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Long time Powder River County rancher, Gladys Cain, passed away on Saturday, Jan. 29, in Miles City at the home of her daughter, Carol Cain. She was one hundred years of age.
Mrs. Cain is survived by son Donald (Connie) of the family ranch on the East Fork of Little Pumpkin Creek; daughters Helen Cossitt of Billings, Carol Cain of Miles City and Ella Mae Howard (Michael) of Great Falls.
Mrs. Cain's husband, former Powder River County Commissioner, Oscar "Sal" Cain passed away on April 3, 1973 in Billings, Yellowston Co, Montana who was born on March 26, 1907. Son...
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Long time Powder River County rancher, Gladys Cain, passed away on Saturday, Jan. 29, in Miles City at the home of her daughter, Carol Cain. She was one hundred years of age.
Mrs. Cain is survived by son Donald (Connie) of the family ranch on the East Fork of Little Pumpkin Creek; daughters Helen Cossitt of Billings, Carol Cain of Miles City and Ella Mae Howard (Michael) of Great Falls.
Mrs. Cain's husband, former Powder River County Commissioner, Oscar "Sal" Cain passed away on April 3, 1973 in Billings, Yellowston Co, Montana who was born on March 26, 1907. Son Gene of North Platte, Neb., son-in-law Austin Cossitt of Billings and great-granddaughter Georgia Mae Mequire Howard of Great Falls preceded her in death.
Mrs. Cain had seven grandchildren: Mark Cain (Shelly) of Billings, Marlene Rohrer (Ken) of Helmville, Carl Cossitt (Ann) of Park City, Rodney Cain (Delynn) of North Platte, Neb., Wesley Cain (Vicki) of Gilbert, Ariz., David Cain (Katie) of North Platte, Neb., and Joe Howard (Robin) of Great Falls. She had 12 great-grandchildren: Zach Rohrer (Jessica) of Billings, Parker Rohrer of Helmville, Travis Cossitt (Krysta) of Washington, D.C., Emily Cossitt who is living in Ghanna as a Peace Corps volunteer, Jessie Cain (Elizabeth) of Omaha, Neb., Jace Cain and Christa Cain of North Platte, Neb., Michael Cain (Joni) of Honolulu, Hawaii, Michelle Couch (Tyler) of Gilbert, Ariz., Marianna DeRamos (Tyler) of San Tan Valley, Ariz., and Shawnie and Sierra Cain of North Platte, Neb.
Mrs. Cain was born Sept. 26, 1910, in Balko, Okla., to Hugh and Ella Venable. Her family struggled to make a living and much of her early time was spent with her maternal grandparents in their sod home. When she was seven years old,
Mrs. Cain moved with her family in a covered wagon to Lamar, Colo., where her parents took up a homestead. From this trip, Mrs. Cain remembered seeing for the first time a Model T Ford and that when the car passed the Venable's wagon, it ran over and killed their dog. Mrs. Cain remembered how she and her siblings cried and cried over the lost dog.
In Colorado, things were better. The family had a home, large garden and a few head of cattle. And there was a good school close by. Mrs. Cain's father kept in contact with his brothers in Montana, and eventually he decided things would be better there. The family moved to Miles City, arriving in September 1923.
Mrs. Cain remembered very well the day they arrived and how they drove down the main street of Miles City in their Dodge Touring Car. As it so often had been for the family, there was little money and often the family did not have much to eat. They stayed with relatives and never really had a place of their own. Mrs. Cain worked for the folks at the Modern Bakery and the money she made bought food for the family.
On Dec. 24, 1928, she married Oscar "Sal" Cain. Right after the ceremony at the Custer County Courthouse, Mr. Cain took his bride to the Sutton Ranch where he had a job as a ranch hand. Although Mrs. Cain knew very little about cooking, it was her job to cook and keep house for the two old Sutton bachelors. Mrs. Cain had many wonderful memories of Bob and Buck Sutton and how they "taught" her to cook and be a ranch wife.
In 1931, Mr. and Mrs. Cain bought two sections of land from the Northern Pacific Railroad. This land, which was located in the hill country east of Home Creek Butte, was not fenced and there were no buildings or corrals on it. Mr. Cain left Mrs. Cain and son Donald with his parents on Big Pumpkin, while he built a one-room log cabin. This cabin was home for Mrs. Cain and her family until 1943 when Mr. and Mrs. Cain were able to expand their ranching operations to include the Ernest and Gertie Shy ranch. Mrs. Cain remembered clearly the day she left her log home and from the back of the wagon box, she said "Good bye log house, we're going to a new home." The Shy place, which had its beginnings as the George and Martha Cheever homestead, was the home for Mrs. Cain for the next sixty some years. As the years added time to her shoulders, her knees began to give her problems, and she was forced to move to her daughter's home in Miles City in 2007.
