Robert Howie (1830-1913) came to Tomah in 1858 from County Ayshire Scotland and homesteaded land. Howie worked with Robert Gillett and C C Miller surveying the Tomah Area. He was Tomah's first Rural Mail Carrier. His interest in agriculture and horses motivated him to donate land for the fairgrounds in 1881. He helped develop the fairgrounds by constructing exhibition buildings and hauling in clay with horse teams for a racetrack. Howie, his sons Robert Jr. and Wallace, and nephew Irvine Strozinsky raced horses on the racetrack and down Tomah's Superior Avenue. He insisted the street to be 100 feet wide to allow harness racing. Howie and his wife Agnes (1855-1942) had eleven children.
Plaque by:
Tomah Historical Society,
Howie and Strozinsky Families
The death of Mr. Robert Howie,
which occurred Sunday afternoon
at his home on the south side of
this city, takes one of Tomah's
earliest settlers and one of the best
known men in Monroe county. Mr
Howie was born in Irving, Ayr-
shire, Scotland, on Aug. 6, 1830. In
1856 he emigrated to this country,
coming directly to Tomah, where he
entered the employment of Tomah's
founder, Mr. Gillett, for whom he
worked for a number of years. Mr.
Howie carried the mail from Tomah
to Sparta on foot and had many
hairbreadth escapes from wild ani-
mals. After this he assisted Mr. C.
C. Miller, who was surveying this
country, and then ho engaged in
teaming from Sparta to La Crosse.
He then bought a farm consisting of
about one hundred acres in and sur-
rounding Tomah, where he has re-
sided ever since. He was a crack
shot and an ardent sportsman in the
true sense of the word. A great lover
of horses, he was always willing to
challenge all comers in racing. In
1911 he carried off the purse in one
of the horse races. For a number
of years he raised English hares and
pheasants for the market. He car-
ried off nearly all the prizes for
vegetable produce for a number of
years at the Eastern Monroe Coun-
ty fair. His generous hospitality
was proverbial. As a conversational-
ist Mr. Howie was without a peer
and it was indeed a treat to hear
him relate the episodes of his past
life in his pleasant lowland Scotch
dialect. Mr. Howie was married to
Agnes Alexander, also a native of
Scotland, who survives him. He
also leaves to mourn his loss five
daughters... and two sons....
--excerpt from The La Crosse Tribune; Thursday, February 20, 1913
Name Robert Howie
Death Date 16 Feb 1913
Death County Monroe, Wisconsin, USA
1880 Census:
Birthplace Scotland
Home in 1880 Tomah, Monroe, Wisconsin, USA
Robert Howie 50 Self (Head) [Farmer]
Agnes Howie 23 Wife
Elizabeth Howie 7 Daughter
Rubbey Howie 2 Daughter
Plaque by:
Tomah Historical Society,
Howie and Strozinsky Families
The death of Mr. Robert Howie,
which occurred Sunday afternoon
at his home on the south side of
this city, takes one of Tomah's
earliest settlers and one of the best
known men in Monroe county. Mr
Howie was born in Irving, Ayr-
shire, Scotland, on Aug. 6, 1830. In
1856 he emigrated to this country,
coming directly to Tomah, where he
entered the employment of Tomah's
founder, Mr. Gillett, for whom he
worked for a number of years. Mr.
Howie carried the mail from Tomah
to Sparta on foot and had many
hairbreadth escapes from wild ani-
mals. After this he assisted Mr. C.
C. Miller, who was surveying this
country, and then ho engaged in
teaming from Sparta to La Crosse.
He then bought a farm consisting of
about one hundred acres in and sur-
rounding Tomah, where he has re-
sided ever since. He was a crack
shot and an ardent sportsman in the
true sense of the word. A great lover
of horses, he was always willing to
challenge all comers in racing. In
1911 he carried off the purse in one
of the horse races. For a number
of years he raised English hares and
pheasants for the market. He car-
ried off nearly all the prizes for
vegetable produce for a number of
years at the Eastern Monroe Coun-
ty fair. His generous hospitality
was proverbial. As a conversational-
ist Mr. Howie was without a peer
and it was indeed a treat to hear
him relate the episodes of his past
life in his pleasant lowland Scotch
dialect. Mr. Howie was married to
Agnes Alexander, also a native of
Scotland, who survives him. He
also leaves to mourn his loss five
daughters... and two sons....
