Archives West Finding Aid

Thomas Howard Irvine was born in Madison County, Kentucky, on August 19, 1845, son of Thomas H. Irvine and his second wife, Sally Bryan. When Thomas was four years old, his family moved to St. Joseph, Missouri. In 1864, they crossed the plains by wagon train to Virginia City, Montana Territory, and eventually settled in the Deer Lodge Valley. Irvine was initially engaged in ranching and mining, but in the 1870s, he hired on as an independent scout for General Nelson Miles and was involved in several campaigns, including the Rosebud. At the close of the Indian campaigns in 1878, he moved to the new town of Miles City. He served as U.S. Deputy Marshal until his election as Sheriff of Custer County in 1880, when it covered most of eastern Montana. As sheriff Irvine had to deal with the criminal turmoil created by the coming of the railroad to Miles City. Among the criminals he lodged in his jail was "Big Nose George" Parrott. During the 1880s, Irvine served another period as U.S. Deputy Marshal and another term as county sheriff. In 1882, Irvine married a young widow, Mary E. Flynn, who had a baby daughter. They had five sons: Thomas B., Bryan, Fred, Kit Carson, and Kenneth. In the 1890s, Irvine moved to Hamilton, Montana, where he served several terms as Ravalli County sheriff. In his later years he had a ranch at Perma in Sanders County. Thomas H. Irvine died on January 11, 1926, in Long Beach, California.