Pendroy Surname History Information
A little story of Frontier Justice in the old west in 1884 (North) Dakota Territory:
"....This put an end to horse stealing along the Mouse River for the time being....".
Pendroy, North Dakota was settled as the Pendroy Settlement in 1882 along the Mouse (Souris) River area in what became McHenry County North Dakota, not too far south of the Canadian border. By 1888 it had a Post Office and James M. Pendroy was Postmaster, and at least one authentic picture of the 1888 Pendroy, ND post office/cabin interior exists along with local pioneer women displaying a quilt. North Dakota became a state some five years later in 1889.
In 1882 James M. Pendroy, (40th Iowa Volunteers), left Iowa along with Jacob A. Pendroy and other extended Pendroy families, traveled north and west in covered wagons and pushed a cattle herd to North Dakota in the Mouse River area of McHenry County, ND. They drove across the prairie camping where the Verendrye monument now stands......
Soon the Pendroy Settlement in McHenry Co ND had a post office with James Pendroy Postmaster, and became the frontier town of Pendroy, North Dakota. The Tom Berry publication relates the following details published later in a local newspaper:
"On November 6, 1884 Johnny Pendroy, Tom F. Berry and Tom S. Donnell accidentally camped with the 18 Montana cowboys, who came and arrested three horse thieves. Next morning, when the cowboys, with provisions, were ready to leave, one of the captured thieves told Berry to try to get word to his family he would not be back for some time. The cowboy leader smiled at Berry as much as to say that he agreed. This was the last known of the three horse thieves, but the next spring the bodies of three men were found near the shores of Strawberry Lake. This put an end to horse stealing along the Mouse River for the time being."
Levi Boots Pendroy came with his father James M. Pendroy to McHenry County North Dakota in 1882. Later on, he ended up having Pendroy, Montana named after him. The location of Pendroy, Montana is about 500 miles west of Pendroy, North Dakota, but at the same northern latitude, as both areas are on the route of James J. Hill's "The Great Northern Railroad" line.
The following information was published in the publication "Pendroy, Montana, a Wide Spot In The Road", 1991, Pendroy Book Committee, Griggs printing and Publishing: Page 3, Author Diane Bingham:
"In 1916 the Great Northern Railroad announced the extension of their north - south railroad line from Bynum to Porter bench. It was at this point that Pendroy (Montana) was named. In these years Louis W. Hill, son of James J. Hill, was president of the Great Northern Railroad. James J. Hill had met L.B. Pendroy west of Devil's Lake, Dakota Territory in 1885 while he was scouting this country for a possible route for his railroad."
Levi B. Pendroy was one of the early pioneer homesteaders and businessmen of Teton County, Montana. LB had been earlier been a surveyor and associate of James J. Hill - the builder of "The Great Northern Railroad". When this line pushed their branch north of Choteau in 1916, they named the terminus Pendroy to honor LB Pendroy. Go to page about the current town of Pendroy Montana.
Pendroy, Montana in 1917
