The Second Generation Comes of Age
Then he went home for the weekends and worked there too. Albert thought work was better for his son than studying. Marvin disagreed – he thought car magazines were better. Nevertheless, he did find a way to get in some play time too. When he was 11, he took the motor out of a car horn and put it in an oil pan to make a toy boat. It was operated from shore with wires connected to the battery.
Once when he was working on the motor, Mrs. Winterhalter hid the parts to tease him. He made new parts and it worked – Surprised everyone! Marvin drove all the way to town with his mom in the family Studebaker when he was just 13. Three years later he had his own car.
In the 8th grade, the school closed because he and Rodney Vannoy were the only students. He stayed with the Zauggs in Bonner that year. The weekends were a thrill because he got to ride in the engine cab on the train up the Blackfoot. Later, Albert and Frances bought 5 acres in Bonner and built a small house using lumber Albert had cut in the steam powered sawmill at the ranch. Marvin lived there during high school with his kid brother Earl, who was 9 years younger. Frances stayed with them once for 6 months. They received $28/month from the county school district to help cover expenses.
Marvin drove a 1927 Studebaker that he had converted into a pickup with a plywood roof. He altered the roof line with wood from a crooked tree and put a gas tank in the back which he had gotten from a still above the ranch. Many young people learned to drive in Marvin’s car. They went through 4 used motors in 5 years. He used parts from 11 different makes and models of cars to make it and keep it running.
By the time he started dating Olga, his future wife, he was driving a conventional 1 ton flatbed truck with part of a car body for the cab ~plush. They started dating and he often gave her a ride to school during their last year of high school. She took school seriously, and was a member of the National Honor Society. In contrast, Marvin took books home and carefully took them back to school the next day unopened. They attended Missoula County High School on Higgins Avenue. She and Marvin graduated the same year. Their three children also graduated from the same high school. The name was changed to Hellgate High School in the 1960’s. In 2003, the family donated money towards the renovation of the school theater which now has a chair engraved with family names in the balcony.
Marvin worked for housing contractors and built several houses on his own in Missoula. He became interested in Timber rib buildings which were used on farms. In 1953, he obtained a franchise in Great Falls to build them and moved his family there. He built over 100 Timber rib buildings. Some of these farm buildings had arch shaped laminated rafters; 30sets of which he made himself. In 2010, he built a set of laminated rafters for Audrey to use in the cabin she had built that year.
After Frances passed away in 1964, Albert decided on a plan for transitioning his cattle ranch onto the next generation. Since Earl was living on and working the ranch with Albert, he received the majority of the property. In 1965, Marvin and Olga received the 120 acres along the southern boundary and in 1992, a Right of Way across Earl’s land and Blanchard Creek so that they could always have access to the property. Their land has been available for use by Earl and family for all these years. Marvin was supportive of their efforts in many ways, including the installation of a series of generators so that the family would have electricity for lights and refrigeration.
Albert passed away one evening after dinner in 1991. During all of his 96 years, he had never been hospitalized. Earl and Ida continued to live there and run Herford cattle on the ranch. They raised 2 children who continue to live in the area. When Ida passed away in January or 2004, Earl began spending more time staying with family.
Over the years, Marvin restored 2 different Case steam tractors. The larger engine is housed at the historic Fort Missoula. Each 4th of July, it is “fired up” to show folks how lumber was milled the early 1900’s. The engine has been featured at the Missoula County fair each summer, where its whistle can be heard throughout the town.
Over the years, numerous vehicles have been stored at the ranch. Several of them have been restored; a 1959 white Cadillac convertible by Marvin, Audrey’s 1965 Plymouth Barracuda by Rachel, and grandma Livesey’s Buick by Glen. And most recently, Marvin assembled pieces of the 1921 Studebaker that had been residing under the trees for over 70 years, and got it to run again!
Marvin and Olga, as well as their kids, grandkids, and great grandkids have all made numerous visits to the ranch over the years. During their early teens, Audrey, Judy, and Bruce spent part of their summers living at the ranch with their grandparents Albert and Frances. Even though Audrey moved California after college, she continued visiting family in Missoula every summer as her children were growing up. The tradition continues with regular visits to Blanchard Meadows by Audrey and family, Judy, and Bruce and family.
Some wild baby bunnies got into the house in the morning. Earl and Leslie laughed as they chased them around the house. Earl’s heart stopped that evening. Emergency and hospital personnel worked diligently to save him, but it was apparently his time to leave us. Most of his family was able to say their good byes in the hospital. He was born March 24, 1933 and passed away on July 22, 2014 at the age of 81.
Earl was preceded in death by his parents, Albert Earl and Frances May (Lane) Troutwine, as well as his wife of 48 years, Idabell (Mee) Troutwine. Earl is survived by his brother Marvin and sister-in-law Olga son Kevin and daughter-in-law Darlene; their children, Andy, Adam, Kayla and Avery; as well as Earl’s two greatgrandchildren, Tayden and Torey; and daughter Leslie and son-in-law Mark and their son, Sam.
Earl was blessed with a large number of sisters and brothersinlaw, nieces and nephews, along with dear, lifelong neighbors and friends making up a large extended family who were always there to help, laugh, cry and share their lives with him, bringing Earl a life full of love and joy.
Earl will be remembered for many things including his happy, relaxed manner, his abundance of patience and understanding, and his love to tease and joke where everyone was fair game; as well as his ability to take a good nap and make the best of whatever life gave him. He is buried at the Seeley Lake Cemetery.