Every civilized county on the globe and every state in the Union has contributed to populating and developing the great Northwest of the United States. Among them Wisconsin only recently herself a remote frontier has given a generous share in brain and brawn in enterprise and business capacity, in public spirit and progressive citizenship. It was in this western state that Clemmer C. Belknap now one of the successful and influential stockmen of Fremont County, Wyoming first saw the light of this world on October 27, 1865. He was born at Argyle, in the southwestern part of the state, where his parents, Walter P. and Elmira J. (Seeley) Belknap, were successfully engaged in farming his father being a native of Vermont and a half brother of Com. Charles Belknap of the U. S. navy. They were sons of Moses Belknap of Vermont a veteran of the War of 1812, descended from old Colonial stock. Walter P. Belknap died at Goldfield, Iowa in 1881 aged seventy-four years and his widow also died on July 4, 1889, aged seventy-two years. Their family consisted of ten children, seven sons and three daughters. Of these seven are yet living. Clemmer C. Belknap was educated in the district schools of Iowa, his parents having moved into that state in his childhood and after leaving school he learned his trade as a telegrapher and worked t it in that state for a number of years. In 1891 he took up his residence in California and there also worked at telegraphing for about two years. He then lived successively in Montana and Wyoming, being employed at Opal in the latter state by the Oregon Short Line Railroad C., for three years. In 1899 having tired of railroad work he took up the ranch on which he now lives and settled upon it with the resolute purpose of making it his permanent home, at once beginning to improve it and to enlarge its extent. He now owns 640 acres the most of which is fine bottomland and yields abundantly of hay, its annual output being more than 150 tons. He principal part of his crop is timothy and red top but he also raises grain and is continually increasing his acreage in this product. His place is well improved and very desirable in location being generally considered one of the best in the valley and is a visible tribute to his judgement in selection and to his skill and enterprise in its cultivation and management, The Cattle upon his range have good pedigrees and their place in the markets is justly high and well-established. Mr. Belknap is one of the public-spirited men of the section and his portion of the state owes much to his progressive and elevating citizenship. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, holding membership in Lodge No 122 at Clarion, Iowa. On January 5, 1879, in Iowa he was married to Miss Emily Sill, a native of that state and a daughter of William and Rhoda (Grey) Sill, natives of Ohio, whither their parents came from Virginia in early days, daring all of the dangers and enduring many of the privations of the most rigid pioneer life. Mr. and Mrs. Belknap have four children living, Angie married to Fred O. Shaeffer of Stratford, Iowa; George Earl, Clifford Vernon and Marjorie. Another daughter, Blanche, died in infancy. The head of this house is still in the very prime of life, with all his faculties in full vigor, his aspirations proper and realizing their agreeable fruitage and his position well established in the regard of his fellows. He may hopefully look forward to many years of usefulness.
