Samuel Gebo
Encyclopedia
Samuel Wilford Gebo (1862-1940) was an American entrepreneur influential in the early development of the U.S. state
of Montana
. Born in 1862, Gebo grew up near Plattsburgh, New York, and lived briefly in Minnesota
before settling in Montana in the early 1890s.
Between 1895 and 1897, Sam Gebo’s Clarks Fork Coal Company developed the Gebo Mine near present day Fromberg
(originally named Gebo) in Carbon County, Montana
. In 1900 he and Butte
businessman Henry Frank
formed the Canadian American Coal and Coke Company and developed a lucrative coal mine at Frank, Alberta
, Canada
(the mine was damaged by the Frank Slide
in 1903, but soon reopened and remained productive until 1918). After the death of Henry Frank in 1908, the Canadian American Coal and Coke Company was reorganized into the Canadian Consolidated Coal Company with Gebo as its managing director. Gebo also developed the Spring Creek Mine near Lewistown, Montana
and the Owl Creek Coal Mine in Gebo, Wyoming
. In 1910 Gebo purchased the Citizens’ Electric Company and the Spring Creek Power and Electric Company and merged them with the Lewistown Coal, Gas and Light Company.
Gebo built a large house in Frank in 1901, and also built a large brick house and several other buildings on a 300 acres (1.2 km²) ranch near Fromberg between 1904-1908. However, under pressure from an indictment on federal land fraud charges in Wyoming, Gebo abruptly left for Guatemala
(where he developed a marble quarry) in 1913, and his Fromberg ranch was put up for auction. Gebo retired to Seattle in 1927 with his second wife, and he died in 1940 at home from a gas-leak.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. Born in 1862, Gebo grew up near Plattsburgh, New York, and lived briefly in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
before settling in Montana in the early 1890s.
Between 1895 and 1897, Sam Gebo’s Clarks Fork Coal Company developed the Gebo Mine near present day Fromberg
Fromberg, Montana
Fromberg is a town in Carbon County, Montana, United States. It is part of the Billings, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 486 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fromberg is located at ....
(originally named Gebo) in Carbon County, Montana
Carbon County, Montana
-National protected areas:* Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area * Custer National Forest * Gallatin National Forest -Economy:During the early history of Carbon County, coal mining was the predominant industry...
. In 1900 he and Butte
Butte, Montana
Butte is a city in Montana and the county seat of Silver Bow County, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. As of the 2010 census, Butte's population was 34,200...
businessman Henry Frank
Henry Frank
Born in Ohio, USA in 1851 of French parents, Henry L. Frank was an important business and political figure in the state of Montana, USA. A self-made entrepreneur who invested in liquor distribution, real estate and mining, he also founded the Silver Bow Electric Light Company, was president of the...
formed the Canadian American Coal and Coke Company and developed a lucrative coal mine at Frank, Alberta
Frank, Alberta
Frank is an urban community in the Rocky Mountains within the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in southwest Alberta, Canada. It was formerly incorporated as a village prior to 1979 when it amalgamated with four other municipalities to form Crowsnest Pass....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(the mine was damaged by the Frank Slide
Frank Slide
The Frank Slide is a natural landslide feature in the southern Rocky Mountains of Canada, and a significant historical event in western Canada.Frank, Alberta is a coal mining town in the Crowsnest Pass, Alberta...
in 1903, but soon reopened and remained productive until 1918). After the death of Henry Frank in 1908, the Canadian American Coal and Coke Company was reorganized into the Canadian Consolidated Coal Company with Gebo as its managing director. Gebo also developed the Spring Creek Mine near Lewistown, Montana
Lewistown, Montana
Lewistown is a city in and the county seat of Fergus County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,813 at the 2000 census. Lewistown is located in central Montana, the geographic center of the state, southeast of Great Falls...
and the Owl Creek Coal Mine in Gebo, Wyoming
Gebo, Wyoming
Gebo is a ghost town located in Hot Springs County in the U.S. state of Wyoming. It is located about north of Thermopolis. The town was established as a coal mining camp in 1907 alongside the nearby camps of Crosby and Kirby. It was named after Samuel Gebo who established the Owl Creek Coal...
. In 1910 Gebo purchased the Citizens’ Electric Company and the Spring Creek Power and Electric Company and merged them with the Lewistown Coal, Gas and Light Company.
Gebo built a large house in Frank in 1901, and also built a large brick house and several other buildings on a 300 acres (1.2 km²) ranch near Fromberg between 1904-1908. However, under pressure from an indictment on federal land fraud charges in Wyoming, Gebo abruptly left for Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
(where he developed a marble quarry) in 1913, and his Fromberg ranch was put up for auction. Gebo retired to Seattle in 1927 with his second wife, and he died in 1940 at home from a gas-leak.
External links
- Historic Gebo Barn
- http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/coalgebo.html