Dodge Family History: What happened to Sherman E. Dodge after 1903?

What happened to Sherman Elwood Dodge after 1903? Since finding record his his marriage and divorce several years ago, this has been a question that I have not been able to answer. Today, I have been able to partially answer that question, and in the process, disprove the legend of his perishing in the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.

To briefly recap, Sherman was born in Maine in 1875, the first of 10 children. He grew up in Buena Vista, Colorado, living there from 1880 to 1900. When he married Mary May Brown in December of 1900, he was living in Crested Butte, Colorado, most likely as a miner. He appears to live and work in Denver during their brief marriage. At the time of their divorce in 1903, he was living in Cokeville, Wyoming, working as a ranch hand. Until today, that's where the trial ended.

After his divorce, there is no record of Sherman until 1908, when he is found in Pendleton, Oregon. He is listed in the local directory as French E. Dodge (it is unknown if he changed his first name or if this is an alias or nickname). He appears to have run a restaurant with a John A. Engle. In 1909, Sherman was living in the town of Gresham, Oregon, east of Portland. On July 14, 1909, he was arrested for ‘assuming to be a U.S. Officer’ at Gresham, Oregon, where he lived. Sherman was tried in U.S. District Court at Portland, Oregon on December 14, 1909 and sentenced to 18 months in prison on December 16, 1909. He served his sentence at the United States Penitentiary at McNeil Island, Washington. The Prison Record lists his name as F.E. Dodge. According to the prison record, he was born in Gardiner, Maine in 1875. He was 34 years old, 5’8-½” tall, weighed 138 pounds, had brown hair, hazel brown eyes, and a fair complexion.

The prison record also notes that he had ‘a small scar ¾ inch long on right side of head, scar 1 inch long across underside of chin, scar ½ inch long across inside end of left ring finger.’ Under parent’s name and residence is listed ‘N.T. Dodge, Buena Vista, Colorado.’ His occupation was listed as a restaurant man and machinist. He could read and write and was temperate. He was not married. He had been imprisoned since his arrest. In the 1910 Census, his name is listed as French D. Dodge. According to the census, he was 35 years old, widowed, married for four years, born in Maine (along with his parents), and was a laborer. Sherman was released from prison three months early, on March 9, 1911, for good behavior. He was living in California in 1919, according to his mother’s obituary. There is no Census record for Sherman after 1910.