Memories

While looking through “Shifting Scenes” to write an article, I came across an article written by Sandi Kirkwood on the family of James and Inga C. Senrud Johnstone. As I read through those I said to myself: “What interesting people, times and events.” You readers be the judges.

Like a lot of individuals, they came across the water to the U.S.A.

James (Jimmy) was born on January 27, 1883 in Creetown, Kircubrightshire, Scotland. He was one of seven children as he had three brothers and three sisters.

Inga Senrud was born June 4, 1895 at Laton Hegemark, Norway. She was an only daughter, along with two brothers.

At the age of eighteen, Jimmy got the “itch” to see the United States. To earn his way there he went to London to find work. He worked as a shoe salesman, riding a unicycle all around London selling his shoes. Well, I would say this was an odd way to carry on a business!

When he arrived in Montana he came to the Hamilton ranch, he knew them as close friends and neighbors in Scotland. When he was twenty-one he returned to Scotland because his mother was ill. He stayed the winter in Scotland and then returned to the United States.

After returning to the States he worked on ranches from Ekalaka to Terry and on west to Roundup and north to Lewistown. Much of this time was while he was a ranch foreman for James Hunter who had livestock in most of these areas.

The article reports that “Jimmy,” while a young man working for Mr. Hunter, would go to the race track in Miles City and run races. One time he ran races and won a .30 caliber Remington rifle, a pair of pearl handled pistols and a silver tea set. After the third race, a man asked if he was tired, to which Jimmy replied, “Should I be?” The man then gave Jimmy this challenge: “If you can run the mile one more time in less than five minutes, I’ll buy supper and if you can’t, then you buy.” Yes, you know who won.

Jimmy enjoyed playing games and running footraces with the young Hunter boys, Walt and Dave. They often played a game they called “run-sheep-run,” which sometimes lasted until midnight.

While Jimmy was looking after the Hunter livestock, he came to the Spring Creek area. The following year, 1916, he found a spot along a nice little creek that he liked. He liked it so much that he filed a claim on it and later made it his home.

His work and responsibility for Mr. Hunter frequently took him to the Anderson ranch with the excuse of looking for stray cattle. The real reason was because there was a pretty young lady that worked there, this lady was none other than Inga Senrud.

I will sharre a lot of interesting activities and family history in the next articles.