Mrs. Cain had a wonderful appreciation for history and enjoyed writing the column "Eighty Years in Powder River County," which had a loyal following of readers. Last year, she was thrilled to have the ranch buildings, many of which were built in the early 1900s, placed on the Registry of Historic Places. Of all the old buildings included in this listing, Mrs. Cain was most fond of the two-story structure, which housed chickens continuously for more than a hundred years. She truly liked chickens and in later years, even though she was using a walker, she still made two trips a day to feed and take care of her hens.
Although Mrs. Cain didn't know much about cooking when she arrived in the hill country, she became a very good cook. Her homemade noodles were a staple for branders and no matter how big a batch she made, there were never leftovers. She also made wonderful pies and if you stopped in to see Mrs. Cain, you would be offered a piece of pie and ice cream. She probably won a dozen trophies at the Broadus Fair for her cooking. Bill Nefsy was fond of her pies and Mrs. Cain loved to tell the story of how she left a pie for Mr. Nefsy at the bank and how she put her name on it so he would know where it came from. Mr. Nefsy called Mrs. Cain and told her "you don't need to put your name on your pies, I know them."
Mrs. Cain was as tough as an old sage hen, as determined as a hen sitting on her eggs and judged everybody by how hard they worked. During her long life, she saw the revolution from horse and wagon to automobile, survived the Great Depression, kept track of the boys fighting in World War II, and was in total awe of Neil Armstrong when he landed on the moon. She was a dyed-in-the-wool Franklin Roosevelt Democrat and never hesitated to offer her opinion on matters of politics. She fondly remembered the many folks of Powder River County that she and her husband met when Mr. Cain was campaigning for county commissioner, and was so proud of her husband when he was elected commissioner as a Democrat. Her children and grandchildren will remember their turn of sitting on her knee and having bread and milk poked in their mouth — to make sure they didn't go to bed hungry.
But the single most important thing in her life was the land on which she and Mr. Cain started from nothing and built a lifestyle that fulfilled the American dream. Even though there were many lean times, Mr. and Mrs. Cain never wavered from their determination to be ranchers. Mrs. Cain always said "If you take care of them old cows, they will take care of you." When she moved to Miles City, her only desire was to get well so she could go back to her home in the hills.
The family will receive friends on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011, at Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home in Miles City from 4 to 6 p.m. Funeral services will be Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011, at 1 p.m. at Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home in Miles City. Interment will follow in the Custer County Cemetery.
Condolences may be made to the family by visiting: www.stevensonandsons.com.
Should friends desire, memorials may be made to the Pioneer Home at the Range Riders Museum.
Long time Powder River County rancher, Gladys Cain, died Saturday, Jan. 29, in Miles City at the home of her daughter, Carol Cain. She was one hundred years of age.
Mrs. Cain is survived by son Donald (Connie) of the family ranch on the East Fork of Little Pumpkin Creek; daughters Helen Cossitt of Billings, Carol Cain of Miles City and Ella Mae Howard (Michael) of Great Falls. Mrs. Cain's husband, former Powder River County Commissioner, died in 1973. Son Gene of North Platte, Neb., son-in-law Austin Cossitt of Billings and great-granddaughter Georgia Mae Mequire Howard of Great Falls preceded her in death.
Mrs. Cain had seven grandchildren: Mark Cain (Shelly) of Billings, Marlene Rohrer (Ken) of Helmville, Carl Cossitt (Ann) of Park City, Rodney Cain (Delynn) of North Platte, Neb., Wesley Cain (Vicki) of Gilbert, Ariz., David Cain (Katie) of North Platte, Neb., and Joe Howard (Robin) of Great Falls. She had 12 great-grandchildren: Zach Rohrer (Jessica) of Billings, Parker Rohrer of Helmville, Travis Cossitt (Krysta) of Washington, D.C., Emily Cossitt who is living in Ghanna as a Peace Corps volunteer, Jessie Cain (Elizabeth) of Omaha, Neb., Jace Cain and Christa Cain of North Platte, Neb., Michael Cain (Joni) of Honolulu, Hawaii, Michelle Couch (Tyler) of Gilbert, Ariz., Marianna DeRamos (Tyler) of San Tan Valley, Ariz., and Shawnie and Sierra Cain of North Platte, Neb.
