Person:Clarence Rich (5)

Obituary: edited versions submitted to the Seeley-Swan Pathfinder, Seeley

Lake, Mt; Missoulian, Missoula, Mt. Stillwater News, Columbus, Mt.; Kinfolk; RICH Family Association publication, Wellfleet, Mass. and the Billings Gazette, Billings, Mt.)

    C.B. RICH -- A MAN OF THE MOUNTAINS      March 6 1919--October 12, 1996

    On October 12, 1996 at 5;00 a.m. God called home one of his best.

Clarence Barron "C.B." Rich came to bless the home of his Montana pioneer parents on March 6, 1919 at the fanily home in Dean, Montana. After a difficult birth Grandma Lizzie cuddled and loved him to keep him warm and help him make it through the night. He was born to parents Clarence Gallatin Rich and Anna Marguarite Barron Rich, the second child in a family of four children, he joined big sister Olive Mary at the family home, a fourth generation Montanan.

His great-grandparents, Dr Andrew Jackson Hunter and Susan Murray Hunter had left the Civil War and Missouri behind and followed a dream coming west following John Bozeman on the Bozeman Trail in April of 1864. At the time C.B.'s grandmother, Lizzie Kate Longstreet Hunter was a young girl of one year. She would meet and marry a teamster from Bozeman, Montana, Franklin Willson Rich, who had come west in 1866 at the age of 19, with Jim Bridger. In 1884 at "Hunter's Hot Springs " near Livingston, Montana his dad Clarence, was born dieliverd by his great-grandfather, Dr. Hunter. The family eventually settled on a homestead in the Dean Valley at the base of the Beartooth Mountains. Here C.B. learned the values of love and life he lived by.

    His early years gave him a love and heritage of horses from the early

years when everything was transported as Grandpa Frank had done by team and wagon, to the later years when he would use a "Pack String". He learned to drive a team and ride horses as soon as he could walk, even breaking his pet dog and sheep on a little buckboard wagon that Grandpa Frank built. Together his dad and grandpa built up the brake pedals on one of the big wagons so that he could reach them, at nine years of age, to help with the farm work and hauling, driving one of the teams his dad had broke. He said he learned the value of a good saddle horse when afer being caught racing his saddle horse with a neighbor kid at an early age, he was punished by having to wrangle the milk cows every morning and evening on foot for a month. After a few days one by one the cows figured out that they could out run him. When his dad gave back his saddle horse just before the month was up he knew he would never abuse his horse in that way again. He passed that lesson along to any one who rode with him, there was much more pride in winning a "walking race back home" then ever running a horse in any degree.

    His Mom, Anna, gave him her strong Irish values and baby fine black hair

that didn't even grey with age. To his mom and dad he was "Bud", a strong shoulder with a tender heart, a cowboy who often suprised those he loved with a bouquet of 'wild flowers'. He so loved his Dean Valley, Rich Ranch, and those beautiful Beartooth Mountains.

    Education, C.B., thought was an important foundation in everyone's life.

He encouraged everyone to take advantage of the school opportunities out there for them and to never give up, can't was NOT a word in his life. He felt EVERYONE through hard work and respect for their teacher, was capable of a good education. His education took him from a one room school house at Dean to his graduation from Columbus High School in May of 1936. He played basketball and football for the Columbus Cougars and in his senior year played for the state football championships in three feet of snow with a field where the lines were marked with coal dust. His senior he year asked out on their first date a freshman, from Columbus, Miss Helen Calhoun.

    His high school and college summers were spent packing for The Bureau of

Mines in the Beartooth Mountains and helping out on the family ranch where needed. College years found him in Bozeman to study Electrical Enigneering and to play football. He was very proud to have pledged to the SAE fraternity and proudly gave Helen a SAE locket. It also gave him some extra time to spend with his great-aunt, Mary Hunter Doane.

    For spending money during his college years he taught dance, even teaching

waltzing in top hat and tails. He loved to dance, and in later years would lovingly teach the small feet of his children and grandchildren how to follow his steps in the waltz, and his and Helen's love of the music from the "Big Band Era", Glen Miller, Benny Goodman, and Lawrence Welk . The beauty of C.B. and his lady, dancing, will forever live on in our hearts.

    With the outbreak of World War II, C.B. enlisted on May 15, 1942 with the

Army Air Corps, becoming an Air Observer Navigator, First Lieutenant. He was proud to be a navigator, and shared with his children and friends the map the stars show in a bright Montana sky on a clear night.

