Josephine's early ranching days in Montana
This story was sent to Caldwell County, Missouri relatives, Billy D. Murray, Mrs. Louise Gastineau, Ott V. Pearse and Dwight Dodge.
Lemuel Hall and Lizzie Turner Hall formerly owned the John Harrington farm southwest of Hamilton, Missouri. Mrs. Hall was a daughter of the late Captain S. E. Turner and Dora Josephine Perry Turner, a sister of Mrs. Ida Pears, Mrs. Julia Murray, Roy and Albert Turner and Mrs. Nora Dodge, wife of Dwight Dodge. Cousins of Mrs. Ivan Henderson are Ott V. Pearse, the late Robert Pearse, Billy D. Murray, Mrs. Louise Gastineau, Mrs. Mable Estes, David and Sam Turner, Dwight Dodge, Mrs. Thelma Wheeler, Lepha Henkins, Louise Pickering, Faye Sackman Bozarth, Ida May Stinson, Ruth Noble and J. D. Turner.

Mr. And Mrs. Hall left Hamilton in 1915 and went to Media, Illinois. In the spring of 1917 Mrs. Hall and Josephine, who was then 11 years old, joined Mr. Hall at a homestead 52 miles south of Malta, Montana, where he had settled and filed a claim. Their emigrant car had been shunted to a sidetrack at Malta for unloading. There was a scene of feverish turmoil. Hotels were crowded, restaurants were jammed with people, grocery stores were crowded. New buildings were going up, teams and wagons, buggies and Democrats and a few cars churned up the dust of the streets. Loads of lumber, wagons stacked with household goods and machinery trailed by milk cows, herded by men and boys who were on the move and headed to homesteads.

Josephine enjoyed the ride and many sights of the countryside. Claim shacks of raw new lumber, some covered with tar paper, dotted the land. Near at hand the prairie was bright with rosy-yellow cactus, daisies and lupine. There were many birds and sage hens.
Toward evening the second day from Malta, the Halls arrived at the 12 by 14 foot frame shack they were to call home. To Josephine, who married a neighboring homesteader, Ivan Henderson, it was to be her home for 47 years.
Mr. Hall paid $50 to a "loan locater" in Malta for directing him to a still unfilled- on land. He had a team of sturdy horses and a good wagon and soon became the local contact for the locater.
Mr. Lemuel Hall dug one of the first wells in the entire area. In fact, he dug eight wells before he struck water. Good water, at 25 feet, supplied a dozen families. The well was some distance from the knoll where his house stood so he simply moved all the buildings to the well, which is still in use.

Mrs. Henderson lives on land acquired by the family, with her daughter, Mrs. Francis Jacobs and husband. They could at one time count as many as 50 other homes. Today the buildings of only four neighbors can be seen from the original Hall home.

In 1919 a school was built and Josephine Hall was one of six pupils. The building was the scene of dances and basket socials. By the late 1920s the population had dwindled,, but there were enough people to justify a church. It was build in the Regina, Montana community.
World War I took many unmarried men. Some were killed and others did not return to the area. Dry years caused others to leave. The depression of the 1930s and the drought of nearly ten years forced many to give up.

The halls and Ivan Henderson remained. Josephine married Ivan in 1936.

Mrs. Lemuel Hall did in 1956 at the age of 74 years. Mr. Henderson died 1956, also, at the age of 71 years and Mr. Hall died in 1962 at the age of 88 years.

There were good crops in 1963 and electric power and telephone service added, making the year outstanding. Lemuel Hall's dream of nearly half century ago, that a railroad would tap the Regina area was not realized.

There were winters when the temperatures dropped to 35 to 54 degrees below zero. The worst winter was that of 1950 when ranchers were isolated for weeks by one of the worst storms to strike the area. On January 3, 1950 the temperature dropped to 40 below zero. Conditions were critical through February. Snow was in deep drifts. Flyers of the locality were on relief missions in the air 8 hours a day to bring emergency supplies. Home canned and preserved foods at the Henderson ranch were a life-saver through the long hard winter. Fortunately no illnesses occurred. Stock loss was low and spring finally came.
Written by Josephine Hall Henderson
Regina, Montana
April 16, 1964

Josephine Henderson