Mrs. Cain was born Sept. 26, 1910, in Balko, Okla., to Hugh and Ella Venable. Her family struggled to make a living and much of her early time was spent with her maternal grandparents in their sod home. When she was seven years old, Mrs. Cain moved with her family in a covered wagon to Lamar, Colo., where her parents took up a homestead. From this trip, Mrs. Cain remembered seeing for the first time a Model T Ford and that when the car passed the Venable's wagon, it ran over and killed their dog. Mrs. Cain remembered how she and her siblings cried and cried over the lost dog.
In Colorado, things were better. The family had a home, large garden and a few head of cattle. And there was a good school close by. Mrs. Cain's father kept in contact with his brothers in Montana, and eventually he decided things would be better there. The family moved to Miles City, arriving in September 1923. Mrs. Cain remembered very well the day they arrived and how they drove down the main street of Miles City in their Dodge Touring Car. As it so often had been for the family, there was little money and often the family did not have much to eat. They stayed with relatives and never really had a place of their own. Mrs. Cain worked for the folks at the Modern Bakery and the money she made bought food for the family.
On Dec. 24, 1928, she married Oscar "Sal" Cain. Right after the ceremony at the Custer County Courthouse, Mr. Cain took his bride to the Sutton Ranch where he had a job as a ranch hand. Although Mrs. Cain knew very little about cooking, it was her job to cook and keep house for the two old Sutton bachelors. Mrs. Cain had many wonderful memories of Bob and Buck Sutton and how they "taught" her to cook and be a ranch wife.
In 1931, Mr. and Mrs. Cain bought two sections of land from the Northern Pacific Railroad. This land, which was located in the hill country east of Home Creek Butte, was not fenced and there were no buildings or corrals on it. Mr. Cain left Mrs. Cain and son Donald with his parents on Big Pumpkin, while he built a one-room log cabin. This cabin was home for Mrs. Cain and her family until 1943 when Mr. and Mrs. Cain were able to expand their ranching operations to include the Ernest and Gertie Shy ranch. Mrs. Cain remembered clearly the day she left her log home and from the back of the wagon box, she said "Good bye log house, we're going to a new home." The Shy place, which had its beginnings as the George and Martha Cheever homestead, was the home for Mrs. Cain for the next sixty some years. As the years added time to her shoulders, her knees began to give her problems, and she was forced to move to her daughter's home in Miles City in 2007.
Mrs. Cain had a wonderful appreciation for history and enjoyed writing the column "Eighty Years in Powder River County," which had a loyal following of readers. Last year, she was thrilled to have the ranch buildings, many of which were built in the early 1900s, placed on the Registry of Historic Places. Of all the old buildings included in this listing, Mrs. Cain was most fond of the two-story structure, which housed chickens continuously for more than a hundred years. She truly liked chickens and in later years, even though she was using a walker, she still made two trips a day to feed and take care of her hens.
Although Mrs. Cain didn't know much about cooking when she arrived in the hill country, she became a very good cook. Her homemade noodles were a staple for branders and no matter how big a batch she made, there were never leftovers. She also made wonderful pies and if you stopped in to see Mrs. Cain, you would be offered a piece of pie and ice cream. She probably won a dozen trophies at the Broadus Fair for her cooking. Bill Nefsy was fond of her pies and Mrs. Cain loved to tell the story of how she left a pie for Mr. Nefsy at the bank and how she put her name on it so he would know where it came from. Mr. Nefsy called Mrs. Cain and told her "you don't need to put your name on your pies, I know them."
Mrs. Cain was as tough as an old sage hen, as determined as a hen sitting on her eggs and judged everybody by how hard they worked. During her long life, she saw the revolution from horse and wagon to automobile, survived the Great Depression, kept track of the boys fighting in World War II, and was in total awe of Neil Armstrong when he landed on the moon. She was a dyed-in-the-wool Franklin Roosevelt Democrat and never hesitated to offer her opinion on matters of politics. She fondly remembered the many folks of Powder River County that she and her husband met when Mr. Cain was campaigning for county commissioner, and was so proud of her husband when he was elected commissioner as a Democrat. Her children and grandchildren will remember their turn of sitting on her knee and having bread and milk poked in their mouth — to make sure they didn't go to bed hungry.
But the single most important thing in her life was the land on which she and Mr. Cain started from nothing and built a lifestyle that fulfilled the American dream. Even though there were many lean times, Mr. and Mrs. Cain never wavered from their determination to be ranchers. Mrs. Cain always said "If you take care of them old cows, they will take care of you." When she moved to Miles City, her only desire was to get well so she could go back to her home in the hills.
The family received friends on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011, at Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home in Miles City from 4 to 6 p.m.
Funeral services were on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011, at 1 p.m. at Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home in Miles City.
Interment followed in the Custer County Cemetery.
Should friends desire, memorials may be made to the Pioneer Home at the Range Riders Museum.
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