The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, June 29, 1936, Page 7

Iron Constitution And Personality His Chief Assets Scotch Boy Who Laid Tracks Into Bismarck Battled With Fists and Acumen to Become Wealthiest, Most Powerful Man in State Alexander McKenzie’s massive figure looms larger in the history of Bismarck and North Dakota than that of any other white man who has been identified with the city and state. From the time of his arrival in Fargo in 1872 until his death in 1922 he dominated the past As Dakota man before him or any man si tremendous power in state and nation that Alex McKenzie did over a period of 50 years. McKenzie was born in west- ern Ontario in 1851, the son of Scotch immigrants who settled in what was then a wilderness, He grew to his early ‘teens on a farm and when 14 years old sailed be- fore the mast on the Great Lakes. In youth as well as in old age, McKenzie was striking physically. He was a “bean- pole” of a boy, standing al- most 6 feet 4 inches with a prominent nose and gigantic ears. His spare frame was filled out by the rigorous life as a sailor and when he landed at Duluth on one his voyages a cousin hardly knew him he had filled out so. settled in the west. Alec’ It was in Duluth that McKenzie’s star of destiny definitely The Northern Pacific railway was just beginning construction of its line from Carlton, Minn., a small the state. No North ever has wielded the Bi way station a few miles southwest of the Zenith city. Having lost his trousers in a har- bor front free-for-all, he was forced to dress in a pair of trousers his cousin made for him from odds and ends. (This cousin died in Duluth few years ago, aged 99. She Duluth’s oldest resident). Jeered by Workers McKenzie told the writer that it ‘was the patchwork pants that won him the job he sought with the North- ern Pacific. When he appeared at Carlton, hunting a job, he had to run a gantlet of jeers from workers as he sought the job foreman. Par- ticularly offensive was one brawny sledge swinger. McKenzie stepped up to his taunter, landed a few right hooks mixed up with blows to the midriff and the track layer took a count of 10. The melee was watched by the foreman - who promptly hired McKenzie be- cause men who could use their fists ‘were needed. Col. C. A. Lounsberry, founder of ‘The Bismarck Tribune, said of Mc- Kenzie: “He has been potent in the making of men and measures. He has stood of political warfare have beaten broken and he has always signified, even to men opposed to his domin- ance, a tremendous force for the wel- fare of the state. Assailed and Praised “Alexander McKenzie is unique as @ product of the frontier period! blended with the ultimate in political acumen, business sagacity and the knowledge of people. He has been as bitterly assailed by political enemies as he has been highly lauded by the friends who have stood by him— and that is saying much. “After all it must be conceded that North Dakota owes more to him than to any other man, living or dead. “He was trained for the place he teok in the territory and the state ‘by association with men who knew how to give and take hard knocks. And he became a bigger and better man than his early associates be- cause he had the sagacity not to waste his strength battering obstacles —he removed them, Had Adventurer's Daring “Combining Scotch shrewdness opponent has been @ power in the state as he was in the territory in early days. The brilliance of the man is proven by the fact that he single-handed, i greatest asset. could have had the highest office in the gift of the state by raising his finger. He did not raise the finger. “ ‘Why don’t you send your biggest man, Alex McKenzie, to the United States senate?’ asked James J. Hill), (the Empire Builder) of George B. Winship (pioneer publisher of the Grand Forks Herald). “ “Because he won't have it,’ Win- ship replied frankly—and Winship was a political enemy of McKenzie.” Through the years of 1871, 1872, and into 1873, McKenzie labored for the Northern Pacific laying its track west from Carlton to Fargo, west from Fargo to Bismarck: A true Scot, McKenzie saved his money 50 that when the railroad reached Bis- marck he decided to enter business. The Northern Pacific had stopped its track laying here for the time being. Chose Good Company “McKenzie,” relates Lounsberry, “was a tall, broad-shouldered, rather bony youth with self confidence his He immediately fit- {ted himself into the raw community which consisted to some extent of un- as a rock about and upon which eee) Idesirable citizens with a leaven of good men determined to run things j Tight. “He affiliated with the latter and the temptations that besct the young men in a frontier town left him un- scathed, “McKenzie engaged in the manu- facture and sale of carbonated bev- erages and became a prominent fig- ure in Bismarck. He had a natural bent for politics, and when Sheriff Miller met death by drowning in 1874 McKenzie was appointed to the vacant post. In 1876 he was elected sheriff and subsequently was re- elected four times. He also was deputy U, 8. marshal while sheriff. ‘McKenzie kept the community in order, at