Frank
Joseph Button (1855-1938)
Frank was born in Danby Four Corners, Vermont on April 20, 1855.
He made his home there with his parents, Joseph and Melissa (Hulett)
Button, until he was nine years old. Of the six children in the
family, Frank was the eldest. The family then came to California
by boat, making the voyage around Cape Horn at the southern tip
of South America. After settling in California, Button attended
Santa Rosa High School. Continuing his education, he attended the
North Pacific Methodist College at Santa Rosa.
Frank Button, and his Uncle I.V. Button, came to Humboldt County,
Nevada in 1873. They bought six-hundred head of cattle, and arrived
in Winnemucca to find a few houses, a ferry across the Humboldt
River, and Bridge Street paved with sagebrush stubs to keep the
wagons from sinking into the sand. Going North, Button and his Uncle
settled in the Midas area, 50 miles East of Winnemucca, Nevada.
From an Indian there, for fifty dollars and a saddle horse, I.V.
Button bought ground that was to spearhead the famous Double-Square
Ranch and then later two ranches and 4,000 square miles of range.
The Double Square was first a cattle ranch, but horses were valuable
then and the Buttons soon converted, and built an amazing herd of
several thousand horses. Indicative of the value of horses, a recorded
sale of livestock in 1887 list seventeen head of cattle that brought
an average of $14.00 per head, whereas a six year old mare brought
$135.00.
Frank Button got into many Indian skirmishes. But despite that early
trouble with the Indians, the Buttons' herd thrived. Double Square
saddle horses were in demand by the U.S. army, the San Francisco
Police Department and neighboring Nevada Ranchers. The herd was
also famous for its beautiful, perfectly matched sets of horses
often seen in parades. Frank Button and his Uncle were charter members
of Nevada’s first Cattle Association, and the original owners
of the Double Square Brand. I.V. Button sold the Double Square Ranch
in 1885 and moved to Berkeley, California. However, this was just
the beginning of a long ranching career for Frank Button in Humboldt
County. Frank then engaged in horse raising on another Ranch further
up the Little Humboldt River until that Ranch was sold.
On August 25, 1888, Frank Button (age 33), Libby Shallenberger,
Charles Miller and Lenore Shallenberger (Mrs. Button’s sister)
were married in a double wedding ceremony at Golconda, Nevada. Charles
Miller served as Deputy to Sheriff Graham Lamb and George Brady
from 1903 to 1925. Frank was named superintendent of vast holdings
of the Bliss Bros., and Mr. and Mrs. Button made their home at the
C S ranch at Button Point.
Frank passed away December 19, 1938.
Here is a clipping from a news story about Frank J Button: NEWS
CLIPPING
Frank Joseph Button was inducted into the Buckaroo Hall of Fame
in September 1992.
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