P a g e 5 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 HISTORY OF PARK COUNTY-continued From The Livingston Enterprise, January 1, 1900: S. H. CROOKES—County Surveyor. We now have before us one of Montana’s prominent civil engineers, who received his education in the schools of merry old England. He is a native of St. Louis, Missouri, born in May, 1868, and when only seven years of age went to London, England, with his parents. Up to his fifteenth year he was under private tutorage, then until 21 he passed through the regular course at Minthole college. He next passed through the special course in civil engineering at the London Polytechnic, completing the course with one year in school and one year in the field. After working a short time on the Manchester ship canal he set sail for his native country. Immediately after landing he joined the engineering department of the Northern Pacific railway, and for five years was employed on the various branches that were S.H. Crookes being constructed throughout the mountainous country. For two years he was given control by the government of work in the Crow reservation, superintending the erection of Fort Harrison at Helena. In the fall of 1896 Mr. Crookes was elected to the office of surveyor of Park county and re-elected in the fall of 1898. During his term of office he has drawn all the accurate maps of the county that exist today; has also laid out many of the principal county roads. During the year of 1898, while serving as road superintendent, the expenses for such purposes were decreased forty percent of any previous year, although any one in passing over them would think that a much greater amount had been used, so judicious has been his judgment in the economical use of the county’s funds. It was also through Mr. Crookes’ efforts and energy that the city of Livingston possesses the best sewerage system of any city of its size in the state of Montana. Since 1895 he has been deputy mineral surveyor of Montana, having been appointed to this position by the state surveyor general. Mr. Crookes is also a member of the Montana Society of Engineers. WALTER V. GRANNIS- Deputy Clerk. Walter V. Grannis, the present deputy clerk of Park county, was born in Lagrange county, Indiana, August 20, 1855. Leaving there when quite young he started on his trip to the west and northwest, locating at Atchison, Kansas, and in a few years removing to Pikes Peak, Colorado. In the fall of 1865 he went to Virginia City, Montana, by the overland route across the Great Plains, at which time he encountered the first hostilities of his life with Indians. Since this time Mr. Grannis has
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