John W. Blair arrived in Virginia City, Montana, in July 1864 with a party of 300 who traveled to Montana in search of gold. Blair traveled from Seneca, Ohio, where he was born in October 1841. His father, Thomas Blair, was of Scotch-Irish ancestry. His mother, Mary Saylor, came from a prominent Virginia family. John W. Blair lived on his family’s farm and was educated in public schools until he left to fight in the Civil War. He was a member of the 49th Ohio Regiment of Minute Men. After Blair arrived in Montana he mined in Virginia City for a while and spent his first winter in Utah. After that he worked in the Last Chance Gulch mine near Helena, Montana, for six years.
In 1872 Blair moved to Helmville, Montana, which is located in the Blackfoot Valley east of Missoula, Montana. He established one of the largest ranches in the state at the time about two miles from Helmville. At one point Blair had 28,000 acres where he mostly raised livestock. He was well known for raising fine breeds of sheep and shorthorn cattle. During this time Blair was elected to Montana’s first state legislature in 1889 as a republican. Blair didn’t know he was nominated and voted for himself thinking the name on the ticket was another man with the same name from Anaconda. While in the legislature he served on the labor committee and was elected again in 1912. Blair sold his ranch in 1910 and established the bank, Blair & Company, in Helmville. He was also involved in the development of the near-by town of Drummond, Montana, where he and his partner financed the building of the Palace Hotel. He also helped to establish Drummond State Bank. Blair was a member of the Montana Pioneers Society. He was known as one of the state’s wealthiest men and held a tremendous amount of deeded land.
From the guide to the John W. Blair land deeds, 1899-1902, (University of Montana-Missoula Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections)