    He returned home after basic training to marry his high school sweetheart

Miss Helen Calhoun, on September 3, 1942. Helen had just finished Nurse's Training at St Vincents in Billings and was now a RN.

     Helen joined C.B in Texas for his completetion in Navigation School and

assignment to a crew. They traveled from Texas to the East Coast and Helen bid C.B. goodbye as he was assigned to a crew being sent to England on April 23, 1944 flying a B-24 Liberator "J", named "MISS YOU". His bombardier, Milton Issenberg became a life-long friend. His service in England led to 12 successful bombing raids over France and Germany, including the D-Day Invasion. On June 23, 1944, on his thirteenth mission, flying lead plane with 11 members in the crew, Miss You was shot in the hydraulic accumulators, caught fire, and at 7:55 pm went down in flames over Laon, France. Of 11 men in the crew, five were killed, five were captured,(including Milt), while C.B. evaded capture. With eyes burned and swelling shut, C.B., spied a small swamp and made his way toward it. As he lay in the swamp the German's hunted for him. They had seen his parachute and knew he was near. The dogs they brought would go to the edge of the swamp but would not enter the muddy water. After three days of hiding he caught the attention of French children who had come to the swamp to water stock. They helped him to the doctor and the French underground and his journey home to The American Lines, Helen and Family began. Oficially listed as MIA he made it back to American Lines and was able to call Helen on their wedding anniversary, Sep 3, 1944.

    Discharged on October 7, 1945, he couldn't wait to return to the Montana

mountains he loved. For his service he was awarded; The Purple Heart, Air Medal, Walking Boot, and was a member of the Caterpillar Club for making a life saving jump with a silk parachute. He was proud of his country, faults andall it stands for, having a flag pole by his home where in later years the lights at night would show the stars and stripes he loved waving in the breeze. He passed on that love of country to all. He marched in uniform for parades following the war years and after his move to Seeley Lake, was found either ridng or driving horses in the 4th of July Parade. We will ' carry the the colors' proudly in his honor.

    C.B. and Helen returned home late in the fall of 1945 to the Rich Ranch to

raise cattle and horses. A barn fire while C. B. was away forced him to once again start his pack outfit, harnesses and all horse things from scratch. For extra money, C.B. began roping, pick up and team roping with partner and brother in law Art Monk at the local rodeos. Breaking horses left over from the war years and horse shoeing (an art he'd learned earlier in life), cattle, the ranch, roping, and starting a family filled his life. Those Beartooth Mountains continued to call and he also started packing again.

    The family grew to four girls and a baby boy and Helen and C.B. reached

out a hand to those in need of a home. Through the years those needing time or a helping hand, or the family love they felt from the Rich family also spenttime as part of the family. Those bonds lasted long beyond the time spent at the Rich Ranch and later at the Double Arrow.

    C.B.'s love of music stretched to the saxaphone and piano.  Through the

years his happy playing of favorite family songs, singing in his rich Irish voice would ring through the house and invite all to join in. His "Side by Side" would leave everyone smiling. That singing followed through to sleigh rides and campfires. You might start out bashhful but in a short amount of time found yourself humming along to words you might not know and surely joining in song when you did know.

    Helen and C.B. decided to buy a "Guest Ranch" and that decision led them

to Seeley Lake and The Double Arrow Ranch. 4,440 Acres nestled near the base of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Family, livestock, and pets moved in the fall of 1958.

    From the Double Arrow C.B. began sharing the beauty of the Bob Marshall

Wilderness with it's special places; the Chinese Wall, Leota Park, Big Prarie, and the Young's Creek and Danahure Creek drainages; to family, friends and guests from all over the World. The value and beauty of these places live on in the hearts and memories of those lucky enough to have shared a campfire with him. He worked hard in and for the betterment of his community. He helped to enlarge the gradeschool to provide room for an expanding community and served on the school board becoming chairman in 1967. He also helped to build a high school, even traveling to Helena to lobby to have the laws changed. This opportunity gave the high school age students of the Seeley-Swan valley the opportunity to go to high school and participate in the sports and activities, without the bus ride to Missoula, 60 miles one way from Seeley Lake. (as his oldest daughter Mary Anna did for all four of her high school years.)

    He became the town "Santa" arriving by team and sleigh every year at

Christmas at the Seeley town tree to hand out bags of goodies to the kids and and any one willing to give Santa their wish list for Christmas. He proudly carried on the Santa traditon for 30 years.

