Potters in Great Falls, Montana, 1884-1920

Janet Thomson is a member of the Great Falls Genealogical Society and is the principle editor of a 2-volume set of books, Early Settlers of Great Falls (Montana), 1884-1920, Stories About Early Residents..., Volumes 1-2. Great Falls is on the upper Missouri River and was first documented by Meriwether Lewis on the historic Lewis & Clark Corps of Discovery Expedition (1804-1806). He wrote that he could hear the thunder of the falls (which turned out to be a series of falls) from a day's distance. The town of Great Falls was founded in the spring of 1884 and grew slowly until the arrival of the railroad in 1887 and "every person of the 3,500 population of this city turned out to give a grand welcome to the first train."

There are three Potters listed in Volume 2 of this work.... four if you count the spelling "Poter." They are:

Poter, S. and wife Emma had son Howard, age 13, with them in their south side home in August, 1899 when the school census was conducted.

Potter, C.E. was a lineman for the Boston & Great Falls Electric Light & Power Company in 1904-5, as noted in the city directory.

Potter, Clarence, was an electrician who resided at 415 - 6th Avenue South in 1904-5 as noted in the city directory.

Potter, Earl, was a laborer living on the river front in 1896 as noted in the city directory.

I'd bet that the 1900, 1910 and 1920 U.S. Federal censuses for Great Falls would list many more Potters. But I did search for "Howard Poter/Potter" in the 1900 and 1910 censuses for Montana and did not locate him. Darn.