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John Walter Nixon

Birth	:	17 Sep 1852 England
Death	:	13 May 1923 Augusta, Lewis and Clark County, Montana, USA
Burial	:	Augusta Cemetery, Augusta, Lewis and Clark County, USA
Coordinate	:	47.4961014, -112.4039001
Inscription	:	FATHER
Description	:	Thank you to Tom Todd for the following: The winter of 1874-1875 was a truly harsh one, especially for the Northwest Mounted Police (NMP) at Fort MacLeod, Alberta, Canada. The Mounties spent the entire winter just on the edge of starvation. A little Indian pemmican was all that kept them from eating their starving horses. Late February brought them the first sunny pleasant days they had seen in months. Nixon and nineteen other Mounties took the opportunity to desert and head south for the Montana Territory. Horses were too weak to ride, so the men simply walked away... Read More	Thank you to Tom Todd for the following: The winter of 1874-1875 was a truly harsh one, especially for the Northwest Mounted Police (NMP) at Fort MacLeod, Alberta, Canada. The Mounties spent the entire winter just on the edge of starvation. A little Indian pemmican was all that kept them from eating their starving horses. Late February brought them the first sunny pleasant days they had seen in months. Nixon and nineteen other Mounties took the opportunity to desert and head south for the Montana Territory. Horses were too weak to ride, so the men simply walked away from a wood cutting assignment. They had been given directions on how to follow the Whoop-Up Trail to Fort Benton. It was on this trail that the violent snowstorms overtook them and brought terrible death. Forty below temperatures and blizzard winds reaching 70 miles per hour flung ice and snow at them. Nixon could not even hear his own painful cries. Eleven of the men had already frozen to death and the eight survivors had fallen by the wayside. He had to stumble back and force the men into movement to keep them alive. They finally reached an area where the storm was a little less violent and they discovered a starving Indian horse. They slit its throat and had their first food in five days. After eating and taking a brief rest, they hung frozen strips of horsemeat from their belts and began another five day march south. Nixon calculated they had left Canada and were well down into Montana when a second blizzard struck them. The men felt they were doomed and again, Nixon had to kick and beat them into moving. The exertion was too much for him and he fell in utter exhaustion. No one came to pick him up. He would never remember passing out in a snow bank where he finally regained consciousness. He had no sensation in his limbs, but he managed to gain his feet and stagger on. Within minutes he pulled two men from the deep snow. The other six were never seen or heard from. The three prodded on, but probably did not get far before they fell into total exhaustion. The last thing Nixon remembered was trying to yell, but was unable to do so. His next memory was being helped up by a Piegan squaw. The Indian woman guided the three men a short distance to a camp where they were thawed and fed. March brought some sunny weather and the three traded their NMP red uniforms for some Indian rags wear and headed south. They met some army troops who took them to Fort Shaw where they were doctored, given new clothing and sent on their way. Nixon was the only survivor who remained in the Sun River area near Fort Shaw and he became a widely respected citizen and had a big hand in developing the great state of Montana. John W. Nixon was born in Chester, England on September 17, 1852, and he accompanied his uncle on a sailing ship to Canada in 1863. He did return to England for schooling and a tour in the British Army and then back to Canada in 1872. After that 240 mile March in the snow, he took a job in a Chinese restaurant until he could regain his strength and decide what to do. That was just about as low as a guy could get in the eye of the public. But Nixon met and made steadfast friends with people who were to become powerful stockmen in the Territory. He was a tireless worker and always went so fast it seemed he was running. He used the words, "I-god! I-god! Hell for breakfast, let's get the work done!" Around town he was soon known as "Hell-for-breakfast-Nixon!" An NMP agent, looking for deserters, stopped in the diner one day but he only saw Nixon as a Chinese servant. The agent demanded belligerently, "I want my soup hot, and I mean hot! And right now!" Nixon brought the soup to a boil and poured it over his head as he said, Ere's yer bloody soup!" Nixon beat a retreat to the kitchen as the agent put two bullets in the door facing. The Chinese owner hid Nixon under a pile of potatoes until the agent left town. His friends were so impressed with his thrift and honesty that, although he was now only twenty-three years old, he managed to start up a profitable livery business that fall. The business did so well that he was soon to partner with a man named Cox in the cattle business. Their brand was CN. Then he and another partner, Robert Vaughn went to Oregon and bought 2,000 head of red cattle that they sold two years later for a nice profit. Everyone trusted Nixon, and Nixon trusted everyone. One day a stranger came into town on the stage. He placed a saddle at the livery with Nixon. The stranger would often visit with Nixon. Nixon was not aware of some of the stranger's other activities around town. One day the stranger rented a fine black horse to look at some property he had heard about and not to worry if he was late getting back. Shortly, a couple of the main street loungers stopped in to ask if Nixon expected to get his horse back? They told him the stranger had been recognized as a wanted California outlaw and the night before had bragged that he was going to beat the 'Englisher' out of a horse. Nixon saddled a horse, grabbed a rifle and lit out after him. The stranger, feeling safe in his game was taking his leisure time and Nixon soon caught up. As Nixon demanded the return of his horse, the outlaw drew a gun and said, "here's my due bill and I'm paying off right now." Unfortunately for him, the bill never got paid. Nixon's cocked rifle swept across the top of his saddle and the outlaw fell to ground without ever firing a shot. The Sun River Rangers had been organized back in 1873 to protect the cattlemen from Indians and thieves and were the first group of its kind in Montana. Following Custer's disaster, the cattlemen were sorely afraid the Indians would soon be raiding their herds. Nixon became a first lieutenant in the organization. The Indian threat passed, but on its heels came the dreaded sheep men. In one January 1880 night three bands of sheep were destroyed by various means. Nixon refused to admit or deny, but it was clear that the rangers were responsible. A few months later, 3,000 head of cattle valued at $60,000 were destroyed by Blackfeet Indians because they were hungry. The rangers went after the Indians. They ran head on into a sizeable war party and an unknown number of Indians were killed. The cowboys suffered two killed, four wounded and Nixon had a few holes in his clothing and his saddle was battle scarred. His leadership in this fight led him to be selected as the leader of a group of men to exact justice on an outlaw named Brackett E. Stewart who had committed an atrocious double murder. On June 29, 1881, Stewart murdered Mary Armstrong and her business partner in their home where he expected to find a large sum of money. He found $100 and expected to hide the evidence and eliminate the only witnesses, two girls aged six and eleven, by burning down the house. He was unaware that while splashing kerosene around the home, the girls escaped. Stewart was captured, the girls identified him and a group of vigilantes strung him up. Nixon was the only one to admit to his friends as being one of the vigilantes. The Rangers continued to capture outlaws and not all of them were hung. If there was not enough evidence to convict some of the desperados, Nixon would just advise them to leave the area and not come back. The look in his eyes was enough to tell them that they were receiving sound advice. The obligatory term as captain of the rangers was six months. After his tour, Nixon married Olive White in 1883 and hung up his guns. Thereafter Hell for Breakfast Nixon became fondly known as "Old Nick." He moved his family to Augusta and expanded his business into producing hay and eventually into banking. He remained in Augusta until his death on May 13, 1923. He is buried in the Augusta Cemetery in Augusta, Montana with his wife and other family members.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is John Walter Nixon's memorial?
John Walter Nixon's memorial is located at: Augusta Cemetery, Augusta, Lewis and Clark County, USA.
When did John Walter Nixon death?
John Walter Nixon death on 13 May 1923 in Augusta, Lewis and Clark County, Montana, USA
Where are the coordinates of the John Walter Nixon's memorial?
Latitude: 47.4961014
Longitude: -112.4039001

