P a g e 6 I attended the Montana Pioneers’ reunion in 1918 for the first time, but saw no persons who came out in Capt. Fisk’s first train except Col. Bartlett." Matilda Desmon Dalton attended several other Montana Pioneers' reunions, and died on December 6, 1931 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and was buried in Dillon, Montana at the age of 88. The "Adventures" Continued... The "adventures" did not end with the Daltons, but continued on through the generations. For example, my mother Doris Jeanne Thibadeau (06/19/1927 to 10/07/2007) contracted polio at the age of 13 just two months after her father Clarence Byron Thibadeau, a Montana Highway Patrolman, was transferred from Deer Lodge to Harlowton in 1940. She contracted polio by swimming in the local swimming hole. For over a year she was completely paralyzed from the neck down, as she watched many children inflicted with polio on the same floor of her Billings Montana hospital succumb to this dreadful disease. This all occurred during the devastating nationwide polio epidemic of the 1940's. Through the outstanding care provided by the doctors and nurses of St. Vincent Hospital in Billings, Montana, my mother not only survived polio, but lived a long, wonderful and fulfilling life. Upon returning to Harlowton following her nearly 2 year hospital ordeal fighting and surviving the ravages of polio, my mother showed up to school wearing metal braces from her neck to her feet. One of her 8th grade classmates was a boy named Oscar. Oscar didn't notice the metal braces but instead saw a beautiful brown-eyed girl who he instantly fell in love with. They became high school sweethearts and were later married after Oscar served in the Korean War. This young man by the name of Oscar, was my father Oscar Herman Biegel. And even though the doctors told my mother that she would not survive child birth due to the effects of polio, she ignored their orders and gave birth to not one child, but eventually gave birth to five healthy children. My mother Doris Jeanne Thibadeau Biegel was a fighter in every sense of the word, just as William and Clara were... just as Matilda Dalton and her husband Zebulon Thibadeau were. I feel very blessed to be in a family of such brave people, and I am so very grateful for their courage and strength. They are truly an inspiration to my entire family. A Brief History of My Father's Family, The Biegels 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 "Golden Treasure" by Mable Ovitt is a wonderful history book about the early days of Bannack and Virginia City. Born in Bannack, Mable Ovitt (01/16/1896 to 08/02/1968) was among the last residents to ever live in Bannack Montana before it became a state park. The Daltons are written about several times throughout the book. In fact, she ended her book with Matilda Dalton's story. Mable Ovitt is buried in the Bannack Cemetery, with the words "Our Golden Treasure" written on her headstone.
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