in Cowley County, Kansas, United States, situated at the confluence of the Arkansas River and Walnut River in the southwestern part of the county. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,974. The n ...

, working as a

druggist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

miller A miller is a person who operates a Gristmill, mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Mill (grinding), Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surname ...

, and storekeeper. While working as a shopkeeper in Arkansas City, he began trading with multiple tribal groups in Oklahoma to acquire buffalo hides. He then sold the hides in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

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In 1876 Sherburne established a

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically the location of the trading post would allow people from one geographic area to tr ...

, under federal license, to solidify his business relations with the

Ponca The Ponca ( Páⁿka iyé: Páⁿka or Ppáⁿkka pronounced ) are a Midwestern Native American tribe of the Dhegihan branch of the Siouan language group. There are two federally recognized Ponca tribes: the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the Ponca ...

and other Indian tribes in the

Oklahoma Territory The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as th ...

. In 1879, Joseph Sherburne married Gertrude Lockley. The Sherburnes began their family in the Oklahoma Territory but encountered several hardships in operating the trading post. After the failure of a

cattle ranching A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

venture, Joseph temporarily moved back to Arkansas City and opened both real estate and insurance businesses to pay off his debts. The following spring he sold his land interests in the Oklahoma Territory to a larger ranching operation, subcontracting to process and market their beef for Indian agencies throughout the region. Joseph Sherburne continued to conduct various trading operations with the Indian tribes of the Oklahoma Territory until 1895. Joseph Sherburne made several trips to

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

and eventually decided to relocate his family and business interests to the

Blackfeet Reservation The Blackfeet Nation ( bla, Aamsskáápipikani, script=Latn, ), officially named the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, is a federally recognized tribe of Siksikaitsitapi people with an Indian reservation in Monta ...

. At the time James and Joseph Kipp, Blackfeet tribal members, owned and operated a general store in

Browning, Montana Browning is a town in Glacier County, Montana, United States. It is the headquarters for the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and the only incorporated town on the Reservation. The population was 1,018 at the 2020 census. The town was named in 188 ...

. The Kipps' business closed late in 1895 and Joseph Sherburne established a trading post and general store at Browning in the spring of 1896. Gertrude Sherburne and their six children, Joseph Lockely VIII, Frank Ponca, Hazel, Arthur, Agnes and Theodosia, arrived at Browning in June, but only remained in Montana for the summer months. Though Joseph Sherburne hired his nephew, Walter Shepard, to serve as a temporary schoolteacher until a formal schoolhouse in Browning could be built, Mrs. Sherburne relocated the children to a family house in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

every school year until the early 1900s. She and the children spent their summers in Montana. Under Joseph Sherburne's leadership the Sherburne Mercantile Company grew to be the economic and social center of Browning. The thriving business included real estate, banking, telephone communications, and

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly of land grants, whic ...

commissary A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop. In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...

supply. The Northern Pacific line had been completed in 1891. The Sherburne Mercantile "loan department" and its assets served as the foundation for the First National Bank of Browning, opened in 1917. Joseph Sherburne was also heavily involved with mineral and

oil speculation The price of oil, or the oil price, generally refers to the spot price of a barrel () of benchmark crude oil—a reference price for buyers and sellers of crude oil such as West Texas Intermediate (WTI), Brent Crude, Dubai Crude, OPEC Ref ...

along the

Rocky Mountain The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

eastern front range of Montana. He was an officer of the Swift Current Oil, Land, and Power Company. This company achieved the first successful oil drilling operation in Montana, located in the Swift Current Valley near the lake now known as Sherburne Lake. The Sherburne Mercantile also opened branch stores in

Babb, Montana Babb (Blackfeet: , "Lakes Inside", or , “Cree Town”) is a small unincorporated farming and ranching community in Glacier County, Montana, United States, on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The community experiences a large influx of tourists ...

, and in the newly designated Glacier National Park. The majority of Park lands were formerly part of the Blackfeet Reservation and were purchased by the U.S. government in the 1895, justified partly in response to mining claim pressures and partly to supplement the economic resources of the Blackfeet tribe. Both Joseph and Gertrude Sherburne were actively involved in Browning society and used the mercantile as a meeting place. Browning's first school was established in the Sherburne's home, which was attached to the Mercantile. Gertrude organized Montana's first

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

chapter in 1917 and participated in numerous civic events and organizations. Joseph was an active

Montana Republican Party The Montana Republican Party (MTGOP) is the affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in Montana. It is headquartered in Helena, Montana, Helena. The party is chaired by Don Kaltschmidt. The national committeeman is curr ...

supporter and was a member of the

Masons Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutt ...

. Both were very active in the local Presbyterian Church. Gertrude Lockley Sherburne died in Browning in 1935. Joseph Herbert Sherburne died in Browning on September 11, 1938 at the age of 87.

References

External links

Joseph H. Sherburne Family Papers, 1809-1991
(bulk 1899-1960) {{morecat, date=September 2022 1850 births 1938 deaths