least in such order as the times and manners of the people required. He fought bad men with his fists or guns. It came to be understood that crimes of violence might not be safely indulged in Mc- these came together and mixed with the bull-whacker. fresh from the Black Hills trail the office of sheriff “| was not likely to be a sinecure. it all McKenzie held the by. Office and gave eminent satisfaction administra! in the following terms: ‘ ness unequalled by any other man. common touch. : He could step from a conversation with presidents and magnates and talk with a ditch-digger. An Appraisal of McKenzie At his death friends and foes of Alexander — appraised him He was the greatest figure in North Dakota business and political life. oe He built one of the greatest political machines the nation ever knew. coe He performed every task assigned him with a success and thorough- He was the best friend Bismarck and North Dakota ever had. oe He was a man who walked with the mighty but did not losé the THE BISMARCK TRIBUNE, MUNDAY, JUNE 2 1936 _ Alexander M’Kenzie Dominated Dakota Destiny 50 Years HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES OF 1891 As proud as the class of °36 was the Bismarck senior class of 91. In the back row (left to right) are Abe Ep- pinger, Ralph Ward, Profes- sor Thompson and Edith Wakeman Hughes; bottom (1. to r.) are Celia Conway, Bessie Waggoner, Minnie Stoyell and Maude Robinson. oe His constitution of iron and the power of his personality were his greatest assets. : He never sought to secure the Dakota. of the state of North Dakota. character of a picturesque period. when he was beaten. He was a citizen of the continent and not of one town. eee He symbolized the march of pioneer progress, the most picturesque eee He knew when to command and when to mollify; but he never knew passage of laws Prejudicial to North oe He was directly responsible and the inspiration for the constitution ee He played the game of politics not for the money, the office or the personal glory but for the enlargement of the state and the realization of his ambition to obtain a position of dominance and power. eee His loyalty to his friends was never questioned; the forgiveness of Penitent foes a marvel to his associates. eee near, for he took with the Indians an exhibit of the products of the soll that astonished and convinced. “Even prior to that time he had been active in promoting the inter- ests of the territory. As early as 1880 he had taken an exhibit from Burleigh county to the exposition at Minneapolis where he won the first prize banner. Impressed Big Men “In the prolonged campaign for the admission of North Dakota to the Union, McKenzie played an import- ant part. His earnestness and ca- pacity impressed the biggest men in public life of the country and the same attributes gave him influence with. the big men of finance and commerce. These connections gave him an opportunity to create a market for the securities of the state, and [ese became a dealer in the securities lf. “His interest in Bismarck was large, and he proved his faith in the Capi- tal City by increasing his interests when others were withdrawing. He not only located the capitol here, jSpective eras. of the state. He had the courage of his convictions about measures litical destinies of the state, and like he ee ly the object of at Yor mote than two decades McKen- i i i get g z tie Dakota. The basis of his fortune was the securities he dealt in with R. B. Mellon of Pittsburgh in the early days of statehood and the Bis- marck real estate whose value doubled and trebled as he strove to make Bismarck a metropolis of the west. In later vears McKenzie acquired more worldly wealth by the success: ful operation of a construction com: pany, the Cook Construction com- pany of St. Paul, which had many railroad contracts. He owned s large livestock ranch near Fort Yates and built and operated for many yet the Bismarck Water Supply com- pany. In Rex Beach’s famous noyel “The Spoilers,” the author is said to hat pictured McKenzie in the person of the novel’s McNamara, the Alaska gold claim jumper. McKenzie op- erated in Alaska for a numiber of years. Much of McKensie's national pres- tige sprang from a close friendship with the late Marcus A. Hanna, Boies Penrose, Murray Crane and other political giants of their re- Always Tenacious Some insight into McKenzle’s ten- acity of purpose and the unre, hope of winning every enemy to cause is iMlustrated by by Pgs mt the late P. E. Byrne of Bismarck, 8 life-long Democrat, who always was at sword points politically with McKenzie. Byrne said, “Alex never gave up hope of converting me. For 40 years whenever the occasion arose for a con- had died in St. Paul in the early ‘00s and that a son Alexander, 9 years 60 SLAIN IN BLOODY FIGHT IN WHAT NOW I$ PIONEER PARK Deaths of Sioux and Miners on River Bank Made Trader $70,000 Richer Scores of Bismarck residents who g0 riding on the River road of a Sun-/| day afternoon, pass unknowing within a few feet of the scene of a bloody battle that took the lives of nearly 60 white men and Indians, and left a Fort Berthold trader $70,000 