Col. Robert E. Strahorn

"Bob" Strahorn was a newspaper reporter and scout in the Sioux Indian Wars of the 70s; he was with Crook's army in the campaign to Powder River. Author of several books and scientific reports, he wrote not long ago, that he is writing his life story, at the age of 94; its title to be "Ninety Years of Boyhood" - and his promise is that the writer is to have the first copy from the press.

Since the death of W.H. Jackson lately, Strahorn is, if still living, the oldest of the old-time westerners. And no man knew the west as he knew it! Though Jackson saw an earlier day, and his life work as a photographer of early west times and its life, is intensely interesting as outlined in his last book "Time Exposure," - Strahorn devoted his life to building of railroads and developing its cities and industries over a wild region, from the Missouri to the Coast.

Following the close of the Indian Wars, Strahorn began his business career as scout for locating new railroads into the Rocky Mountain country and beyond - Denver & Rio Grande, and later located the route for the Oregon Short Line, and the towns and cities which now fringe it through to the coast, - Caldwell, Mountain Home, and many others. Hailey, now place of the noted Sun Valley winter sports resort, was one of his developments in the old days. Spokane owes to Strahorn much of its early development and its present prosperity, so, also Pocatello, Pendleton, and the Columbia Valley and Portland.

In his later years he laid out and built the Oregon & Eastern to open a vast lumber and cattle country to settlement; this property he sold to the Southern Pacific, - at a good profit - and took a trip around the world. Married to a delightful lady in 1877, his wife was a constant "pal" in his travels. Mrs. Strahorn is the author of a popular work entitled "Fifteen Thousand Miles by Stage" - which covers her experiences in days before railroad travel was possible in the wild regions of the northwest. Mr. and Mrs. Strahorn were visitors at the Wigwam on several occasions, when travel brought them to the east from their beautiful home in Spokane.

Strahorn was always reticent when attempts were made to get him to relate his experiences while with Crook's army. Like Crawford, he wished that the Slim Buttes affair could be stricken from the historical records. It was painful for him to talk of it at all.

Last news from him indicated that he is ill -was staying at the Hotel Stewart, San Francisco, - and the new book has not come to light.