Matthew D. Brown Sr.
Pioneer of North Niobrara County, M.D. Brown, Dies
Matthew D. Brown, Sr., died at his home in Edgemont, So. Dak., Sept. 23, at the age of 91 years, 11 months and 17 days.
He had been a resident of the northern part of Niobrara County and the Edgemont community for the past 72 years.
In 1942 Mr. Brown retired from his ranch, which was on the Wyoming side of the State line, and moved to Edgemont, where he has since resided.
Funeral services were held on Tuesday, Sept. 28 in Edgemont, with Rev. Arthur Prichett officiating, and interment was made in the cemetery there.
The casket bearers were Fred B. Campbell, Richard Pfister, John Wickstrom, Roy Robison, Carl Tubbs and Art Petty.
Matthew D. Brown was born in Missouri, October 6, 1856, the son of Matthew J. and Mary Brown.
In the July 1942 issue of the "Annals of Wyoming," published by the Wyoming Historical Department, is a biography of Mr. Brown's life up to the time of his retirement from the ranching business:
"Mr. Brown was the oldest pioneer in this district of Edgemont, S.D., and also of Niobrara County, Wyoming. Matt's great grandmother was a sister of Daniel Boone.
"Mr. Brown, at an early age, with a desire for adventure, left his Missouri home and arrived in Cheyenne, Wyo., in the spring of 1876, where he worked as a freight runner between Cheyenne, Wyo., and Custer, So. Dak. Many frontier experiences were encountered in his work of freighting overland with 20 horse teams and wagons loaded with food and necessities of frontier days.
"In 1881 Matt took over a job for the Union Cattle Company, which required many hazardous trips as far north as Montana. In 1887 and spring of 1888, he took over the '21 Horse Ranch,'as foreman, and worked in this capacity until 1895.
"On December 6, 1894, Matthew Brown and Mary Herman were married at Edgemont, So.Dak., and made their home on the 21 ranch, and to this union were born two children, Laurel and Matthew, Jr. Laurel was born on May 18, 1896 and Matthew, Jr., on January 20, 1911."
Mr. Brown leaves to mourn his passing his wife, Mary; two sons, Laurel of Chicago, Ill., and Matthew of Edgemont; an aged sister, Miss Amanda Brown of Warrensburg County, Missouri. Miss Amanda Brown is 89 years of age and was not able to be present at the funeral.