Couch, Thomas, 1843-1902

Thomas Couch was born in Cornwall, England on December 29, 1843. He left England for the copper district of Lake Superior in the U.S. when he was 20 years old and soon thereafter continued onto California where he worked in the gold fields. He became prominent in mining circles of California, Utah and Nevada before moving to Butte, Montana, in 1883. In 1896 he resigned from the Boston and Montana Mining Co, and devoted more of his time to his ranching activities near Great Falls, Montana. Couch also owned the Brelan Horse Company, which raised stallions. He had bought the Robert Vaughn properties in 1898 and raised cattle and horses until his death on February 5, 1902. His sons carried on his agricultural enterprises, and several subdivisions and corporations were established to carry on the businesses. Those companies were Couch Brothers Company, Couch Investment Company, Couch & Vivian, Great Falls Automatic Telephone Company, Montana Engineering Company, Montana Independent Telephone Company, Montana Telephone Company, and Stanton & Couch.

From the guide to the Thomas Couch Family Papers, 1889-1929, (Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections)

Butte, Mont., mine developer and Sun River, Mont., rancher.

Thomas Couch was born in Cornwall, England, on 29 Dec. 1843. He went to work in the local mine when about twelve. He emigrated with several other Cornish miners to the U.S. in 1862. Couch developed a number of great quartz mines around the West, including the Mamouth Mine at Tintic, Utah; the Hornsilver Mine at Frisco, Utah; and several large copper mines at Butte, Mont. He was the general manager of the Boston & Montana Consolidated Copper & Silver Mining Co., which built the smelter at Great Falls. In 1889 he purchased the Robert Vaughn ranch on the Sun and Missouri rivers. He raised purebred bulls to improve the breed lines of Montana cattle. After the death of Thomas Couch in California in 1902, his son Thomas Couch, Jr., organized the family holdings into the Couch Investment Company and placed the entire capital of the estate into land and real estate. Thomas Couch, Jr., was also one of the organizers of the Great Falls Automatic Telephone Company, the Montana Life Insurance Company, and the Northern Flax Fiber Company.

From the description of Thomas Couch family papers, 1886-1925 (bulk 1905-1925). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70965087