Michael A. Meyendorff
USGENWEB Montana Archives
May be copied for non-profit purposes.
History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894

Michael A. Meyendorff, recently the melter at the U.S. 
Assay Office, Helena, and now City Engineering of this 
city,came to Montana in 1871.He was born in Poland, 
December 3, 1849 and is the son of Baron Meyendorff, 
a Polish nobleman. His early training was at the 
government school at Minsk, the capital of the Russian 
State of that name. When Poland made her last attempt 
to gain independence, the Meyendorff family were among 
those who took up arms against Russia and with three 
elder brothers the subject of our sketch went forth in 
the war which ended so disastrously to the side they 
championed.With others he was arrested and imprisoned 
and upon trial sentenced to banishment in Siberia. The 
time occupied by imprisonment and in the journey to 
Siberia was sixteen months, and eighteen months were 
spent in exile. He was liberated during the close of 
the Lincoln administration, through the intercession 
of the United States Governmentand came at once to 
America.Six months after his arrival in this country 
he entered the Michigan University, and in 1870 
graduated in thatinstitution as a civil engineer. 
In 1871 he came west, and during the summer of that 
and the following year he wasin the employ of the 
Northern Pacific Railroad Company as a surveyor. 
In 1875 he went to Washington and was in the employ 
of the Interior Department. Through the influence 
of Hon. James G. Blaine, he came to Helena as 
superintendent of construction of the U.S. Assay 
Office and President Grant the next year appointed 
him melter, a position which he held, serving under 
both Republican and Democratic administrations, 
until September 1893 when he was removedby 
President Cleveland. The spring city election 
being carried by the Republican Party, Mr. 
Meyendorff was appointed City Engineer May 1, 
1894, which he still holds. 

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