..........
Charles Eugene Brokaw was born October 28, 1871, between Vera and Ramsey, in Fayette
County, Illinois. He was the youngest son of John P. Brokaw and Letitia VanNuys Brokaw.
..........
In the 1890's he moved to Montana and settled in the vicinity of
Townsend, Broadwater County, where he developed a ranch, owned a gold mine, but primarily made a living as a carpenter. In 1900, Townsend was a town of 446, with 895 residents in the County of Broadwater. Photographs from 1920-22 show hay fields and pigs
on the ranch. He was married to Laura Crane on March 20, 1895, in Oneida, Kansas,
by Elder T. Davis of the Christian Church.
|
Laura and Charles, March 20, 1895 |
|
Charles and Laura with their son, Charles Alfred, born October 29, 1900. |
|
The original Brokaw ranch home outside Townsend, MT about 1902. |
|
The 1920s Brokaw ranch home outside Townsend, MT. |
|
The Brokaw ranch in winter, about 1920. |
|
The Brokaw home in Plains, MT, Jan. 8, 1946. |
|
Laura and Charles at their son's home in El Segundo, CA, about 1951. |
Charles retired in the early 1940's, sold the
ranch for $35,000, and moved west to the town of Plains, Montana, on the Clark's Fork of
the Columbia River, where Laura's sister, Jennie (Mrs. Guy Dean), was living. Later, they
moved to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where Charles died on Feb. 23, 1952. Charles was buried
in the cemetary in Plains, Montana. Charles and Laura had one child, Charles Alfred,
who carried on this line of Brokaws.