| Hiram R. Lyon (1856-1923) |
| Hiram was born in December 1956 to C.W. and Mary Lyon in Ohio and was the younger brother of Lewis W. Lyon. They moved to the Wabasha MN area near Minneapolis when he was only 3 years old. |
Prior to coming west, he was an assistant cashier at the Second National Bank in St. Paul. Now in Mandan, we was one of the organizers of the First National Bank of Mandan. Backing for a new bank in Mandan came from an uncle by the name of Tarbos, who also lived in St. Paul. Lyon was cashier at the Mandan Bank for many years before becoming its president.
Mr. Lyon came to Mandan in 1881 and the 25 years he spent here were filled with business activities, ranging from the presidency of the First National Bank to founder of the the Mandan Mercantile Company. He also had an active interest in the Mandan Roller Mill and the North Dakota Milling Association. | |
He engaged in the raising of sheep and was responsible for the placement of thousands of head on Morton County farms, on shares. Lyon purchased 700 head of sheep from the Black Hills area in July 1882. The trip home took 16 days and they were placed on the Lyon ranch on the Little Heart River.
Other business he established were the Missouri Valley Milling Company (whose premium grade of flour was called Lyons Best), the Mandan Electric Company, the Mandan and North Dakota Independent Telephone Companies, and the Missouri Valley Grocery.
He and his wife Pauline (Meech) were married in 1892. Together with daughter Carolina R. (b. Sept 1893) and stepson Robert Meech (b. Mar 1885), they lived at 309 4th Ave NW. Their home was styled after a southern plantation home with massive pillars along the front to support the porte-cochere - the French word for carriage driveway. The Lyon's where unique among Mandan residents in having a fulltime coachman in the entire city. Another household servant included a young Russian immigrant servant Vronie Helbling.
After leaving Mandan in early 1907, Lyon returned to Minnesota to become Chairman of the Board of the National Bank in Minneapolis. He retired in 1920 and moved Pasadena California. He died there in 1923. |
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