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LAWMEN OF EMMONS COUNTY
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MICHAEL MAHANEY County Sheriff  Michael Mahaney served as the third Emmons County Sheriff from 1893 to 1894. He served out the remainder of the term of Sheriff James S. McGee, who left Emmons County to live at Standing Rock Agency in Sioux County on his  Dakota wife’s allotment.
Mahaney was born in Limerick, Ireland on 29 September 1844. He came to America sometime after 1853 with his parents. He married Anna Mae Duffin, who was born in Ireland on 10 October 1844. Both sets of parents homesteaded in Olmstead, Minnesota Territory. Michael and Anna married 4 January 1870 in Rochester, MN. They emigrated to the Dakotas by 1885, as they are included in the Dakota Territorial Census that year, along with Anna’s widowed mother Margaret Duffin (b. 1803 Ireland) and their five children. They homesteaded in South Prairie, near Winchester, where Mahaney raised cattle.
On 7 April 1893, the Emmons County Record reported that “Sheriff Mahaney and Mrs. would occupy the Emmons County Jail.” The County Commissioners paid Mrs. Mahaney $10 for cleaning, papering, and “calcining” the jail, a whitewash of the stone. The Emmons County Jail, built in 1885 of native stone had a 10 by 27-foot office, used for county business, and records. The back of the building held four brick cells. Upstairs were four rooms, used for living quarters. In July 1895, the name was officially changed to Emmons County Courthouse.
Just before Christmas in 1896, the Mahaney family suffered a devastating loss. Their twenty-three-year-old son, John Mahaney, was accidently killed in Park River, ND. He was described as bright, well-mannered, and popular with customers, as he worked for a pharmacist there. Dr. Windell was showing John his shotgun, when his finger became stuck in the barrel. He jerked the gun towards him, and the shotgun fired, taking off his own finger, and injuring his hand. The stray bullet struck young Mahaney in his side, and lungs, fatally injuring him.
Anna Mae Duffin Mahaney died 17 April 1914 in Linton, Emmons, ND. Michael Mahaney lived until 1939, passing away on 26 April in Garland, Custer, Montana. His tombstone carries the wrong death date of 1937, but his death certificate gives the correct date of 1939. They are both buried at St. Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery in Stasburg, Emmons County, ND.
Contributed by Mary Corcoran. Photo Provided by Carol Dyke. Click Larger View. Michael's Burial, Tombstone Picture, Links to Some Family Anna's Obituary Emmons County Recorder 30 April 1914 JAMES S. McGEE County Sheriff James McGee was elected the second Sheriff of Emmons County from 1889-1892. He replaced William Wade, who served out a five year term. McGee was born in Virginia in 1839, and had come to Emmons County, Dakota Territory with John Smith in 1873 as a teamster for the 7th Calvary with General George Armstrong Custer. In 1874 he had been on the Black Hills Expedition, searching for gold, despite the federal government’s promises to keep miners out of the sacred Sioux lands. The Bismarck Tribune in August 1874 listed the claimants of a gold find in Custer’s Gulch, listing James McGee as one of them.
The Emmons County Record reported that James McGee and Hormisdas Archambault owned a ranch together In the Emmons County by the mouth of Beaver Creek as early as 1875. In the 1885 Dakota Census McGee is enumerated with his wife, Wincega “Little Woman” Bullhead, also called Mary. She was the former wife of Hormisdas Archambault. She was born in 1854 in Dakota Territory. Wincega was a Standing Rock Blackfeet Sioux whose parents were Mary Brocell and Tatankapa or Peter Martin Bullhead (1823-1901). Henry Bullhead, Wincega’s brother, or Matokokipapi, or Bears Afraid of Him, was one of the Indian Police, or Akicita, killed at Sitting Bull’s arrest on the Grand River in December 1890.
Wincega and H. A. Archambault had one son, Samuel, born in 1877. In fact, Hormisdas Archambault had been previously married to Wincega’s sister, Catakawin, Left-Handed Woman, then divorced her, and married Wincega. After divorcing her, Archambault went on to marry Unpansapa, Black Elk, or Susan, another sister, as well.
Wincega’s son, Samuel, is listed in many censuses as Sam McGee, and used that name as an adult. James McGee and Mary also had a son Peter, born 1888, but who seems to have died by 1892.
