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Robert Vaughn (Montana rancher)

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Robert Vaughn
BornTemplate:Birth date
Dinas Mawddwy, Wales
DiedMarch 23, 1918(1918-03-23) (aged 81)
Occupation(s)Rancher, farmer, entrepreneur
Known forFounder of Vaughn ranch and community; early developer of Great Falls, Montana

Robert Vaughn (originally Robert Vaughan; June 5, 1836 – March 23, 1918) was a Welsh-born immigrant who became a significant rancher, farmer, and entrepreneur in Montana both prior to and following its admission as a state. He founded the Vaughn ranch located in the Sun River valley and built a sandstone mansion to serve as his home. The community of Vaughn, Montana carries his namesake. Additionally, Vaughn played a key role in establishing Great Falls, Montana, where he developed the Arvon Block—a hotel and stable that rank among the earliest buildings in the city; both his ranch and hotel have been recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.

Early life and career

Robert was born near Dinas Mawddwy, Wales, to parents Edward and Elizabeth Vaughan, as the third child in a family of six siblings. His father held the position of royal forest warden. Raised in a Welsh-speaking household with limited formal schooling, he contributed to the family farm and attended services at the Anglican Church.

At age 19, Vaughan took employment as a gardener for banker Benjamin Heywood Jones in Liverpool, where he acquired proficiency in English. In 1858, he emigrated to America to visit his brother Hugh residing in Rome, New York, with plans initially to return to Wales. After spending a year with relatives in Palmyra, New York, he relocated to Youngstown, Ohio, where he worked both as a coal miner and farmer. Subsequent work included assisting on Hugh’s farm in McLean County, Illinois, and coal mining duties in Fairbury, Illinois.

Following his naturalization in the United States, a clerical mistake altered his last name to "Vaughn," which he adopted professionally from that point onward.

Travel to and early life in Montana

On March 4, 1864, Vaughn departed Youngstown alongside six companions bound for the gold fields within the Idaho Territory. Their journey involved traveling by horse-drawn wagon to Council Bluffs, Iowa over 25 days, crossing the Mississippi River via ferryboat, and arriving at Omaha, Nebraska. There they joined a caravan of 65 wagons traveling along the Oregon Trail, following it along the North Platte River until reaching the intersection with the Bozeman Trail near Fort Laramie in Wyoming.[1] The group was led by John Bozeman, who had pioneered the Bozeman Trail just one year prior. Vaughn’s party soon expanded to include over 100 wagons.[2]

The wagon train arrived at Alder Gulch, close to Virginia City, on July 13, 1864. They discovered they were now within the newly formed Montana Territory, which had been established on May 26 of that year.[3] Vaughn intended to capitalize on Montana’s gold mining opportunities. Throughout July and August, he worked as a laborer for Boon & Vivian mining company.[4] In September, accompanied by four men, he ventured eastward searching for gold but found no deposits.[5] After spending 29 days exploring wilderness areas without success,[6] they returned.

In December 1864, Vaughn traveled with three others along the Madison River to reach the Missouri River and then proceeded to Last Chance Gulch in what is now Helena, Montana.[4] There he dug drainage ditches and made an unusual find—a tooth from a mastodon.[7] Later relocating to Nelson Gulch, Vaughn witnessed a remarkable gold discovery of a $2,000 nugget on July 3, 1865.[8] He remained there for three years working as a miner and eventually opened a meat market; however, substantial success in mining eluded him.[9]

The Vaughn Ranch

During his time in Nelson Gulch, Vaughn identified Montana as an ideal location for agriculture and livestock operations. In the autumn of 1869, he established a homestead in Chouteau County, Montana, close to the confluence of the Sun River and the Missouri River, becoming the first person to officially claim land there.[9][10]

In the years that followed, settlements and homesteads expanded along the Sun River corridor. Near an area known as "The Leavings," Vaughn and his neighbors constructed an irrigation canal that allowed for the successful cultivation of crops such as barley, oats, potatoes, and wheat.[11] Vaughn eventually shifted focus from farming to ranching by bringing in purebred cattle and horses; his equine stock was regarded among the finest in Montana.[10]

In 1883, Vaughn played a role in founding Great Falls after businessman Paris Gibson recognized the industrial opportunities presented by the hydroelectric power generated by falls on the Missouri River.[12] Gibson returned with Vaughn and surveyors to map out a permanent townsite south of the river.[13] The settlement welcomed its first resident that same year.[13] With financial support from railroad tycoon James J. Hill and Helena entrepreneur Charles Arthur Broadwater, essential infrastructure including residences, a retail store, and a flour mill were established by 1884.[12][13][14] The official town plat was recorded on September 30, 1884. By 1887, the population had grown to approximately 1,200; that October saw the arrival of the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway (which later became part of the Great Northern Railway) connecting Great Falls to broader rail networks.[15] Great Falls was formally incorporated on November 28, 1888.[13]

Marriages

On August 25, 1886, Robert Vaughn, then aged 50, married Elizabeth Donahue from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who was 31 years old. Their daughter Arvonia Elizabeth Vaughn was born on January 1, 1888; however, Elizabeth tragically passed away twelve days following childbirth due to complications. Arvonia later wed civil engineer Hugh Max Sprague from Fullerville, New York on October 4, 1911. The couple had four children together, with one child dying during infancy.