   IN 1964 C.B. became a proud member of the Montana Centennial Train, pulling

his red stagecoach by his 4-horse hitch of matched sorell and white pintos (Bacon and Eggs were the leaders; Ham and Beans were the Wheelers). They paraded through towns in the south east on thier way to the World's Fair in New York City, coming back through the north east, stopping in major cities to parade. C.B. had the opportunity to haul the Governor, and Miss Montana; Kitty Quigley, and even hauled the pitcher for the New York Yankees to the pitchers mound for a game at Yankee Stadium. (The pitcher was from Billings. Mt.)

    The sale of the Double Arrow Ranch in 1966 left C.B. to comcentrate on

outfitting and later on, Real Estate. His honesty and philosophy that he grew up with, that a man's handshake was as good as his word, made him a man you could trust. Son, Jack eventually bought the pack outfit from C.B. and leasing the barn and pastures from the Double Arrow Ranch continued to run the outfit with the help and advice of C.B., who continued to be big part of the heart of it. It gave family and friends the opportunity to share many happy trails with C.B. and Helen. To help people understand and save a piece of what is the Wilderness for the generations to come was important to C.B. and son, Jack. C.B. became president of the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association after beining a member for years. Through the office of president he met with heads of the Forest Service, goverment, representatives, and congressmen. traveling to Washington D.C., to help regulate and preserve the wilderness, so future generations may come to know and understand where we are and where we came from. He gives us the opportunity to see through his gifted eyes, the wilderness and the people he's shared his life with in the two book of stories and poetry he's written and published. We are forever grateful to have those.

     He carried on his dad's and grandad's love of teams and driving, matching

horses by size and colors to provide teams from chuck wagons, to the stagecoach, to the red and green "bob sleds " and sleighs for winter use. The shine of the brass spots on the harness with the matching red, white and blue spreaders to the sound of the brass sleigh bells on a team on a crisp winter morning as the sleigh is pulled by the team through the bright winter snow is a gift we were fortunate to share as a family. C.B. and Jack were proud to drive four and six horse hitches of matched pintos, something that was an art passed down from Clarence and Franklin.

      When Jack bought a black and white paint that was full of steam C.B. at

age 77 was challenged to take "Teton" and give him a try, breaking him as he had hundreds of others over the years. With Teton, Peggy and family, and friend Milt, he was proud to take a pack trip once again, over Pyramid Pass, stoppin at Leota Park, in the summer of 1996.

     When asked what his favorite

horse of all time was he gave a tolerant look and said one of the greatest injustices of this old life was that man outlived his horse and dog. After quiet thought he said there had been hundreds over the years but there were those special ones. Star, the blood bay gelding, who found his way home in the middle of the night when he and 17 year old C.B. were traped in a spring snowstorm. After spending the day checking the cattle on open range, they were caught in the storm as they headed home. C.B.'s last memory was stopping to open the gate some 2 miles from the home ranch. Instead of going to the barn as some horses would, he walked up the walk, and stomped drawing the attention of (at about 2 am) Lizzie and Anna who had worried and waited for some sign of C.B. He was frozen to the saddle horn and they had to work to get him free. Next he said there was Fox, A sorell gelding that also saved C.B.'s life. Attempting to take a 'short cut' home they got caught in a rock slide. As it seemed the whole chute slid including Fox and C.B. he could see large size rocks and logs as they all slid when down the hill a log jammed betweentwo huge rocks. As he figured this was it, he felt Fox gather himself and in the middle of the rocks sliding, jumped the log. Fox and C.B. made it home shaken, but safe. He smiled and said "Smokey" a gureula gelding, the best rope horse he ever rode! He knew if he was on "Smokey" roping, he was in the money. The only problem was, if for some reason C.B. missed the throw Smokey would turn and bite the toe of his boot, as if to say I got you there and You MISSED! Then came Pepper, the horse we kids remembered dad riding and were in awe of. A big black and white paint, C.B. played polo on him, roped and his favorite, led his pack strings. Chief and Tommy followed and ended up being the matched pair C.B. and Helen rode. Through the years C.B. put a rein on a horse all envied, with a quiet way. It was a pleasure to ride a horse he had trained. His personal saddles included two hand made saddles by Victor Areo His bronk saddle, tipton, and his roping saddle which we admired in awe when C.B. figured he'd passed 150,000 miles in the saddle.