--excerpt from The La Crosse Tribune; Thursday, February 20, 1913
Name Robert Howie
Death Date 16 Feb 1913
Death County Monroe, Wisconsin, USA
1880 Census:
Birthplace Scotland
Home in 1880 Tomah, Monroe, Wisconsin, USA
Robert Howie 50 Self (Head) [Farmer]
Agnes Howie 23 Wife
Elizabeth Howie 7 Daughter
Rubbey Howie 2 Daughter
Robert Howie (1830-1913) came to Tomah in 1858 from County Ayshire Scotland and homesteaded land. Howie worked with Robert Gillett and C C Miller surveying the Tomah Area. He was Tomah's first Rural Mail Carrier. His interest in agriculture and horses motivated him to donate land for the fairgrounds in 1881. He helped develop the fairgrounds by constructing exhibition buildings and hauling in clay with horse teams for a racetrack. Howie, his sons Robert Jr. and Wallace, and nephew Irvine Strozinsky raced horses on the racetrack and down Tomah's Superior Avenue. He insisted the street to be 100 feet wide to allow harness racing. Howie and his wife Agnes (1855-1942) had eleven children.
Plaque by:
Tomah Historical Society,
Howie and Strozinsky Families
The death of Mr. Robert Howie,
which occurred Sunday afternoon
at his home on the south side of
this city, takes one of Tomah's
earliest settlers and one of the best
known men in Monroe county. Mr
Howie was born in Irving, Ayr-
shire, Scotland, on Aug. 6, 1830. In
1856 he emigrated to this country,
coming directly to Tomah, where he
entered the employment of Tomah's
founder, Mr. Gillett, for whom he
worked for a number of years. Mr.
Howie carried the mail from Tomah
to Sparta on foot and had many
hairbreadth escapes from wild ani-
mals. After this he assisted Mr. C.
C. Miller, who was surveying this
country, and then ho engaged in
teaming from Sparta to La Crosse.
He then bought a farm consisting of
about one hundred acres in and sur-
rounding Tomah, where he has re-
sided ever since. He was a crack
shot and an ardent sportsman in the
true sense of the word. A great lover
of horses, he was always willing to
challenge all comers in racing. In
1911 he carried off the purse in one
of the horse races. For a number
of years he raised English hares and
pheasants for the market. He car-
ried off nearly all the prizes for
vegetable produce for a number of
years at the Eastern Monroe Coun-
ty fair. His generous hospitality
was proverbial. As a conversational-
ist Mr. Howie was without a peer
and it was indeed a treat to hear
him relate the episodes of his past
life in his pleasant lowland Scotch
dialect. Mr. Howie was married to
Agnes Alexander, also a native of
Scotland, who survives him. He
also leaves to mourn his loss five
daughters... and two sons....
--excerpt from The La Crosse Tribune; Thursday, February 20, 1913
Name Robert Howie
Death Date 16 Feb 1913
Death County Monroe, Wisconsin, USA
1880 Census:
Birthplace Scotland
Home in 1880 Tomah, Monroe, Wisconsin, USA
Robert Howie 50 Self (Head) [Farmer]
Agnes Howie 23 Wife
Elizabeth Howie 7 Daughter
Rubbey Howie 2 Daughter
Plaque by:
Tomah Historical Society,
Howie and Strozinsky Families
The death of Mr. Robert Howie,
which occurred Sunday afternoon
at his home on the south side of
this city, takes one of Tomah's
earliest settlers and one of the best
known men in Monroe county. Mr
Howie was born in Irving, Ayr-
shire, Scotland, on Aug. 6, 1830. In
1856 he emigrated to this country,
coming directly to Tomah, where he
entered the employment of Tomah's
founder, Mr. Gillett, for whom he
worked for a number of years. Mr.
Howie carried the mail from Tomah
to Sparta on foot and had many
hairbreadth escapes from wild ani-
mals. After this he assisted Mr. C.
C. Miller, who was surveying this
country, and then ho engaged in
teaming from Sparta to La Crosse.
He then bought a farm consisting of
about one hundred acres in and sur-
rounding Tomah, where he has re-
sided ever since. He was a crack
shot and an ardent sportsman in the
true sense of the word. A great lover
of horses, he was always willing to
challenge all comers in racing. In
1911 he carried off the purse in one
of the horse races. For a number
of years he raised English hares and
pheasants for the market. He car-
ried off nearly all the prizes for
vegetable produce for a number of
years at the Eastern Monroe Coun-
ty fair. His generous hospitality
was proverbial. As a conversational-
ist Mr. Howie was without a peer
and it was indeed a treat to hear
him relate the episodes of his past
life in his pleasant lowland Scotch
dialect. Mr. Howie was married to
Agnes Alexander, also a native of
Scotland, who survives him. He
also leaves to mourn his loss five
daughters... and two sons....
--excerpt from The La Crosse Tribune; Thursday, February 20, 1913
Name Robert Howie
Death Date 16 Feb 1913
Death County Monroe, Wisconsin, USA
1880 Census:
Birthplace Scotland
Home in 1880 Tomah, Monroe, Wisconsin, USA
Robert Howie 50 Self (Head) [Farmer]
Agnes Howie 23 Wife
Elizabeth Howie 7 Daughter
Rubbey Howie 2 Daughter
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