Vaughn remarried on January 17, 1893, to Ella de Vee of Indiana, though their marriage ended in divorce shortly thereafter.

Great Falls

Grieving his wife’s passing, Vaughn sold his ranch property and relocated to Great Falls. In 1889 he initiated construction of two prominent early city structures: the Arvon Block—a hotel featuring forty rooms alongside a modern horse stable located at 114-116 First Avenue South—and the Vaughn Block—the city’s inaugural apartment complex situated at Central Avenue and Third Street South. Both projects reached completion in 1890 when Vaughn moved into the Vaughn Block with his daughter. That same year he sold his ranch to "Captain" Thomas Couch, a Cornish immigrant and mining specialist who managed the Boston and Montana Consolidated Copper and Silver Mining Company.

A close confidant of Paris Gibson, Vaughn emerged as a prominent businessman within Great Falls. His ventures included real estate speculation, development of warehouses and commercial properties, as well as financing mining enterprises across Montana. He actively participated in community organizations such as the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Freemasons, and the Society of Montana Pioneers. Renowned for his charitable nature, locals affectionately referred to him as "Uncle Bob."

In 1890, the North Western Coal and Navigation Company completed construction of the Great Falls & Canada Railway—a narrow-gauge line extending from Sweet Grass, Montana at the Canadian border to a terminus near Vaughn’s former ranch site. This railway primarily transported coal to Lethbridge, Alberta and earned the nickname "Turkey Trail." Around this terminus a community developed; in 1910 Thomas Couch officially platted a town named Vaughn in honor of Robert Vaughn.

Death

During his final years, Vaughn endured advanced osteoarthritis, which necessitated the use of a cane and eventually a crutch. As his condition worsened, he relocated to live with his daughter and son-in-law, where he passed away on March 23, 1918, at the age of 81. The funeral service was led by Methodist minister William "Brother Van" Van Orsdel and attracted a substantial gathering. Van Orsdel highlighted Vaughn’s profound influence on his family, faith community, fraternal organizations, and local society. Vaughn’s remains were interred beneath a prominent obelisk in Highland Cemetery near Great Falls, resting alongside close relatives.

Then and Now

In 1900, Robert Vaughn authored Then and Now, or, Thirty-Six Years in the Rockies, a volume originally compiled from letters sent to his daughter Arvonia. The book was later expanded to incorporate narratives from other pioneers of the Old West and aimed at reaching a wider readership. The nationally acclaimed cowboy artist Charles Marion Russell provided illustrations for the publication—marking only the second time Russell had illustrated a book.

Historian Dave Walter regards Then and Now as an important work documenting Montana’s early settlement history. Vaughn, who resided near Russell, amassed approximately 25 of the artist’s paintings, including notable pieces such as There May Be Danger Ahead (1893), Trouble on the Horizon (1893), and The Ambush (1896). Several of these artworks were inspired by stories Vaughn shared with Russell, demonstrating their collaborative dynamic.

Bibliography

  • Aarstad, Rich; Arguimbau, Ellen; Baumler, Ellen; Porsild, Charlene L.; and Shovers, Brian. Montana Place Names From Alzada to Zortman. Helena, MT: Montana Historical Society Press 2009. .
  • Cooper, Walter; Newby, Rick; and Peterson, Larry Len. A Most Desperate Situation: Frontier Adventures of a Young Scout, 1858-1864. Helena, MT: TwoDot Press, 2000, .
  • Dippie, Brian W. Remington & Russell: The Sid Richardson Collection. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1994, .
  • Federal Writers' Project. Montana: A State Guide Book. Washington, D.C.: Federal Works Agency, Work Projects Administration, 1939.
  • "Great Falls, Montana." In Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. David J. Wishart, ed. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2004, .
  • Malone, Michael P. James J. Hill: Empire Builder of the Northwest. Reprint ed. Stillwater, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1996.
  • Poor, Henry Varnum. Manual of the Railroads of the United States NY: H.V. & H.W. Poor, 1894.
  • Taliaferro, John. Charles M. Russell: The Life and Legend of America's Cowboy Artist. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2003, .
  • Vaughn, Robert. Then and Now, or, Thirty-Six Years in the Rockies. Minneapolis, MN: Tribune Printing Co., 1900.
  • Walter, Dave. "Introduction." In Then and Now. By Robert Vaughn. Reprint ed. Nabu Press, 2012.
  1. ↑ Vaughn, p. 22.
  2. ↑ Vaughn, pp. 24-25.
  3. ↑ Vaughn, p. 34.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Vaughn, p. 57.
  5. ↑ Vaughn, p. 35.
  6. ↑ Vaughn, p. 38.
  7. ↑ Vaughn, p. 58.
  8. ↑ Vaughn, pp. 60, 62.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Vaughn, p. 64.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Walter, p. xii.
  11. ↑ Vaughn, pp. 70-71.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Great Falls, Montana", in Encyclopedia of the Great Plains, p. 169.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Federal Writers Project, p. 150.
  14. ↑ Malone, p. 116.
  15. ↑ Malone, p. 117.
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