P a g e 3 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 Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Lowther was a poor excuse as a journal keeper. His diaries contain very little of historical interest. The weather, his horses (“Climax”, “Christmas”, “Rowdy”, “Greeley”, “Patch” and “Substitute”) appear on the pages quite frequently and he often mentions playing tennis in Roundup (49 different days between July 29 and November 5, 1911.) When Lowther was in England, he often mentions fox hunting, going to the opera, plays, church, etc. Favored horses in England were “Comet” and “Gamecock”. In his 1911 diary he was in England until May 20 when his diary entry reads, “Henry took baggage to Easton and Mrs. Farewell’s motor took Mary, Paul and myself to Liverpool. Left there at 2:30 on the Baltic. The Lusitania* followed us out of the harbour. Cool and wet but bright.” (*The Lusitania, you remember, was the famous passenger ship of the Cunard Line which was sunk by the German submarine in May of 1915.) The page for May 21 is blank making one wonder if perhaps he was seasick. On May 28 he “arrived in New York at 5pm in fine weather.” It took him until June 8th to arrive in Roundup, however, as he traveled leisurely from New York through Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Paul and finally, “Train to Roundup all day. Johnson House*. Rainy morning. Bradshaw met us at rail with team and brought us home.” (*The Johnson House was what later became the Palace Hotel across the street from the train depot- site of the present Montana Bank of Roundup). Nov. 22 he again returned to England with this entry “G.N. (Great Northern??) Leave Billings 8am. Lunch Judith Gap and night at Park Hotel, Great Falls.” The partnership of Lowther and Clifton continued many years until the death of Lowther in 1930. It seems appropriate that he died in England from injuries suffered in a fall from a horse while following the hounds in a fox hunt, his favorite sport. J.W. Bradshaw, his loyal French foreman, was remembered in his will. Cecil Clifton (Lord Grey de Ruthyn) died at Fronhope, Hafordshire, England on May 21, 1934. He also listed J.W. Bradshaw as one of the beneficiaries of his estate. Clifton’s last visit to Roundup was in 1918. Years later, my sister and brother-in-law, Marian and Sandy Brown, lived in the house and on visits to them I marveled at the building with its high, many-paned windows. The furniture, also, was most interesting- fashioned of warm honey-toned oak – the dressers, chest of drawers and sideboard were adorned with carved decorations. The sideboard had a lovely marble top. Several of these pieces are now at the Musselshell Valley Historical Museum on loan from the Clem Brown family.
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