A New Beginning in Idaho
May Arkwright Hutton
More news of the silver and gold strikes of the west were making their way back east and May dreamed of the wealth and power that was possible in such a place. May Hutton was the illegitimate child of a brief relationship and had been a caretaker for her grandfather most of her childhood. She had a brief marriage that ended with her husband drowning while he was in the processes of leaving the relationship. She was ready for a new start.
In 1883 the twenty three year old May joined forty coal miners from her hometown and their families for the trip west to the “Silver Valley” of Idaho. When she first reached the territory she was taken with her surroundings. She fell in love with the mountains and rough hewn society that surrounded the mines. In Wardner she took as job as a cook in boarding house. Saving what she could she was able to establish her own boardinghouse in short measure.
When May came west she took the name of May Arkwright, leaving her married name of Munn behind in Ohio. She was comfortable in the predominantly male mining camps. She was a rough spoken, imposing figure who did not cast a scornful eye on the workers that ate at her tables. May ran her own business, saved for the future, began to invest her earnings in mines, and was a constant participant in the political discussions that were present at any gathering.
At one of these discussions she learned that a narrow gauge railroad line would be coming to Kellogg. May found out where the tracks were likely to be and made the decision to move. She bought a piece of land, a two room shack, a cook stove and a cow and opened her restaurant. When the rail line reached Kellogg in 1887 she was right on the line. Her business grew as the railroad brought more people to the mines. Her social life was also impacted by the increasing diversity of those coming into the region.
One of those new arrivals was Levi W. Hutton, known by his friends as Al. He was born in Fairfield, Iowa and became an orphan along with his six brothers and sisters when he was six. He was taken in by his uncle but from that point on was expected to work for his keep. He became a locomotive engineer and that is what brought him to Kellogg and the dinner table at May’s establishment. The two had much in common and shared a great respect for one another.
Within a matter of weeks the independent, fiery May and the handsome, reserved Levi announced their plans for marriage. They planned a “proper” wedding, sent out announcements, and on November 17, 1887 they were joined at a double wedding. The best man had proposed to the maid of honor just before the ceremony for May and Al and wanted to join the day’s events and be married. Al and May agreed to share the ceremony but not the gifts that had been brought as had been suggested by the former best man.
Sources:
Arksey, Laura. “Hutton, May Arkwright (1860-1915).” History Link: The Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History, http://historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=7547 (accessed March 8, 2009).
Horner, Patricia Voeller. “May Arkwright Hutton: Suffragist and politician.” in Women in Pacific Northwest History: An Anthology, ed. Karen J. Blair, 25-42. Seattle: University of Wasington Press, 1990.
Leinberger, Lisa. “Gravesite monument memorializes Huttons.” Spokesman Review, April 17, 2008.
Montgomery, James. Liberated Woman. Fairfield: Ye Galleon Press, 1985.
Schwantes, Carlos Arnaldo. The Pacific Northwest: An Interpretive History. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1996.
Washington State Historical Society: Digital Collection. “May Arkwright Hutton Collection”. http://digitum.washingtonhistory.org/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=/hutton (accessed March 8, 2009).
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