    Bored, a word that people use frequently today was one sure fire way

to set C.B. on his ear. Many a 'bored' kid got to clean the barn, or oil those endless saddles as C.B. would calmly explain that any one who could possibly even utter the word bored and look at the beautiful country we live in with all the opportunities was truely a boring person themselves!

      Along the trail of his life he has managed to touch many, frequentlyreaching out to those who needed him.  In the last years he watched as his

dreams of the new "Rich Ranch" came to life at Kozy Korner. He celebrated 60 years of love and life with Helen since their first date in 1936.

   He leaves behind a legacy to be carried on by his survivors; Helen at the

family home at Kozy Korner; his five children, daughter Mary Anna Rich, Seeley Lake and family, Debbie and Brian Morris, Diane and Scott Smith, and Greg Herron; daughter Betty and Ron Bergland, Billings, Mt and family, Marnie Bergland; Jason Bergland, and Jeremy and Tracey Bergland; daughter Peggy and Ralph Cahoon of Seeley Lake and family Sharee and Jestin , Creston Cahoon, Crystal Cahoon, Heather Richards, Jamie Richards, Ralph Cahoon and Cory Cahoon; daughter Sharon and Philip Pohlman of Seeley Lake and family, Tammy and Barrie Lewis, Pamela and Knut Hoelstead, and Kristy Pohlman; and son Jack and Belinda Rich of the Rich Ranch, Seeley Lake and family Shannon Rich and twins Kelly and David Rich. Great-grandchildren include; Travis, Trevor, and Trenton Morris, Teila and Jenna Smith, Jacob Bergland, and Taylor Bergland, and Katelyn Lewis. His sisters include; Olive Mary and Fred Hovdey, Missoula, Mt and their fives sons and families; sister, Margaret Monk, Missoula, Mt and her four daughters and son, and families, and ; sister, Susan and Herbert Russell and their two sons and three daughters and families.

    He was preceeded in death by his parents, Anna in 1945 and Clarence in

1969, grandsons Nate Bergland(1996) and Josh Bergland(1972) and great-grandaughter Lacey Morris(1985).

   Go rest gently on that mountain, dad, we will gladly follow the trail

you've blazed until we can all meet and pack our camps across the great divide.

    {  MEMORIAL SERVICE }  A memorial service will be held Saturday, Oct 19 at

2:oo pm at the Seeley-Swan High School Gym.

    Burial of the ashes will be with his parents at Mountain View Cemetary,

Columbus, Montana Monday, October 21 at 200 pm. Full Military Services will be provided by the Columbus VFW led by Dave Matovich (C.B. and Helen's best man at their wedding in 1942.)

MULE EXPRESS: Montana Outfitter and Guides Association, P O Box 1248, Helena, Montana 59624 * Volume 5, no.13

    C. B. Rich passed away early Saturday morning Oct 12, leaving a gap in the

Rich family and the outfitting industry wide enough to lead a ten-mule string through, sideways. The memorial service will be held Saturday, Oct 19, 1996 at 2;00 pm in the Seeley-Swan High School Gym. Graveside services will be conducted at the cemetary in Columbus at 2;00, Monday Oct 21.

    The details, as closely as I can relate, are these:  C.B. hadn't been

doing well with his breathing and his heart for some time. Helen and Peggy took him to the hospital in Missoula last Sunday Oct 6, and by Wednesday, they all knew he wouldn't be coming home. Someone rode into the Leota Park camp in the Bob Marshall for Jack and (sister) Mary Anna and Ralph (Sister Peggy's husband). Longtime guide, Frank, whose Italian name eludes me, and Peggy's daughter Heather, stayed in camp to guide and cook. They must have come out in the dead of night for they hit the trailhead, loaded the stock and set off for Missoula arriving about 5:00 am. Outfitter to the end, C.B. said "What are you doing here? You've got hunters in camp!" They stayed at the hospital as long as they could, said their final "goodbyes" and rode back into camp. Jack just came out with a couple of hunters early yesterday (Sunday) and will have to go back in, probably today, and finish the hunt and pull camp.

    This is a difficult time of the year for outfitters to come togehter--and

the Rich family knows that very well-but I hope as many as possible can find their way to the school gym in Seeley Lake next Saturday. I'll be there and I know C.B. and the family would be dang proud if the Seeley Lake community could see how respected he was in the outfitter community. I know I speak for the associaton when I say our heartfelt sympathy and prayers are with Helen, Jack and Belinda and the rest of the remarkable family during this ver difficult time.

