P a g e 7 G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r In the summer of 1868 local newspapers note that Kate was thrown from her horse and seriously injured while riding along the Mullan Trail near Gold Creek. Perhaps shortly after that event the Perrys moved away from Montana, back to her old home in Illinois, because no more mention of them is made in the Montana papers, and Perry's operation of the Pony Express route also ends that summer according to Dan Meschter's book on early mail routes of Montana. The precise timing of the "schemer" making off with her gold is uncertain, but the 1880 census shows her reversal of fortune - Kate was by then a servant in the home of Sarah H. Davidson in Lewiston, Illinois. The 1900 census shows her living alone. No divorce papers have been found. Parade in Philipsburg, Montana, between 1893 and 1906. Courtesy of Archival Photos of the University of Montana Searching census records gives one possible answer to what became of L.S. Perry. In 1900, a Leverett S. Perry was living in Fremont, Colorado, running a livery stable, which would fit for a former Pony Expressman. Post Office records show that in the 1880's, he had become the Postmaster at Fremont, which would also fit for a mail deliverer fresh from Montana. The 1900 census records state Leverett S. Perry was born in Kentucky in 1836, making him 6 years younger than Kate. They further show that by 1900 L.S. had been married for four years to Amanda, 12 years his junior. A 29 year old child Merton and a 17 year old child named Mogene lived with them. "L.H. Perry", who shows up in the 1880 census as living in Fremont, is also Leverett Perry, since "L.H. Perry" is also listed as having a son named Merton. In 1880, Perry was married to a woman ten years his junior named Sarah. If by chance the Montana Pony Expressman L.S. Perry, and Leverett S. Perry of Colorado are the same man, one can only hope that Kate's money was put to good use in the livery stable. On April 30, 1908 The Illinois State Registar stated: First woman to cross plains Mrs. Kate Perry, pioneer resident of Fulton county, dies at age of 80 years. Lewiston, Illinois, April 29, -Mrs. Kate Perry of this city, the first white woman to cross the plains and reach Pike's Peak in the early days, died here at the age of about 80 years. -Granite County History Blog The purpose of the Granite County History Blog (https://granitecountyhistory.blogspot.com/) is to share and seek information on the history of Granite County, Montana. In a few cases our topics will lap over into adjacent counties as mining districts especially do not respect the later boundaries imposed by politicians! It is a project of members of the Granite County Historical Society, an organization founded in 1978 by the late Barry Engrav of Philipsburg and now comprised of 8 members dedicated to preserving and interpreting historical documents, artifacts, and sites in the greater Philipsburg area. Our goal is to interest current residents, folks with family roots, and those with an academic interest in the area to add their knowledge to this blog as an ongoing project to deepen and in some cases correct the narrative of the people and events that shaped history in this part of Montana. The recent explosion of scanned historical documents onto the internet is making it possible to greatly speed up historical research, refine historical chronology, and deepen historical interpretation. Perhaps we are entering into a "golden age" of research into our past! Anyone with an interest in the Philipsburg area or Montana history is invited to discuss the topics of our posts, as well as their own data and sources, which we hope will create an ongoing dialogue about the area now known as Granite County.
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