Family Members:

Spouse

Olive White Nixon

(1862 - 1951)

Children

Chester Sylvanus Nixon

(1885 - 1960)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Augusta Cemetery
Augusta, Lewis and Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 47.4961014, -112.4039001

2. Elk Creek Colony Cemetery
Augusta, Lewis and Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 47.4620000, -112.3218000

3. Flat Creek Cemetery
Augusta, Lewis and Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 47.3360890, -112.3494960

4. Cobb Ranch Cemetery
Augusta, Lewis and Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 47.4370100, -112.6716600

5. Milford Colony Cemetery
Milford Colony, Lewis and Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 47.3310000, -112.2070000

6. Gibson Ranch Cemetery
Wolf Creek, Lewis and Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 47.2513800, -112.3542470

7. Sunset Hills Cemetery
Fairfield, Teton County, USA
Coordinate: 47.5946400, -111.9870900

8. Fairfield Mennonite Cemetery
Fairfield, Teton County, USA
Coordinate: 47.6149840, -111.9804050

9. United Church of Christ Columbarium
Fairfield, Teton County, USA
Coordinate: 47.6158400, -111.9784300

10. Dearborn Crossing Cemetery
Lewis and Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 47.2120000, -112.1116000

11. Dearborn Cemetery
Lewis and Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 47.1643982, -112.2303009

12. Choteau Cemetery
Choteau, Teton County, USA
Coordinate: 47.8121986, -112.1631012

13. Saint Peter Mission Cemetery
Saint Peter, Cascade County, USA
Coordinate: 47.3005000, -111.9210000

14. Saint Paul Cemetery
Fairfield, Teton County, USA
Coordinate: 47.6758000, -111.9014000

15. Fort Shaw Military Cemetery
Fort Shaw, Cascade County, USA
Coordinate: 47.5065700, -111.8358500

16. Cascade Colony Cemetery
Sun River, Cascade County, USA
Coordinate: 47.4393000, -111.8169000

17. Teton Canyon Metis Cemetery
Choteau, Teton County, USA
Coordinate: 47.8695750, -112.6675680

18. Miller Colony Cemetery
Miller Colony, Teton County, USA
Coordinate: 47.9258000, -112.2943000

19. Cadotte Family Ranch Cemetery
Lincoln, Lewis and Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 47.0596000, -112.4148800

20. Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
Farmington, Teton County, USA
Coordinate: 47.8843994, -112.0764008

21. New Rockport Colony Cemetery
New Rockport Colony, Teton County, USA
Coordinate: 47.8648000, -112.0199000

22. Sun River Cemetery
Sun River, Cascade County, USA
Coordinate: 47.5242004, -111.7166977

23. Moore Grave
Lewis and Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 47.0969009, -112.0522003

24. Bynum Cemetery
Bynum, Teton County, USA
Coordinate: 47.9710007, -112.3059998