richer. ‘The unmarked site of what has erron- eously been known as the “Burnt Creek Massacre” is situated along the east bank of the Missouri river just @ short distance above the railroad bridge. It was in the month of July, 1863 that a party of successful miners from Boise, Idaho, prepared to return down the Missouri to civilization. With them, concealed in canvas belts on) their persons and in the false bottom of their mackinaw boat they carried an estimated $100,000 in gold dust and| nuggets. Hostile Indians harrassed them con- tinually on their perilous journey down the river, ané@ the party had been reduced to 17 miners, two half- blood Sioux, one woman, and two children, on the morning it reached the mouth of Burnt creek. Camped along Burnt creck was ® small village of Minnesota Sioux, fu- gutives from the white man’s ven- geance that followed elose on the bloody uprisings of 1862. As the mackinaw came slowly down- stream, close to shore, an old Indian |“ fishing on the bank waved to its occu- Lame Bane? them that the best channel was further out. But the miners, jittery from the many perils er- ing clothes in the stream nearby ran to tell their men what had happened, and the battle was on. Both sides had rifles, and in the mackinaw was a small cannon. While returning the heavy volley from the shore, the miners succeeded in firing the cannon three times. The third driving the superior force of Indians back into the woods. But, numbers and shrewd fighting tactics soon told. Advancing under protection of logs they rolled ahead of them, the Indians closed in on the hapless party on the beach. Ten of the whites had been killed when the Sioux united in a final charge. During their last few futile mo- ments of resistance, the miners used their guns as clubs. ‘Red Blanket, a Santee squaw whose brother had been shot, assisted in childrert, too, were slaughtered. Indian casualties were variously es- timated as from 30 to 42 killed, and 35 wounded. While stripping the from their victims, the Sioux came upon the gold-laden belts. Mistaking the yellow dust for spoiled powder, they threw it on the sands. News of the disaster reached Fort Berthold two weeks later. Fred Ger- R. C. FORSYTHE “The One-Trip Plumber” Plumbing—Heating—Gas-Fitting Estimates furnished — All work guaranteed—Done by Licensed and Qualified Plumbers. 719 Fifth St. Phone 1887 Fred J. Hessinger PLUMBER 410 Tenth Street Phone 1603 PROMPT GUARANTEED gest sch Tifle cracked and the old Indian fel Some squaws who had been wash- SERVICE No fob too large—No job too small the killing of the white woman. The} J ard, the trader there, sent his brother- in-law, Whistling Bear, an Arikera Indian, down to Burnt creek to look for the gold. So the Indian would know what to look for, Gerard showed him samples of the precious metal After a three-day journey Whistling Bear's party reached the scene of battle. They found the bodies the debris undisturbed. On the beacht they found piles of the “ powder” which they scraped. toget and loaded in their canoe. More of it they found in the bottom of submerged mackinaw, where discovered a coffee-pot filled wit the stuff. Returning to Fort Berthold, tling Bear and his party and a great feast. Gerard gold—$70,000 worth of it. French & Welch Tin Shop Phone 141 PLUMBING “By Men Who Know How” Consult us on all Plumbing, Heating, Gas Appli- ance, Conditioning, Radiant- fire Heaters, Fire - Sewer Tile H. A. THOMPSON & SONS old, also had preceded his father in death many Two daughters by the first wife were left, Mrs. Anna McKenzie McDonald of Regaud, Que., Foster of and Mary B. McKenzie Westmount, Que. But opening of the will disclosed bequests to a second wife, Mrs. Elva McKenzie, who also had passed away before her husband, and his three children by the second marriage, Jeannette Alpha McKenzie, Alexan- der J. McKenzie and Thomas Oakes McKenzie, all of Yonkers, N. Y. Was Surprise to Offspring Neither survivors of either mother lever had known of the existence of the other until the reading of the will, 80 carefully hed McKenzie his movements through the decades. Still further accentuating McKen- zie’s gift of keeping his own counsel inviolate was the ‘fact that Judge George P. Flannery of St. Paul, for 50 years perhaps McKenzie's closest associate, was named executor of the estate without knowing McKenzie ever had drawn a will. The will was in McKenzie’s own handwriting “Big Alec” was laid to rest in 8t. Mary's cemetery, Bismarck beside the body of his first wife on Sunday, June 25, 1922. According to « tradition attached to the Hope diamond, it will bring misfortt AUTO CLEANER end PoLIsH “5Q¢ POLISH J. 8. FEVOLD Investment, Real Estate, inser- Over Cowan’s Drug Store Bismarck, N. D. ance, Bends, Ante ané Truck Leans Sales and Rentals, City and 304 Main Ave. (ana I] Now—a new type oughness is EASY TERMS—FREE HOME DEMONSTRATIONS—YOUR CREDIT IS 0. K. LARSEN’S “THE HOME APPLIANCE SHOP” Division of Lignite Combustion Eng. Corp. Bismarck, N. Dak. MARKWELL FASTENERS and DETTE... icdtnaduasdeamesatenaeaenan ‘ in 3 zones—TOP, CENTER and BOT. | TOM of the load. 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