NICHOLAS JOHN BIELENBERG

NICHOLAS JOHN BIELENBERG

1847-1927

Born: 8 June 1847, Holstein, Germany- Died: 06 July 1927 Deer Lodge, Montana

The paragraph below was retrieved from the following source:An Illustrated History of the State of Montana, Containing a History of the State of Montana from the Earliest Period of Its Discovery to the Present Time, Together with Glimpes of Its Auspicious Future; Illustrations and Full-Page Portraits of Some of its Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Citizens of To-Day.. Miller, Joaquin., Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis pub. co., 1894.


Nicholas Bielenberg's parents brought him to this country, at the age of 4 and he resided at Davenport, Iowa. Here he grew up, attending the public school until 1863. In that year he went to Chicago where he served an apprenticeship in the butchering business, remaining there until the spring of 1865; that year in 1865, when he was but 17, he made the long trip overland by wagon train to Montana. He followed the butcher business at Blackfoot City where he embarked in the butchering business, remaining there in that pursuit until 1870. In that year he engaged in the same business at Helena, remaining there until 1872 in which year he married Miss Anna Bogk of Deer Lodge and moved to that town. Here he engaged in the stock raising business, buying, selling and driving cattle from Montana to Cheyenne from whence he shipped them to Chicago. This effort he continued until 1877 going into business then at Butte, where he operated a large butchering business, erecting a cold-storage warehouse and handling beef in wholesale quantities. This business eventually became the Butte Butchering Company. About 1884 Mr. Bielenberg became associated with his half-brother, Conrad Kohrs, running large herds in connection with him and his brother John. In 1884 he went into the sheep business, at first alone, then in partnership with Joseph Toomey. This business grew to enormous proportions, handling in one year over 130,000 head of sheep. Their flocks were to be found in all parts of the State, and in addition to their own they bought and shipped a great many herds throughout the Northwest, operating from Washington Territory to North Dakota. It can be safely said that Mr. Bielenberg and associates were the fathers of the sheep industry in northern Montana first of any importance within the State. Mr. Bielenberg was the first shipper to discover the value of screenings in the feeding of sheep in transit, and his first discovery has since grown to be quite a valuable industry in the handling of mutton for Eastern markets.

Mr. Bielenberg is still engaged in the cattle and stock business within the State of Montana. They are still running a bunch of from ten to twelve thousand head of sheep, and have stock interests in various parts of the State. In addition to these pursuits, Mr. Bielenberg has been actively interested in mining and other business ventures, and is a prominent and active citizen of Deer Lodge county. He is an active Republican and served as a delegate to the National Republican Convention at Minneapolis in 1892. Nicholas J. Bielenberg and Annie Bogk Bielenberg of Deer Lodge, Montana had five children Alma, Howard, Augusta, Anna and Claude.1

Reference

1. An Illustrated History of the State of Montana, Containing a History of the State of Montana from the Earliest Period of Its Discovery to the Present Time, Together with Glimpes of Its Auspicious Future; Illustrations and Full-Page Portraits of Some of its Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Citizens of To-Day.. Miller, Joaquin., Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis pub. co., 1894.


Children of Nicholas J. Bielenberg and Annie (nee Bogk) Bielenberg

ALMA MARGARET (1874-1962)
HOWARD ZENOR (1877-1953)
AUGUSTA KOHRS (1880 -1901)
ANNE MARIE (1883-1960)
CLAUDE NICHOLAS (1887-1955)