When James McGee ran for Sheriff in October of 1888, some newspaper accounts feared electing “a rebel sheriff.” This might suggest that Virginia-born McGee fought in the Civil War for the South. McGee served as Sheriff until 1892, only three years. Michael Mahaney of South Prairie served the remaining years of his term. McGee moved to Grand River at Standing Rock Agency, around 1892. Wincega continued to live at Standing Rock with her sons, and is listed in the Standing Rock Indian Census in 1899. Wincega probably died between 1899 and 1900 at Standing Rock Agency. In 1900 James McGee is living with the Louis “Chatka” Agard family and their six children. He is listed as “Uncle,” and a widower. Also listed in the census with the Agard family is Louis Catka Agard’s widowed mother, Sungleskayahawin, Spotted Horse, or Mary Agard,( 1840-1916) who lived very close to James McGee in the 1880 Emmons County Dakota Census, when married to Louis Agard, Sr., a well-known French trapper and interpreter.
James McGee continued to live on or near the Standing Rock Agency, where he “wintered” cattle herds for Emmons County ranchers on reservation land. In the fall of 1905, James McGee became ill, and was taken to Sturgis, South Dakota where he died in November 1905. It was reported that he was in his late eighties, but he was actually around 66 years of age. His son, Samuel (Archambault) McGee continued to live at Standing Rock where he married Benedicta Ramsey, then later, married Molly Cochran (1921-1959) in Montana. He died 13 July 1946 in Montana.
Contributed by Mary Corcoran SEVERENE ANDREAS "SHORTY" MIKALSON Deputy Sheriff PIETER "PETER" GERRIT ROOKS County Sheriff Peter was born to Gerrit and Jacobina Nabera Rooks.
In 1894 Peter married Henrietta Allen in Michigan. The children from this marriage were; Gerrit and Edward.
Peter was the County's Sheriff for three years. His extensive background is contained in this very informative obituary.
Peter died in 1921 and Henrietta died in 1959. They are both buried in a large family plot in Holland, Ottawa County, Michigan.
Henrietta's Burial, Tombstone Photo, Links to Some Family PETER SHIER County Sheriff
Peter Shier (1856-1925) was the five term Sheriff of Emmons County. He was born in Minnesota Territory to German born parents,  with the original name of Schuer, who immigrated from the Rhine region of Germany in 1849.
Peter Shier marred Anna Burbage (1860 Ireland-1937) in Bismarck, Dakota Territory on September 24, 1883. The Shiers owned The Dinner Ranch in Gayton, which was the stopping point for the Kupitz Stage Coach on its way to Bismarck.
Known for his honesty, generosity, and loyalty, Shier was a popular lawman, greatly respected by Emmons County residents.The Shiers had five children, Mamie (1884-1951); Lucy Ellen (1887-1966); John Peter (1890-1903); Peter Vincent (1892-1986) and Albert Joseph (1898-1961.
Peter Shier later operated a small store in Linton, ND and served as the town constable. The Shiers were known for their St. Patrick's Day parties.
Contributed by Mary Corcoran Photo courtesy of Michael W. Huttner Click picture for larger view Burial Memorial WILLIAM VOSE WADE County Sheriff
William Vose Wade (1851 Plymouth Co, MA-May 07, 1927 Mandan, Morton, ND) was the first Sheriff of Emmons County.
Wade was a frontier scout, hunter and trapper, worked for Standing Rock Agency. He was at Fort Rice in 1872 when the Stanley Expedition left for the Yellowstone to survey for the Northern Pacific Railroad. The Sioux called him "Paha-sa-pa"  which means "Black Hills" as he once led a group of 800 Indians near the Black Hills. He was a special friend of Sitting Bull's, and when young Sioux men stole his horses, and Sitting Bull saw the Lazy Anchor brand, he always sent them back. He was there at the building of many of the forts and agencies along the Missouri River such as Fort Yates and Standing Rock Agency.
In 1878, on a cattle trip to Minnesota, he met a young school teacher Ordelia Malinda Parks. Later, he guided the Thomas Parks family out to the Dakotas. In 1884 Wade and Ordelia married.
He established the Anchor Ranch in Grant County on the Cannonball River, and raised cattle. He became a U.S. Deputy Marshall for Emmons County. In 1900 and then again in 1902 he served in the legislature from Oliver and Morton Counties. He was one of the first County Commissioners for Grant County.
Ordelia Parks Wade was a school teacher in Winona, and she spent winters there so their children, Frank Lisle Wade (1887-1955) and Mamie Laura Wade (Weeden) (1893-1975) could attend the Winona school.
Contributed by Mary Corcoran Click picture for larger view Burial Memorial BALZAR WALD Strasburg Police Chief |
