Richard Amherst Fry

Was the third of Olney and Celinda Bennett (1st of Olney's 3 wives) Fry's 11 children brought from Illinois to Oregon in 1849.

Married Justine Irie at St. Paul's Mission near Kettle Falls bridge on the Colville Republic Highway, Stevens, WA.

In 1875, Richard and brother Martin M. Fry leased Bonner's ferry business at Bonners Ferry, ID--Richard Fry & Company.

1880 U.S. Census: At 38, an Indian Trader, and designated white, living in Kootenai County, on the Spokane Prarie, Idaho, with wife "Justeen" (35) described Indian and 5 children: George (18)--Packer, Christina (16), Clarence (4), Mary (2), and Charley (11 months). The children are cited as half blood Indians.

In 1888, brothers Richard and Martin Fry and Dick’s son-in-law, Arthur Bunting, purchased the Northern Pacific’s little railroad construction tugboat, the Idaho, and had it wheeled over the Walla Walla Trail from Pend Oreille Lake to Bonners Ferry. Contracted by the Hall Mines, Limited, the Frys skidded and packed Silver King ore down to their dock at the mouth of Ward Creek, heaved it onto a barge and left Captain Bunting to huff the Idaho to Bonners Ferry where the ore was shoveled onto wagons for the 34-mile haul over the Pack River Pass to Pend Oreille—since 1893, “Sandpoint”—on the Northern Pacific Railroad’s mainline.

Had 8 children with Native American wife Justine.

Buried in the Grandview Cemetery, Bonners Ferry, Idaho, with wife Justine, son George, daughters Christina, Julia, and Katherine, Christina's husband Arthur Bunting, and Katherine's husband Robert Lockhart.

KMC online, Summer 2009, p.74, and Winter 09/10, p.37: ... "Daughter of Colville, Washington, Chief Soqustik'en, Justine Susteel Fry married American prospector and entrepreneur Richard Fry in 1860. Richard and his brother Alfred helped pioneer the northeast Washington territory, where they ran two trading posts: one on the Columbia River and another on the Pend Oreille River. Alfred, who ran the Columbia River post, was murdered by an arrow-shooting native man in an eruption over a dead dog and stolen bacon. After Alfred's death, the assailants decided to make it a double and kill the younger Richard. Richard was captured, and his father-in-law attempted to intervene. With no peaceful resolution in sight, Chief Soqustik'en prompted his daughter Justine to initiate an escape under the cover of darkness. With a baby strapped to her back, Justine freed her husband and the trio fled to safety. The Frys later settled in Bonner's Ferry, Idaho, where they operated a store and ferry and raised eight children. In 1887, several Fry relatives (2 of her sons and a son-in-law) built some of the first cabins at the future town site of Nelson, near Ward Creek (British Columbia). After rescuing her husband, Fry's reputation as a family matriarch of steely nerves and sterling traits ignited."

BC Historical News online, [Welwood, R.J. (Ron), "Baillie-Grohman’s Diversion," British Columbia, Canada, Vol. 36, No. 4/FALL 2003, page 9] ... http://www.bchistory.ca/awards/article/Welwood.pdf ..."Fry, born in March 1838, migrated westward from Illinois with his parents when he was eleven. Six years later, he left home to serve in the military during the native uprisings around Walla Walla. He later struck out for the Columbia River gold rush, but quickly realized more money could be made from trading than panning. Across the river from his trading post (now Marcus,Washington) was a Sinixt village where he met his wife, Justine Soqu’stik’en. The Frys eventually settled at Bonners Ferry and maintained a ferry, trading post, and pack train business. During this period Fry also traveled around the country hunting, fishing, trapping, mining, and exploring. During the 1860s, Dick Fry maintained a trapline on Cottonwood and Forty-Nine Creeks just west of Kootenay Lake’s outlet, near present-day Nelson. He also placer mined for gold on Forty-Nine Creek in the summers of 1867, 1868, and 1869. On his trapping and mining excursions he became more than familiar with the surrounding terrain, including the natural bottleneck located at Kootenay Lake’s westward outlet. “Richard Fry knew the Kootenay country probably better than anyone else”...

Oregon Historical Society Bulletin, September 1998, Genealogical Forum, Oregon Indian War Pension Records: ... The following information found in the pension file of Justine Fry (# O356), the widow of soldier Richard A. Fry, was abstracted from a card file at Oregon Historical Society of the Indian War pension files [ http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jkidd/articles/IndW... ]. The historical society microfilmed the files, which can't be photocopied and which are available at its manuscript department. ... A letter dated 7 Jan 1898 from Richard Fry reported that "Laban Fry and Amherst Fry and Alferd Fry are dead and have no widdows living, in fact they were never married..." ... Richard was born March 6, 1838 in Knox County, Illinois. He married Justine Sustiken on January 3, 1860. Justine was born November 5, 1838 in Coleville, Washington. ... Richard Fry enlisted in Company H, commanded by Captain Davis Layton, and served about 10 months. ... His personal description indicated that he stood 5'10" tall, had grey eyes, dark hair, and a dark complexion. His occupation was that of a farmer. ... Upon leaving the service, he lived at Albany, Oregon, for two years, then for twelve years at Coleville, Washington, and has since resided at Bonners Ferry, Idaho, for the past twenty-seven years. ... Witness to his service was given by Mr. Lyman Markham, of Laclide, Idaho, and by Mr. Olney Fry, of Linn County, Albany, Oregon. ... The widow, Justine Fry made application for a pension on August 16, 1902. ... She said that her husband was born in Fannington, Knox County, Illinois. They were married January 3, 1860, in Coleville, Washington by Father Joseph, a Catholic Priest. Richard A. Fry died in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, on December 14, 1898.