Early North Fork squabbles

I have written often in this column that the real North Fork is so special because of the people who live here – full time or part time. Since homestead days North Fork residents have been independent, self reliant, and argumentative.

At the same time, they have had to depend on each other. Neighbors have always helped each other in times of emergency, but also aided each other in constructing homes and barns and everyone put aside their differences at social events. After all, you never knew when you might have a breakdown, illness, or just get stuck in a snow bank. Therefore you helped your neighbor when he needed help and, sooner or later, he would return the favor. That cooperation continues to this day.

That doesn’t mean that folks always got along – in 1910 or 2010. There were arguments, squabbles and occasionally physical violence. In 1932 there were two fatal shootings on the North Fork. One involved a trespass issue and the other the result of a competition for the affections of a woman.

The woman was Mary Powell, who left her husband back east to move to the North Fork to live with homesteader, Billy Kruse. After spending the winter with Billy, he went to eastern Montana to resume his job as a sheepherder. Before leaving for work, which would last all summer and into the winter, Kruse asked his friend and neighbor Ed Peterson, who lived a mile or so away, to watch out for Mary who was going to stay at Kruse’s cabin.

Ed did even better than that. He sold 5 acres of his homestead to Mary along with the two-story log home he had built for himself. Ed then moved back his smaller homestead cabin about 200 yards away, which he was sharing with another man during trapping season.

Bill Kruse returned in March to a cold cabin. After fortifying himself with whiskey he headed north to the Ed Peterson homestead to find out what happened to Mary Powell.

Mary knew Kruse was due any day and that he was prone to violence so she had moved out to yet another homesteaders to wait out the storm she knew was coming.

When Kruse arrived at Peterson’s he was armed and drunk. He held Peterson and his trapping partner, Jim Brigham, at gunpoint for several hours while he continued drinking and several times he discharged his rifle at Brigham’s feet but did not hit him.

Finally he left, saying he was going to burn Powell’s house and then return and “settle” with them. When Peterson and Brigham tried to follow and dissuade him, Kruse fired six to eight shots at them and they went back in the cabin and locked themselves in for the night.

Next morning, Powell’s house was still standing and they took rifles and went to check it out. Kruse came out on the porch and aimed his rifle at them. Peterson, feeling his life was in danger, fired at Kruse. Kruse staggered and went into the house, Peterson then contacted a neighbor to notify the Sheriff.

A coroners inquest found Ed Peterson had acted in self defense and no charges were filed. Peterson remained on the North Fork until selling his property to the Foreman family who still own it today.

The Kruse cabin was abandoned for years until refurbished by Don and Helen McMillan. Today it is owned by Dick Leigh.