Western Heritage Center to host Thursday lecture on Billings pioneer I.D. O’Donnell
“You cannot overstate his importance to the development of Billings, Montana and agriculture across the nation,” WHC Community Historian Lauren Hunley said.
Want to learn more about the man nicknamed the “alfalfa king,” and the “best farmer in Montana?”
Thursday afternoon at noon, patrons of the Western Heritage Center will have the opportunity to do so as the museum hosts historian Melody Dobson for a guest lecture on Ignatius Daniel (I.D.) O’Donnell.
I.D. O'Donnell was a prominent Billings pioneer.
The event is a part of the heritage center’s monthly “High Noon,” lecture series wherein local experts and historians are invited to speak on historical topics important to the Billings area.
Regular admissions fees apply and Western Heritage Center members attend for free.
‘The Alfalfa King’
An ambitious and highly successful businessmen and farmer, O’Donnell was a prominent figure in the early history of Billings.
He was born in Canada in 1860 but spent most of his childhood in Saginaw, Michigan. O'Donnell eventually moved west to the Billings area in the mid 1880s and bought the Hesper farm from the Reverend B.F. Shuart.
This undated photo of the Hesper Farm barn shows horses hitched to a wagon.
Under his ownership, the Hesper Farm became a model for agricultural success and efficiency in the Yellowstone Valley, demonstrating that crops such as sugar beets and alfalfa could be grown successfully in the area using irrigation techniques.
As his farm and businesses grew so did his influence in local affairs. O’Donnell helped found the Billings sugar beet factory and was instrumental in the construction of the big ditch and the formation of the Billings Bench Water Association.
He was on the board for Billings Polytechnical Institute, which later became Rocky Mountain College, for many years. He was also heavily involved with the Commercial Club, the forerunner of the Billings Chamber of Commerce.
The I.D. O'Donnell home at 105 Clark Avenue was built in 1905 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
O’Donnell passed away in 1948 at the age of 87. His family home situated at 105 Clark Ave is still standing today and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
“You cannot overstate his importance to the development of Billings or Montana,” Western Heritage Center Community Historian Lauren Hunley said.