    C.B. MEMORIAL:  One of C.B.'s sisters, Susan Russell and her husband, Herb

gave MOGA a very generous check with which to open a memorial account for the Kidfitters Camp Program. Helen was in agreement that anyone wishing to send flowers are encouraged to send a check to MOGA to support KIdfitters Camp in C.B.'s name instead. I'll establish a separate bank account tomorrow and checks can be made payable simply to the C.B, Rich Kidfitters Camp Fund. I'll follow up with a nice note to the family that you've chosen to do this. When I talked to Helen Saturday night, she said, "Flowers are so pretty and so nice, but they wilt and what you do for kids goes on forever."

(NOTE);  Newspaper  article from 1921 :

EARLY MORNING OUTLOOK Clarence Barron Rich, two year old son of Mr and Mrs C G Rich, Dean, Stillwater County, Montana

    This little farm boy was caught by the kodak man as he was taking an early

morning gaze at the wonderful BearTooth mountains from the front yard of his home. It was my great pleasure and good fortune to meet and get acquainted with this bright, beautiful, little boy. Though only a little more than two years of age, he shows an interest in manly things and talks intelligently and interestingly on the affairs of the farm and home. He is busy every hour of the day, watching with anxiety every proceeding going on. He loves his grandma and grandpa and his dog Sandy.

    Clarence was born and nurtured at the foot of this great mountain range,

and the bigness of his mind is fashioned like the grandeur and the glory of the hills surrounding Dean.

    Grandpa Frank is now seventy-six years old and is one of the trail blazers

of Montana. I hope some time to write a story of his early experiences. In the meantime look for a wonderful man to develope from this little boy. by Uncle Sam Hampton

(Newspaper clipping in possession of Sharon Pohlman)

C.B.'s BOOK RICH IN STORIES AND POEMS; By Tom Bryant

    I've know C.B. Rich of Seeley Lake for over twenty years and only recently

learned that he was a poet. For that I am ashamed and embarrassed because I feel that in all the conservations with the man, his wife, Helen, daughters Mary Anna, Peggy, Sharon, Betty, and son Jack, I have never even broached the subject of poetry. I always thought old CB was a rough old cob of an outfitter who growled every time you got too close to one of his pretty daughters or his lovely wife. Wrong, CB Rich, though an Outfitter for many, many, years in Montana's Bob Marshall Wilderness, is a kindhearted, serious thinking man who has recently written and published a book titled "The Life, Times, and Poetry of CB Rich."

    CB and family ran the Double Arrow Ranch near Seeley and their hunting

camp was just over Pyramid Pass and until recently, the Young's Creek Trail ran right through their camp. I can't recall the times when, cold, wet, and saddle sore, I've stopped by the Double Arrow camp for coffee and cake. The Riches were always gracious and said I was always welcome, even though I knew it was a nuiance to have the main trail going right through their camp.

    Well the trail's been rerouted and CB and Helen have semi-retired and

turned the outfitting over to Jack and his beautiful, young wife, Belinda. I wouldn't stick my neck out and say Belinda can cook as good as Helen, yet, but she's great and a helluva wrangler and a gracious hostess.

    CB was born in a log cabin in the Absaroka Mountain Range and that is

tough country to grow up in. CB took to it like a duck to water and learned early to survive in the outdoors and to enjoy and respect a good horse. The skills learned in Montana's back county saved CB well while he served his country. During World War II, CB was in an airplane that was shot down over France and the transplanted cowboy managed to parachute safely and evade the Germans and made contace with the French underground. After hiding out for 70 days, CB was reunited with friendly forces and rejoined his unit,

    Helen and CB bought the Double Arrow near Seeley in 1958 and have  been

in the outfitting business there since. During that time they have served hundreds of guests and shared the wonders of the wilderness with them all. CB writes lovingly of both guests and wilderness. His prose and poetry is both personal and public, humerous and serious.

    You can smell the fresh pine in his poems and feel the friendliness of the

campfire. CB writes of his wife, his daughters, his son, his friends, his horses and his wilderness. "The Life, Times, and Poetry of CB Rich" will draw you into it's folds like a warm sleeping bag on a frosty fall morning.

    It's fun and it's profane.  You'll love the book and you'll learn to love

the man, his family and friends, his life and times and his poetry. The book is almost as good as stopping by the Doulbe Arrow camp for coffee and cake; you get that same warm, friendly feeling of having visisted with good friends. (Clipping from Horse and Rider a supplement to the Missoulain fall 1992, copy in possession of Sharon Pohlman)