Charles M. Bair was an early railroading businessman who also became one of the largest sheep ranchers in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. He had two daughters, Alberta and Marguerite.

Charles M. Bair was born in Stark County, Ohio

Stark County, Ohio

Stark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 375,586. It is included in the Canton-Massillon, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area....

. He became a conductor

Conductor (transportation)

A conductor is a member of a railway train's crew that is responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve the actual operation of the train. The title of conductor is most associated with railway operations in North America, but the role of conductor is common to railways...

 for the Northern Pacific Railway

Northern Pacific Railway

The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...

. In 1891, he left the railroad to become a sheep rancher near Lavina, Montana

Lavina, Montana

Lavina is a town in Golden Valley County, Montana, United States. The population was 209 at the 2000 census. The town is situated on the north bank of the Musselshell River.-Geography:Lavina is located at ....

.

In 1898, he sold his flock and went to Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

, where he became a millionaire selling machinery to miners participating in the Klondike Gold Rush

Klondike Gold Rush

The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...

.

Later, he returned to Montana and sheep ranching. In 1910, he own about 300,000 head of sheep and was reputed to have the largest sheep operation in North America. The original Bair homestead is located in what is now downtown Billings, Montana

Billings, Montana

Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...

. A theater, originally named the Fox Theater, was renamed in honor of his daughter Alberta in 1987.

He died in 1943. His family home in Martinsdale

Martinsdale, Montana

Martinsdale is an unincorporated community in southeastern Meagher County, Montana, United States. The town was a station stop on the now-abandoned transcontinental main line of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , and is a community center for nearby ranches and farms...

 is now a museum. A trust fund was set up in his name by daughters, Marguerite and Alberta. Part of the trust is used to fund scholarships for high school graduates of Meagher or Wheatland Counties.

Bair was inducted into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame

Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame

The Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame is a proposed hall of fame to be located in Wolf Point, Montana, as designated by the State of Montana in 2003. The hall of fame is currently raising funds and was granted US$0.5 million in state funds for site development and project planning during a 2007 special...

in 2008.